Here are Four Great Things from the week of 03/22/2024.

Hymns Volume 1

It still amazes me how hymns transcend time. They seem to dust off parts of our spiritual selves that we didn't know had been abandoned for so long. This 3 song album comes to clear all the  cobwebs and shadowy corners. Clint Stevens has taken 3 public domain hymns and powerfully displayed the goodness of God through his extraordinary gifts of music writing, recording, and producing. Yes—we bear the same last name because I am his wife. So I can give full testimony to how deeply he thought about each aspect of how we can use this as worship. You can access it from all music platforms, but here it is on Spotify: Hymns Vol. 1.

"Music, Grief, and Lamentation"

Rabbit Room asked 7 musicians how music has affected their grieving processes.

"One of the ways our body has been created to heal is through experiencing beauty. Grief and trauma slow the growth of neurons in our brain and the experience of beauty ignites the growth of neurons. In a real way music and beauty . . . do physical, tangible work in our bodies. And that’s how God created us to be." Andrew Osenga

Everyone can list at least one song that helped them through a trial of some sort. Some of these musicians share that personal trial and then connect it with a craft they deeply love—music.

Canon Press

Oh, Canon Press. We've been closely associated with one another for quite some time! This goes with saying 100-fold: Canon Press is worth the monthly subscription. I made this a Great Thing this week because they are raising their price. And it is fully worth it.

Not only is the amount of solid content astounding, they are adding classic literature audiobooks monthly. This week alone I watched a documentary on a biblical worldview of interior design, listened to a lecture on reading deeply by repenting of pride and leisure, and started another lecture series on emotional stability in leadership positions.

"Brave New Words"

John Warner writes about the emergence of AI and the effect of technology on education in general. He received an advanced copy of "Brave New Words" by Salman Kahn with the charge to write a review. He declined to publish that until others have access to the book. However, he does publish a piece on its title and the context of the book and its author (founder of Kahn Academy).

"Choosing a title that invokes a famous technology-mediated dystopia for your book about how technology-mediated education will lead us into utopia makes no sense to me other than someone liked the world play and knew that Brave New World had something to do with technology, so it must be cool."

He then (strongly) hints at what his review of the book would be. Truly, this article opened up a whole new set of doors for me to the Transhumanism and Effective Acceleration movements—super fascinating! And slightly terrifying. . .

What I'm working on:

• *Still* thinking through a true definition of beauty. I am confident in saying that it is NOT in the eye of the beholder.

Quotable:

• "People prefer what is special, mediocre, and fake to what is holy, natural, and real because the latter categories are largely outside of our control and are usually established according to highly particular rules. The holy is indifferent to our preferences, but the special obeys our whims and conforms to our tastes."

        —"Love What Lasts" by Joshua Gibbs 

Worth the Memory

She Walks in Beauty

By Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

What are your great things from the week?