wingtips

In (Ross Bridge) as it is in Heaven

Michial — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:36:24 +0000

A four-part study on the nature of the church

By Dr. Michial O. Lewis, Executive Director, Plantersville, Inc.

Part 1: “Formed By God, Recognized By Ross Bridge”

Texts: Matthew 6:9-13; 1 John 1:3

Today I begin a four-week class we’re calling “In Ross Bridge as it is in Heaven.” I created that title as a summation of the“Church at Ross Bridge” story. What is emerging is the realization that the Church at Ross Bridge is a company of Christ-followers who have been summoned (called out) to be assembled together in a new way in order to live in the midst of Ross Bridge as strangers who represent God’s kingdom intentions. The theme for this series is God’s transformational activity embodied in the midst of the local community through the agency of the local church. To put it another way, God is up to something in Ross Bridge, and we are proof of it, witnesses to it and agents of it. We have been placed here, in this brand-new neighborhood, to demonstrate in our actions, our relationships, and our words that God wants to know the people of Ross Bridge, God wants to be in fellowship with the people of Ross Bridge, and God wants to transform the people of Ross Bridge. God has proven that in Jesus Christ. The goal of God’s transformational activity is for all of us collectively to be fully mature, fully developed within and without, and fully alive like Christ. The goal is for us to experience together, right here in Ross Bridge, God’s shalom…, “Nothing broken, nothing missing.”

FORMED BY GOD

A sprouting acorn illustrates our new church’s journey. An acorn is the seed for a mighty oak tree. Mysteriously, everything needed for the full development of the oak is contained in that tiny seed. But there is a long process to get from acorn to oak. The seed has to fall into the rich soil (be buried), send out roots for anchorage and nourishment, and germinate. In time a shoot emerges, and for the first time, an oak tree is recognizable to the horticulturist. With the proper amounts of sun and rain, over time, the shoot becomes a sapling, a tree, and ultimately, a mature oak tree, bearing fruit suitable for reproduction leading to forestation. The goal of the acorn is clear from the start – to become a mighty oak.

If a church is an authentic faith community, that is, if it has come about as a result of God’s activity, then it, too, has a goal from the start – to be a full-blown expression of God’s kingdom in the midst of the place where it is planted. From the beginning it will proceed through all the healthy growth stages until it becomes an authentic representation of the kingdom of God right here. We all express hope for this each time we say the Lord’s Prayer, don’t we? “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come…” How? “On earth, as it is in heaven.” Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Do you believe that can happen? I do. I believe that’s what is happening here. CRB is living proof that God’s kingdom is plunked down right here in Ross Bridge, and we’re putting them on alert. We are saying, “Something’s got a hold on us, and we know it’s a “God thing,” and we know it’s going to change Ross Bridge as it has changed us. So please join us. We’d love to have you onboard. ”

In the coming weeks we are going to see, from many different places in the Bible, that God’s plan for bringing about the kingdom of God on earth (and in our case, in Ross Bridge) as it is in heaven is by means of the living, organic, mysterious, beautiful, local church. Not a static church frozen in time, but a dynamic faith community ever changing, ever growing, ever becoming more mature and more true to its original seed intentions. A healthy full-grown oak tree enjoys many years of fruitfulness in its setting, and it produces countless offspring oak trees. So an acorn contains the potential not just for an oak tree, but for a forest of oaks that can permanently transform the landscape. I want you to think of CRB not as a new church with the potential to become an influential church, but as a new church with the potential to produce a forest of local churches (expressions of God’s kingdom) that will permanently transform Alabama. It is because we embody God’s activity that Ross Bridge will become more like heaven.

