Anne Rice's Jesus Book

I just read an article that our friend Angie sent our way from Newsweek about Anne Rice's return to faith and her upcoming book about Jesus. Should be interesting. In college, I read anything of hers I could get my hands on. She's always been a compelling, almost classic style writer with a vivid imagination and a way of drawing you deeply into the characters that she's created. I'm not necessarily endorsing the book for anybody else, but I'll be reading it.

The book brings up some interesting discussion about faith and art. Amy told me that she had looked at a few blogs that were more or less writing Rice off because once an artist becomes a Christian they spend all of their energy defending their newfound faith and the art takes a back seat. An interesting perspective, but a poor stereotype of artists of faith.

It is true in a great many cases that an artist's popularity after coming to faith is less than they experienced prior to making that declaration, but it is not always the case. Guys like Johnny Cash and C.S. Lewis seemed to do alright. I think the way artists are judged in the before/after mentality is unduly harsh. They tend to suffer the inevitable comparisons between their latter work and their former work with a pronouncement of faith as a clear dividing line. It is unfair because we are not before/after people. We are people in transition. Yes, we have defining moments, but those defining moments are most often the culmination of other moments, not a black/white encounter unrelated to all that has come before.

The before/after comparisons will certainly be the challenge that Rice faces. I've read a lot of the Vampire Chronicles, the Mayfair Witch books and a lot of her other works and this will almost certainly put her in another genre. I have a great deal of respect for her as an author and artist though and believe that her style, descriptive narrative and engaging character treatments will continue as long as she's an author. Do I think she'll still be as popular? Probably not. Do I think she'll continue to strive to make great art? Absolutely. Many artists take some time to find firm footing when changing mediums. My hope is that her effort will be rewarding for her as an artist and a sister in Christ.

Missing Ministry

I've said it in a few different ways over the last several months, but this week really has me missing vocational ministry. Sunday we were at Hanfield after loading the last of our possessions into the truck on Saturday. It was a creative service that made me proud and sad. Proud because I felt that the planning was a continuation of the direction that we were headed while still on staff there. Sad because we weren't able to be a part of that continued journey. I'm sure that it was a combination of missing the creative process and missing the people involved, but it brought to light just how keenly I miss being an integral part of a creative process.

On the plus side, Amy and I had a meeting with Chip and Hal from New Hope and Tom Henderson who will be guest speaking on Nov. 6th because Amy and I get to take responsibility for the music on the Nov. 6th service while Chip and Hal are out of town. I'm looking forward to getting to lead again, even if it's only for one Sunday. It was nice to be in a planning setting again, to talk about different options and try to make the elements of the service flow together again. You'd think after doing that week in, week out for eight years that I'd welcome the break, but I miss it a lot.

I still don't have a handle on what God is doing in this season, but I find myself thinking about ministry more and more often. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to do it in a vocational setting, but I'm thankful to get to stretch those muscles a little every now and then.

Extended Absence Explained

Okay, I've been a bit delinquent. I'm sure the literally handful of you that will ever read this have been waiting in rapt anticipation. We have been moving this week and are finally starting to feel at home in our place in Sioux Falls.

We left one week ago and drove overnight from Sioux Falls, SD to Marion, IN. Amy and Xander picked me up after work (Maia was with my folks) at midnight and we arrived shortly after 1:00 the next afternoon at Keith Connor's place. Keith had a gig over the weekend and told me to stop by if we got there before he left. We then picked up the truck, dropped it off at the house and went over to Brent and Kathy Williams' place where we enjoyed tremendous hospitality. It isn't everywhere that you can show up after sleeping just a few hours on the road and grab a shower and a nap before socializing with friends you haven't seen in months! We had great chili (not a soup, for the record) and had fun hanging out and catching up.

Saturday was moving day. We met at our house at 10:00 and started loading the truck. It was primarily furniture with some boxes and odds and ends to boot. We weren't too far in when we realized we didn't have enough truck to do the job. We continued to plug away anyway and made plans over lunch to add a 5' x 8' trailer to the equation. A little while into loading truck and trailer, we still weren't sure we had enough truck, but when the doors were pulled shut at 7:00 pm, we had everything that was going with us.

Sunday morning was hard. We went to Hanfield and got there a little bit before the end of 1st service, attended 2nd service and hung out into the 3rd service before starting the drive. It was great to see so many friends and enjoyed the service a lot, but it felt like we spent the entire morning saying goodbye again. We crammed as much catching up as we could into the conversations we did have, but we wished we could have spent more time talking to everybody. I was especially sorry that I missed my friend (and new dad) Tim Lehrian who I waved at down the hall, but never actually got to talk to. I'm also sorry to have missed guys like Ryan Fox, Keaton Whitehead (and his wonderful family), the Hoeksemas and so many others that have been such a huge part of our lives over the last eight years.

We drove to West Branch, IA after services (Amy and Xander in the car and me in the truck & trailer) and stayed with friend and fellow Sheldon HS alum Margaret (Oosterhuis) Duhn. Amy and the kids had stayed with Margaret and Brian last month, but I hadn't seen them in about three years. It was a great chance to catch up some and, again, we were blessed by the hospitality.

We arrived back in Sioux Falls on Monday night where my folks, Amy's Dad, Mom and Step-Dad and a handful of folks from the church here helped us get things off of the trucks and into our new digs. We pretty much decided that if we didn't have a definite place for an item, that it was going to the basement. Well, the basement looks like our truck threw up all over it. We've been getting things put together and organized since Monday night and we're beginning to make some decent headway.

