Radiohead is still one of the most creative, longest running rock bands in the world.
They just are!

Despite giving their album away it hasn’t hurt their CD or ticket sales.
This is a powerful statement to an industry obsessed with extending more and more control over created works.  Maybe it’s more profitable to just let it go???

Seattle does not physically respond to music.
It’s not just Sundays at Mars Hill but one of the most popular bands in the world could barely elicit more movement from the audience than the photograph above.  Over and over again the lights would flash revealing a crowd of over 30,000 people standing almost completely still.  Maybe it’s just Radiohead fans and we have a church full of them.   Hmmmmmm…

If you’re going to fork out the money for a big show don’t go cheap.
I choked on the ticket price and settled for the lawn in far back.  I could see much and with a band like Radiohead it’s all about seeing how they’re doing what they’re doing (at least for me).  Lesson learned.

Even if it’s August 20th I still live in Seattle.
It rained.  It poured.  It was around 55 degrees and windy.  It seemed like a particularly wet kind of rain.

Think twice (or maybe 3 or 4 times) before I go to another show at White River Amphitheater.
This is a pretty remote location.  Narrow roads and lots of people to get in and out.  I left my house at 5pm.  Had a brief stop for dinner and arrived just in time for Radiohead to start at 9pm.  The show was over at 11:15pm and I arrived home (still wet) at 2am.  I REALLY like Radiohead and this was just, almost, barely worth it.

All in all it was a great show and both my wife and I really enjoyed it.  It has always surprised me how much my wife Beth likes Radiohead.  She is a fairly casual music fan.  She doesn’t go looking for much music and she doesn’t have to with me around as there is always a constant flow.  There is a lot of music that I like that gets on her nerves but she has always like the ole’ Radiohead.  I will always remember when she was in labor with our first daughter, Trinity, and she demanded I put on Radiohead’s Amnesiac album.  Our doctor, who is likely the coolest gyno Dr. ever, started talking about recently seeing them live on that tour at the George.  Beth and I were there as well and so an enthusiastic conversation ensued on the greatness of Radiohead between contractions.    It was a strange and beautiful moment.

It was a great show and if you haven’t done so already, check out their latest album “In Rainbows”.

I have been a bit preoccupied with studying the book of Jonah the last couple weeks.  Yesterday I preached primarily on repenting from idol worship in Jonah chapter 2.  It has been an amazing study that has been very fruitful in my life.  I will post the audio of my sermon as soon as it’s available.

As for Psalm 9…  I just didn’t get to it last week so this week you will be able to double your fun as we release both Psalm 9 & 10 this coming Sunday.

Have a great week…  Pastor Tim

Written by Rose Johnson

Rose, my lovely and talented wife, lamented to me a couple years ago that she wishes she could write songs. I said, “How do you know that you can’t write if you’ve never tried?”. So she wrote a song and she’s been writing great tunes since. Most of which have been sung at Mars Hill.
I have the distinct privilege of hearing these songs come together around the house as Rose labors at the piano. That’s phase 1. Then we get to arrange the song in phase 2 as a band in Sons of Thunder. Rose brings the “skeleton” of the song (i.e. the melody and chord changes) and our wildly talented band mates help us put skin on the song by adding their respective guitar, bass and keys parts.

Here’s Rose’s thoughts on the writing of Psalm 8. (Read Psalm 8 here) –Pastor Matt

Sons of Thunder’s Psalm 8 was inspired by a John Piper sermon I listened to called The Peculiar Mark of majesty part1.

Piper does an amazing job looking at this Psalm in its entirety, and I would highly suggest you check it out. But the part that really stuck out and convicted me to write this song is how Jesus uses the very weakest of things to declare his praise and silence his enemies. (more…)

Psalm 8

It’s been 4 weeks that I’ve been stewing on this Psalm and I’ve found it difficult to comprehend which seems odd, because on the surface it’s rather simple. There are a few main questions that have risen to the surface for me. What exactly is “majesty”? Do I have an adequate understanding of God’s majesty? And is the middle portion of the song referring to mankind in general or Jesus specifically?

Majesty In Babies

David was obviously overcome by God’s majesty. That’s the theme of the Psalm. He opens and closes in 9 short verses with an exclamation,

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (more…)

Earlier this year I got a chance to spend the day with Bob Kauflin who directs the worship ministry across the Sovereign Grace network of churches.  The entire interview was posted on Resurgence earlier this year but we broke it up into smaller pieces and are posting a chunk a day for the next week.  Bob has had a big impact on my life and he will on yours as well.  

Earlier this year I got a chance to spend the day with Bob Kauflin who directs the worship ministry across the Sovereign Grace network of churches.  The entire interview was posted on Resurgence earlier this year but we broke it up into smaller pieces and are posting a chunk a day for the next week.  Bob has had a big impact on my life and he will on yours as well.  

Earlier this year I got a chance to spend the day with Bob Kauflin who directs the worship ministry across the Sovereign Grace network of churches.  The entire interview was posted on Resurgence earlier this year but we broke it up into smaller pieces and are posting a chunk a day for the next week.  Bob has had a big impact on my life and he will on yours as well.    

Earlier this year I got a chance to spend the day with Bob Kauflin who directs the worship ministry across the Sovereign Grace network of churches.  The entire interview was posted on Resurgence earlier this year but we broke it up into smaller pieces and are posting a chunk a day for the next week.  Bob has had a big impact on my life and he will on yours as well.  

Earlier this year I got a chance to spend the day with Bob Kauflin who directs the worship ministry across the Sovereign Grace network of churches.  The entire interview was posted on Resurgence earlier this year but we broke it up into smaller pieces and are posting a chunk a day for the next week.  Bob has had a big impact on my life and he will on yours as well.