RECOGNIZED BY ROSS BRIDGE

Now, let me break this down a little bit more. From the outset, we are comfortable with who we are at CRB as a faith community. I think an oak tree is comfortable being an oak, don’t you? It doesn’t waste any time wishing it could be a weeping willow or a blue spruce. We are comfortable being a church. We’re not going to waste time trying to be a political action committee or a shopping center or a spa. We’re not here to impress anybody, to make a name for ourselves, or to prove anything. And we are not here to build buildings to make people comfortable. That’s what David Murrow calls “Velvet coffin Christianity.”[1] I love the quote by Grace Murray Hopper that says, “A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Ships are not built to be safe in port; they are built for exploration and transport. Contrary to popular opinion, churches are not built to make people’s lives easy, comfortable, fun and painless. It is not for making people rich, healthy, beautiful, powerful, and right (even though that’s the impression you get from religious T.V. and radio programs). God builds churches as agents of transformation. They are for bringing the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

What Hoover needs more than anything else is a real opportunity to know what God’s intentions for human beings are. They need to get a present foretaste of the coming eternal life. They need to have real people living right in their midst, who have a real relationship with God, telling them honestly what it is like to live this way and inviting them to join in. That’s what 1 John 1:3 says.

And did you notice? That is what Psalm 116 and 1 Peter 1:17-23 say also. Ps. 116 says, not once, but twice, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the land of the living,” and, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people… in your midst, O Jerusalem.” And 1 Peter 1:17 says, “Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” 1 John 1:3 is simply John’s testimony that they were doing just that. John and the other followers of Jesus assembled there were saying, “Here we are, in your midst, living lives that seem strange to you because our actions and relationships are formed by God, not by popular culture. We want to tell you how good it is to live this way and, most importantly, we want to invite you to live this way with us. It is too good to keep to ourselves! So come have real fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

What will the people of Ross Bridge see? If God has his way, they will see people who are learning together to love one another like Jesus loved, to forgive like Jesus forgave, to enjoy a quality of life that Jesus called abundant. Jesus heard God’s voice at his baptism saying, “You are my son whom I love; in you I am well pleased.” Jesus believed God and knew who he was. That is what formed his identity. And Jesus came to share his identity with you and to tell you that you are beloved sons and daughters of God. That is the truth of your identity whether you feel like it or not.

Henri Nouwen said, “You’re sent into this world to be a people of reconciliation. You are sent into this world to believe in yourself as God’s chosen one and then to help your brothers and sisters know that they also are beloved sons and daughters of God who belong together.”[2] In the world’s view, when you are chosen, that means someone else is not chosen. But that’s not the way it is in the heart of God. In God’s economy, if you are chosen, then you have eyes to see the chosen-ness of others. If God blesses you, you become a blessing to others. “In you, God embraces the whole human family. You exist for others.”[3]

In our scripture passages today, we are issued a challenge. In this defining period in the life of CRB, this period of our emergence, let’s receive it as the challenge to the church. The challenge is to hear God’s voice telling us who we are, the people of God. And as remarkable as that seems, to believe it, and to submit to God’s transforming work on us and in us until we are able to be the people of God together as he intends. And always to remember that we are the people of God, not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of everyone else.

Today CRB is emerging. God grant that it may be clear to everyone that this is God’s work on their behalf. Let’s proclaim to everyone in Ross Bridge what we have seen, heard, and experienced, in order that they can share in this fellowship which we share with God in Christ.

1 David Murrow, Why Men Hate Going to Church; Nelson Books/Nashville, 2005.

2 Henri Nouwen, Finding the Way Home; The Crossroad Publishing Co./New York, 2001, p. 130.

3 Ibid, p. 131.

Television Has Arrived. Again.

Michial — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:33:23 +0000

Last night I watched a live television show in prime time on one of the major networks. It was an acapella singing competition called “The Sing-Off.” Did you get that? It was prime time on a major network and I got to see ordinary Americans singing acapella music. And the “Judges” and the studio audiences seemed as ecstatic about it as I was.

When the show was over, I had a moment to reflect that I had just seen the Beelzebubs, Tufts University’s all-male a cappella club, compete in prime time on national television. And it was great. The judges gushed and the audience stood and cheered… for a University glee club. What has television come to?

Perhaps it has finally come to be what television has always had the potential to be. Perhaps it is becoming a medium that highlights the diverse, colorful, impressive, entertaining talents of the people who attend universities, populate the workforce, buy homes and raise families, go to church, and watch television. In other words, it lets us get to know us.

