A Vision for Pittsburgh

The idea of moving to and living in Pittsburgh has never been a source of great joy for me. All the places I have lived have possessed a special draw- breathtaking mountains, vibrant culture, travel opportunities, a plethora of incredible music all around etc. In spite of the fact that my handy visitors map makes many lovely claims, I have remained unimpressed and skeptical. Here are a few of the things that Pittsburgh reportedly has to offer:

Pittsburgh is listed in New York magazine's 2007 Winter Travel Guide as a top pick for culture junkies, along with such cities as London and Vienna. (As a former resident of Vienna, I have to say there is simply no comparison.)

Pittsburgh is ranked ...

• among the top 10 romantic spots across the country by MSN.com
• the #1 most livable city in America by Places Rated Almanac
• among the top 10 of the World's Cleanest Cities by Forbes Magazine 
• 9th among the top 10 most literate cities in the United States.

It has been a struggle being here and I am finally starting to settle in. For one thing I have stopped toying with the idea of leaving prematurely and have finally accepted that this is where God has placed me right now. This is a time for me to find what God has for me to soak up here and now. I have also been placed here to minster to and engage with the people of  Pittsburgh. I am done fighting and am finally starting to accept this 2 year lesson on another angle of contentment. I am praying that God would give me eyes to see what he has for me. Below is my vision for Pittsburgh and a one I found on a church website.


My Vision For Pittsburgh


I want to see passion ignited, cold hearts awakened, and love restored for Jesus in the church body and population as a whole. I want to see the transformative power of lives surrendered to and used by Jesus sweep across this city. It is my prayer that historical roots would serve to anchor the church, rather than encumber a vibrant faith-filled, victorious existence. I want to see sound doctrine and truth preached from the pulpits and tongues of brothers and sisters to one another. I want to see crime and unkindness mitigated. I want to see dirt and potholes swept away. I want to see joy and hope on the faces of the poor and homeless. I want to see multitudes of talented university students passionately using their gifts for Christ's glory to minister and bring change. I want to see the large arts community of Pittsburgh transformed from a focus on entertainment and self gain into a vehicle through which God's truth and love is proclaimed.

A Vision For Pittsburgh - by Grace and Peace Church (Pittsburgh, PA)


Pittsburgh is a city at the crossroads. The smoggy steel city that once stood at the source of the Ohio River is a thing of the past. Today Pittsburgh is a vibrant technology-driven city, which other industrial cities are now looking to as an example of civic recovery.
While Pittsburgh has many of the amenities of a larger city, the warm and informal atmosphere found in its local neighborhoods means that Pittsburgh feels much more inviting than many other cities. Lawrenceville and Bloomfield are two such neighborhoods. On a summer night you'll find countless people walking around after dinner at a local restaurant or sitting on their front porch, chatting with each other, sometimes for hours.


Over the last several years Lawrenceville and Bloomfield have experienced dramatic changes. Where fifteen years ago Lawrenceville was known for drugs and prostitution, today

it is a rapidly changing neighborhood which the Washington Post recently dubbed the Brooklyn of the Steel City. It has a vibrant arts scene and a large base of locally owned shops. The redevelopment of its commercial district and the establishment of a new children's hospital have begun to reshape the neighborhood. Similarly, Bloomfield has also redeveloped around a revitalized commercial district and West Penn Hospital, a major regional health provider.Though both neighborhoods are very diverse, each neighborhood could be seen as mainly comprised of working-class residents, with many people working for one of the two major hospitals. About half of the people have completed high school, a little over a quarter have a Bachelors degree, and around one in nine have a Graduate degree. Over 17,000 people live in the 2.5 sq. miles that make up Lawrenceville and Bloomfield.
While this area is densely populated and there is major redevelopment occurring, the spiritual vitality of the area is less evident. There are very few churches present in the community. Even most of the mainline protestant and Catholic churches are absent from Lawrenceville and Bloomfield, or are in the process of consolidating.


