Hey 2010 New Orleans team! Karen Kelly scanned the team journals from our trip and, since they made a large file, the easiest way to share them was to post them here for everyone on the team to download. Click the file below to view/download them. Let the reminiscing begin!
Peace,
joel
I’ve got another show coming up in April on Saturday the 17th at the U.S. Beer Company in Lincoln Park. The doors open for this shindig at 6:45 and I’ll be playing in the first hour to hour and a half. I hope to see you there! Please buy your tickets EARLY if you’re coming so that I’m not getting chased by booking agents. Thank you!
Here are the details:
4.17.10 at U.S. Beer Company
1801 N Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
See the map
21+ show, $9 tickets. BUY TICKETS HERE
Here are some photos from the show on the 21st. Thanks again to all who made it! I hope to have another date coming up soon.
Two shows coming up in February! The first is on the first: February 1 at 9:45 at Sylvie’s Lounge on Irving Park Rd. The show is 21+ and I will be on from 9:45 until 10:15. I believe Sylvie’s is a cash-only place, so plan accordingly. It would be great to see you there and this show is FREE! Check for a map at the bottom.
THEN: on February 21 (Sun) I will be opening the night at Elbo Room in Chicago at 8:30. You can buy tickets online for that show at this link: https://tickets.aftonshows.com/JoelOscarJohnson. Advance tickets are $8 (maybe 9?). This is also a 21+ show and should be a lot of fun. Please come out and support for this one! Bring friends! If I draw good numbers, that should open many more doors down the road. Thanks in advance!
If you click the link above for Elbo Room tickets, you will get a flier and handbills with your ticket. Please put them up and hand them out to people who might like to come!
Exciting times. Thanks for stopping by to read this. Have a great weekend!
I took a study break today to record a couple covers of songs on the brain. The cover of “Angel from Montgomery,” written by John Prine, is one I learned when I was studying in France. Quinn Vogt-Welch, a friend and very talented singer I met while I was there, introduced me to it.
The other is a cover of Rihanna’s song, “Disturbia,” though it is based of of the cover recorded by Boyce Avenue. I first played this one this past summer at camp. I decided I’d record it and send it to Holly (craft hall lady extraordinaire) as a “finals pick-me-up.” I’m not too excited about the quality of this recording, but give it a listen.
If you can’t listen to them below for some reason, click here to listen to them on my music page.
Back to my reading. Have a great week!
Joel
This pericope (a fun word for “passage” I learned in Klyne’s class) is sandwiched between the parable and explanation of the parable of the sower. It seems that the parable itself is a “parable about parables” and serves to illustrate how they are received and how the hearers respond. The following exegetical issues analysis was done using R.T. France’s The Gospel of Mark: The New International Greek Testament Commentary.
oiJ peri; aujto;n su;n toi:V dwvdeka
Jesus’ response to this group may have been a regular pattern, evidenced by the use of the imperfect tense of the verb hjrwvtwn. This may suggest a pattern of questioning by a group with the disciples after Jesus told a parable. It is important to note that Jesus explains the use of parables to a group wider than the twelve. Mark distinguishes this group from the (presumably) larger o[cloV in 3:32 and 4:1. “oiJ peri; aujto;n su;n toi:V dwvdeka” is contrasted from “toi:V e[xw” as those who would be given the secret (musthvrion) of the kingdom of God. It is important to note that these gathered with the twelve are those who took the initiative to ask for an explanation.
musthvrion, ejn parabolai:V
The musthvrion of the kingdom of God is most accurately translated here as “secret,” assuming a “hiddenness” or privileged knowledge that Jesus shares. It is used only here in the Gospels, but appears in Paul’s writing as well. Reading this in context of the following verses on may understand that this information is to be kept from “toi:V e[xw” and not shared. Is this counter to evangelism? Reading on to 4:21f would suggest not, but that this light is to be shared. Jesus states that to “toi:V e[xw,” everything is ejn parabolai:V. This means that to those who have not yet asked, the “secret” is still in parables, yet to be discerned. We understand that it is by asking that the code is revealed. It does not seem likely that those who are able to understand is a pre-determined number, but a number of those who take initiative to find understanding through Christ’s revelation. Musthvrion is given not deciphered; the kingdom of God is something so foreign to our understanding that it must be revealed (France, 196,197). The condition of the hearers of parables can be likened to the condition of the soil on which the seed of the sower (the message of the kingdom) falls.