T.V. seems to be discovering that there are some really interesting and talented people out here, and the television-viewing public wants to see them. The “Mirror” reported today that Susan Boyle’s “Britain’s Got Talent” audition was the most seen YouTube clip in 2009. The Scottish singer’s rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” was watched more than 120 million times worldwide.

First, Susan Boyle, and now, the Beelzebubs. Ordinary folks singing. On prime time television.

It seems to me that it has taken sixty years for television to come full circle. In the 1950s, when every household was replacing the family radio with the family television set, the airways were filled with programs showcasing the stories and talents of ordinary people. ”The Original Amateur Hour,” with host Ted Mack, was certainly a precursor to “American Idol.” Some of the first-time amateurs who got their start on “The Original Amateur Hour” were Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Gladys Knight, Ann-Margret, Raul Julia, Beverly Sills, Connie Francis, and Maria Callas.

I don’t know if the Beelzebubs will become as famous as Frank Sinatra. Chances are, they won’t. But without that television show last night, I never would have had the opportunity to hear the Beelzebubs or the Maxx Factors (a quartet of middle-aged women), or any of the other ordinary, interesting, talented people who got airtime in primetime on national television.

We have seen enough of the “beautiful people” in tightly-scripted scenarios over the last sixty years. Now move over Courtney Cox, Simon Baker, Taye Diggs and Mariska Hargitay. Make room for Brittain’s Susan Boyle, Boston’s Beelzebubs and Puerto Rico’s “Nota.” We want to see real people, like us, being appreciated for real talent in real time. It reminds us that we live in a real world composed of infinitely interesting people, and we want to celebrate the richness, diversity, and beauty of all those untapped talents.

So come on, television. Bring us more shows about people dancing, singing, designing, and expressing your impressive talents. Who knows? Maybe one day soon I will turn on the telly and see a marching band competition or a church choir competition, or a program showcasing any of the heretofore “uncool” talents that the majority of us possess.

Welcome back, T.V.

Designed By God

Michial — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:17:07 +0000

There is a T.V. show on the HGTV channel called “Divine Design,” and it showcases the impressive talents of Candice Olson, the star and host of the show. Every time I see or hear “Divine Design,” I don’t think of Candice Olson. I think of God.

When I was a teenage in youth choir, we sang “MASTER DESIGNER,” a song by Kurt Kaiser:

Cotton candy clouds, so fluffy and white,
Who put you there in a sky of deep blue?
Or do you just happen to float along,
Pretty and white in a sky so blue, so blue, sky so blue?

Tall mountain, deep valley, fast river, cool stream,
Show grandeur and majesty in some grand scheme
All of these wonders that we behold,
Are only a part – it cannot be told, be told, cannot be told.

Master Designer, Whoever You are,
All of this beauty both near and afar
Can’t just have happened, the odds are too great,
There must be a plan, we’re not left to fate, to fate, not left to fate.

All of this beauty is far too convincing
Master Designer, Your word must be true,
Of all Your creations man is the dearest
Help me to simply believe now in You, in you,
Believe in You.

O.K., the song is dated (after all, it was the 70’s), but I’ve long been fascinated by this notion of God as the master designer. It is a notion born out in the scriptures, as we read in our texts for today.

Psalm 19 – “The heavens tell of the glory of God – and proclaim the wonder of God’s handiwork.” I looked up handiwork – it means the heavens are handmade by God. God is the master designer and the master craftsman.

We see it in Noah’s Ark. God said to Noah, “…make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.”

God the Architect, giving Noah the detailed blueprints for building a new kind of building; one that would float and last through the worst storm in human history.

Made me think of Joe Silva. Joe is a master carpenter. He can see the things he wants to build in his mind, and he doesn’t even need to write it down. His latest edifice is an outdoor kitchen in his backyard. We stood there, on the lawn, and he described it in detail to me. “The oven will be here, with a shelf, and there will be a place here for the grill. I’ll build a window here, for access to the pool. There will be vent here, and I’ll use clay tiles for the roof. It will slant from here up to there. And there will be stairs here for access to my workshop and the basement.”

It was easy to imagine what it would look like because he described it so well. When I returned, it was done – just the way he described. I think God is a master carpenter like Joe Silva.

