Dear friends,

Music played an important role in the writing of my new book Blessed Are the Others. As Beethoven said, “Music is the mediator between the soul and the sensual.” Or as Nietzsche quipped, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” 

While I was writing this book, my beloved dad passed away on April 27 at the age of 80. Blessed Are the Others is dedicated to Padre or “dear old dad” (D.O.D.) as he liked to sign birthday cards. Here’s a picture of D.O.D. trying to grin after telling me a joke the day before he died. 

In Padre’s honor, I’m sharing a “Blessed Are the Others Playlist” of the 80 songs – plus a few – that inspired me while I was laboring with this little baby. Some of them make me laugh. Others make me cry. All of them make me feel alive. 

I don’t expect you to listen to 80+ songs! But I do warmly invite you to check out some of the music that helped me process my grief, unlock joy, and say yes to the Beatitudinal Way of Jesus. (A few of the songs have explicit content that I do not endorse, but I still connect with the rawness of the music.) I hope you’re inspired and enabled to connect with more of what lives in you.  

If you’d like to join my book launch team, simply reply “Yes” to this email, and I’ll be in touch with next steps soon! Learn more about Blessed Are the Others here. 

Happy listening and reading! 

Andrew