I’ve been looking forward to this post for quite some time. I always love to see what has affected others throughout the year. Participation was slim this year, so I would like to thank the people who took the time to share their thoughts, it is greatly appreciated.

One of the things that I hope to encourage you in is understanding the true scope of the Gospel. There is no aspect of life that is outside the transforming work of Christ, this includes our media intake and our reactions to it. I occasionaly ask for your feedback as to what you’ve been listening to or watching in hopes that you might be spurred to think of your “entertainment” in light of the Gospel.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the year in review:

Gary Brumley, Glen Rose, TX
Album(s) of the Year: Are You A Dreamer by Denison Witmer

Music “Find(s) of the Year”: Holiday At The Sea by Anathallo

Song of the Year: Now that�s just too difficult!

Back Catalogue(s) of the Year: Ida
I owned their CD Will You Find Me but never got around to listening to it. I finally “discovered” it while painting my office during some late evenings this year. Now I own several of their CDs.

Artist/Performer of the Year: Bono
No other pop culture artist/performer this year has expressed his faith in Christ to such a wide audience.

Book “Find(s) of the Year: The Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer.

Misc. reading thoughts for 2005:
Though I�ve read Desiring God by John Piper previously, I got the most out if it reading
through it again this year and working through the Study guide in small group.

Person of the Year: Bono
While being no angel himself, there simply is no other pop culture figure this year that managed to get an apparently orthodox description of the gospel printed in Rolling Stone magazine this year.

Theological Truth(s):
That God�s purpose from conception to consummation includes all the nations (Gen 1:28, Gen 12:1-3, Rev 7:9).

What have you been meditating on throughout the year?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (ESV)

Misc. faith thoughts for 2005: God bless America AND the nations!

Jeremy Creed, Peoria, AZ
Album(s) of the Year: Plans by Death Cab For Cutie

Music “Find(s) of the Year”: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips

Song of the Year: For Real, by Okkervil River

Back Catalogue(s) of the Year: Okkervil River

Artist/Performer of the Year: Beck

Misc. music thoughts for 2005: Illinois by Sufjan Steves, very nice!

Movie(s) of the Year: Only saw Chicken Little!

Movie “Find(s) of the Year”: Nothing very good this year.

Book(s) of the Year: I don’t know how to read!

What theological Truth(s) has particularly “hit home” for you this past year?
God IS love, not “is like” love or “can be” love, He IS love!

What have you been meditating on throughout the year?
How do I “guide” others spiritually?

Misc: Hottest Pastor: Brent Thomas

Adam Groza, Rhome, TX
Album(s) of the Year: Get Behind Me Satan by the White Stripes

Music “Find(s) of the Year”: Oh Inverted World by The Shins

Song of the Year: Beautiful, by the Sojourners

Back Catalogue(s) of the Year: Fleetwood Mac

Artist/Performer of the Year: The Killers

Misc. music thoughts for 2005:
Someone please stop Rob Thomas.

Movie(s) of the Year: United States of Leland

Movie “Find(s) of the Year”: Touching the Void

Actor/Actress of the Year: Don Cheadle

Book(s) of the Year:
Deconstructing Evangelicalism by D.G. Hart
Nicene Christianity by Christopher R. Seitz

Book “Find(s) of the Year”:
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Author of the Year:
Neil Postman (Amusing Ourselves to Death). This book confronts common assumptions modes (not content) of entertainment.

Person of the Year: Bono.

Pop Culture Moment(s) Or Trend of the Year:
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Desperate Housewives, Howard Stern goes extra-terrestrial, sequins, Napoleon Dynamite, Brent Thomas, and (God help us) Green Day.

Misc. cultural thoughts for 2005:
Someone please stop Rob Thomas.

What theological Truth(s) has particularly “hit home” for you this past year?
Christians are not to be retributive (1 Thess. 5:15) but proactive in faith, hope, and love.

What have you been meditating on throughout the year?
Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name be glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1).

