My Year of Jubilee

Next week I will turn 49, entering my 50th year of life, my year of Jubilee. Since I will be out of town on my actual birthday, Michael gave me my present a few days early. Each year for the past three years he has prepared me a mix of songs that are pertinent to my age, our relationship, or are just good music he wants me to know. This year he prepared me two CD's, the first one primarily about my age/birthday, the second a compilation of songs that walk through our collective consciousness and relationship and some that he just wants me to know.

Michael has the most encyclopedic knowledge of contemporary music of anyone I know, including professional musicians. He is my own Billy Vera. But his explanation of each song and the loving way he tells me why he chose it is even greater a gift than the music.

I love my sons and my relationship to them is a deep source of joy, as I am sure you can see from some of the things Michael says.

Here is his list and his explanation of why he included them.

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This year I did things a little differently for your birthday CD’s. The first CD is your official “Birthday Mix” and the second CD is some songs by artists that you introduced me to on all of our car rides, and then some newer artists that I think you might enjoy. Now I present “What Are You Still Doing Here?”

Disc One

Young Man – Mose Allison – Mose Allison has been called the William Faulkner of Jazz and I thought that this song would be a fitting beginning to the disc.

Hershey Bar – Stan Getz – Believe it or not there are not many “Hershael’s” included in the lyrics of popular songs. Not much rhymes with it, can you imagine a funk song trying to utilize “Inertial?” Or maybe some ballad about a woman with a “terse hull?” The closest that I could get was a swing instrumental.

Funk #49 – The James Gang – Last year there was “Funk #48” and I promised the sequel. I am a man of my word.

Days of ’49 – Bob Dylan – This song is from one of Bob Dylan’s worst albums, Self-Portrait. One critic even called it the third worst album of all time (which is a gross overstatement). However, I really dig the song—it is an old folk song about the gold rush with some nice acoustic guitar work—and he talks about those golden days of [18]49, and in the spirit of a true post-modern ethos you can co-op the lyrics and apply them to the next 365 ¼ days of your life.

Jubilee – Spyro Gyra - “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you.” – Leviticus 25:8-12. Basically you should just take the year off and dance to this song.

Old Man With Young Ideas – Ann Peebles – I know that you are a fan of her and this song is fantastic. I think that you will find that it is fitting. This is for you; you’ll understand.


Payin’ the Cost to Be the Boss ¬¬– B.B. King, Pat Metheny, and Dave Brubeck – A familiar song with a fresh approach. The piano adds a lot.

Goin’ to Chicago – Jimmy Weatherspoon – One of the greatest times in my life was our trip to Chicago. I don’t know that I can ever express how much that trip meant to me and how much I enjoyed our time there. I realize that museums, perusing a seminary bookstore (and meeting D.A. Carson and having dinner with Dr. Nettles while on campus at Trinity), and visiting some churches are not the highlights of a trip for most eleven year olds, but I will never forget them. I constantly try to make sure that all the time you invested in me and the energy and love you poured into me were not in vain. You paid me such a compliment the other day by telling me “You get it. I invest my life in guys who get it.” I had to think, maybe I “get it” because you have invested your life in me.

Between the Lines – Steve Goodman – This song is Steve Goodman’s evaluation of the brevity and the symmetry of life as one looks from the middle to one spectrum and the other. My prayer is that you have not reached the halfway point of your life yet.

Potholes – Randy Newman – “Thank God for the potholes on memory lane.” What a wonderful sentiment. I also selected this song because one verse talks about how his father embarrassed him on a date when he first met Randy Newman’s eventual second wife. Thankfully, you never embarrassed me too much, but the threat was always there.

Old – Paul Simon – Are you sensing a theme?

Old and in the Way ¬– Old and In the Way – Old and In the Way is a bluegrass band with Vasser Clements, David Grisman, and Jerry Garcia. Jerry Garcia is at his best noodling on a guitar for fifteen minutes, but he is pretty impressive on the banjo.
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – Hayes Carll – This song is a Tom Waits tune covered by one of the most impressive newcomers of last year.

