random thoughts on music of all kinds
There is an emotional complexity to this wonderful painting by Swiss artist Eugène Burnand. I know very little about him, apart from the usual resort of Wikipedia. But he manages to capture a moment of almost frantic inquisitiveness, as Peter and his young, fellow-disciple John rush in the golden sunrise light to the burial garden. Their faces seem filled with anxiety, confusion, hope, wonder, and longing all at once. Hoping against hope, but fearing a con, or something worse? Could Mary Magdalene, first to visit the tomb, possibly have been right...?
Q regulars know that Turkey is a country close to my heart. I have just returned from my 15th (!) trip and so naturally it preoccupies my thoughts a great deal at the moment. During my previous trip, I'd heard…
Sacred Treasure Only just discovered the Visual Commentary on Scripture this week - WOW! Something that only the internet can make possible! Lots to explore here... Sam Allberry is onto something very important here: why do churches end up with…
Shostakovich is a personal hero of mine. He walked a tightrope between the Gulag and compromise in the vortex of Stalinist Russia. But more than that, his music has brought me consolation, invigoration, provocation, and perplexity. Sometimes all at once.…
So... a bit of a bumper crop again! Sacred Treasure Chris Green great again on why he won't let us look into his bible and another on The Dangers of Being an Experienced Preacher I'd not heard of him but my mother…
Many apologies for the temporary suspension of Treasure Maps over the summer. Normal transmission should now resume! A few extras here to make up for lost time... Sacred Treasure Emma Scrivener has a wonderful post, Play to your weaknesses Jake…
I've posted before on occasion about the power of music for those battling mental ill-health. Music was a gift to me from very young age - not that I was particularly gifted, but that I was surrounded by people who…
A couple of weeks ago, James Cary invited himself for lunch - and then we hooked up online with our old friend Barry Cooper (now living in Florida, for reasons best known to him and his new wife) for a…
Happy New Year Y'all! Sacred Treasure Tim Keller wrote a helpfully argued piece for the New Yorker last month: Can Evangelicalism Survive Donald Trump and Roy Moore. Chris Green has a good piece on sermon illustrations Ian Paul asks whether…
I'm not quite sure why I first did this, but started making wordles for U2 albums a while back. So naturally, with a new album out this week, I wanted to do another. I've had all kinds of things buzzing…
