A Couple years ago I interviewed about twenty-five friends and asked them each five questions. 1. What did you think of God/Christians before you became a Christian? 2. When did you realize there was a dark or hard side to life? 3. When did you realize there was a dark or hard side to yourself? 4. What did it look like when God broke into your world? 5. What does your life look like now? I wasn’t sure exactly what we’d get when I did the interviews. I had a film crew in from South Africa, but only a week before they arrived, all our film options vanished. When they got to Portland, I had nothing for them to shoot. We sat around in my breakfast nook trying to figure out what we were going to do. And we came up with the interview idea. After that, we put together a little book that takes a similar journey, just processing the idea of Jesus from an outsiders perspective. The book is called “The Open Table” and so is the DVD. They are available separately, but I hope they end up being used to hand to folks who have questions about [...]
Jeremy Cowart and I will be attending the Presidential Inauguration together in Washington D.C. on January 20th. We’ll be amongst possibly 4-million people descending on the capital to see Barack Obama sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Jeremy is a world-famous photographer, and so I’m bringing my camera and intend to challenge him to a one-on-one contest. And you get to vote. We will both come back with our five favorite photos and ask you to select which ones you like best. This is quite possibly the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I hung out with Jeremy for a weekend a couple years ago, shooting along the California coast. His pictures looked like four seasons in Tuscany and mine looked like twelve minutes in Kansas. Nothing against Kansas. There is plenty to do in Kansas. In addition, both of us will be twittering from inauguration. I’ll be speaking at Georgetown, then attending a ceremony at the Kennedy Center, then Inauguration, then the Mid-Atlantic Ball and finally the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, Obama’s first event as President of the United States. Jeremy and I will both be twittering the moments that interest us as we graze like [...]
A few pieces of art that have meant something to me this season are Brian Kershisnik’s “Nativity”, some lines from Hamlet I spent a bit of time considering, and Sara Groves Christmas album. If you click on Kershisnik’s painting, you’ll get a better look at the movement of the piece. The crowd of angels or saints are huddled in mass around Christ, those in front of Him pressing toward the child, but not to stop, but to move through and beyond toward something else. It’s an evocative statement. I think this is Kershisnik’s nod toward God in three persons, the crowd moving on to worship God, as though Christ came to point us toward the Father. In the painting, many of those who have moved past Christ are singing. And I like the expression on the face of Joseph, his hand over the eye closest to the crowd, yet uncovered toward his son. He seems human, and in dilemma for having been given a child, who was God, but who was also his child. I wonder in what way Joseph loved Jesus. The Child was not His own, biologically. And Joseph knew the child was from God. I think the [...]
(Artwork by Stephen Ferris) A sure sign Christmas is upon us is the annual event of Tuba Christmas. Two-hundred or so tuba players will gather in Pioneer Square this Saturday to serenade onlookers with a dozen or so holiday favorites. If you’ve ever wanted to sing Christmas carols to the low-hum of alien spaceships, this is your chance. Tuba Christmas is a national event, so even if you’re not from Portland, check your local listings to see if there is a concert in your hometown. All the concerts are free, of course, and it’s worth the outing. Especially if you live in a larger city like Chicago or New York. I think Boston has a great one, too. I’ve actually performed in a Tuba Christmas in Houston. I played Tuba in the high-school band, and so I am not only a fan of Tuba Christmas, but a veteran. I think I used to have a hat or something. My friend Laura Jean used to get her Tuba out every year here in Portland, and she used to bug me to find a Tuba and come and play with the gang. But I never did. And now she lives in New [...]
Put this playlist together this morning so it’s ready for tomorrow. Wondering what music you’ll be playing on Thanksgiving as you cook and eat and, well, listen to music. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! This is obviously a tiny image, but if you click on it it will explode…. My favorite recent discovery is a kid out of Toronto named Matthew Barber. He’s a very thoughtful songwriter, kind of a David Gray without the severe depression. In other words, his stuff is easy to listen to but doesn’t make you want to kill yourself. Also, Sara Groves has a new Christmas album out, and she is always worth listening to. The Fray is coming out with a new album, so I hear, and that will no doubt be good. Leigh Nash’ solo record was terrific, this year, also. The song Along the Wall might be my favorite song from 2008. It seems to sum up the year for me. Anyway, this playlist is really not so much about my favorites from the year as it is a playlist that will work as background music for hanging out. And for that matter for getting my Christmas mailing out….Enjoy the holiday….