I want to give special thanks to Brent and Kathy for their love and hospitality (wish we'd have had more time to just hang out), Kent & Melissa for watching Xander, LJ, Bryon, Dave, Luke, James, Mr. Brown, Kent, Jack and the piano movers for their help in Marion, Margo, Brian and their beautiful kids for letting us disrupt their lives for a night, our family and church family from New Hope Family Church for their help on the final stretch. We definitely felt loved, supported and encouraged through the entire weekend. Can't wait to head back to Marion for a visit without physical labor!

The Best Laid Plans...

We're getting ready to head to Indiana to pick up our furniture. Not that we've minded living out of boxes and not knowing where anything is, but our place has felt less settled than a college apartment since we got here.

Today was a day of preparation to leave as I was going to drive to Sheldon, IA to meet my folks and drop off Maia. Last night at the park, our plans changed a bit when Amy and the kids were at the park. Amy was going down a bumpy slide with Maia in her lap when Maia's right foot caught behind her and she hurt her ankle. Amy called me at work and said she wasn't sure if it was broken or sprained. After conferring with her mom, Amy decided to let Maia sleep it off and reevaluate our options in the morning.

This morning we decided we'd best be cautious and have her checked out rather than just pass her off to Grandma and Grandpa not knowing what her status was. We took her to the doctor where they did x-rays and confirmed that it is only a sprain. She'll be tender on it for several days and needs to have it iced a bit, which is a near impossibility with a 16 month old. We worked it out with my folks to meet in Rock Rapids, IA this afternoon to send her with them while still giving me time to get back for work at 3:30.

Tomorrow we pack, return a few used furniture items, exchange cars in Yankton and after I get off work at midnight we will begin the overnight drive to Marion, hopefully arriving in time to pick up our rental truck before the office closes.

At least I'll get a few days off from work.

Our Weekend

We got back today from a weekend at my Mom and Dad's "helping out" with an art show. This was the second year for the "Artisans Road Trip" which featured over 50 Iowa artists from 11 different counties. This tour is interesting in the fact that instead of having all of the artists gather in one place, they are allowed to set up shop wherever they happen to be and the crowd comes to them. In Dad's case, this meant that people came to the farm and saw his pieces exhibited in the "Corn Crib Gallery." Mom and Dad painted and decorated it in anticipation of last year's show and it winds up being a very unique gallery space. Outside is a full view of the Waterman Creek valley and people drive past Dad's prairie restoration project to get to the house.

Things were down in numbers from last year, but it was an enjoyable weekend nonetheless. My contribution was to talk to people during the course of the two days, which I loved. We had conversations ranging from the weather to worship theology, so I was pretty much in my element. I also got to see several family members including my grandparents, my Mom's cousin Nancy and my Uncle Marv and Aunt Shirley. I also got to hang out with my sister for a good part of the weekend, so it was great for me.

I also enjoyed watching my father, the artist, get to be the center of attention. I enjoyed seeing people respond to his work as his photos, drawings, paintings and silk screens grabbed their attention and imagination. Dad does a great job at capturing an experience through his impression of it, something lost by a great number of more profitable wildlife artists (like Terry Redlin and every Redlin wanna-be). Dad's pieces allow you to breathe, interpret and explore everything presented in a way that respects the observer's intelligence and ability to grasp the subject. I love the fact that Dad has his own style that continues to evolve as his perception and technique have changed over the years.

For more on Dad's work, visit http://www.morrisons-studio.com/.

Forced Commute

I'm on my lunch break at work which is at a different time than all of my teammates, so I've got a little time to kill before I get back to it.

Amy and the kids left for Yankton this afternoon. I was going to take advantage of their departure and go for a decent ride of about 20-25 miles before work. Before they left, I wanted to pump the tires up on the Neon with the compressor in our van. By the time I finished with the tires, I figured I'd best check the van to see if it would start since we've been having trouble with it. It didn't. We tried to jump it before they left, but it didn't seem to want to take a charge.

I decided that rather than hold Amy up (she was already running a little behind) I would forgo my long ride and ride to work instead. I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to try again tomorrow morning before Amy and the kids get back. My new job has definitely put a kink in my ride routine. Even so, I have logged more miles this year than in any other calendar year in my life. Taking three months off work will do that to a guy.

Sunshine & Lollipops?

The discontented wife chimes in. I'm not supposed to do this. This is Matt's blog, not mine. But I've found it interesting that this is the only way I know what's going on in my own husband's head much of the time. For the most part, you get the news the same way I do.

The birthday party last night was fun. The drive- not so great. I had ONE thing to do yesterday, and I messed it up (typical). I forgot the present. I was over halfway to Mitchell when I realized it, and was about 45 minutes ahead of schedule, so I turned around and went back. Why did I go back? I don't know. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. The kids really enjoyed the extra hour or so in the car. By the time we got to the party, we were 45 minutes late, and I was a little jittery from driving -let's just say a little faster than normal to get there. I left Sioux Falls at 5 minutes until 6 and walked into the party at the Pizza Ranch in Mitchell at 6:45. Let's just say, I may have beat a land-speed record.

But hey! At least all 4 wheels stayed on the car this time!

So we got a letter from our new & improved realtor yesterday. She's recommending that we drop the price of our house, based on a comparative market analysis, to less than we bought it for. WHAT?! This would absolutely negate the already slim possibility of buying a house in Sioux Falls, possibly ever. I guess there's a bright side. Maybe we could sell the lawnmower.

I am doing Beth Moore's study, "Beloved Disciple" and this week, we studied the passage in John about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches. She asked the question, "Do you ever feel like God is picking on you?" The thought behind that being, that He may be pruning me. Great. I love pruning.

I don't think I have the right attitude about all this this morning. (Is it obvious?)


Amy