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Wonder and Whiskey
Insights on Faith from the Music of Dave Matthews Band
Foreword by Sharon Seyfarth Garner
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Dave Matthews likes Jesus, but not dogmatic beliefs about him. He openly wonders about God's existence while singing of showing love to each other as life's highest ideal. His songs celebrate making the most of each day's pleasures because we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, but also caution against overindulgence. His music wrestles with deep questions about identity and mortality, while proposing that upholding others' worth is one of the most important roles we can fulfill. Wonder and Whiskey is an exploration of the lyrics of Dave Matthews Band as a multilayered call to be present in the moment, both for oneself and others, as well as how these ideas intersect with the highest aspirations of a lived Christian spirituality.
Jeffrey A. Nelson is ordained in the United Church of Christ and a certified spiritual director. He currently serves as pastor of Grace UCC in Uniontown, Ohio. He is the author of Coffeehouse Contemplative: Spiritual Direction for the Everyday (Noesis, 2016).
"Jeff Nelson has taken his love for the music of Dave Matthews to a new level! Drawing from Matthews' life experience and inspiration, Jeff pulls the reader into the stories that crafted the lyrics and musical fabric of such a diverse musician. Not only does Jeff take into consideration Matthews' own life but Jeff goes one step further by viewing the songs through a lens of spirituality. While I learned so much about Dave Matthews in reading Wonder and Whiskey, I also learned more about myself, and for that I am grateful for Jeff Nelson's dedication to create such a book as this."
—Leanor Ortega Till, saxophonist for Five Iron Frenzy and Staff Member at Urban Skye Ministries
"Fans of the Dave Matthews Band will love this book! And if you are not a fan, this book will make you want to become one. Demonstrating a thorough familiarity with the life and career of Dave Matthews, the other members of the band, and the band’s musical catalogue, Jeff Nelson tells us not only how he came to hear his own life in the band’s songs, but he also invites us to do the same. . . . Along the way, Jeff is also in conversation with several biblical passages, as well as with spiritual greats such as John of the Cross, Ignatius Loyola, and Thomas Merton. I was instructed and inspired, and you will be too!"
—J. Clinton McCann, Jr., Eden Theological Seminary
"There’s something reliably inspiring about listening to anyone wax eloquent about whatever it is they deeply and truly love, whether or not you love it yourself. Jeff’s point here isn’t to project his supernatural faith onto his favorite band, but rather to help their music draw his readers into what he calls following Jesus and I call humanism: Making the most of this life by learning to love, doing good work for others, and cultivating joyful gratitude for the many wonders of nature, including consciousness itself. So then, get out your headphones and read on."
—Bart Campolo, Humanist Chaplain at the University of Cincinnati
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