Why, hello there. How in the world are you? Anything new? No, really? Don’t give me oh, just more of the same-ol’, same-ol bullcrap. Really. How are you? How is your soul? What is God teaching you right now? Do you have joy?

Now that we have the ice-breakers out of the way, welcome, once again, one and all, to The Weekly Town Crier. A place where I pass along things I have found interesting throughout the week because I thought you might find them interesting. Then again, you might not. And that’s OK too. It’s cool. I get it. I’m down like that. Yo.

Be my Facebook friend. It’s not real until it’s on Facebook.

Follow my Twitterings.

Browse the music I’ve been listening to.

Stay tuned to the Habañero Collective events page for house show upcomings or check out out new concert-only website, Habañero Shows.

Take a Tumbl with me.

Read Amy Grant‘s first interview with the “gay press.”

Read about how “Jimmy Kimmel Tricked A Bunch Of People At Coachella Into Pretending They’ve Heard Of Bands That Don’t Exist.”

Browse Paste‘s picks for “The 50 Best TV Shows on Netflix Instant.”

Read as Sonic Youth‘s “Kim Gordon discusses split from Thurston Moore, breast cancer diagnosis.”

Read one writer’s admission: “I hate Radiohead’s OK Computer.”

Download “Old Gold: Sonoran Country, Garage Blues, Pop, Soul, and Avant-garde from Arizona 1951-1971,” from Aquarium Drunkard.

Read about the “Graphic Designer Dad Illustrates His Kids’ Lunch Bags Almost Every Day Since 2008.”

See The Killing season 3 poster.

Read as “Godspeed You! Black Emperor announce U.S. tour dates,” including Tucson, AZ.

Read about Bob Dylan touring with Wilco and My Morning Jacket.

Read a summary of Ten Ways to Ruin Your Child’s Imagination.

Read this piece in which Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke says that if you call Atoms For Peace a “supergroup,” he’ll knock your teeth in.

R.I.P. Richie Havens.

R.I.P. George Jones.

Browse The Replacements Live Music Archive Project.

Browse USA Today’s pics for the “10 best craft brew states in America.”

Watch Phosphorescent perform “Song For Zula” (perhaps my favorite song of the year so far from perhaps my favorite album of the year so far) on Fallon.

Browse as Flavorwire picks 10 of the most under-rated bands of the 21st Century. What do you think of their picks?

Read about the”Texas Sheriff” who “Takes on Westboro Baptist Church.”

Read about Zach Braff’s Kickstarter Campaign.

Browse the amazing gallery: “What Happens If You Text Your Parents Pretending To Be A Drug Dealer?”

Read as PopMatters considers “The History of Music Industry Whining.”

Read/Listen as Fresh Air interviews David Sedaris about his new collection of essays Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls .

Browse the “Tumblr Index: Your Guide to Artistic and Literary Tumblrs” (I’m sure the fact that Habañero Collective wasn’t listed was simply an oversight.).

Read about novelist Don DeLillo being named the first recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.

Read the San Francisco Examiner‘s profile of Built To Spill.

Browse this list of “Four Baffling Ways Musicians Have Released Albums.”

Read as the original MTV VJ’s have release a collective memoir: VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave.

Read about Edward Norton getting into a fight with a photographer.

Read about how Netflix is going after freeloaders.

Good day to you (no matter what time it actually may be). Once again you have found yourself wandering aimlessly through the ghost towns of culture that make up the Interwebs. A “place” that doesn’t actually exist where more and more of us are spending more and more of our time. It’s not a good thing. And here I am aiding and abetting. Hold on. I need a minute. This is a bit unsettling. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to contribute to the destruction of social fabric as we’ve known it; throwing people into vertigo staring into a screen longing for community.

Wait. It’s technology and the passing-along of information. Forget all that doom and gloom stuff. Let’s surf the web! And who doesn’t love to surf? Welcome to The Weekly Town Crier.

Be my Facebook friend. It’s not real until it’s on Facebook.

Follow my Twitterings.

Browse the music I’ve been listening to.

Stay tuned to the Habañero Collective events page for house show upcomings or check out out new concert-only website, Habañero Shows.

Take a Tumbl with me.

Browse this list of “5 Reasons Cormac McCarthy’s The Road Should Be Taught In Schools.”

Read about Arizona’s growing craft beer scene.

Read as Shai Linne responds to an open letter from Paula White Ministries.

Listen to De La Soul‘s first new music in nine years.

R.I.P. Pat Summerall.

Read as The Gospel Coalition weighs in on the idea of video preachers. What are your thoughts?

Browse a “literary map” of L.A.

Stream the new album from Junip, featuring Jose Gonzalez. The band made my #08 favorite album of 2010, the amazing Fields.

Browse as Spin lists the top 100 “alternative” albums of the 1960′s.

Read as Scientific American considers the benefits of physical books over e-books.

Watch/listen as one of my favorite bands, Yo La Tengo performs at NPR’s Tiny Desk.

Watch Frightened Rabbit cover Cheap Trick.

Read more Morrissey rants, this time about Margaret Thatcher.