i{na, mhvpote
It is the group “e[xw” that is applied to the reference to Isaiah 6:10. This is an important conjunction, as it defines the relationship between hearing (or being deaf to) the musthvrion of the kingdom and turning to be forgiven. Does i{na denote purpose, result, a quotation…? It should be hard to dismiss that the final part of the Isaiah reference is the fate of those who do not understand or perceive. If i{na means “so that,” it brings with it questions of double predestination, that some have no hope of restoration. France (200) argues against the possibility of a translation meaning “unless,” that would frame this text as a “unless they turn, then…” message. The word mhvpote later in the verse is more rigid in its meaning (lest), and makes it more likely that i{na means “so that.” Assuming the Isaiah text is not ironic (proving it to be so is difficult), this is a foreboding text for those who do not receive the secret of the kingdom. In light of 4:21-22, however, we again see that this secret is meant to be shared, and this condemnation of the “e[xw” is temporary if those who hear share the eujaggevlion. It is also important to note that Jesus excludes (or Mark) the first part of Isaiah 6:10 that includes language about stopping ears and shutting eyes. This may reinforce the idea that the “deafness and blindness” described is of the people’s own doing.
By this passage it seems most likely that Mark and Jesus emphasize our own role in receiving the secret of the kingdom of God. The kingdom, complex as it is, is taught through parables. The people who hear the secret are those that ask. Complacency and hardness of heart prevent one from turning and receiving forgiveness. That good news is meant to be shared, even with those who resist its first hearing (or second, or third).
I was pleasantly surprised to find some posts preserved in Google’s cache of this blog and I have re-posted them. I was able to retrieve a few memorable moments and revive them here.
I am off of school for the week with a chance to catch up on some reading and look ahead to some upcoming projects. I also get to head up to Covenant Pines for the MEA retreats this week. It will be good to see my family up there and I’ll be able to run around with some great jr. and sr. highers!
My hope is to be able to return to Chicago and find a job soon after. Your prayers are appreciated!
It is good to be home.
Pete and I spent a night adventuring around Lincoln Square on the North side of Chicago this evening. We happened upon two open mic venues and played at both. You meet some great people when you stop, listen to the music and take a few moments to join the conversation.
Stop #1 was at Carola’s Hansa Clipper on Lincoln. It’s a smaller, personable spot with good people and good German beer. Tiffany handled the drinks while Greg ran the open mic. We played our sets, listened to Nate and Greg play some great stuff, then headed down the street to stop #2.
Bad Dog Tavern. The open mic here was great. Scott does a great job of organizing the thing and setting up a great sound for performers. When he’s not hosting open mic, Scott is a teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music where he teaches guitar, vocals, and some drums. A talented musician himself, he knows how to deflect the praise to those who step up to the microphone at Bad Dog. While we waited for our turn, Pete and I listened to some very talented musicians and chatted with a few of them, including Tom and Katelyn.
Both venues were unique opportunities to stretch the vocal chords, have some conversation, and get a bit deeper into this great city. Come join us Wednesday nights starting at 9! We’ll definitely be back for another adventure.
Back up your work. While updating this blog today, I unfortunately lost all my past posts. The archive I thought I had does not seem to exist. Rats. So this is a fresh start.
To sum up:
I am now a student at North Park Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Divinity.
I am engaged to Megan, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I am back in Chicago, living across the street from the home in which I spent the first 12 years of my life.
Now that this blog is back online, I’ll be back to whatever it is I should be doing right now! Happy Wednesday,
Joel
I spent the last 9 months in front of a computer, running social media projects. I left that desk to return to McGregor, Minnesota and Covenant Pines Bible Camp, 2 and a half hours north of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. For the better part of a month I have been nearly unplugged: a welcome change. A still lake at sunset, no light pollution or traffic… this is a good place to be.
Staff training is over and, after a weekend with third and fourth graders, we are heading into our first full week with campers. The staff this summer is a great one and I am eager to see the things God is going to do through all of us.
Megan and I are head-first into wedding planning after celebrating a joy-filled wedding for my brother and his new wife! It is going to be a good summer.
Blessings to you all,
Joel