Consider also the Ark of the Covenant. “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. Have them make a chest of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you…
See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

God gave them the pattern, i.e., the blueprint, and told them to follow it exactly. And they did. That’s how the Ark of the Covenant was created.

God also designed the Temple. And so the Bible is clearly revealing to us that God is the Divine Designer.

Now listen to this verse from Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10:

“We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.”

We hear about God the Creator, and God the Father all the time, but not so much about God the Artist. I think there’s a lot of value in contemplating God as The Artist who puts an artist’s thought, care, and work into creating works of art called Me, You, and Us. The creative energy, attention to detail, and raw work that God puts into creating us is pretty amazing. This reminds me of one of my favorite poems – “The Creation,” by James Weldon Johnson. It ends with God creating humanity:

Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty,
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand —
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;

Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.

We are God’s workmanship. God’s handiwork. The pinnacle of God’s creation.

My sister, “Snookie,” is a master gardener. Snookie’s office is filled with handmade drawings of people’s yards and development’s layouts, with every plant and tree carefully thought out based on the amount of sun, whether it is indigenous, how big it will get, how much water and care it needs, and so forth. And you can get in the car and take a tour of the gardens and landscapes she has designed and handcrafted. Right down to the butterfly garden, where hundreds come every year during the migration of the monarchs. It is breathtaking.

I want us to be master designers of the new lives that we are called to live because of the risen Christ. And I want us to be master designers of the church God has planned for greater Birmingham. We are co-creators with Christ in designing and building the kinds of lives and communities that accurately exemplify God’s Kingdom intentions.

God is the Architect; God is the artist. God is the playwright. Each of us has a role in God’s script, and if we do our part, the play will change the world. And at the curtain call, God deserves the standing ovation.

God in the Audience

Michial — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:43:35 +0000

I enjoy being a spectator. I like going to movies, plays, concerts, competitions, and ball games. Even though I am not a professional musician, actor or athlete, I get a kick out of watching talented people perform, and I like to encourage them in their performances.
When I attend a concert, I have no desire to get up there and play. I did play the alto saxophone in the marching band in high school and at Auburn. But my sax-playing days are far behind me, and it would not bring pleasure to any concert-goer to hear me play. On the contrary, it would be annoying, awkward and humiliating. So I am content to watch other people perform. I am satisfied being a spectator.
When it comes to worship, however, that is a whole different story. Worship is not a show at which the people on stage perform while the people in the “audience” sit back in comfort, watching. Worship is not a staged performance produced by professionals so that spectators can be entertained. Worship is a participatory activity with every person fully engaged.
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish theologian who was way ahead of his time, influenced my understanding of worship. Kierkegaard was critical of churches whose worship gatherings had become elaborate performances. He compared Christian worship to a drama. What he observed was that in many churches, it seemed that God’s role was to be the prompter, the liturgical leaders (musicians, preachers and celebrants) were the actors in the drama, and the congregation simply observed the whole thing. Elitist classes of church professionals implied that they were better equipped to be the performers in this worship-as-drama and that it was best if those in the congregation just watched as onlookers. Sadly, this mode of worship is still practiced in many churches today.
Kierkegaard taught that attending worship as a spectator is wrong. When that happens, people are assuming the wrong rolls. In true worship, the liturgical leaders (musicians, preachers and celebrants) are merely to be the prompters. All the people in the congregation are the performers “on stage,” in the act of worship. There is only one person in the audience, and that is God alone. Everything done in worship is done solely for the pleasure of God. The only true measure for a worship gathering should be, did it honor God?
When we exit the worship setting, our thoughts should not be centered on how well the preacher preached or how beautifully the choir sang. Our thoughts should not be focused on how others performed at all. My question should be, “How did I do at worshiping God?”
Every person is to be an active participant. In worship we are not to be the ones sitting in the grandstands cheering, but we are to be the ones on the stage, with all of our gifts and talents, our whole hearts, minds, and spirits engaged. If our worship is true, it is wrong to say, “I attended worship today.” The correct thing to say is, “I worshiped today.”
I think the Apostle Paul would agree with Kierkegaard. Paul said, “So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight…Take your turn, no one person taking over.” (1 Corinthians 14:26,30, The Message).
Being a spectator is fine – except for Sunday, that is. On Sunday, in worship, I want to demonstrate to the Lord my love and devotion by joining all the other worship-performers in sharing songs, prayers, stories, dances, artistic creations, and insights in one harmonious symphony of praise.
Let us stop sitting on pews, watching other people worship. The Worship of God is too important to leave to the professionals. Rather, let us all get ourselves prepared for the Sunday morning production, getting involved and giving our best for God. When the curtain comes down around noon, it should be God who is applauding.