Lara Hoefelmann, Willow Park, Texas
Music “Finds” Of The Year: Red Revolution by Shaded Red
I LOVED Shaded Red’s sound, so unrefined, and they of course broke up a while back after an accident and different things. I kept hearing a few of their old hits on the radio and was SO excited when I found a used and very rare copy of Red Revolution. It was a great cd and they made very little of them. It’s been my most frequently played CD this year, I’d have to say!

Misc. Music Thoughts For 2005: A lot of “Christian” music does NOT
glorify God. God has opened my eyes or ears I guess I should say this year to
really listen to Christian lyrics. I have discovered that very few Christian artists have truthful, or God glorifying songs. I think a lot of them are more focused on making their music appealing to secular crowds.

Movie Of The Year: Batman Begins
This was a really fun movie. And thinking back over this whole year, it is the one I would have to say I enjoyed the most. It was way better than all the other Batman movies in my opinion. It also offended me the least (compared to other movies I watched).

Actor Of The Year: Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds
Even though he is a Scientologist, I have to say that Tom Cruises acting in War of the Worlds was top notch. He definitely impressed me this year.

Misc. Movie Thoughts For 2005:
Is it just me, or are they running out of ideas??

Book “Finds” Of The Year: Desiring God by John Piper
This book really challenged me and got me thinking on many deeper levels.

Author Of The Year: John Piper
Piper was pretty much introduced to me this year. His theological studies and thoughts have impacted me greatly. I believe God has opened my eyes to many more truths this year through theologists such as John Piper.

Misc. Reading Thoughts For 2005: I just pray that God will continue to give me a greater desire to read things in the coming year that will glorify Him.

Pop Culture Tread of the Year: Sequins!
(For girls anyway!) When I think of trends this year, I think of all the clothes, purses, accessories everyone’s wearing that are covered with major sequins. It’s all the rage, man!

Misc. Culture Thoughts For 2005: Money, money, money!
Not that much has changed, but when I think of American culture this year, I can’t help but say it’s all about the fame and fortune. When you have a Christian radio station on listening to some praise music and all of a sudden a commercial for Christian people who want to become millionaires pops up, you know that’s what America is all about.

Theological Truth: “The cheif end of God is to glorify God.” (John Piper)
This really hit home with me this year. I actually have a tee-shirt that says “it’s not about, us”, and on the back, “the cheif end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever” Isaiah 43: 6-7. I had been moved by that in previous years, realizing more and more God’s ultimate power and sovereignty. This year more truth was revealed to me and God became even more awesome, in my perceptions anyway. I learned a lot about true and lasting joy and even more about just how temporal I , and all my “things” are.
To God be the glory for all He has done this year!!!

Robert Hummer, Glendale, AZ
Album of the Year: X&Y by Coldplay
This album is complete to me. Not since U2’s last release did I have an album that I would seriously listen to day after day. It didn’t get the ratings but for the period in my life that I went through, the album meant something to me and it brought me closer to God.

Music Find of the Year: Matisyahu
I have always liked reggae, but this is the new hybrid version of reggae that I absolutely love. I thought Jewish reggae would be a joke but it is not. His rhymes are amazing and the emotion in his voice carries me throughout the album. He brings his own style to reggae and it is wonderful.

Song of the Year: Fix You by Coldplay
The song of the year must come from the album of the year and this is the song that lingers in my head for days. I can never listen to it enough. The power of the cresendo toward the end has literally moved me to tears at a time when tears were all I had to offer the world.

Back Catalog of the Year: Stevie Wonder
I knew Stevie Wonder songs, but have never really known who they were sung by. He truly is a wonder-boy and his voice is amazing. His songs inspire such a great mood for me and I really read a bunch on him this year.

Artist/Performer of the Year: Beck
He is just amazing. I thought that he couldn’t possibly release another amazing record and yet, he did.

Movie of the Year: Batman Begins
I haven’t been out to many movies this year, but this movie blew me away. As a lifelong batman fan, this movie met and exceeded my expectations. Good acting, good story and an especially good incorporation of the comic stories into the movie.

