I figured I’d write a few words about the weekend. I had originally intended to go to the Calvin Symposium put on by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids. That is an amazing conference every year, and the speakers are always so good. And this year, Kevin Twit, Indelible Grace et al. got some serious recognition for their work in bringing hymnody back to a place of significance in Christian Worship. But things sort of fell through at the last minute on that, so I didn’t go. However, not being able to go to that freed me up to attend a really special event in my backyard. There is a group in Rock Hill called the Friday Arts Project, which is connected with the International Art Movement (IAM) out of NYC. They put on a faith and art forum titled Beauty: Beneath the Surface. They were sponsored by a number of local businesses as well as Hill City, a new ARP church plant in Rock Hill where my friend Andy Stager is the pastor, and my old college roommate Jeff Bryant is going to be interning. They brought in Kirk Irwin, a Florida theologian/philosopher/art critic/Cru campus minister. Also there were Jeremy Casella, Elonzo, Luke Allsbrook, Joseph Henderson, and a ton of fantastic people to talk to. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all provided. Dinner was at Erin’s Restaurant, a restaurant that uses as mostly, if not all local meat and produce. Sunday, the crowd attended the Bechtler Museum in uptown Charlotte, which I was unable to attend because I had a staff retreat.
And then I got sick.
Woke up Sunday morning feeling rough, but went to church. Thankfully, Paul Winter was leading, but I played electric guitar and mandolin. By noon, I knew I wasn’t going on the retreat. Pretty crummy.
I finished reading Jaroslav Pelikan’s Fools for Christ as well as Madeline L’Engle’s second book in the Time Series, A Wind in the Door. both quite excellent.
Today I’m much improved, but I have a splitting headache, I think because of caffeine depravation. So I’m going to make a pot of coffee, and hope the old stomach can handle it now.