Another Level blogspace
Boring Christian Bubbles
It seems that we're in the news again! Jon Clark of ABC 11 joined us at our last event for a piece on alternative church services. Good story, especially the plug of the bikers' church that he did. A chrome hog in heaven? Who knew!
As we gear up for two services a month, we must look at the community that we're attracting. Young adults seeking a fun Christian atmosphere is really only one end of the spectrum. We are first and foremost desperate to get to know the skeptics in our city. Many of whom are very ethical and community minded, and who could easily point out the hypocrisy and faults in my life alone. In fact, many of my atheist friends look at me almost as a naive little sister who has a faith in "Him," shaking their heads when I mention my prayer life or faith.
Aren't these interactions the ones that we want, though? Sure, they are a little uncomfortable for the both of us as we chat over coffee, but while I can't wash my faith off of me (it colors every part of my day, really), they aren't just going to wash their beliefs off, either. It is through our mutual acceptance of each other, our conversations about life and its meaning and our support of each other that we see how much we are alike, and what lives of faith and unbelief really endure. At Another Level we strive to attract all people, and to show them not just an alternative service that involves musical guests (and food!), but alternative Christians that don't have to listen to Christian radio 24/7 or go to only Christian movies to feel comfortable and safe. Living in a 'Christian bubble' is really boring, anyway.
Good Tunes = Hope for the Heartbroken
National Public Radio (NPR) recently reported that on February 6, musicians from Haiti's national chorus, jazz band and philharmonic dug their instruments out of the crumbled debris and gave a concert to displaced residents in a downtown neighborhood of Port-au-Prince to "bring hope to the displaced."
If Port-au-Prince clearly needs much more than the intangible notes of music, how did these musicians justify their service? David Cesar, the conductor of the makeshift band which had lost several members days before to the earthquake, said that they played "to let them all know Haiti will rise again." As they played, parents and children emerged from their provisional shelters to listen. I wonder how I would have felt to hear the beautiful music amid the devastation.
Playing for Change, hosted by Another Level, is this weekend, and with the same philosophy, will be raising money to bring hope to the impoverished, the oppressed and the heartbroken around the world.
Ed Priestaf of Another Level remarks, "This benefit is important...because it is all about connecting people through music. The call to love one's neighbor is ancient. The question that [we] struggle to answer is 'who is my neighbor?' In the Bible, Jesus responded with actions that are now known as the story of the 'Good Samaritan.' I think in the present day, he might have answered [with] Playing for Change.'"
Go to full NPR article: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123439508
Playing for Change: http://playingforchange.org/
Meet YouTube, My Psychologist
I was browsing for videos on relationships yesterday for an upcoming service and came across the typical vlogs made by college students, single moms, young professionals and high school boys, but I wanted something more. After seeing the two below, I began to think about my college days and what advice I could have used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlWB1SbxVU I like this perky, fresh perspective on college days. But is that really possible? Truly in college and after, I found myself feeling more like the girl in this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU2mL3ZUqMg
I can certainly relate. Relationships look fulfilling and easy, but always turn out to be somewhat...complicated. And even if there are not fireworks every day, relationships do alleviate the boredom and the quiet that can feel a little scary. I think that we all feel the need to be 'whole,' dare I say, like Bella Swan of Twilight dramatically feels when Edward is away.
What makes singles suddenly attached? Is it the fear of being alone? The need to experience what others are going through? Love at first sight? Is it somehow deeper than that? Next entry: what I've found.
Rachel Kincaid
It's Complicated: Stuck
Stuck. That's how it feels sometimes. You've got a great friend, but they did something that really ticked you off, and now they had better apologize. Or maybe it's the other way around.
Maddening. It just doesn't make sense. You met a special someone, fell in love, things went great, but now it's getting harder and harder to keep the communication lines open. You don't understand why things have changed, and you're not sure what to do to get it back on track.
(Check this video for a great example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQX-rCT-__g&feature=related)
Open. Really open. Your friendships, relationships, commitments just aren't enough to really make life interesting, so you're actively hoping and even looking for the next big thing to come along. But that makes the people around you get a little farther away. You can't help but think that you've been here before.
These are just three of the myriad of emotions and circumstances we all face in our relationships. My hope is that together, we can figure out how to overcome them, maybe even defend against them, maybe help friends going through them.
What if it was possible to grow into relationships so that they actually became more and more healthy? What if there was a way to get unstuck at the same time as the other person you're 'stuck' with, and both become better for it? What if the people we cared about somehow began to make even more sense to us (what if we learned to care about and understand the people we really don't 'get' right now? What if the next best thing to come along was discovered within your relationships to the people you already know? It's kind of fun to think about, isn't it!?
Ed
Maddening. It just doesn't make sense. You met a special someone, fell in love, things went great, but now it's getting harder and harder to keep the communication lines open. You don't understand why things have changed, and you're not sure what to do to get it back on track.
(Check this video for a great example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQX-rCT-__g&feature=related)
Open. Really open. Your friendships, relationships, commitments just aren't enough to really make life interesting, so you're actively hoping and even looking for the next big thing to come along. But that makes the people around you get a little farther away. You can't help but think that you've been here before.
These are just three of the myriad of emotions and circumstances we all face in our relationships. My hope is that together, we can figure out how to overcome them, maybe even defend against them, maybe help friends going through them.
What if it was possible to grow into relationships so that they actually became more and more healthy? What if there was a way to get unstuck at the same time as the other person you're 'stuck' with, and both become better for it? What if the people we cared about somehow began to make even more sense to us (what if we learned to care about and understand the people we really don't 'get' right now? What if the next best thing to come along was discovered within your relationships to the people you already know? It's kind of fun to think about, isn't it!?
