All posts by mjfelker1980

Study, The List, Wrestling With Scripture

The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

I spent 2 grueling days reading and studying through the book of Leviticus this week. As I wrote earlier I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules and regulations while also being joyful that the sacrificial system is over and done with. Through out the reading I would pause to study a little deeper into some of the study notes behind certain sacrifices or certain rules. I am proud to say that I found quite a few laws that I have always and (hopefully) will always keep without question. So here is this week’s The List: 10 Levitical Rules That I Follow (Without Really Trying)

1) I have never eaten a camel or a rock badger. (11:4-5)
2) I have never eaten an eagle, vulture, sea gull, or barn owl. (11:13-19)
3) I don’t eat road kill (11:39-40)
4) I don’t make sacrifices to goat demons. (17: 7)
5) I don’t eat blood- I’m a medium well kinda guy. (17:10)
6) I have never — and will never — ever — approach a relative and “uncover their nakedness.” Ewww. (18:1-30)
7) I have never cursed the deaf or purposely tripped the blind. (19:14)
8) I avoid necromancers. (19:31)
9) I have just balances and measures (my tape measure and calculators are fair) (19:36)
10) I will not give my child to Molech. (20:1-5)

Of course these rules are pretty easy to keep. They seem so bizarre and antiquated that is is easy to laugh at them and pull them out as examples of the “old law.” However, let us not poke fun at these rules at the expense of the ones that can be applicable to today. Rules that speak to living holy lives full of justice and mercy dedicated only to the LORD Almighty. Laws about helping the poor, outcast and alien. Laws that make us different from the surrounding culture.

Let us never forget the laws that relate to the pursuit of holy living and honoring the God that calls us to be set apart for his purposes. He alone frees us. He alone cleanses us and makes us his own.

Awesomenessness, Collecting Experiences, Firm on the Rock, Live Music, Music, Popular Culture

Concert Review: Matisyahu @ the Palladium Ballroom

2 Comments

Matisyahu 3 I had the chance to see Matisyahu in concert last night. This marked the third time I have seen his electric stage show and I loved ever minute of it. For those of you who don’t know about Matisyahu here is a one sentence bio:

Matisyahu is an Orthodox Hasidic Jew who blends reggae, rock, and hip-hop beats into some extremely awesome music.

There. That sums it up nicely.

In 2005 I was heading out on a long trip and the album cover to Live at Stubb’s jumped out at me. I grabbed it and then proceeded to wear my iPod battery out listening to this amazing artist blend reggae and rock with the Old Testament in ways deeper and more meaningful than ever. I have been hooked ever sense.

The concert was at the Palladium Ballroom in downtown Dallas. I had been told that the Palladium was a dive but I really liked the venue. It was in a sketchy part of town but the actual concert area was very nice. There was a great open space, no smoking, and friendly staff and security.

Matisyahu opened the set with L-rd Raise Me Up and captured the crowd with his unique sound. From there the show built to a fevered pitch as the band went through songs old and new. The band is working through a few new songs in anticipation of the new album due out in early 2009. They tried out So High So Low and Smash Lies from the recently released EP, Shattered, on the crowd to much fanfare. The new songs fit well into set and made me excited for the rest of the album.

Highlights from the concert include an extened versions of Jerusalem (Out of Darkness), Youth, Time of Your Song, Chop Em Down, and of course, King Without a Crown. They played for well over two hours. I (reluctantly) had to call it a night at midnight but the band was still going strong as I made my way to the parking lot. I’ll be interested to see a completed playlist to see what I missed!

I only paid $25 bucks for this show but after what I saw last night I was reminded that I will have to fork out a lot more dough the next time see him. Music like this doesn’t stay cheap forever.

I have already pre-ordered a recording of last night’s set from MatisyahuLive. If you sign up for the Matisyahu mailing list at MatisyahuWorld you can redeem a free song and a free concert. You definitely need to check this guy out. If you like what you hear get Live at Stubb’s, one of my Top 10 Albums of All Time.

Matisyahu 4

Matisyahu 6

Matisyahu 5

Matisyahu 6

Matisyahu 2

Study, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

Leviticus

5 Comments

I have spent the last few days plowing through the book of Leviticus. When I finished reading Lev. 27:29 yesterday afternoon I was physically and mentally exhausted.

