I’ve been playing around with the idea of making “Who I’m ___ing Right Now” a monthly rather than weekly feature. After all, how many of my escapades can I really expect to entertain you with? So as I continue to feel things out as I go, keep letting me know how you like it. Ahem.
Here’s what I’ve been doing in June!
Who I’m Listening to Right Now- Brandi Carlile is a favorite at our house, and in fact one of us may even have a little bit of a music crush. (I’m not naming names, especially mine.) I love all of her albums for her exquisite lyrics and heartbreakingly beautiful voice, but the one that’s been getting the most play this month has been The Story.
Who I’m Reading Right Now- C.S. Lewis is one of my very favorite authors, and The Great Divorce is one of my very favorite books. This time around it’s been especially incredible discussing with my husband as we read together each poignant vignette that shows with Lewis’ trademark care, humor, and sensitivity the great divorce between heaven and hell. If you’ve never read Lewis, you need to see what you’ve been missing; if you have, let him remind you again of your need for the Bleeding Charity.
Who I’m Watching Right Now- For a person with such pronounced anglophilia, it took me a buggity long time to see The King’s Speech, but I am bloody glad I did. Colin Firth was amazing as the brave, wounded, stammering Bertie who would become King George VI. And who am I kidding– an Englishman who talks dirty? Sold.
In this clip, Bertie’s elocution teacher instructs him to swear out his stammer. Warning: It’s the most riotously hilarious moment of the film, but if I were you, I wouldn’t watch it with an employer or child around.
Who I’m Blog-Stalking Right Now- Matt Appling, pastor and writer of The Church of No People, is always giving me something interesting or challenging to think about. He writes, uninhibited, the sermons a pastor would be free to preach if no one showed up to church. And the beauty is that that kind of honesty makes people show up in droves.
This month in particular, he struck me with his thoughts on our being wired for beauty and then again with his idea that our generation has too much potential and not enough purpose. If you’ve never visited The Church of No People, get in there now!
What have you been up to in June? Got any recommendations of your own to add? And what do you think about getting it monthly versus weekly?
Thanks for the shout-out, Tamara!
My pleasure! Thanks for the great blog!
I think your idea of monthly instead of weekly is a good one. Weekly seems awfully frequent for such updates. You can finish projects in a month and then start new ones. Just my opinion.
Phew, thanks. Weekly was promising to be a little exhausting.
By the way, is it terrible that I first took “Who I’m ____ing right now” as something humorously dirty?
Is it terrible that I meant it to be taken that way?
Tamara,
I’m still “hating” you, and I’m disappointed that you’re not “____ing” me back in this post.
Ahem.
Hahahahaha!
You still hate me? ____ you, dude.
I should’ve known better than to cross quills with you!
Speaking very personally – I love this weekly post. But if it’s easier for you to do it monthly, I’d take that, too. And thanks for the lead to Matt’s blog – looking forward to that. LOVE the clip and just felt sad when they were forced to re-do it to soothe somebody’s ruffled feathers. And I don’t even swear (much) – but it was such a powerful picture of how real, live, painful hurdles can be leaped over with the use of free-flowing profanity. I just KNOW there’s a sermon illustration in there somewhere…
Ooh, or maybe a blog post!
Totally enthralled with The Airborne Toxic Event right now. Unbelievable orchestral rock with exquisite lyrics. As a sample, check out Graveyard Near the House… some of the most wonderful lyrics I’ve ever heard, especially near the end of the song: “If you die before I die I’ll carve your name out of the sky…”
I like that– thanks for sharing!
No problem. Most of their stuff is a lot more up-tempo, but these lyrics are gorgeous.
“feeling things out”? “No more than usual.”
bwahahaha….
The Great Divorce is one of my all time faves too (it’s within arms reach right now.) I’ll give a listen to the music here… if Garrels is another favorite, I trust your taste.
I have heard The Story once before — it is a beautiful and very difficult song to sing. (As attested to by the performance the first time I heard it…. the high school girl loved the song so much, she insisted on singing it for the final musical production at school, but…. ummm…. let’s just say now I know what the song is supposed to sound like. Sweet kid, song was over her head.)