Movie Find of the Year: Sometimes in April
A moving story focused in on the genocide in Rwanda of 1994. I can’t remember watching a movie that stirred such emotion in me. I have been studying this event largely in order to have a background on that region in Africa which continues to boil over with violence, and I thought that this movie provided the most accurate picture. Accurate with my reading that is.

Actor/Actress of the year: Joaquin Phoenix
Just taking on the role of Johnny Cash takes guts, but to actually sing his songs? He is amazing and hopefully through the movie Walk The Line he will finally get his due.

Misc Movie thoughts for 2005:
I have a feeling the best is still to come. There are two epic giants coming out in December in the Chronicles of Narnia flick and the King Kong remake by amazing director Peter Jackson. I think my movie of the year might change after one of those.

Book Find of the Year: Shake Hands With the Devil by Romeo Dallaire
This book re-ignited the rage that I knew I could feel as a human. Rage in a sense that I know my country has let others down. Rage that inspires me to be a voice for the thousands who died as a result of the 1994 genocide. Rage that will not let me sit idly by without writing protest letters to politicians. I never realized how bad it could be but in this book Dallaire, the UN Force Commander during the genocide, tells how he and about 500 UN troops (from minor African nations and some from Bangladesh) were abandoned to UN rhetoric and inaction. The US could have intervened but chose to drag their feet while 8,000 people were killed a day. This book hurt to read but it was brilliant.

Pop-Culture Person of the Year: Angelina Jolie
She has generated so much buzz about her supposed coupling with Brad Pitt. But out of the spotlight, she continues to visit remote places in Africa and has been part of many humanitarian visits and missions all year in between making dumb movies. She also adopted a second child. She is busy but it is too bad that she doesn’t get recognized for what she does best, care for people.

Trend of the Year: Rubber Wristbands.
At the beginning of the year there were livestrong yellow wristbands. Every kid who was anyone was wearing one. Then, there were wristbands for everything. 2004 was when they were started, but 2005 was when they peaked. I still see so many people with rubber wristbands. It is an amazing trend. It’ll be gone by 2007.

Thoughts for 2005:
I think that Steven Spielberg deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for the research that he founded in 1995 and continues to fund today. The research of the Holocaust is so vitally important and to throw so much effort in videorecording so many testimonies, he is really preserving oral history, which has never been done so acurately.

Theological Truth: I can’t earn my way into heaven.
I have learned that all my good works mean nothing without God. My relationship with God needs to be the most important thing, no matter how many other things I do.

Meditation: Hesed
The Hebrew word that has a real lacking English translation. Lonvingkindness is as close as we get but I just have been focusing on and trying to grasp (though I never will) God’s lovingkindness.

Left out: Sports event of the year:
White Sox Win World Series. It had been so long for the neglected but more successful Chicago franchise. Congrats to them. 2nd place: retirement of the greatest wide reciever of all-time Jerry Rice. Now we are stuck with w.r.’s like Terrell Owens. Boo.

Sam Richard, Phoenix, AZ
Music:Album(s) of the Year: Z by My Morning Jacket
Music “Find(s) of the Year”: Okkervil River
Song of the Year: Fix You by Coldplay
Back Catalogue(s) of the Year: Rogue Wave
Movie(s) of the Year: Crash, Walk The Line, The Weatherman
Actor/Actress of the Year: Paul Giamatti

Brent Thomas, Glen Rose, TX
Album(s) of the Year:
Congotronics by Konono No. 1
- Simply amazing. Like nothing else you’ve ever heard and for once, that statement rings true.Those little thumb-plunking things run through car-battery amplifiers and car speakers.

Takk by Sigur Ros
- Sigur Ros has finally mastered their formula. Yes, all the same elements are here, waves of distortion mixed with Amina’s beautiful strings, all building from quiet to loud with unintelligible Icelandic/gibberish vocals, but they’ve learned to condense it all, packing that much more power.