I can honestly say that this was the most intense reading “of the Levites” that I have ever done. I learned a ton of interesting facts and tidbits thanks to my ESV Study Bible but I was left with an overwhelming sense of relief and freedom — and not just because I was finished reading!

Leviticus is the third book of the Pentateuch and it details the rights and rituals of the priests during the Tabernacle period. Right off that is difficult enough to wrap our modern heads around. I found myself (almost for the first time) understanding the enormity of the sacrificial system.

Blood, livestock, fatty organs, fire, dung, water and ashes. Day in. Day out. That was the life of a priest.

Thank God that it is not this way any longer. Thank God for the sacrifice of his Son.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might dies to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we are healed. (1Peter 2:24)

2008, Apocalypse, Music, Popular Culture

I’ll Believe It When I See It

King Solomon’s Mines. Atlantis. Bigfoot. Nessie. Smurfs. Fraggles. Needles in movie theatre seats. Cloned dinosaurs.

Add to the list of things that may or may not incredible myths Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy.

Year after year after year music critics begin to salivate as the long awaited album begins to make its way to store shelves. Then year after year after year everyone is disappointed when Axel and friends can’t pull it together and make the impossible a reality. I was 14 years old when the album was first supposed to be released. A lot has happened since then.

Low and behold I log onto iTunes this morning and I see a pre-order special for the almost-2-decade-in-the-making-album Chinese Democracy. So there’s an album cover. There are apparently a number of tracks. There’s even a release date of Nov. 23.

Will we finally get to hear Chinese Democracy? I think we are closer than ever. Not that I really care. I’m not a GNR fan at all. I can’t stand Axel Rose and I feel unclean just looking at Slash (that dude could use a shower). By all accounts this isn’t even a GNR album per se. It is an Axel and friends album. It is a GNR album in the same way that Smile is a Beach Boys album. That is to say not much.

But seriously, I really need some closure on this… and a free Dr. Pepper.

2008, Blabbering, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Lauds, Leadership, News, Politics, Popular Culture, Prayer, Religion, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Day After

5 Comments

I couldn’t help but log onto Facebook last night to watch all the status updates change (almost by the second) in reaction to the news that Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. The status updates volleyed between fear and excitement, despair and relief, anger and “nanny-nanny-boo-boo.”

Some friends cried foul and vowed to move to Mexico. Some ridiculed others because their candidate came out on top. Some lifted up prayers of lament. Some merely gave thanks.

Throughout the campaigns I tried to avoid updating my status with cute platitudes or sarcastic zingers because, quite frankly, I try to avoid sounding stupid.

That’s right. I said it. Updating my Facebook status to sound off on the political process would make me feel stupid. Without tooting my own horn, I take pride in being as culturally informed as I possibly can. I read, I watch, I discuss, I weigh, I ponder, I worry, I step up, I step back, and I still, at the end of the day, with much fear and trepidation, can honestly say that I rarely have a good answer much less a snappy quip to throw around for the whole world to see.

After looking at the status updates last night my head hung pretty low. It is obvious that today we are still divided. It is ok to hold differing views and it is ok to disagree (often this is necessary). However it is never ok to demonize someone because they are different from you, even when they are radically different. This goes for both sides.

So I updated my status.

Not with a pithy statement about my disappointment. Not with a zinger about how thrilled I was. I updated my status with one of those “hard teachings” found in scripture.

Hard Teachings are those passages that you read and then say, “Great! Wish I hadn’t read that!” because you now know that what is required from you is an attitude and a heart that submits to God rather than your own desires. These passages require a mental, spiritual, and, some times, physical 180 from the way you want to do things to a new way. A God way.

So, regardless how you feel about last night…

Regardless how you feel today…

Regardless…

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
(1Timothy 2:1-4 TNIV)

Want to make a difference today? Do you want to really enact change? Start with yourself.

Lift up the men and women who won last night. Not just the winners in blue and not just the winners in red. Pray for ALL those who now have authority over us.

Regardless how you feel about last night…

Regardless how you feel today…

Regardless…

2008, Music, Popular Culture, Resources, Review, The List, Worship, Wrestling With Scripture

What I’m Listening To (10.27.08)

51e5yel1vwl_ss500_.jpgGossip in the Grain
Ray LaMontagne

I had the opportunity to see Ray LaMontagne live and in person over the weekend. It was a rare treat for me to sit during an entire concert and to just allow myself to marinade in the sounds and lyrics. By himself, Ray is an incredible talent but the backing band really completed the picture. I really enjoyed hearing some of these new tracks live. All in all he played about 9 songs from the new album. It was a great concert and I would definitely pay to see him again.

