Austin, nice to meet you: week 2

Friday is for New Finds will be consumed with learning Austin for the foreseeable future.

Come along, y'all! It's gonna be fun!

[picking up where I left off last week]

4.  Paramount Theater , Congress Ave. (aka, "Austin's only movie palace")

Friends offered two of their extra tickets to one of the closing films of the summer film festival, Lawrence of Arabia.  I have never had the privilege of watching this film in the 70mm projection format and what a, well, huge difference!  We enjoyed every moment of this 227-minute(!) epic.  From the time we chose our seats in the beautifully maintained glamour of an old-timey movie house, waiting for the massive red velvet curtains to  pull back for the opening credits through the intermission and to the very end, this was a beautiful experience.  Thank you, Mark & Terri!

Oh, I almost forgot another delightful tidbit.  When we pulled up to the theater (husbands kindly dropping off before going around the corner to find parking), we were greeted by these two lovely little hosts (hostesses?)

Really, how can you beat this for a Saturday night?

5.  Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill, 6th Avenue

Wednesday afternoon my new friend Karen picked me up and whisked me downtown for a delicious, semi-indulgent mid-afternoon lunch.  I say, indulgent, because I added a margarita to my order.  (please don't tell my kids.  they're teasing me enough about being a stay-at-home-mom now without them knowing I've been taking to drink by lunchtime!)

this picture was actually taken when we were done eating;
 notice how I cleverly placed my mostly-empty margarita glass in front of Karen.

I ordered a spinach and mushroom enchilada (plus that margarita) and loved every bit I could handle after splurging on the tortilla chips, homemade fresh guacamole, salsa and warm cornbread. Delicious!  

Speaking of fresh guacamole, they actually brought the raw ingredients to the table and made it to order right in front of us.  

6.  Central Market, North Lamar


I spent a breezy Thursday morning sitting in the outdoor courtyard.  I did a little bit of shopping (fresh blueberries? yes, please!)  but mostly I sat outside close enough to the bustling children's playground to hear the happy buzz of children playing, but far enough to feel a sense of solitude.  Add to that a tasty breakfast taco, perfectly brewed cup of Texas Pecan coffee and free wi-fi were the perfect ingredients for a mid-week recharge and inspiration to write a poem.  I'm definitely going to make this a regular downtown writing spot.


Looking forward to a new week of discovering Austin!

Friday's for A New Way to Be Human: Brick City

The Friday posts are inspired by my Lenten reading, a book by N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Easter. In the book, the author concludes that if we are not thinking in whole terms about the meaning of Resurrection, we water it down to only have significance for eternal life, as in later life. While that is still good news, what does Resurrection mean for the here and now life? Thinking only in half terms about the magnificent gesture of our God in raising Jesus as the first-born of Creation has ill-forming consequences on us. The finished work of Christ -- birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension -- and the gift of His Spirit in us gives us a new way to be human in the here and now life.

"If you are to shape your world in following Christ, you are called, prayerfully, to discern where in your discipline the human project is showing signs of exile and humbly and boldly to act symbolically in ways that declare that the powers have been defeated, that the kingdom has come in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, that the new way of being human has been unveiled, and to be prepared to tell the story that explains what these symbols are all about."

That phrase new way to be human has perched itself in a high branch of my imagination and will not shake loose. One way I'd like to wrestle more with what the phrase means is to transform my Friday regular posts of new finds into sharing stories of new ways to be human.

Reality television has earned some pretty harsh criticism, and, rightfully so, in my opinion.  Occasionally though, the method suits the message and I think that the Sundance Channel's documentary-style television series Brick City is one of those rare examples.


After a couple of girlfriends and I scared ourselves by getting almost hopelessly lost in the middle of Newark on our way to NYC a few months back,  I might have noticed news articles or talk show interviews with Newark's innovative, optimistic and energetic mayor Cory Booker.  But I doubt it.  In the format of a television series, sitting together with  my kids and husband absorbing the unexpected story of Newark's rally against same-old same-old poverty, gangs, joblessness, fatherlessness, run-down schools, [fill in the blank with the expected inner city blight.]  Somehow,  people are beginning to think and behave in new ways to meet the familiar problems with new energy and creativity.


Watching, with my family, inspires us to think about poverty and city-living in new ways.  To participate with optimism which is grounded in faith the Jesus we follow.  To live as innovators and not the status quo.  To be involved and not tsk- tsking from the safety of our family room enclave.