Goldilocks Comes to Church

Michial — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:41:24 +0000

Remember Goldilocks? At the three bears’ house, she tested the porridge, the chairs, and the beds until she found the ones that were “just right” for her. Not too hot or too cold, too big or too little, too hard or too soft. Just right. Goldilocks knew what she liked, and she kept looking until she found it. I wonder what would happen if Goldilocks came to church.
Some people shop for a church the Goldilocks way. They visit churches’ worship services with their list of preferences. Is the music too loud, too soft, too fast, too slow, or just right? Is the sermon too long, too short, or just right? Are the people too friendly, too cold, too wild, too calm, or just right? Is the congregation too big, too small, too old, too young, or just right? If one church is not just right, they visit the next, and the next, until they find the one that lines up with their preferences.
Church leaders have caught on to the Goldilocks method of church shopping, and so they do demographics studies to discover people’s preferences, and design their worship services accordingly. Church-growth practitioners become experts at custom-designing Sunday services that will meet the preferences of the largest number of people in a given area. They call them “seeker sensitive” worship services. A church-growth expert would find out what kind of worship Goldilocks likes and make sure she gets it.
The problem is, different people have different preferences. In any given community, there are devoted Christian people with opposing worship preferences. There are those who prefer traditional worship with hymns and choir robes, and those who prefer contemporary worship with choruses and projection screens. Some want suits, pews and stained glass; others prefer blue jeans, folding chairs and coffee-holders. People choose a local church based on worship preferences like they choose a particular model of automobile or a grocery store. Like Goldilocks at the bears’ house.
Division is an unfortunate byproduct of worship preferences. People tend to make idols of their preferences and refuse to compromise them, even if it means excluding other members of the Body of Christ. These exclusive attitudes are often justified by the explanation that “They don’t worship like we do.” It’s almost as if church people are saying, you have to worship like us, or you can go find another church. Ironically, the worship of God in Christ becomes divisive, when it should be the most unifying activity of all.
Now I know that preferences can be good, and necessary, because they help us navigate through the myriad of choices facing us at every turn. In a choice-crazed culture, my preferences act as my guide. Without much thought, I drive by Starbucks because I prefer Panera Bread. At Panera Bread I easily focus on the triple-berry, low-fat muffin, because it is my preference among all those delectable offerings (at least it was, until it was discontinued, but that’s another story).
But preferences can hurt us and the cause of Christ when we cling to them at the expense of unity and hospitality. People who are “not like me” should be welcome in my church, even if it means that I will have to learn to worship in different ways. Perhaps worship would be richer, broader, and more challenging if we gave up the notion that it must be done only in one certain way. Is it possible that we could love people more than our preferences? Could it be that diverse modes of worship might be a sign of our hospitality, and our willingness to expand our worship preferences could result in a church that more accurately represents the diverse community in which it is located?
Perhaps we need to remember the words of Jesus when He said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Welcome to our church, Goldilocks. Let’s find out how we can worship together.

A State Park Becomes a Cathedral

Michial — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:38:55 +0000

October 15 was a Sunday we will all remember. It got off to a very good start when we welcomed a new Covenant Participant during our morning worship gathering at our church, Fellowship of the Valley. Then it just kept getting better.

Immediately following worship, we trekked over to Tannehill State Park for a blue-ribbon pot-luck dinner followed by a moving (and chilly) midstream baptism. The first baptism ever for Fellowship of the Valley! It was a brilliant day with crystal blue skies and a hint of autumn color in the treetops. With great joy and lively conversation, we shared our feast on well-worn picnic tables under shed number three, which was ideally situated amidst a gurgling stream, a dusty road, and a grassy knoll. The kids couldn’t wait to run and play in such a compelling spot on such a lovely day.