Watch Phosphorescent perform “Terror In The Canyons.”

Browse as Paste picks their favorite songs by Flaming Lips.

Browse the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Read NPR Music’s interview with QuestLove of the Roots.

Read about Breaking Bad‘s return, August 11.

Read as Rolling Stone reports that the rumored Friends reunion is not happening.

Read as ’Sweet Caroline’ Plays at Ballparks Nationwide in Boston Tribute.

Browse Rolling Stone‘s “Must Have” picks for Record Store Day.

Read as Rolling Stone reports that this may be Crazy Horse‘s last tour.

Read as Carl Trueman considers the real reason so many of us are drawn to conspiracy theories.

Read as Consequence of Sound wonders if a soundtrack can inspire you to see its movie.

Hi. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the web-o-spheres. It’s Friday, so that means that this is the Weekly Town Crier. The idea is simple enough; I collect links I thought were interesting for one reason or another and I pass them along to you, who may or may not find them as interesting as I did. So, you see, I’m not necessarily endorsing anything here, just passing it along for your internet browsing pleasure.

Now that we’re on the same page, let’s get on the same page.

Be my Facebook friend. It’s not real until it’s on Facebook.

Follow my Twitterings.

Browse the music I’ve been listening to.

Stay tuned to the Habañero Collective events page for house show upcomings or check out out new concert-only website, Habañero Shows.

Take a Tumbl with me.

Browse this list of IPAs to try before you die.

Browse Amazon’s picks for recent songs they can’t get enough of.

Read about the Quidditch World Cup this weekend.

Browse new Arrested Development promotional posters.

Watch the trailer for Pixar’s newest sequel, Monsters University.

Browse Rolling Stone’s picks for 20 essential Grateful Dead concerts.

Read about new music from Fleetwood Mac.

Read about Wu-Tang Clan‘s 20 year business plan.

Read this piece in which it becomes really apparent that Deerhunter do not appreciate Morrissey or The Smiths.

Read as The Daily Beast profiles Maya Angelou’s writing habits.

Read about Yoko Ono‘s new book of poetry.

Listen to interviews and performances with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

Read as NPR Music interview Kurt Vile on songwriting.

Read as Salon considers why more dogs appear in literature but cats seem to dominate the Webs.

Watch the trailer for the new documentary about The Phantom Tollbooth turning 50.

R.I.P. Margaret Thatcher.

R.I.P. Roger Ebert.

R.I.P. Jonathan Winters.

Read about the theme from Gilligan’s Island being voted favorite TV Theme Song by some people.

Read/listen as NPR Music interviews Wayne Coyne about the new Flaming Lips album.

Read about sales of vinyl hitting a 15-year high.

Watch performances and interviews from Dawes.

Browse as Flavorwire picks 25 books every kid should have on their shelves. What do you think of their picks?

Read as PopMatters gives their reasoning for why Rush should be in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Read as Justin Taylor considers “What Does the President of the United States Believe about Infants Born Alive after a Botched Abortion?”

Read as The A.V. Club interviews Mudhoney‘s Mark Arm.

Read about Paul McCartney adding more U.S. tour dates.

“Does Your Church Have Room To Sing Songs Of Lament?”

Browse as Metallica offers live concert downloads.

Browse as Flavorwire considers “10 Unfairly Neglected or Forgotten Books.”

Read as Paste reports on “The Brewers Association Releases List of 2012’s Top Craft Breweries.”

Hello there. Happy Friday to you. Hope you’ve had a good week. Have you? I sure hope so. Well, welcome to

Be my Facebook friend. It’s not real until it’s on Facebook.

Follow my Twitterings.

Browse the music I’ve been listening to.

Stay tuned to the Habañero Collective events page for house show upcomings or check out out new concert-only website, Habañero Shows.

Take a Tumbl with me.

Read about Prince‘s “intimate” West Coast Tour and buy me a ticket.

Browse Paste’s updated list of the 100 best movies on Netflix instant. What do you think of their list?

Read about Calexico‘s album with a full orchestra for Record Store Day. What are you looking forward to?

Stream Kurt Vile‘s new album at Consequence of Sound.

Read about Steve Buscemi and Vampire Weekend parading together.

Read Donald Miller‘s thoughts about “Why Most Twenty Somethings are Delusional.”

Read as Scot McKnight weighs in on “Same-Sex Marriage.”

Read Seth McBee’s piece: “Why Entrepreneurs Don’t Like Your Church.”

Read about the return of the White Stripes . . . with Tilda Swinton (White?) replacing Meg White.

Read about and help pledge to support Mike Doughty re-imagining 13 songs from Soul Coughing.

Read about the Tootsie Pop Indian Star mystery.

Read about Pixar continuing their stroll down sequel lane. This time, Finding Nemo 2.

Read as Neko Case talks about her upcoming album with NPR.

R.I.P. Rober Ebert.

Read about Arrested Development getting a release date and promotional poster.

Browse as All Songs Considered’s listeners pick their favorite headphones.

Read an interview with Jeff Tweedy.

One of the precepts of the Christian life is growth. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. One of the foundations of all of life is growth. If a baby doesn’t grow, we call it “failure to thrive” and it is a serious condition. It’s not normal or good when a baby doesn’t grow. We rightfully worry.