Just A Closer Walk With Thee – Grant Greene – A tremendous cover of the old gospel song by one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time.

The Trumpet Child ¬– Over the Rhine – Over the Rhine is a Cincinnati band that is not a “Christian band,” rather they are Christians in a band. The band consists of a married couple, Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist (she has one of the most beautiful voices in music today). This song is a sort of a Donald Miller-esque take on eschatology and the parousia. An interesting and lush song.
Every Grain of Sand – Derek Webb – Derek Webb has been involved with RUF (Indelible Grace) and was one of the founders of Caedmon’s Call. He is one of the most talented and intelligent voices in Christian music today. This is a cover of a song from Bob Dylan’s “Gospel Years.”

Paul and Silas – Phish – I know you have wondered how a spiritual done by a jam band would sound. Well in honor of Phish’s return to the stage in a couple of weeks here is your answer.

Preachin’ Blues – The Allman Brothers Band – The Allmans (I use the plural even though there is only one in the band) are the best band playing today. Here is a rare cover of an old Son House tune that just burns. Why they even talk about joining a Baptist church. I guess that Son House had to become Baptist so he could use the word “church.” “Religious society” does not have the same rhythmic qualities and syllabic economy.

Old Man Blues – Mose Allison – Ever since you got me started studying the New Homiletic I have been fascinated by the inclusio. I figured, “Why not have one on a mix CD.” Here again is Mose Allison, now some thirty years later, realizing that he used to think life is better and easier as you age, but now beginning to wonder if it really was better as a twentysomething.

Disc Two

For the second disc I wanted to bridge the chasm between the cassette tape and the iPod. The first set of songs are from bands that were forced upon me as a child on car trips, and as I have grown and the impulse to reject what my father thought was cool has thankfully died, I have been able to return to these bands and enjoy their music and the sense of nostalgia that overcomes me. The next two songs are a favorite artist of yours covering a favorite band of mine, and a favorite band of mine covering a signature song of yours. The CD closes with some newer bands. Most of these songs are from 2008, so you can be relatively current. I have felt that in recent years one of my responsibilities has been to keep you in touch with culture. So here are some newer bands that are great because they are reminiscent of older bands.

FM – Steely Dan – My love for this band epitomizes the folly of my youth. I chose not to like them because you did, (although the fact that “Reeling in the Years” was on the radio every hour didn’t hurt), but as I listened to them objectively I came to the conclusion that I came to about many things—you were right and I was wrong. I just thought that this song would set the tone for the eclectic nature of what is to come.

You Can’t Do That – Harry Nilsson – You didn’t really listen to Harry Nilsson that much that I remember, but to me he is sort of emblematic for your preferred style of pop music. This little jewel is a medley of Beatle songs that led to him being named the Beatles favorite American act. It is an amazing piece of arrangement.

Yeshua Ha Mashiach – Scott Wesley Brown – What many people don’t realize is that there was a time when you were known more for your singing than your preaching. I remember when you were in seminary and we were on the “Hersh on the Delta ‘88-’89” tour there were many car rides when you would be practicing and I would beg you to play this song. I thought that these syllables which made no sense to me were pretty fun to say, but then you explained what they meant—Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Christ, that is the Son of God, the Savior of the World. You never seemed to miss an opportunity to teach me and to train me for godliness. Every trip was a Bible lesson or a theology lesson. You took me along on ministry visits. When I began to express that I felt called into the ministry you began to train me for the pastorate, offering wisdom and preparing me for what was ahead (although sometimes the methods were a little unorthodox). You gave me an education about ministry and the pursuit of holiness that has far surpassed all nine years of formal theological education I have received. It was not your words, but your very life that was my greatest tutor.

Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills, and Nash (sadly no Young) – This song makes me think of you perhaps more than any other. We listened to it many times, and I have always loved it. However, I think it was that night when we stood south of the equator while in Brazil looking at the sky and I “saw the southern cross for the first time.” I wasn’t running from anything (like in the song), but I was being pushed towards a global vision of ministry and a desire and a passion for the Kingdom of God to grow exponentially because of my life. Thanks for passing that burden to Seth and me.

Rockin’ Chair – The Band – The Band was always a band we could agree on. This performance is from London in 1971. The single greatest trip I have ever taken in my life without Sarah was to London. I got to see Liverpool and all the Beatle sites. I got to see the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, the handwritten and illustrated manuscript of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Magna Carta, Westminster Abbey, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Martin-Lloyd Jones’ vestry, the Statue of the Lord Protector outside Parliament, and I caught a glimpse of just how much my father loves me.

Amie – Pure Prairie League – If “Southern Cross” is not the song that makes me think of you the most, this is. When you were at Mid-America and we were dirt poor Happy Meals were a smorgasbord. You had Seth and me memorize this song and sing it in the library for a friend of yours and if we did we were promised a Happy Meal. Who says kids aren’t here for your amusement. Not you! I felt like Oliver, but I did it anyway.

Jesus – Glen Campbell – Glen Campbell released a covers album this year and this was one of my favorite songs on it. It is a cover of a Velvet Underground song that I have always loved.

Solitary Man – The Radiators – This is how this song should be done. Although it still doesn’t touch the version that your band did.

Now the newer stuff. Mainly I picked them because I thought you would enjoy the songs, so there is really no comment for some, except “Enjoy!”

Furr – Blitzen Trapper

Skinny Love ¬– Bon Iver

Take Five – Rodrigo y Gabriella – I have played you this band before, but here they are doing one of your favorites.

Mykanos¬ – Fleet Foxes – This song was released earlier in 2008 on an EP, but was later released as a single and even performed on SNL. The bridge sounds straight-up like CSN (& sometimes Y). This is a band to watch, they had my pick for album of the year in 2008.

I Am A Stranger – The Welcome Wagon – This group consists of a Presbyterian pastor and his wife who have a church plant in Brooklyn. Really great album, I truly wish more of contemporary Christian music sounded more like this.

5 Years Time – Noah and the Whale – You have to love the Biblical name.

Frankie’s Gun – The Felice Brothers – These guys are the rebirth of The Band.
(Theme from) Chariots of Fire – The Bad Plus – The Bad Plus are a jazz trio who, while they do write their own compositions, are best known for reinventing popular songs. I don’t know if you will like all of this song, but I suspect you will find it interesting.

Mean Old Man – James Taylor – For the Old-School “Loveable Curmudgeon” from the New-School one.

Happy Birthday Dad. I am honored to be your son. I admire who you are. I applaud the stands you take. I am grateful for your wisdom and advice that you have given me free access to. I am humbled by the standard you set, and am challenged to live up to you as you live like Christ. I am proud of you and I love you.

The Buck Run Podcast

Several people have inquired about our weekly podcast. You can now subscribe to either my Sunday morning sermons or my Sunday evening sermons. I am currently preaching "Walking with Jesus" some highlights of Mark's gospel leading up to the resurrection on Easter. Last week, for instance, was "Walking with Jesus through Growth," about the parable of the sower. Yesterday (February 8) was "Walking with Jesus through the Storm," a particularly personal message since we have just come through such a difficult storm in Kentucky, but also in the York household. Last week we had to put my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimers, in a round-the-clock care facility. Though it was a storm we saw coming a long way off, it was no less terrifying when it finally arrived.

My preaching is so focused on the life of my congregation that I sometimes doubt that it would bless anyone else. If nothing else, however, I hope it would encourage other pastors to apply the Word in very personal ways to your people. The sermon on the storms of life is an example of how I do that.

You can find the link to the podcast here or by clicking the title above.