After we had eaten our fill, a search party went upstream to find the perfect site for the baptism. When they came back with a good report, we gathered everything up and made our way over to the chosen spot. It was everything we could have hoped for! A gentle bend in the clear-water stream was framed by sheltering trees and lined with gently-sloping banks. The congregation gathered creekside to witness the much-anticipated baptism of two of our beloved “Fellowship Folks.”

Pastor Mike waded into the water first, Bible in hand. After reading Romans 6:4-10, he stood still in the flowing stream while Scott led in prayer. As the church quietly sang “The Doxology,” Brian boldly invaded the stream. Mike, resting his hand on Brian’s broad shoulders, said, “Brian, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; buried in likeness to Him, and raised to walk in newness of life.” Then he dipped Brian backwards into the stream, immersing him completely under the waters, and raising him straightway up. Murmurs of joy and approval rose up from the congregation.

Kay was next, and her face registered shock as her bare feet rudely took her into the frigid flow. After repeating the baptismal prelude, Mike plunged Kay beneath the flood. She sputtered something unintelligible when she first rose up out of the water; later she told us that she tried to shout “Hallelujah,” but some water got in her throat. As it turns out, words were unnecessary. We all knew, and shared, what she was feeling.

It took a long time for everyone to leave that newly hallowed place. It’s funny, isn’t it, how a state park can become a cathedral. Last Sunday, at Tannehill, it did. Hallelujah!

Joseph and the World’s Oldest Profession

Michial — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 23:36:14 +0000

The touring company of the Broadway play, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” is in Birmingham this weekend, but I’m not going.

It is not because I don’t want to go. After all, it is one of my favorite plays (I saw it once in Providence), with some of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s best music and lyrics, and it is based on one of my favorite Bible stories. It is an impressive production, and I would enjoy seeing it again.

The reason I’m not going is because of the cost. Tickets are $58.00 each, plus a $7.50 “convenience fee” if you purchase them online (which nullifies the convenience, if you ask me). And that is for a seat somewhere in the nether-regions of the BJCC. And believe me, the BJCC has some mind-boggling nether-regions. The last play I saw there was “Mamma Mia,” and from where I sat, the stage was the size of a postage stamp. People look bigger on my 19-inch television screen. For most of the play, we were distracted by the woman, two rows in front of us, who insisted on dancing (badly) to the music. I can assure you, she was no “Dancing Queen.”

Compare that with my experience last Sunday. A friend and I went to the Birmingham Festival Theatre to see “The World’s Oldest Profession,” a local community-theatre production. I wanted to see the play mainly because one of my friends had a lead role. A refined, upstanding Episcopalian lady playing a woman of ill-repute. Who could resist?

It was a “pay-what-you-want” afternoon performance, so the tickets set us back twenty bucks, total, for the two of us. We found a free parking space right across the street from the theatre. The seats were not assigned, and the place was almost full when we arrived. Even so, we found seats center-stage about 15 feet from the performers with an unobstructed view. We could see every expression on the actors’ faces.

The play was baudy, sometimes funny, and thought-provoking. The amateur actors were impressive – they could really sing – and the audience was engaged, involved, and responsive. We all laughed out loud and often, and gave the cast a standing ovation at the end. We shook the hands of the actors on the way out.

I have reflected on the experience all week. The play, as all good plays do, caused me to think. It addressed many themes; the hypocrasy of Christians, the ways people experience family, the roles of women in our culture, and who goes to heaven (and why), among others. Additionally, my friend’s participation in the play allowed me to see her in a new light. I have a greater appreciation for her as a three-dimensional person. And, boy, is she brave!

Here’s my point. Community theatre is accessable performance-art. It is evocative stories told well. Every production is a community-building event, and all who participate grow. It is good for the local economy. People develop skills and cultivate relationships. In good companies, important topics are addressed and local issues are examined. Audiences are not only entertained; they are often challenged and provoked. And sometimes disturbed. Good stories tend to do all those things to us.

