If you were at Good Shepherd this past Sunday, you know what we launched our worship gathering with a terrific rendition of REM’s Losing My Religion.

How else could we possibly begin a service with the overall title of “Lost Religion”?

You can watch those opening moments — and the hour or so that followed it as well — by clicking here.

Anyway, that experience has put me in sort of an REM mood, which means of course that I have to “Top Five Tuesday” them. So here they are: my Top Five REM songs:

5. Supernatural superserious.  This tune is off 2008’s Accelerate, an album that was largely ignored yet much under-rated.  I can’t resist a song that talks about volunteering at a summer camp.

4.  What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?  Talk about irresistible — a song with its origins in the most inexplicable Dan Rather moment ever.

3.  Everybody Hurts.  This walks that fine line between naming the truth of pain and wallowing in our status as victims . . . and does so in a way that is hauntingly beautiful.

2.  Losing My Religion.  Of course.

1.  Man On The Moon.  Not just my favorite REM song of them, but one of my favorites of all time, like ever.  The wistful guitar work makes it so the song never gets old.