You’re always gettin’ what I’m givin’ out. Ahem.
I watched King’s Speech very late at night after a day of travel, so I fell asleep partway through. I was woken up out of my dead sleep by that scene. Honestly made it even better.
Hilarious! I bet that was startling!
The King’s Speech was a brilliant(ly simple) movie. No attempts at being more than it was, or more than it should be, and it was wonderful.
I also LOVE the great divorce, and would recommend NT Wright’s Surprised by Hope as a great theological look at the same theme.
I am cool with the monthly idea, but just don’t get any more scarce than that…you know, only ______ing this on special occasions…wait, what are we talking about?
I’ll have to check out Surprised By Hope– thanks.
“Matt wants it no less often than once a month”– note taken.
I love Brandi Carlile so much that I will totally fight you over her. I got to see her perform last summer at the little theater in downtown Lexington. She is amazing, and so young! (Like, just turned 30 young.)
Maybe I wasn’t clear enough about my feelings for Brandi. I will take you down, woman.
Even more reasons, I heart you–The King’s Speech and C.S. Lewis. I read The Great Divorce right after reading Love Wins. I’m fascinated by the depth and richness of the imagery and theology presented by Lewis. Never fails, I always re-kindle my crush on Lewis…and Colin Firth is just amazing.
Right now, I’m rereading Jane Austen’s novel along with their beastly zombie, vampired, mummy, and werewolf counterparts. It’s utterly fascinating and a wonderful way to enjoy the summer.
I haven’t read Love Wins. How’d you like it?
The Great Divorce is way more controversial. I really liked Love Wins except for the complete lack of citations. Now, I enjoy people who voice their opinions, but if a writer is challenging the norm, they need to cite sources.
The Great Divorce is more controversial? Only if you think it’s a story about what hell is really supposed to be, which I don’t think was Lewis’ intention. I’m pretty sure he wrote it to be an illustration of how people act, not as a picture of what really happens post-mortem. But I love the book….
I thought Love Wins was very good, but I don’t agree with all of his conclusions. He does make a lot of very good points, makes you look at certain issues from a different angle.
I feel like I haven’t been following you long enough to weigh in on the monthly vs weekly quandry… good luck on that one.
Have you ever read This Is Reverb? http://www.thisisreverb.com
A young pastor named Ryan full of piercings and tattoos writes beautiful posts about all sorts of things. And he has an adorable family that he sometimes shares stories about. Check it out
Thanks for the recommendation– I like what I’m seeing there.
Psssst…Folks can download some Brandi Carlisle over at NoiseTrade to give her a listen before purchasing the full discs.
I’ve been digging on Josh Garrels big time. Good heavens.
And I like weekly which is why I do weekly things. The bonus of it being your blog is that you get to do what YOU like. ;-D
I saw that today– perfect!
I’ll definitely do it the way I like, but you know I aim to please. Ahem.
I was going to point people to NoiseTrade for Brandi’s sampler, as well as mention my obsession with Josh Garrels. But you beat me to it. Darn you, Alise!
Hi Tamara:
I’ll tell you who I’m (ahem) reading. I recommend Emma Donoghue’s Room. It is so fabulous I can’t stop reading. But I have to so I can write. But I seriously don’t want it to end. But I do because it is freaking me out.
By the way, I think it is a good idea to make this a monthly feature. Sometimes our best ideas get to be a little oppressive. Monthly feels more manageable. Then you get quality!
Quality: smart woman. I’ll have to check out that book– I’m intrigued!
I used to have a mad crush on Brandi Carlile back in the day until I watched an interview where she discussed her affinity for “the ladies”. I went to bed, turned on Weezer’s “Pink Triangle”, and cried myself to sleep.
Ahahaha! I win.
Check out John Hagee’s Can America Survive or The Battle for Jerusalem. Both are great books. Mark Levin wrote Liberty and Tyrrany. jy wife and I like Bola Radio- It is a great Christian station out of Sao Paulo brasil. I have a soccer blog that I have been writing for three years. Its at defutebol. net