If anyone has known me for a long time, you will know that for some reason I am either placed in awkward situations or just 'out of the blue' things tend to happen to me. Once again tonight was one of those nights. Tonight after church ,I headed over to a place called Sneaky Pete's that is next to Lake Lewisville. At this random 'bar, restaurant, volleyball courts, on the lake kind of place' I was supposed to meet up with other home group leaders to get to know them from The Village. It was one of those 'single mingle' functions that always turn out to be so awkward to me. Well I ran into some people I knew, but the leaders I was supposed to meet never showed up. So the rest of the time spent at Petes was all small talk and well just sort of a bummer. I mean it was great meeting some new faces, but honestly it was not what I expected. So after we all left I decided on the way home to stop by a favorite coffee shop (Dunn Brothers Coffee) by my apartment to indulge in drinking a yummy pumpkin spice latte. At this point I was sort of laughing on the inside because once again I realized that I am not in control of anything...so I walk into Dunn Brothers and low and behold a man in his, I would guess 70s, was playing a saxaphone right as you walk in, an older lady has the tamborine in hand, a lady singing her heart out while playing on guitar, and the whole coffee shop is filled with people that were probably in their 60s and 70s rockin' out on a Saturday night. Really? I had never seen Dunns Brothers like this....It was pretty cool, but I was the youngest one besides the guy behind the counter...all alone....and it was awkward. So I just went up to the counter, ordered my latte to go and as the ever so kind guy handed me my latte with the lid off, I looked down and saw that he made a froth shaped heart in my latte. I smiled, he smiled, and I left. Such a random Saturday night.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Support a Mom of Four Kidos! :)
My good friend, Kari Nevins, is now selling her designs on www.Etsy.com. You have to checkout the adorable clothing for kids. :) Go to: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6222757 She is so talented! Kari you are an amazing Mom!!! I miss you!
U2
Well tonight I feel like I have been to a U2 Concert. I really had never listened and understood some of the lyrics of U2 until tonight. The discussion and watching several music videos was interesting and gave me an appreciation for deep lyrics. I am not sure if I totally understand, but I enjoyed digging into culture and theology.
DTS professor will focus on U2's music, Theology (Interview from www.thevillagechurch.net)
If Dr. Glenn Kreider breaks out in praising God in the middle of one of the U2 songs that he'll be speaking about, you need to understand that he's only seen his favorite band live once, and the experience ranked pretty high for the professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.
"It was a life-changing experience for me," said Dr. Kreider of the concert. "It was one of the top five experiences in my lifetime. To be in the midst of a group of people who were appreciating the music and to join in and sing the way we were singing, to be singing words that speak of caring for people, of respecting one another, of love. That's the kind of worship experience I would love to have regularly."
Dr. Kreider will be leading a discussion of "The Music and Theology of U2" at The Village's Culture and Theology program at the Highland Village Campus on Friday, Oct. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m.
"And then," he said of the concert, "they ended with the song 'Yahweh.' It was unbelievable."
Dr. Kreider's fascination with the Irish band dates back a few years when he found himself detached from the culture of his teenage daughter. "She was in high school," he said, "and I discovered I didn't understand her world and the culture to a great extent."
Thus began his journey of reconnecting with culture, and in that journey, Dr. Kreider found something very interesting. "My position, now that I have a more robust understanding of culture, is that we don't understand and study culture to understand the world. We study culture to better understand God. If God is revealed in trees and most Christians affirm Romans 1 that teaches that creation reveals God, then we study culture to better understand the Creator.
"In U2, we're talking about people who are Christians who are engaging today's culture in a Christian way," he said. "They're really kind of easy. I try to see how God is revealed in Coldplay and other artists who are not trying to reveal God intentionally in their music."
Dr. Kreider finds that many Christians disconnect from culture much like he had. "What happens is that as we spend more and more time with other Christians, we recognize more of the perversity of the world around us, and we try and establish little worlds of safety. And when we do engage with those around us, we engage with people with an agenda. The agenda is not to know them or understand them but the agenda is to get to them to the gospel."
U2 has long been a topic of debate among Christians. Dr. Kreider sees a few reasons for those discussions. "Conservative evangelicals, in particular," he said, "are not connected to the culture and believe we should stay away from the world as much as possible so that we won't be corrupted by it. The second issue with the band is that they are not Americans and as several of my Irish students have told me, music functions differently in Irish Christianity than in America. American Christian music answers questions. Irish Christian music raises questions.
"They don't have the social obligations and their mores are different. The American Christian who smokes a cigarette is somehow really worldly. The language is different. F-bombs mean something different; at least that's what the students tell me. And, I think there's a view of the gospel that's radically different for people who grow up in the midst of religious conflict and suffering and persecution as opposed to growing up in prosperity."
To prepare for the Oct. 17 program, Dr. Kreider suggests listening to as many U2 songs as possible, but there's one song, "Where the Streets Have No Name," that you can count on hearing that evening. "If I had to pick one, I'd say that most days, that's my favorite song," he said. The song's lyrics speak of a day when Christ restores all things and life won't hurt anymore.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Home Group
I highly recommend this book, Christian Beliefs, by Wayne Grudem. I am reading the Bible and this book with my mentor and with the ladies that come to the home group that the Lord has me leading on Thursday evenings. This book is a basic, yet in deepth guide to Christian beliefs. Wayne asks questions like, What is the Bible? and What is God like?. I believe it is vital as a Christian to be reminded of what we believe. We are only on Chapter 2 and Wow! I am so thankful for the God I serve! Here are some words that Wayne Grudem points out to describe God: Eternal, Knowable, Unchangeable, Freedom, Wise, Love, Holy, Perfect, Righteous, Just, Unity, Beautiful, Jealous, He Exists....and the words continue.....Sunday, October 12, 2008
Cultural Weekend