Best of all is the cost. I could see five community theatre plays for the price of one professional production. An afternoon or evening at the theatre does not break the budget. All that entertainment, culture, education, and fun for about the price of a movie at the “Rave.”

I hope I will have the opportunity to see more Broadway plays on special occasions. I might even see “Joseph” again if I get the chance. But in the meantime I plan to see many local live theatre performances. I hope to meet many Birmingham-area people who value the performing arts, and I want to have deep conversations with my friends about the meanings of the stories.

Oh, and that great story about Joseph in the Bible? It can be found in the same ancient Biblical book as a story about a woman of ill-repute. I wonder how Andrew Lloyd Weber would stage that? I might even pay $58.00 (plus a $7.50 convenience fee) to see it. Nah…

Know Me, Know My Wingtips

Michial — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 15:34:19 +0000

For introductory purposes, you should know why I call my blog “Wingtips.” There’s a story behing the name. Here it is.

My mother sold shoes for thirty-five years at Meyer’s Shoe Company in Selma, Alabama. The employees and management at Meyer’s became part of my “extended family,” and I worked there myself, off and on, during summer breaks from school, at holidays, etc. Meyer’s was an old family-owned business that offered full service to its customers. Mother knew all her regular customers by name and shoe size.

One of the brands of men’s shoes they carried at Meyers was “Florsheim.” I don’t know much about Florsheims now, but back in the ’70s, they were beautifully designed shoes made of the best quality natural leathers with hand-stitching. The cost was high, so I wore other brands.

My sister got married in 1971, while I was a student in college. My mom bought me a pair of cordivan Florsheim wingtips for the wedding – my first pair. She was able to afford them only because Meyers sold shoes by “holding tickets” for their customers, which was a ”buy now, pay as you can” arrangement. She also got an employee discount.

Whatever mom paid for those shoes, she got her money’s worth. I still have them. Moreover, I have worn them on many Sundays for church and almost always for formal occasions. I have never had them resoled or repaired. When I wear them, I almost always get a compliment or two, telling me how great they look.

I was in Nordstrom’s department store in Providence, Rhode Island, one Sunday afternoon, wearing my wingtips. They have a shoeshine station there, so I treated myself to a hand-rubbed shine. The shoeshine man was thrilled to see my “old” Florsheim wingtips and got me to tell him the whole story about the shoes. After I did, he wistfully said, “They don’t make them like this anymore,” and promptly chastized me for my lack of proper care for them. Shoes like these, he said, need to be cleaned and polished after every wearing, lest they get dried out. He said that, with the proper care, the shoes could last me for the rest of my life, never going out of style.

Since that encounter, I have a greater appreciation for my wingtips and I try to take better care of them. I’ve never had another pair of shoes that were even in the same league as those. They are comfortable, perfectly formed to the shape of my big feet, and indestructable. I joke with people that if there is a global thermonuclear holocaust, all that will remain on earth will be cockroaches and that pair of shoes.

I have a myriad of great memories of wingtip-clad occasions. On the day of my Auburn University graduation, I proudly strode across the stage in my wingtips. At subsequent graduations, for M. Div. and D. Min. degress, I was there in my caps and gowns and my wingtips. For most of the weddings and funerals I have conducted, I’ve worn them, and I have taken them with me on all my travels overseas. Just in case.

I think I know why someone named this particular style of shoe, “Wingtips.” The design is somewhat ornate, with curves and patterns that, without too much imagination, could suggest the appearance of angels’ wings. A very appropriate name for such noble shoes, if you ask me.

So “Wingtips” is a good name for a blog that, I hope, will be high quality, timeless, enduring. Not trying to be trendy, but never out of fashion. Trusted and true. My intention, as I start out, is that the blog will, like my shoes, reveal something about me and my life-story. I may step on some feet sometimes, and I may get mine stepped on. But I’ll try to polish them off, and continue on.

To celebrate the launch of my blog, I’m wearing my wingtips right now. And I want to say thanks to my mom for giving me such great shoes. Thanks, mom. You’re an angel.