Dear Samurais of Stealthy Supplication,
I wanted to check in and let you know what all is going on down here in Texas in crazy lives of joseph and Michelle. january was a hectic month in all the ways that sound so much cooler than they really are. i’ve been reading and conversing a lot lately about a certain topic that’s come to light–perhaps it’s a theme for me this year. perhaps there’s something i should take away from the persistence of the darn thing. it’s this: that it seems like a good idea to be busy. having spare time on your hands isn’t the worst thing socially, but it certainly garners appreciative nods to complain or even mention how busy one’s life truly is. and i’m realizing more and more that there’s something wrong with this world view. it’s no fun not having plans on a weekend night for the 3rd time in a month. but having the next “thing” or event looming on your horizon no matter which direction you turn can cause migraines, yes? do what you will with that thought…
i agreed several months back to lead a music team for the local Presbytery’s senior high school student convention. at the time, i wasn’t overwhelmed in life, and i thought that anything i could do to get in good with the folks at Ridglea would allow me to make some good impressions, even build some relational capital. i also agreed to do it for free. oops. there was never an offer of compensation, but for all the time and effort and driving and calling and emailing and responding, i should have demanded some. regardless, i was fortunate enough to assemble a great group of kids who love and are actually good at music. five rehearsals later, we were on our way to Austin College in Sherman, TX for a weekend of good thick rock and roll. with all due respect, Presbyterian folks in this part of Texas are a few (dozen) years behind in music, and the sheer wide-eyed awe was evidence that yes, we were blowing their minds. we only introduced 2 new songs that hadn’t been done before, but one student’s comment at the end of the night capped it up for me. we had consistently been finishing a few minutes early, taking 5 or 6 minutes less than we had been allotted, so i asked the previous year’s music leader if the kids would know the song “did you feel the mountains tremble,” which is a song by Delirious that helped usher in the current era of modern worship music. he said he wished that they did. i asked for an alternate suggestion, and he suggested the even more widely over-played song “in the secret.” so i grabbed my acoustic guitar and killed the song, after which, a girl approached me and proudly announced that she knew all the words to that song, even though no one else around her did. this song is from 1995, and it’s still cutting edge to them. ugh.
on a related note, i had chatted with the music director at Ridglea Presbyterian, where Eikon meets for worship services, about stepping down. i was deeply influenced by my consistent run-downedness recently and by a short book by Seth Godin called the Dip. i recommend it. the book, i mean. the gist of the conversations prior to this was that my time and effort spent on staff with Ridglea wasn’t an endeavour leading to the success of Eikon. no one cares how well Michael Jordan plays baseball–it’s his finesse with a basketball that made the “45″ immortal. it’s not the deft expertise of Johnny Depp in the kitchen that makes him one of the best actors alive–it’s his acting ability. Vince Lombardi was kinda wrong when he said that winners never quit and quitters never win. the winners of the world quit–all the time. it’s what they choose to throw themselves into completely that sets them apart from the rest of the world. Eikon is my dream and michelle’s dream. it deserves our very best shot, not a scattered effort that holds only part of our time and energy. so as of last monday, i amicably split ways with Ridglea. we still have a good relationship with the staff and leaders and they have been generous enough to allow us to continue using their chapel.
Michelle is working hard with her painting, now determined that 2009 is a tipping point and that any hopes of getting her Master’s in painting should be realized sooner rather than later. as such, she has the support and the encouragement of her professors as she seeks to complete her portfolio as a single body of work. the 2-3 paintings she has completed this year look phenomenal, and i’m always more impressed with her eyes, hands, and heart with each painting she finishes. her goal is 20 for this year. we’ll get some scans on her blog by the next prayer email… remind me about it! based on how things go this year, there will be some college visits and applications going out at the end of this year.
Eikon itself is moving forward…
-our website is almost ready to go. you can see the progress for yourself. we’ll be investing a bit in a listing on Relevant magazine’s website once the site is complete, and we’ll see what comes of that.
-we have some events and service projects coming up this first quarter, including a polar bear party (i know, right? what the heck is that?) at our house, a benefit walk for Lupus research (which Christina has been living through for years now. there have been no medical advances in research for Lupus in more than 20 years), and 2 work days in Lake Como, one which is a citywide clean-up day, the other is a community center repair, repaint, etc day where Eikon will be manning the grills to feed more than 200 workers and community center staff.
-the three Eikon babies are doing well.
-a couple of Ekonites are searching for new jobs to replace current ones.
we always covet your prayers. we’re also always honored to pray for you also. regardless, drop us a line and let us know what’s going on in your life!
all our best,
joseph and michelle
my own little controversy
Posted by joezissss on February 17, 2009
a special, Islam-themed link dump… here’s the “why”: i came across the stories that i’ll link to at the bottom simply as i was browsing the daily news. it seemed that you, my dear readers, would find them of interest. and then i realized that i should have some good news to balance them out. and so, gather your hasty generalizations and phobias and your racism and discrimination, and let’s all throw them around.
-here’s my nod to the video game community. on an unrelated note, i found out what a “koz” (sp?) player is last night fo’ rizzle. i wasn’t sure if the conversations previously described “cause” or “cost” or what, but it’s truly amazing.
-this community group in sunny San Diego has a current service project list that should make Eikon blush. of course, there are more folks taking ownership in that group and they’ve been around longer. but have you ever heard of a church that helps out with folks who can’t afford a proper burial or memorial service? not a lot of income or membership potential in that. the only Christian i know of that’s involved in hanging out with refugees in the States is my sister. but this Muslim community does it almost WEEKLY. immigrants aren’t sexy, and certainly, the clip art and stock photos on church billboards and websites would lose some of their luster if people with no money or family within 2000 miles were depicted instead… (*busily scribbling notes to myself on what eikonchurch.com version 2.0 will look like). can you imagine no buildings, no flash animations, no sparkling bleached white teeth or big haired pastor’s wives… just a picture of an African or Asian or South American family huddled in a furnishing-absent apartment with a headline that says “Eikon exists for these dudes” or something eloquent like that. hot damn.
-hope for peace with Israel involved? maybe… perhaps unity is possible when both sides make concessions. not popcorn and garlic fries. the other kind.
your Islamic vocab lesson for the day.
word 1: Ihsan. “It is a matter of taking one’s inner faith (iman) and showing it in both deed and action…” use it in a sentence- “Serve Allah and join not any partners with Him: and do good (Ihsan)― to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near neighbours who are strangers, the Companion by your side, the way-farer (ye meet)” Surah Nisa 4:36.
word 2: Zakaat. “alms for the poor.” use it in a sentence- “And remember when we took a covenant from the children of Israel: Worship none but Allah and be dutiful to your parents, to kinfolks, to orphans and to poor and speak good to people… and pay Zakaat (Al Baqara 2:83).
for what it’s worth, it’s interesting to note that our sister/parent faith, Judaism, has a similar word, Tzedakah, which sounds (when pronounced correctly) a lot like Zakaat. so, these 2 ancient world faiths demand charitable giving, and Christianity doesn’t. i’m getting religion envy.
-and now for the not so good. 2 glaring examples (as opposed to the millions of Christian men who ignore, abuse, mistreat, verbally assault, and objectify their wives) of failures. a failed example of painting Muslims in a positive light (unless he turns out to be innocent) and a no-bones-about-it story, only a few steps behind that previous guy.
i guess my hopes in posting this are that we will not be judged and condemned as Christ’s followers by the evil of a few, but by the shining light of all Kingdom seekers, and also that we will live as God dreams humankind could… as even the Qur’an says: “Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem,” or “in the name God, the infinitely compassionate and merciful…”
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