Under An Hour by Menomena
- Three extended instrumental pieces for modern dance incorporating elements of minimalism, jazz, post- and indie rock.

A Beautiful Collision by David Crowder Band
- The most difficult albums often prove to also be the most rewarding.

Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
- Three years, three albums and three consecutive appearances in my favorites of the year. The second installment of his 50 States project (only 48 more to go!) proves that, though ambitious and slightly pretentious, this will be one project worth following.

Recording A Tape The Colour of Light by Bell Orchestre
- Post-rock instrumental album featuring members of the Arcade Fire. Traverses similar terrain as Menomena’s release, only on a much grander scale, after all, isn’t this “orchestre” music?

Solo Piano by Gonzales
- A surprising solo piano piece with quiet interludes rather than larger, more melodic pieces.

Woods Of Chaos by Rob Costlow
- These are the larger pieces to Gonzales’ interludes.

Honorable Mentions:
Self-Titled by John Davis
Redemption Songs by Jars of Clay
Self-Titled EP by Amina

Music “Finds” Of The Year:
Anathallo - It’s far too rare to find a band that’s both Christ-centered and truly creative. This band has one of the most unique sounds in a long time. Incorporating polyrythms and multiple percussionists into a mix that falls somewhere between progressive rock, marching band antics and post-rock. With a jaw-dropping live show, I’m thoroughly impressed.

Song Of The Year: Reflections by Rob Costlow
A solo pieano piece that just moves me every single time.

Back Catalogue(s) Of The Year:
…As The Poets Affirm
Dirty Three

Artist/Performer Of The Year: Anathallo

Movie Of The Year: Hotel Rwanda
Detailing the 1994 Rwandan genocide, one of the most powerfully moving films I’ve seen.

Movie “Find” Of The Year: To End All Wars
Another difficult film to watch, but also one which openly explores the implications of redemption and forgiveness in the face of human depravity.

Actor Of The Year: Don Cheadle

Book “Finds” Of The Year:
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey
A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

Misc. Reading Thoughts: Fiction and Poetry
Fiction challenges us with the Gospel applied, exploring its implications on life from a variety of perspectives. Good fiction challenges us to use words more efficiently and more powerfully.

Person Of The Year: Begrudgingly Bono
Admittedly, no one has expressed their faith in Christ at such a high level of media exposure.

Cultural Trends of 2005: Blogging

Theological Truth: The true scope of the Gospel is greater than we might ever truly grasp.

Meditation: Understanding all of life under the Lordship of Christ and the Gospel as a “filter,” both for creating and receiving art; the implications of the “cultural mandate” for the New Creation.

Patrick Vaughan, Glen Rose, TX
Album of the year: Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Though this is the one ive listened to least, I am fascinated with this group….though not explicitly, they are saturated with scripture and songs that get the heart of the gospel message… musical style is awsome as well.

Music find of the year: Anathallo
Has become my favorite band…music, lyrics, live performance….. mind blowing and Christ exhalting

Song of the Year: Wedding Dress by Derek Webb
Though offensive to some and probably not suitable fo Sunday morning worship, the message of the song hits hard…

Back catalogue: probably a tie between Anathallo and Sufjan (for reasons mentioned above)

Artist of year: Derek Webb
The message of the House Show is one that the Church in the west should examine closely

Musical thoughts-
This year God has flooded my life with God centered artist who have stepped out of the conventional style, and have sought to display the creativity of the Creator….

Movie of the year: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
I looked past the flaws in Lewis’s doctrine and the “Disneyification” of the tale and see the glory of our great God and Savior in the face of Aslan….pray they make all them into movies

Movie find of the year: To End All Wars

Actor of the year: The penguin that falls on his butt in March of the Penguins

Movie thoughts: a few good ones, but Hollywood knows what fallen man wants…drugs, sex, and violence

Book of the year: didn’t read any released this year

Book finds: Ezra
I’ve been a Christian for almost six years, just now reading Ezra…pact full of God’s justice, mercy, and protection and man’s responsibility.