Ed
It's Complicated: Relationships in 2010
It didn't take me long, once I decided to become a pastor, to learn one very important lesson the hard way:
Never, never, never, assume when it comes to trying to understand why two people are together. I say the hard way because, well, it's embarrassing to make a big mistake right in someone's face. You know the kind of assumptions I'm talking about:
Me: "Oh, hi Mr. Jones. Is this your mother that you've brought with you?"
Mr. Jones: "No, actually, this is my wife."
Me: "Oh, Jennifer, your baby is adorable! And you must be the father! Hi I'm Ed."
Well-built young man: "No, I'm actually Jennifer's boyfriend, and the baby's not mine."
Clayton: "I wanted to talk to you about my love life. I'm so happy, I'm finally in love, but I have some questions."
Me: "Who's the lucky girl?"
Clayton: "Actually, it's a guy, and his name is Jim."
It's complicated.
Amazing how quiet the room can get when you stumble into or across one of these awkward moments. (as awkward as an upside-down turtle)
Now in some ways, our brave new world is full of new possibilities and new circumstances, brought about by Facebook, eharmony, and all kinds of modern conveniences. But in other ways, people are people - they always have been, and they always will be, and it will always be complicated.
So if that's the case, that people have been getting involved, getting along, getting entangled, for so long, maybe we can learn something from one another, maybe we can learn something from the ancient texts, maybe we can apply what the spiritual sages have passed down and sort out this thing called love that keeps getting us involved with one another.
At Another Level, we'll take it on this coming year. We'll dive into love and friendship and everything in between, and see what we can discover. There might be hope for us yet!
See you there!
Ed
Never, never, never, assume when it comes to trying to understand why two people are together. I say the hard way because, well, it's embarrassing to make a big mistake right in someone's face. You know the kind of assumptions I'm talking about:
Me: "Oh, hi Mr. Jones. Is this your mother that you've brought with you?"
Mr. Jones: "No, actually, this is my wife."
Me: "Oh, Jennifer, your baby is adorable! And you must be the father! Hi I'm Ed."
Well-built young man: "No, I'm actually Jennifer's boyfriend, and the baby's not mine."
Clayton: "I wanted to talk to you about my love life. I'm so happy, I'm finally in love, but I have some questions."
Me: "Who's the lucky girl?"
Clayton: "Actually, it's a guy, and his name is Jim."
It's complicated.
Amazing how quiet the room can get when you stumble into or across one of these awkward moments. (as awkward as an upside-down turtle)Now in some ways, our brave new world is full of new possibilities and new circumstances, brought about by Facebook, eharmony, and all kinds of modern conveniences. But in other ways, people are people - they always have been, and they always will be, and it will always be complicated.
So if that's the case, that people have been getting involved, getting along, getting entangled, for so long, maybe we can learn something from one another, maybe we can learn something from the ancient texts, maybe we can apply what the spiritual sages have passed down and sort out this thing called love that keeps getting us involved with one another.
At Another Level, we'll take it on this coming year. We'll dive into love and friendship and everything in between, and see what we can discover. There might be hope for us yet!
See you there!
Ed
It's Complicated
If there's one thing that's true about relationships, it's that they're complicated.
Love triangles,
friends with benefits,
best friends,
lovers,
I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you,
platonic,
it's not you - it's me
let's just be friends,
I love you more like a brother,
the world stops when I see you,
you take my breath away,
how do we tell our coworkers,
why do you treat me different in public than when it's just you and me,
i can't believe she cheated on me,
i've decided to marry you,
i think my boss is coming on to me,
why do you hurt those you love the most,
we need to talk.
Coming in January: Relationships. Questions. Clarity.
It's Complicated.
Love triangles,
friends with benefits,
best friends,
lovers,
I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you,
platonic,
it's not you - it's me
let's just be friends,
I love you more like a brother,
the world stops when I see you,
you take my breath away,
how do we tell our coworkers,
why do you treat me different in public than when it's just you and me,
i can't believe she cheated on me,
i've decided to marry you,
i think my boss is coming on to me,
why do you hurt those you love the most,
we need to talk.
Coming in January: Relationships. Questions. Clarity.
It's Complicated.
Second Chances
Hey, everyone!
I'm really getting excited about what's in store for us this Sunday, December 6, at Oliver Twist. I've been continuing to try to wrap my head around the "Second Chances" subject. God knows I've needed plenty of second chances.
There are multiple paths that the theme could take. Second chances to get it right, offering others a second chance, what happens when you blow the second chance too.
Have any thoughts? I'd love to hear them. . ..
Peace,
Ed
October 11 service at Oliver Twist
Subject: Electric Sunday
Many of you saw it, but many more didn't. Last Sunday was nothing less than amazing. With two fantastic songs by Crucial Fiya (check them out on Myspace), including Bob Marley's "Don't Worry" anchoring down the night, and other great music spun by DJ Mark - we definitely had atmosphere covered.
That said, there was some good, deep discussion about finding and keeping faith when the storms of life roll in.
We raised some relief money for Georgia's recent flood victims - to be distributed through UMCOR (http://www.facebook.com/l/ca3fc;www.umcor.org).
I'm telling you - when word gets out about this (we need your help to pass it around) - a lot of people are going to be happy they've heard about Another Level.
Pastor Ed
Welcome to the blogspace for Another Level
We are very happy to share and interact with you inside the Another Level blogspace. Please feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and greetings to others inside this space. The Another Level experience can be found in person on Sunday evenings starting at 6:30pm at the Oliver Twist Lounge on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh, North Carolina. We hope to see you there!
