Win a free copy of Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith by Robert Gelinas.
I highly recommend this book (you can read my review of Finding the Groove here). Even if you are not a fan of jazz, Groove’s stories, quotes, and insights about life and the Kingdom of God are engaging and helpful. Groove encourages all of us to compose a more creative, jazz-shaped faith.
As Scot McKnight said in his recent review:
There are very few books like this one — in fact, there is none. I really liked this book, and I will return to it over and over as the image shapes my own thinking.
Let’s have this contest run through this Friday, May 8th at 3:00 PST. [Our winners of the free copies of Finding the Groove are Daniel Li and Dave Ingland. Congrats!] Leave a comment here or send me a message on Twitter (twitter.com/headsparks) describing why music is meaningful to you — could be a favorite song and why you love it, a formative experience, etc. — and how it connects you to the life and Kingdom of God. I’d love to hear your stories and the soundtrack of your life — I’ll choose a winner from one of the responses!
headsparks* 
Daniel, what a great story! As I read your review I was immediately reminded of Miles Davis’ music. It’s a crazy mix of rythymic intensity, off-meter, somewhat-random melodies with ebbs and flows (intense & soft in the same song). It reminds me of the beauty of the kingdom of God. That our Lord meets us where we are at and gives us worth and a purpose–even if we don’t (or can’t) conform to the standards of others. The kingdom is messy, kind of like what Davis’ music must look like on paper, yet when brought together with soul, passion, and purpose there is nothing else like it in its beauty. What a great find! Thanks for the post! :)
Dave – Thanks for the great response! As you described Miles Davis’ music, I immediately thought of some of my favorite Miles’ songs. “Bag’s Groove” comes to mind :) I love your description of the Kingdom!