When People are Big and God is Small
I put of reading this for so long because it sounded like a title out of the self-help section, but it put me on my face to know how much I live in the fear of man and how little I fear(reverent, awe, obedience) God

Author of the year: John Piper
Some people agree and love him, some find him detrimental to the denomination…I love him and have never seen him do or write anything that he didn�t believe to be to the glory of God.

Book Thoughts:
Each year my shelf and reading list gets longer and longer….

Theological truth of the year:
Christ’s redemptive acts for all of creation and not individualistic as the modern “gospel” proclaims. The primary evangelical question is “do you have a personal relationship with Jesus” and while I wouldn’t want to downplay how important that question is, the gospel is proclaimed corporately and even cosmically in the new testament…probably not saying any of this correctly as I’m still wrapping my futile mind around it.

Meditation:
How a redeemed soul could still be so persistent in rebellion…the question of personal holiness has plagued me and the answers are humbling…we (I) are (am) not in love with God more than the world in several aspects of our (my) life. Sanctification is a process and yes even Paul struggled with sin, but that is no excuse for continued, known sin. After this depressing meditation was chewd on I began to contemplate how this and the above “truth” of communal redemption were so intimately tied together…personal holines is to reflect to beauty of the body thereby magnifying God, and vise versa, sin stains the entire body and thus God is mocked…..”woe is me, I am undone…a man of unclean lips..amongst a people of unclean lips” Is 6

Theological thoughts for the year:
I step into 2006 with the hope and prayer that my actions and life conform to what i say i believe…so much talk about right doctrine and yet is any doctrine ever right that is not live out? Dont get me wrong, things need to be worked and figured out in the mind before it hits the heart, but too often i (we) don�t make it to the heart…

Mark Whiten, Peoria, AZ
Thought I am a complete goof at getting my list — The questions were way too important this year, and my thoughts are meaningless at best. But here’s my music picks so I can toss the paper setting on my desk.
Not much comment, but thought out.

Silent Alarm by Bloc Party– Nice political pronouncements without that I want right wing America (or in this case the Prime minister) the greatest drumming I heard on a album in along time.

Takk by Sigur Ros — No explanation needed.

Menomena — beauty

Some Cities by Doves — they feel through the cracks in the flood of Coldplay-ers. But I love this album (lyrics are a little too empty, but so what).

Apologies To The Queen by Wolf Parade — I keep putting this in the player. Modest mouse that makes more sense. Reaching the odd and making it work.

Howl by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club — picking up a little 16 HP southern gothic
religion influence. And though this is is more genre-pouncing that actual change-of-life reflected in music, I am moved by this CD.

Collisions by Calla– Mooooooooooooooody. Makes me wish I was in a bad relationship so I could suffer with this CD.

Wolf At The Door by Sounds like Fall — Approachable freak folk. Give this guy some time to grow on you.

The Myriad — You can’t trust a ladder. Loved this advance right of the bat. Though I missed them at RAGE I hear that they were one of the best things out there… After ESR.

DraculaZombie USA — electronica of the future with a longer shelf-life

Clap your hands say yeah — This year’s Arcade Fire, but I love them.

Go! Team — at first I saw gimmiick, then I kept playing it. And it filled that empty place in my soul for Dance squad music without the skimpy outfits.

Collisions by DCB — took me while to really catch, but I am a soldier for it now.

Other considerations:
Twin Cinema by The New P—-ers
The Exquisite Death Of� by Saxon Shore
Clogs
Nickel Creek
Rogue Wave
Mars Volta

Bands/Music to watch out for–
Sleeping at last

Sleeptalker (the super group of Airline, Cool Hand Luke, Imaginary Baseball team)

Mutemath — they are amazing live. They are touring and releasing there new
CD only on the road so far. Check out: http://www.myspace.com/mutemath

Watshi Wa — the new CD is gonna change them. Pretty outstanding advance stuff I heard.

The Rosebuds - a Couple band from Texas with great songs.

Back catalog:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Embrace