Sufjan Stevens has a new EP out, called All Delighted People. It is delightful. I think this is my favorite track, at least at the moment.
The song is in 4/4, but the way that this last part goes creates a syncopated feel, extending some parts of the phrase and creating emphasis on the "3&" beat. I love the fluttering flute and clarinet alternating, overlaid with the spacey electronic tones and echos. And his voice is doing something very Sigur Rós-esque, jumping from low notes to high falsettos (or maybe that's just as Sufjan as it is Sigur Rós, but whatever). This end part sends me soaring:
Now I know this is strange to hear from the mouth of God
It was something like a scene from mars
In a struggle between loves and lies
The angel kept his face covered for to keep his word
And while I spoke something left from my life
Forget about the past
Be at rest I'll make things right
And while I held you at best you nearly died
Forget about the past
And I'll try to make things right
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
the pieces of me
i just finished reading a book by a former Navigator, Connally Gilliam, called Revelations of a Single Woman. the third chapter, called "Our many selves", rings so true with me i just had to write something down.
she talks about having so many aspects of her life, including people she wants to be, that do not mesh. she felt pulled into the grunge of urban ministry. she also feels the pull of the deep-rooted desire to be a Southern Belle debutante. and she is also intrigued to be a crunchy granola, hiking, making-her-own-goat-cheese type. haha, oh how i identify!
my personalities/desires to be a certain type of person are very similar.
1) urban ministry. i think deep in the heart of me, i would like to be a female version of what Shane Claiborne appears to be: a crunchy granola guy who loves Jesus, lives with the urban poor, destroys barriers of racial inequality, makes his own clothing, lives in deep community, and challenges himself and others to embrace the gospel in such a radical way. however, the more i think about it, i am pretty dang selfish and like my comforts...i probably would never truly put myself in that position.
2) bad girl. i had grown up not really ever challenging the rules, always going to youth group, never drinking underage, etc. when i got to college, things changed a little bit--i found friends who liked to smoke and drink, who loved to rock out at concerts, and often challenged my views. it was easy for me to get sucked into their carefree lifestyle, feeling like a rockstar, staying out till 2am on a beer buzz, smoking cloves, and dancing the night away at jazz night.
3) crunchy granola/hippie. i think this is a modification of the female Shane Claiborne...just that maybe there is more focus on outdoorsy activities, learning how to grow my own food, being interested in politics and how decisions from the top affect those lowest on the totem pole, maybe crafts like knitting, playing the guitar and djembe, haha. :)
4) hipster. i fill my ears with the sounds of indie rock. tattoo'd and loving the cut-off shorts, i wish i had the athletic stamina to bike everywhere. i'm also the kind of person that gets wrapped up in trends, but idk if that's necessarily hipster. but i think there's one specific hipster thing i've done: i've been disappointed when a band that was unknown becomes more mainstream, and everyone starts listening to them. but i think there are things about a hipster that i don't really embrace, like liking things just because of the social aspect of it, and not necessarily liking things/doing things because that's what they like/like to do.
5) good christian girl. i often imagine a pretty, somewhat preppy, skirt-wearing (or at least well-dressed), quiet girl is this ideal type. and except for the christian part, i think at this point in my life i identify with this personality the least, but it is something in my heart-of-hearts i wish to be. this girl is feminine, attracting the opposite sex with her mystique and quiet heart...not to mention her beauty. being a Southern girl, i feel a pull to be more like a debutante than i truly am. and outward appearances aside, i think this type of person at least fills herself with the Word and seeks the Lord with all her heart, and i have been found wanting in those areas.
i think that what struck me about this chapter is that Gilliam was saying that it's ok to have this sort of identity crisis, as long as you seek The One that can bring all these identities together by seeking Him as our center.
Lord, i'm still trying to figure out who i want to be. i want to learn to serve you better. therefore i want to embrace the qualities of some of these characters that will glorify you.
another piece of me is the piece that wants to be married. i think this book really helped give a good perspective for remembering all the different things you can focus on while you're still single. i know there are things that i need to work out before i'm even ready to be married. Lord, i pray that you will just help me focus on what i need to do to deepen our relationship instead of worrying what to do to get a relationship with a man. amen.
she talks about having so many aspects of her life, including people she wants to be, that do not mesh. she felt pulled into the grunge of urban ministry. she also feels the pull of the deep-rooted desire to be a Southern Belle debutante. and she is also intrigued to be a crunchy granola, hiking, making-her-own-goat-cheese type. haha, oh how i identify!
my personalities/desires to be a certain type of person are very similar.
1) urban ministry. i think deep in the heart of me, i would like to be a female version of what Shane Claiborne appears to be: a crunchy granola guy who loves Jesus, lives with the urban poor, destroys barriers of racial inequality, makes his own clothing, lives in deep community, and challenges himself and others to embrace the gospel in such a radical way. however, the more i think about it, i am pretty dang selfish and like my comforts...i probably would never truly put myself in that position.
2) bad girl. i had grown up not really ever challenging the rules, always going to youth group, never drinking underage, etc. when i got to college, things changed a little bit--i found friends who liked to smoke and drink, who loved to rock out at concerts, and often challenged my views. it was easy for me to get sucked into their carefree lifestyle, feeling like a rockstar, staying out till 2am on a beer buzz, smoking cloves, and dancing the night away at jazz night.
3) crunchy granola/hippie. i think this is a modification of the female Shane Claiborne...just that maybe there is more focus on outdoorsy activities, learning how to grow my own food, being interested in politics and how decisions from the top affect those lowest on the totem pole, maybe crafts like knitting, playing the guitar and djembe, haha. :)
4) hipster. i fill my ears with the sounds of indie rock. tattoo'd and loving the cut-off shorts, i wish i had the athletic stamina to bike everywhere. i'm also the kind of person that gets wrapped up in trends, but idk if that's necessarily hipster. but i think there's one specific hipster thing i've done: i've been disappointed when a band that was unknown becomes more mainstream, and everyone starts listening to them. but i think there are things about a hipster that i don't really embrace, like liking things just because of the social aspect of it, and not necessarily liking things/doing things because that's what they like/like to do.
5) good christian girl. i often imagine a pretty, somewhat preppy, skirt-wearing (or at least well-dressed), quiet girl is this ideal type. and except for the christian part, i think at this point in my life i identify with this personality the least, but it is something in my heart-of-hearts i wish to be. this girl is feminine, attracting the opposite sex with her mystique and quiet heart...not to mention her beauty. being a Southern girl, i feel a pull to be more like a debutante than i truly am. and outward appearances aside, i think this type of person at least fills herself with the Word and seeks the Lord with all her heart, and i have been found wanting in those areas.
i think that what struck me about this chapter is that Gilliam was saying that it's ok to have this sort of identity crisis, as long as you seek The One that can bring all these identities together by seeking Him as our center.
Lord, i'm still trying to figure out who i want to be. i want to learn to serve you better. therefore i want to embrace the qualities of some of these characters that will glorify you.
another piece of me is the piece that wants to be married. i think this book really helped give a good perspective for remembering all the different things you can focus on while you're still single. i know there are things that i need to work out before i'm even ready to be married. Lord, i pray that you will just help me focus on what i need to do to deepen our relationship instead of worrying what to do to get a relationship with a man. amen.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
a fun day at the beach!
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