And yet, we’ve created a “christian culture” in which someone can be a “baby Christian” for 5, 10, 15. 20, . . . years and no one bats an eye. We may think, “well, they’re not growing as fast as others but who am I to judge?” So we have church buildings full of people who don’t pray; don’t read their bible; don’t live in sacrificial community; don’t love their neighbors, and in all reality, aren’t growing. True, who am I to judge anyone else’s soul, but if there is no growth, is there life?

We are not yet what we will be. But neither are we once were. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul says that we are “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul says that there is a time when we outgrow childish ways. In Ephesians 4, Paul says that as we grow in maturity (which is a community goal), we become more stable. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that as we grow, we gain more discernment. We are able, more and more, to tell what is good from what is evil.

And yet, at least in America, we marinate in consumerism. We are taught from an early age to expect to be served. So much so that I’m sure there are people who no longer know how to make coffee because you can buy it everywhere. We have imported consumerism into Christianity so much so that we can drop the phrase “church shopping” without thinking twice. We expect to be served (or at least “fed”). In consumerism, we learn to trust the retailers. We develop our own set of brand allegiances and we look to certain retailers as arbiters of our trusted brands. Why is there always a Lowes right across the street from Home Depot? Because some of us trust one while others trust the other.

But what happens when Christians, marinating in consumerism, hand discernment over to retailers? For many, “discernment,” the ability to determine good from evil, has simply become a point-of-purchase decision. I bought it at the “Christian” bookstore, it must be OK, right?! No. In any Christian bookstore, you can buy books by people who are not Christians. People who deny the resurrection. People who openly downplay sin. People who do not believe in the Trinity. I’m not being narrow and legalistic here. There are boundaries to Orthodoxy or everyone is a Christian. I’m just saying that you can walk into any Christian bookstore and buy works by authors who are clearly outside any traditionally accepted version of Orthodoxy. Books by people who are not Christians. And no one thinks twice.

So much of our Christianity separates the “professionals” the people who are paid to do ministry, from the rest of us. The Pastoral Staff are the ones who get paid to study and pass it one in bytes for the rest of us, right? I go to them when I have a problem because they’re equipped for that, not me. And it’s a Christian bookstore, so I can trust what’s inside.

Instead of teaching people to rely on “professional ministers,” making people dependent on pastors, local leaders should focus on equipping God’s people for everyday ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Discernment is not something we can hand over to the professionals (who don’t always have our best interest at heart), much less the retailers (who care even less about your soul, whether they are designated Christian or not). It is something we must hone ourselves in community.

Our system is perfectly designed to produce the results we’re getting. So we should not be surprised that American Christianity resembles the local shopping mall more often than the Kingdom of the Living Christ.

Though I didn’t call my previous post about my friend Gary Bagby/Foreknown, “I Have Insanely Talented Friends (Part 01),” I should have. Gary will be releasing his debut full-length album on Humble Beast in the near future. Gary was recently approached by a local church to record a spoken word piece contrasting Muhammad Ali with Jesus. Check it out.

Well hello there. How are you? Oh, me? I’m OK, thanks. I’m really enjoying this symbiotic relationship that we’ve developed. I hope you like it too. Welcome to the Weekly Town Crier, where I pass along links that I’ve found interesting in one way or another throughout the week and I pass them along to you. Some of them will interest you more than others and that’s OK. I’m OK. You’re OK. We’re all OK. Now, browse, OK?!

Be my Facebook friend. It’s not real until it’s on Facebook.

Follow my Twitterings.

Browse the music I’ve been listening to.

Stay tuned to the Habañero Collective events page for house show upcomings or check out out new concert-only website, Habañero Shows.

Take a Tumbl with me.

Read as the New York Times considers how beer gave us civilization.

Read as the New York Times considers living with less: “A Lot Less.”

Read “Relevant’s” piece on Marcus Mumford, of Mumford and Sons, “It’s OK To Call Yourself A Christian.”

Read “How We Made It: Greg Koch and Steve Wagner,” from the founders of Stone Brewing.

Read about how to build your own amplifying dock for your i-Thingy.

Read about great growth for the U.S. craft beer market.

Read Bobby Gilles’ piece “Why Indie Bands & Singer-Songwriters Can’t Ignore Business & Marketing.”

Read CNet‘s piece “Five big tech stories to watch for in 2013.”

R.I.P. Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia.

Read IFC’s piece: “Sam Raimi’s producer reveals “Evil Dead 4” is actually “Army of Darkness 2.”

Read about Rob Bell openly endorsing “marriage equality.”

Read about Jimmy Fallon replacing Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show.

Browse as Paste chronicles the 25 best acts they caught at SXSW.

Listen to a rare rehearsal tape from The Smiths.

Browse the Phoenix New Times‘ list of the coolest AZ celebrities (not that that’s saying much).

Read about Michelle Shocked‘s anti-gay tirade and the ensuing backlash.

Read this piece about why the Calvary Chapel movement keeps producing Calvinists. What are your thoughts on this?