Learning the story of the hard-fought renewal for Newark is kind of like part b to the chapter we began when we moved a few years ago from a little suburban neighborhood to our home in the middle of a larger town.  We don't know right now if the next chapter continues in this neighborhood or another city.  Either way, we affirm the good work of hopeful, creative, active participants in the work of bringing hope, health and healing to the least of these in our cities.

Friday's for A New Way to Be Human: forgiveness in a guest post

When I read this story from my friend Kirsten's blog, I asked her immediately if I could share it, word-for-word, here on a Friday.  I know no better proof of the mystery of a transformed heart than the act of forgiveness from one wounded person toward their wounder.  May God reward you, Kirsten, and your family for many generations because of your act of grace.

Please read Kirsten's words and then leave her a comment here or at her blog, Living A Life of Faith:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Forgiveness is such a hard concept for me. I've gotten better with it over the years especially with prayer but I still have to be very intentional in choosing to forgive.  

Twenty one years ago I got into a relationship that would last a short painful time, produce a beautiful child and fundamentally change who I was for a very long time. The anger, hurt, fear and resentment from this relationship would consume most of my adult life. This man was not a part of my son's life growing up, which at the time I was very grateful for. Where he was in his life was not a good place and would have brought even more heartache for my son and I if I had stayed with him. So I took my son, left and never looked back. I fought to protect him. Doing all that I felt was right at the time. He disappeared, moved from the area, I think. Gradually I stopped looking over my shoulder. Then out of nowhere, Support Collection Unit (SCU) would catch up with him and start collecting support again. Checks would come and not for very long but it was enough to bring up a lot of the old fears. Each year that passed the debt to us grew more and more. I held a lot of anger and resentment again this man for not paying support, for not taking care of the son he had. There were lots of times that I could have used that support, instead of going without a lot, instead of borrowing money from family, instead of turning to social services in my son's early days. 

A couple years ago the support checks began to come again. They've been consistent. I've been able to count on them, include them in my budget (especially since food budget with a teen can be pretty high). Frankly, I haven't thought much about him or our past since becoming a Christian and processing through a lot of my own past. That was until April 7, 2011. 

I got home from an amazing MOPS meeting to have a letter from the courts waiting from me. I didn't understand it all but what I did grasp was the fact that he had signed it in his lawyers office in Binghamton!! This meant he was here, he was living locally again, had been, in fact, for awhile. I'm very grateful that God has placed such an amazing husband in my life because through talking and prayer he was able to help me calm right down. Once I was calm I was able to hear God's voice more clearly and began to get a picture of what He was asking me to do. I wasn't thrilled with it but I was willing to listen.  We were in the middle of purchasing a house so I was packing and tending to other things in life. I started to gather info on what I needed to do for when I made the time to obey what God was asking of me. God gave me the final push on April 28th, the same day my husband got a promotion and raise.

You see He was asking me to forgive. To forgive past sins and debts...just as He has forgiven mine and wiped my account clean. That day I received further court papers with a date set in May. These papers included financials and letters from government agencies threatening to freeze his accounts till a certain amount of past support was paid. Anyway, for the first time I had compassion for this man as a human. I didn't see him as the "big bad wolf" of my early adulthood. My husband and I talked about it, prayed about it and I made the decision it was time to move on what God was asking of me. 

That day I called SCU and asked them to draw up my own petition to excuse him of the significant amount of back child support owed. I knew that none of it made sense to them. What they didn't understand was at this point in our lives God takes care of us, my husband provides for us and I don't have the desire to see someone else suffer because of his poor choices.  God's grace has poured forgiveness into my life for the horrible things I've done. Who was I to withhold grace when God was calling me to extend it??

As the day of court approached I felt an odd sense of peace. I actually tried to conjure up the feelings of anxiety I thought I should be feeling. That morning I had a MOPS steering meeting and as some of my friends were praying over me, one of them pointed out how good God is in scheduling this day on a day where I could have their support beforehand. Their prayers brought a huge sense of relieve as I headed back home to get ready for court. Knowing that I had my son's blessing, my husband's blessing, my friends prayers and God's prompting made facing him and this task all the easier. 

Court was not what I was expecting. First I was late, I know the enemy loves to just mess things up to laugh at us. I looked at that paper a bunch of times and every time I saw 3:30. I put it in my calendar as 3:30. At 3:15 as we were approaching Owego, I looked at the paper and it said 3:00. Boy did I panic!  Thankfully as I was trying to get ahold of the judge, she called me so I was able to let them know I was coming.   Anyway, I walked in, actually rushed in, in a flurry and there he was. It was the oddest feeling of nothing I've ever experienced. I was so worried all those young girl fears would come back. They didn't. With God on one side of me and my husband on the other I was able to face a piece of my past with strength and confidence. I felt the same compassion for him I'd feel for a complete stranger in a tough place. There was no anger anymore. It was the first step to a new sense of freedom. 

