Morphine Life, Trent Yaconelli & Five A.M. with Be Still
Several months ago a guy commented on one of my posts. His name was Trent Yaconelli. I couldn’t resist asking him if he was the son of the late great Mike Yaconelli, one of the most radical of youth leaders of our time, as well as one of the most controversial church critics in America. I came across Mike back in seminary when I read his youth specialties books. But I also came across him when I had to ask the librarian if I could borrow The Wittenburg Door, a magazine that deflates religious pomposity wherever it is found. The seminary wouldn’t allow the mag to be displayed on the open shelves. You had to read it in secret. Trent and I began quite a discussion that continues today. He appreciates nakedpastor and what this blog is about. Trent is a member of a band called Five A.M. and they’ve come out with a new album. This is one of the songs from the EP. Check out his blog morphine life. Enjoy!
MP3 File
I love the idea of that magazine- does it still exist!?!? I am now calling myself the Grumpy Lutheran.
Sarah, here is the link:
http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/home.html
Loved the song, very talented.
Yes, as you can see from the website, wittenburg door still exists. Mike sold it, though, many years ago ( at least 10 years??). I, too, discovered the Yaconelli and the magazine back in college and seminary days, and was encouraged by the honesty, insight, and humor… for many years. Yaconelli’s book, Messy Spirituality, is excellent. I planned a trip out to San Diego to finally meet one of my heroes in the faith - but was a few months too late. So, was Trent related, or not?
sorry. yes! trent is mike’s son.
trents dad was and is a hero of mine. met him just a few weeks before he tragically died… i was deeply shocked and upset as were many of my friends. he was a great speaker, a warm, challenging and very human one at that. my memory of our conversation is mostly of his big beardy smile and warmth towards me and what i do,
(i’d sampled a bit of his speech for a track some years before)… he was into it!
it’s a tragedy he is no longer with us.
just had a couple of wittenburg doors arrive in the post… it’s a good read. hoping to get cartoons in it, i’d love that.
I wanted to thank everyone for giving my stuff a listen. It is hard pursuing what you love love and it always gives one a jump when people give you a little support. David has done that for me and it is much appreciated.
My Dad was a wonderful man and never criticized or judged me for the path I chose. In fact he encouraged it. He would come out to the bars I was playing and listen intently. He once commented to me about a paticular song I wrote, Inside Out, that it was the type of song that needed to be heard in bars and late night clubs. I played it at his funeral. He understood that you didn’t need a church or pulpit to talk about God, Jesus, spirituality.
Anyways thanks for the help from David and thanks to all of you that gave it a listen or downloaded the song. It keeps our bus filled with gas and our belly’s filled with MiniMart food.
I really like the song - the cello unravels with the ’strings coming from her skin’… quieting the panic is not an easy thing though, I think stillness might be another letting go thing. Going to unravel now…
Thanks for this!
quieting the panic really isn’t easy… the sample i used of mike said something like… “you know what happens when we become still?… the breath of god.” and then i put loads of repeat delay on ‘breath of god… breath of god… breath of god…’
i’m never still for long enough and i find it a challenge considering the lillies etc!
Trent is his son! I don’t think I was clear enough on just how much I loved Mike. I’ve been a pastor here in Denver for over 20 years… and he helped me hang in there amidst the mega-church growth “wal-martization” of the church.
My favorite Yaconelli quote?
“I pastor the slowest growing church in America. We started twelve years ago with ninety members and have ungrown to thirty. We are about as far as you can get from a user-friendly church – not because our congregation is unfriendly but because our services are unpredictable, unpolished, and inconsistent. We are an “odd friendly” church, attracting unique and different followers of Christ who make every service a surprise.”
Thanks, David, for turning us on to this tune. I like it a lot and plan to seek out the CD.
Love the Door..
Sarah, do you know about the “Sarcastic Lutheran”? She’s at
http://www.sarcasticlutheran.com