coloring

A Movement and a Story that Moved Me

There is a movement at Symphonic.  It's a literal movement, an intentional movement springing from a spiritual movement, of families migrating into the city to become a part of the fabric of the community.  To be the warp and woof in order to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the city.  There are some amazing stories of families leaving the safety and security of the suburbs and becoming downwardly mobile (often moving into smaller places and selling furniture and possessions to do so) to bring about a grassroots movement of transformation, restoration, and renewal that begins on a personal level, walking hand-in-hand with those living in their community. 

I plan to share some of these stories in the near future, but today I want to point you to Mair's story at Ragamuffin Diva.  It stirred something in me.  It was the kind of story that sticks with me and constantly gnaws at me throughout the day and provided a springboard for conversation in my home.  Part 1 and Part 2.

When You Pray, Move Your Feet

"When you pray, move your feet." - old african proverb (HT:  Zena Musings)

Beautiful!  I can't help but read this without wondering about the original intent.  My assumption is that it refers to action being an essential aspect of prayer and faith.  The wonder of art and literature is that the reader's /viewer's perspective is just as important. 

In my mind I envision a person wrestling and grappling with God pouring out his angst, worry, doubt, and fear.  Or perhaps a woman dancing with jubilation praising God in song and dance.  Too often we pray the same generic prayer as yesterday or perhaps just recite a list of necessary items instead of praying from our heart sharing our emotions in a visceral, physical way. 

I know I can't share my innermost thoughts and emotions with my husband while sitting with my head bowed and my hands folded in a demure fashion (my husband is probably laughing at that thought), so why should I attempt that with God?

ECSC pics

God Talks

I guess you could say that "God Talks" are a gift that the Epic branch of Symphonic received from the Orapax branch as a result of the two churches becoming one this summer.  It's a gift that I wasn't sure I wanted but a gift nonetheless.  Basically, it's an open mic session.  The idea is to share a moment in your week where you ran into God.  Yes, really, anyone can speak.  I like things a little controlled (surprises kept to a minimum, please), and I really dislike awkward pauses.  This is definitely out of my comfort zone which is funny because I love this about small groups.  It took me awhile to realize why it worried me.  I had been trained to believe that Sunday mornings are about impressing people.  I'm pretty sure that is not in the Bible, so I knew I needed to be open to God Talks since God Talks are all about givng people an opportunity to inspire, encourage, and edify which does happen to be in the Bible.  The truth is people can share something irrelevant or something that doesn't make any sense, but the beauty is found when people share from their heart about their spiritual journey.  There are times I walk away moved and challenged by someone's words.  The one thing that still worries me about this gift is that I may actually feel that God is impressing upon my heart to share something.  (Horror!)  I used to be able to rely on the pastor to speak while I just sat there soaking it all in, but the best part of a gift is giving back.

Awakening

like a frozen tree shaking off the last vestiges of ice

(almost forgetting the possibility and promise of spring

that bursts with glorious colors and new growth,

thinking life was limited to the barren landscape of winter,

unable to dream about beauty and birth)

she awakens from her slumber

Confession #18

I have always been enamored with surfing.  When I was a teenager, my bedroom walls were plastered with pages ripped from surfing magazines.  I have watched most every surfing show/movie:  Gidget, MTV's Surf Girls, Step into Liquid, Blue Crush, etc.  (Truthfully, I was pretty disappointed when Surf Girls was cancelled.)  You might be wondering what's the big deal because I live in a beach town with a huge surf culture; what is there to confess?  Well, I have never tried surfing.  The reasons vary from fear of failure to fear of looking like an idiot.  It's on my mental list of things to do before I turn 40, so I will probably put it off until I'm 39 1/2.  The irony is that I find myself in the predicament of being a mom to a nine year old girl who desperately wants to surf but is a tad fearful, and I am telling her to not let her fear keep her from experiencing life. 

On a related note, today was the first day of ECSC, and we were able to see some amazing surfing up close and personal.

photo from today's competition taken from www.surfusa.org

Confession #42

I currently have over 3000 e-mails in my inbox.  I love to trash things around the house that don't seem to have a purpose or a place to be stored, but for some reason I hold onto my e-mails in case they need to be referenced. 

Skipping Church

Well, I didn't actually skip church.  It just felt like I played hookey.  I showed up when church started on Sunday.  I wasn't involved with set-up, kids, sign-in, etc.  I just strolled in and casually took a seat.  No responsibility.  No stress. 

Robb asked me afterwards what I thought of my experience.  On a personal note, it was nice to not get up so early.  I had time to fix my hair, and I even put on something other than a t-shirt.  The worship gathering was awesome, but it didn't feel complete to me.  I had missed an important element of church - serving together.  I would have to say that I would feel so disconnected if I was not part of a team at church.  Next Sunday I will certainly come in with a refreshed spirit and renewed vigor for set-up; it might even make it easier for me to hop out of bed in the morning.

Confession #27

(It's really #1, but it doesn't have the same ring to it.)

When I started blogging, I didn't know...well, anything about blogging.  With blithe ignorance, I set up my blog.  I knew I wanted it to look good.  (I don't like blogs that aren't aesthetically pleasing.)  I asked my husband to do the header for me.  I had him add text:  "Coloring.  Not all things are black and white."  It was intended to be in the same vein as a tag line or slogan that I could change whenever I wanted.  I picked the URL to be my name, and I thought that would be the name of my blog.  I either did something incorrectly when I set up the blog, or typepad automatically assigned the name of my blog to be "Coloring."   I would never have picked that.  Whenever someone searches for coloring sheets on google or yahoo, they inevitably find my blog.  My mistake must leave them very disappointed.

Full Circle

I love this graphic Darryl created for the upcoming art show.  Darryl contributed his artwork to the last art show and started attending Epic (now Symphonic) as a result. 

If you are local and want to participate in the Wonder art show, check out our myspace page that Renee and Haley put together.  It has all the details.