The final step was about to take place as the courtroom doors shut behind me. I wasn't prepared for the battle I was about to face. SCU told me the judge would probably ask if I was sure I wanted to excuse all back support and then just go forward with what I was asking. That was not the case. She was a very fair and wise judge but wasn't going to let me just walk away from this situation.  She presented some really good alternatives but I knew it wasn't what God was asking of me. Every option she put before me caused more anxiety for me. I wanted to accept and just leave but I knew I had to face her and stand by my conviction that I was doing the right thing. She said to me a few times that she didn't understand, that it didn't make sense. My response was that I was aware of that but it's what God had laid on my heart to do. My husband even told her it was about grace and forgiveness but she just didn't understand why I wanted to walk away from what was owed me. It was frustrating and hard for me because I have a hard time standing up to authority figures but I could feel the Holy Spirit encouraging me. The judge finally agreed to stop the support collection process which took the collection of over $30,000 out of the system's hands and placed it in my hands, which in my heart and in obedience to Christ has a zero balance.

I walked out of the court room with the oddest ear to ear grin because I felt such a freedom from the past, a freedom from unforgiveness, a freedom from obeying my Lord. I knew God had had His way, that he touched some lives and it was pretty amazing to be in the middle of that.  Randy's quote when we left "Well, that was fun to watch".  I'm not sure about fun but it was amazing to see God working. 

My prayers are that those who were present in that room had a glimpse of God's glory and that someday, somehow it will benefit my son on a personal level. I don't know what that means but I know what it's like to grow up without your father a part of your life. I ache for my son and the pain that I know is there in his heart. I had a dream last night where I told him (my son's biological father) to get his life straightened out and then he might be able to have a relationship with his son.  Will it ever come true? I don't know. I do know that I'm now in a place of peace about the past and that I won't stand in the way. I'll be there for my child but allow him to make his own choices about who's a part of his future. 

Thank you Lord for the work you do in our lives, for softening my hard heart and for teaching me about forgiveness and grace by pouring it into my life. 

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ~matthew 6:14-15

Friday is for a new way to be human: the invention that unlocked a locked-in artist

Two weeks ago I shared some favorite excerpts from my Lenten reading, a book by N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Easter. In the book, the author concludes that if we are not thinking in whole terms about the meaning of Resurrection, we water it down to only have significance for eternal life, as in later life. While that is still good news, what does Resurrection mean for the here and now life? Thinking only in half terms about the magnificent gesture of our God in raising Jesus as the first-born of Creation has ill-forming consequences on us. The finished work of Christ -- birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension -- and the gift of His Spirit in us gives us a new way to be human in the here and now life.

"If you are to shape your world in following Christ, you are called, prayerfully, to discern where in your discipline the human project is showing signs of exile and humbly and boldly to act symbolically in ways that declare that the powers have been defeated, that the kingdom has come in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, that the new way of being human has been unveiled, and to be prepared to tell the story that explains what these symbols are all about."

That phrase new way to be human has perched itself in a high branch of my imagination and will not shake loose. One way I'd like to wrestle more with what the phrase means is to transform my Friday regular posts of new finds into sharing stories of new ways to be human.


Watch this.  I promise you'll be glad you did.

Mick Ebeling: The invention that unlocked a locked-in artist

[from the TED website] The nerve disease ALS left graffiti artist TEMPT paralyzed from head to toe, forced to communicate blink by blink. In a remarkable talk at TEDActive, entrepreneur Mick Ebeling shares how he and a team of collaborators built an open-source invention that gave the artist -- and gives others in his circumstance -- the means to make art again.

Friday is for A New Way To Be Human: Couponing for Community

Last weekend I shared some favorite excerpts from my Lenten reading, a book by N.T. Wright, The Challenge of Easter.  In the book, the author posits that if we are not thinking in whole terms about the  meaning of Resurrection, we water it down to only have significance for eternal life, as in later life.  While that is still good news, what does Resurrection mean for the here and now life?  Thinking only in half terms about the magnificent gesture of our God in raising Jesus as the first-born of Creation has ill-forming consequences on us.  The finished work of Christ -- birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension -- and the gift of His Spirit in us gives us a new way to be human in the here and now life.