Ray LaMontagne has quickly become one of my favorite voices out there due to his deeply touching lyrics and scruffy vocal delivery. This new album, which at first listen felt a little over-produced, has after subsequent hearings crept into my subconscious. There really is very little difference between this album and Ray’s other two, Trouble and Til the Sun Turns Black. My initial reaction to cry, “Over-produced!” to the new album was due in part to the fairly charismatic first track, You Are The Best Thing which finds Ray and a horn section gushing with exuberant praise for his beloved. Two other tracks, Meg White (yes, of the White Stripes) and Hey Me, Hey Mama seem out of place on a Ray LaMontagne album but are nonetheless good tracks. The great tracks though are forged from the same stuff that make Ray such a great voice and talent. Songs like Winter Birds, Let It Be Me, and I Still Care For You showcase great lyrics, haunting vocals, and amazing instrumentals. Rather than existing outside of the catalog, this group of tracks seek to push the catalog forward into new and familiar territories. No small feat indeed.

You owe it to yourself to at least check this album out. Now that the days are shorter and the temperatures are lower, this album would make a great soundtrack to curling up on the couch with a good book or playing in the background as you shared a nice romantic dinner with your significant other. 4 out of 5 stars.

61csdred-al_ss500_.jpg Limbs and Branches
Jon Foreman

It takes a unique artist to take Isaiah 1:10-20 or Amos 5:21-24 and turn the harsh words of these prophets into a worship song. Yet here is Jon Foreman, the voice of Switchfoot, doing that and much more. In this one song Foreman puts our focus exactly were it should be- off of the programs and on to the Savior.

I hate all your show and pretense/ The hypocrisy of your praise/ The hypocrisy of your festivals/ I hate all your show/ Away with your noisy worship/ Away with your noisy hymns/ I stomp on my ears when you’re singing ‘em/ I hate all your show/ Instead let there be a flood of justice/ An endless procession of righteous living, living/ Instead let there be a flood of justice/ Instead of a show

No this isn’t a Derek Webb album. This, in my opinion, does Derek one better.

Throughout 2008, Foreman released 4 EPs- Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter- each filled with mostly acoustic ballads driven by a sense of discovering God in the midst of our lives. The lyrics are challenging, the music is challenging, and the format seemed challenging. So Foreman asked fans to pick their favorite tracks from the EPs and that he would release a long play “album” with their picks pluse 2 new tracks. The result is Limbs and Branches a not-quite-perfect collection. Instead of a Show is here. So is The Cure for Pain and In My Arms. Unfortunately you’re missing out on some real gems (Baptize My Mind, My Love Goes Free). I would forgo this collection and plunk down the extra money for the individual EPs. You won’t be sorry. Limbs and Branches: 3 out of 5 stars; Jon Foreman’s EP collection (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter): 5 out of 5 stars

Giving Thanks, Parenthood, Spilling Personal Secrets, Stories, Worship

Life

1 Comment

It has now been revealed that I am going to be a dad. Start your prayers NOW.

It has been difficult keeping this under wraps and we had to out ourselves to a few people along the way but it is out now for all to know and we couldn’t be more excited.

My wife and I have been married for 7 years and our foray into starting a family actually began 2 years ago. We had just about given up hope on conceiving on our own. In fact we had even scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist!

It is amazing how God works. Just when you think that it is all up to yourself God comes along and bonks you on the forehead V8 style. He is firmly in charge.

Ok, so I wanted to share this story about our (my) first Dr. visit.

I was playing it all cool the first time I met the OB doctor. She walks us through the ultrasound procedure and I nod accordingly. Under the surface though I’m jumping out of my skin. I want to see this ultrasound so that the little blue cross on the pregnancy test will become really real!!!

She moves the sensor (sensor is the right word, right?) around and I catch a glimpse of the heartbeat. I literally yelled out, “Is that it there!?!?!?” Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I have been medically diagnosed with a “voice that carries” so imagine just how loud my excited question was.

I could no longer play it cool. My cover was blown. This suddenly became real and I love it!