at FFM

This past weekend was the third biennial Festival of Faith and Music (FFM) at Calvin College. It was an amazing festival. Sufjan Stevens was the highlight- musically and academically- as his concert was out of this world, or as David Dark would say, apocalyptic. And Sufjan read a paper he wrote, which was very good and insightful about what art is and how an artist finds their vocation. I was also surprised by the band Son Lux- a sort of ambient piano, guitar, and electronica influenced outfit. This was Ryan's first show ever...so he needed the help of two friends to make it work. It included accompanying video...definitely intriguing. Emmylou Harris was also good as she has been for a really loooong time. But the true highlight of the conference overall is that a conversation about the meaning of music and faith, cultural engagement and art is started and renewed. The task now is to find creative ways to learn to live this out.

Other responses: Tala Strauss, Jason Panella, Books & Culture, Morgan, Maureen Didde, ...