"If you are to shape your world in following Christ, you are called, prayerfully, to discern where in your discipline the human project is showing signs of exile and humbly and boldly to act symbolically in ways that declare that the powers have been defeated, that the kingdom has come in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, that the new way of being human has been unveiled, and to be prepared to tell the story that explains what these symbols are all about."

That phrase new way to be human has perched itself in a high branch of my imagination and will not shake loose.  One way I'd like to wrestle more with what the phrase means is to transform my Friday regular posts of new finds into sharing  stories of new ways to be human. 


Good idea, right?!?

I've been collecting stories to share with you each week, but thought I'd launch the whole thing with one of my favorite Creators and Cultivators, my sister Kaley.  I've told you about her and her booming blog, Cha-Ching on a Shoestring.  The story of how Kaley and her husband Wes took the lemons of unemployment and turned them into the lemonade of helping others learn how to save, how to live large on a limited budget would qualify them for this Friday post.

But, over time,  Kaley's taken the enterprise a step further by encouraging her thousands of followers to not only save money for their own family budgets but to also use their new thrifting skills to reach out to others in need.  This past year, that passion has been further fueled in response to the bad press bargain hunters have received in reality television shows like TLC's Extreme Couponing which highlight couponing enthusiasts as dysfunctional hoarders.  Early on Kaley was polled for that program and quickly realized what kinds of stories the producers were trying to find.  This realization and the actual viewing of the program in tandem with Kaley and Wes' own concern for those in our communities who are suffering poverty and hunger and a new, new idea was born.

Couponing for Community!

A new way to be human, indeed!  Kaley has set a goal for over 10,000 items to be donated during this week-long event and to date (with a little over 24 hours left) participants have recorded -- as of the end of the day Friday -- total of 15,385 items donated to food pantries, homeless shelters and relief organizations around the country. 


Here's the way Philadelphia's ABC affiliate reported the story:

And this is my sister.  Who spends her days playing spiderman with her two pre-school sons and helping her husband, the youth pastor.  

Mother's Day -- aren't my nephews cute?!?

So, there's my first New Way to be Human post.  How about you?  Do you have any favorite stories of people who find new ways to connect their passions to broken places in our world?  I'd love for you to share those stories -- large or small -- with us here.  You can add it to the comments section or if you are a blogger, use the Simply Linked function below to share the link from your post with us.  I'd be honored if you included a link back to me on your blog.  


Neither of these work for you?  I also accept carrier pigeons.

Friday is for new finds: Conferences, Retreats, Weekend Get-Aways

There were two events sitting high atop my calendar wish list this spring.  This week I discovered... 

...the one that got knocked off the wish list

Since January, I've been leading a group of about thirty delightful people at Union Center in a small group called Liturgy, Music & Space.  I've yet to meet the curriulum author, Isaac Wardell, but will forever be grateful to him for graciously allowing us to use his curriculum before its official debut at the conference (of the same name) being held next week in Kansas City.  Isaac is the very talented leader of Bifrost Arts and we are grateful to him (and many others we're probably not aware of) for his hard work and generosity to us.  I know that I would have learned much from this conference -- and may have been able to contribute from our experience -- also met many excellent partners in ministry.  Maybe next  year?

For a brief, but flavorful taste for the curriculum's content, I strongly encourage you to read this.

....the one where I got the scholarship and squealed like a little girl

Retreat for Pastors and Ministers to Artists

Laity Lodge, May 2011

 David Taylor, Frederica Matthewes-Green, Brooke Waggoner, Brian Moss

I went last year and wrote almost everything I heard and saw and felt!  This year it just wasn't going to happen financially, but if ever there was a year to go....

My beloved husband had done the work of looking into a scholarship when I wasn't looking and through the generosity of the good folks at Laity and a sacrificial gift from some kindred spirits, I learned Tuesday night that my way was covered.  Scandalous grace, I tell you.

Listen, you should join us!  Really.  Read retreat founder, David Taylor's posts for all the features and benefits business:

1.  Wherever Do We Get Our Ideas About What An Artist Is?

2.  The Virtuous Artists

Plus, here and here for all the rest of the juicy details.

 Now picture yourself lying in a hammock under a Texas hill-country shade tree, listening to the rolling Frio River just over yonder.  Plus, there's the whole learning new stuff and growing in hope for God's good work among His beloved people and hanging out with some of the most courageous, good-humored artists on the planet -- really, what are you waiting for?!?

 ... and the weekend get-away we've been dreaming about for months

High Line, New York City

As if that weren't enough, I'm headed out for two days in the City, a belated fortieth birthday get-away weekend with Brian and two of our dearest friends in the world.  Yes, I've decided to break my Lenten fast for the entire weekend.  We're hoping for a little window of spring sunshine to walk the High Line, do some exploring around Chelsea.  Tomorrow night we get to hear Over the Rhine sing the Long Surrender.

