Of music that inspires... and a bit of crepe.

Everyone knows Friday's not a particularly wise day to get on the road during rush hour, but we drove through Livermore anyway (a two hour drive that afternoon) for the Jars of Clay concert. We've actually seen them before, but they were definitely worth watching again. And sure enough they still blew me away. They left their bassist and drummer home this time though, so it was a quieter, more intimate set. Awesome nonetheless.

The nice thing was, we got to talk to the band after the show! Dan Haseltine (the vocalist) remembered one of my good friends from their recent Manila concert (he was one of the organizers) so we had something to converse about... for all of two minutes. hehe. They signed our CDs as well and we got a picture in. Yay!

Since the gig, I've been listening to their new CD, Redemption Songs, non-stop the past two days. For those of you who haven't come across it yet, it's a collection of beautiful ancient hymns set to modern music.

Now, I may have always loved the Standards, but admittedly never really gave centuries-old church tunes the time of day till this album. Interesting to note that what people sang about hundreds of years ago imbibe a message still so applicable today. Songs that speak of a Hope and a Future despite surrounding circumstances. As Dan described it, it's the Hope that keeps you restless and forward-looking; and yet it is that same Hope that gives you peace. Amazing.


When sins and fears prevailing rise
And fainting hope almost expires
Jesus to Thee I lift my eyes
To Thee I breathe my soul's desires
Are You not mine, my living Lord
And can my hope, my comfort die
Fixed on the everlasting word
That word which built the earth and sky...

- Excerpt from Jesus I lift my Eyes


Get yourself a copy of the album and read through the words. They really are so beautifully written. Worth the $15 investment, trust me. ;) I also found the lyrics online here for all of us netheads.

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In other news:

Bebs has successfully mastered my favorite dessert in the whole wide world: strawberry & nutella crepe! Yeba! We decided to forego dinner last night to set up the Bharwani Test Kitchen. An hour and one box of strawberries later (plus five heaping tablespoons of Nutella and a grand total of about 800 calories each), we downed four heavenly crepes without so much as a guilty bone in our body. I couldn't be any happier that night. ;)

Have an awesome week ahead, guys!