Reunited...

...sorta. Megs is being replaced by Marg. JM made the big move across the pond!  

Bristol, Bath, and maybe even London. Just another summer traveling to and with the BFFs.

Conquering the world 1/3 at a time,

BEAT

My Mecca

Have I ever mentioned how much I love John Wesley? I am a Christian. But my particular flavor is Methodism. I am a Methodist.  And all the derogatory gloriousness that comes with that title. 

England is my Mecca. Not the whole country. Well, maybe. More specifically I would say Oxford, Bristol, London, and even Epworth. And if I am honest, Georgia. The state, not the country. John had some rough months in Georgia, but it transformed him. 

10 days. Where it all started for 10 days.

I was there for two weeks last year. I did not subject my friends to all the landmarks.  Megs and JM, you can thank me again later. 

10 days of lovely sights, sounds, and theology. The emphasis is worship and liturgy. These are my personal favorites. No lies. I could think, talk, and do liturgizing all day. The crafting of worship is such a special endeavour. 

Think of it as a pilgrimage.  A spiritual journey to reconnect to my roots. To walk where Wesley rode his horse. To stand where the class meetings met. To remember the challenges of seeking  justice and speaking truth. 

10 days. 

Maybe I will go on toward perfection. 

Maybe.

BEAT

Photo Friday: Garden in the Urban Community

Catholic Worker Movement: 

Nashville Greenlands

May 2009

This gentlemen, who uses his small lot to have a year around garden, has been cited many times by the city for having too much growth. Too high. Too wild. 

Yet it is sustaining. He cans. He freezes. He uses the land-every inch-to provide. 

Call him crazy. Call him cool. Most of all, call him resourceful. 

Green upon green,

BEAT

Tired

Tired. Long days. Heavy days full of the world's problems. The church's problems. Humanity's problems that few are willing to really talk about. Much less solve. Change. Make better. Become whole. 

Heavy. 

I direct you HERE. It is true! Beware UK! Beware. 

I miss my girls. And to be together in another country. 

Dreams do come true.

BEAT

Music of the Moment

"I Run to You"

Lady Antebellum

Love the song. Hate the band name. They have other great songs. che-che-check them out.

Sing upon sing,

BEAT

ps: Living in Nashville requires me to post country music. It is in the blog by-laws.

Friendship Is Not Like A Booty Call

I went to a great service this morning. Two hours seemed like twenty minutes. It was a place of welcome. A church that made space for the homeless. Not just space, but a home where every member is valued. Put to work. And given praise. 

Justice is for all. They even had a "ritual" of hospitality.

The sermon was about friendship. The dynamic pastor said, "Friendship is not like a booty call. It requires foreplay and after-play." Of course you laugh. Of course. But how true. He explained that friendship requires three essential components. He took something most fear, the IRS, and used those initials to outline the necessity of Intentionality, Response, and Sustain. This IRS is what allows us to be friends. Good friends. Great friends. Best friends. Which equals work. Hence the need for foreplay and after-play. 

I want to be that good of a preacher one day. Honest. True. Lively. Relational. Gospel.

Nothing like a booty call,

BEAT

Photo Saturday?

Three years? Really?

BEAT