Same duo, same venue, different show a couple of years ago

I'm scandalously blessed....

How about you?  What new-found glories have you discovered lately?  I'm opening up the link-sharing on Fridays for all of your great finds.

Bloggers, use the Simply Linked function below to share the link from your post with us.  I'd be honored if you included a link back to me on your blog.  Not a blogger? Share with us through the comment feature!  Neither of these work for you?  I also accept carrier pigeons.

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Friday is for new finds: spring miscellany

First spring sighting:  We're a pretty pessimistic bunch up here in the Northeast, kind of begrudging our first days of spring temperatures for daring to get our hopes up that warm weather is just around the corner.  We don't like to be teased and  we certainly don't want anyone to think we were actually naive enough to get our hopes up that the sunshine is going to last.

Still, I was pretty excited yesterday to find this little fella and am not ashamed to claim him as my first spring-sighting of the year.  (I didn't actually take this photo, but ironically, he looks exactly the same!)

Spring showers:  And then there's this little gem that's been popping up everywhere I turn the past couple of weeks.  I would have loved to see it in its debut at IAM's Encounter11 two weeks ago.  I hear it was a smashing success.  

Rosebud Incarnation from Slim Jim Spur on Vimeo.

An audio re-imagining of the title song and dance sequence from the 1946 MGM musical "Till The Clouds Roll By" starring Ray McDonald and June Allyson. Premiering at Encounter 11 in NYC on March 5th, 2011. Original film is in the public domain.

Go ahead. Watch it again.  I didn't quite get it at first, either.  I would love to know how many hours went into this production.  It's brilliant.  But you don't have to take my word for it; check out this review from someone much smarter than me. 

Last spring sighting:  my sweet Kendra turned 15 last week.  I'm still in denial.

Isn't she a beauty?

What new-found glories have you discovered lately?  I'm opening up the link-sharing on Fridays for all of your great finds.

Bloggers, use the Simply Linked function below to share the link from your post with us.  I'd be honored if you included a link back to me on your blog.  Not a blogger? Share with us through the comment feature!  Neither of these work for you?  I also accept carrier pigeons.

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Friday is for new finds: free Lenten resources

Add caption

Music

From Cardiphonia:  Red Mountain Music along with a number of other fantastic musicians largely from the New York area have released a new CD today called “Songs for Lent.”  The texts were curated by Cardiphonia from the Sacred Harp as they entered into conversation with the traditional Stations of the Cross.  The music is available on NoiseTrade for Free, but please make a donation. The money will go to support Plywood People – a 501c3 organization helping address social need.

<Listen and Download Album @ Noise Trade>

<PDF of the Texts>

Also, a few years back, a few churches in the Pacific Northwest patroned an album for Lent through By/For. 

Michael Card, Brian Moss and others wrote and produced the thirteen songs that make up the album, Sweet Sacrifice.

Follow instructions for the free download here. 

Album cover derived from
Golden Countenance by Makoto Fujmura

Liturgical Readings

(another ht to Cardiphonia)  The Stations of the Cross service

Daily Reading and Artwork

My friend, Terri Fisher, is an arts pastor in Austin.  She shared with me the work that her community is doing to mark the season of Lent and I'm fascinated with their collaboration. From Christ Church's website:

This Lenten season, we created a collaborative art piece with several intersecting parts. It began with a vision for using the luminous encaustic medium, creating 19 abstract pieces for the devotional, out of naturally whitened beeswax. The colors you see applied are densely pigmented oil pastels fused into the wax. The black is palm ash (the same as used on Ash Wednesday) melted into the wax and then painted on. There were 11 artists; six from Christ Church and five from Hope Chapel, who took part in the creation of the pieces. Two of our professional photographers photographed the work in progress, as well as, each finished 5”X5” square. These pieces were created with the intention of being the visual counterparts to the writings in the Lenten devotional. The final destination for the encaustic pieces will be found in the construction of an eight foot tall cross. We hope that you find much to meditate on, in both the writings and the artwork.

Today's entry. Beautiful.

What new-found glories have you discovered lately?  I'm opening up the link-sharing on Fridays for all of your great finds.

Bloggers, use the Simply Linked function below to share the link from your post with us.  I'd be honored if you included a link back to me on your blog.  Not a blogger? Share with us through the comment feature!  Neither of these work for you?  I also accept carrier pigeons.