The residents of these neighborhoods need a local church that is willing to patiently walk with them as they examine Christ's claims. They need a church that understands that most people have not grown up with a Christian understanding of life. They need a church where they can continually celebrate his grace as they seek to follow him in every part of their lives.

There Is No Lion in the Street and You Are Lazy

 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!"

Proverbs 22:13

Essentially the verse is calling out the one who makes excuses for laziness and the avoidance of doing what is right or difficult in a timely fashion. The said sluggard has made up a terrifying and dangerous situation that gives excuse for his lack action. Am I calling myself a sluggard? Yes, at times I definitely fall into this trap, but there is much more than mere laziness involved here. When I become overwhelmed I sometimes procrastinate and do everything else in order to avoid what looks like a looming and impossible task. This is a form of making excuses and not trusting in God's promise to see me through what he has laid out for me to do. This can take many forms. One small example that was brought to my attention recently is practicing. The truth that follows is so obvious, but hit me in a new way. I was having a conversation with two friends and one said, "it is obedient to practice- to refine, use and keep up the skills and gifts God has granted you". So often we forget that the daily grind of life is a form of obedience and thus worship. Going to the gym, eating healthily and sleeping is obedient and God glorifying in that we are maintaining the ability of our bodies to carry out God's purposes with the gifts he has given us. The list goes on and on. Find your lions. We all have them.

Below are some pieces I extracted from a sermon given on this verse by Charles Spurgeon in 1882.

 He turns over upon his bed to sleep again; for this is far more comfortable than to be meeting a lion, and falling a prey to his teeth. He means I think that there is a great difficulty—a terrible difficulty, quite too much of a difficulty for him to overcome. He has heard of lion-tamers and lion-killers, but he is not one. He has not the strength and the vigor to attack this dreadful enemy; he will even confess that he has not sufficient courage for such an encounter. The terrible difficulty which he foresees is more than he can face: it is a lion, and he is neither Samson, nor David, nor Daniel, and therefore he had rather leave the monster alone. Are there not many here who say much the same?

Though the promise is, “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet,” they have no heart for the conflict and therefore never win a victory.

Still you halt, because this lion is such a terrible lion that there never was the like of it. In all the woods, in all the forests, never was such a roaring beast as this. So you say, if you are wide awake enough to say as much as that. I tell you that you are trying to make yourself believe a lie, for your difficulties are no greater than many of us have surmounted by God’s grace. Your difficulties are not half as great as were those of Paul, and of those who lived in his day who had to carry their lives in their hands, and seemed every day given over to death for Jesus Christ’s sake, and yet bravely followed their Lord’s will notwithstanding all.

If you had lived in Madagascar years ago, when to be a Christian involved your being hurled down a precipice or being speared, I could see something in the excuse; but in a land like this the persecutions which are endured may be bitter, and the losses which are incurred may be heavy, but they are hardly worth mentioning as compared with the sufferings of the first ages. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the sufferings of the past times, and much less with the glory that shall be revealed in us. It will not do for you to talk so. It is idle talk; you do not believe it yourself though you whine like a coward, “I shall be slain in the streets.” If you were half a man you would never fear the streets or think it at all probable that a wild beast would pounce upon you there.

My (blog author) personal summary: Even if there legitimately is a lion, this is not an excuse to avoid facing it. Metaphorically, fearing a lion is not trusting God, which is another type of lion.

“Yes, but I have tried,” says one. Oh that is your lion is it? But how did you try? You tried in your own strength; and we do not invite you to do that any more for your strength is perfect weakness. Had you committed yourself to the keeping of Christ you would have another tale to tell and another song to sing, for he is faithful and he keeps those that are in his hand. If that is your lion, God grant that you may never hear it roar again. You are not asked to save yourself, or keep yourself, but to submit yourself to the grace of God, and surely that is able to keep you unto the end.

Life is like an evening; the longer you wait the darker it becomes. Delay bristles with danger, and the best fruit it can possibly bear is regret.

 The real lion after all is sluggishness itself, aversion to the things of God.

The sermon in its entirety can be found here: 

 http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/1670.htm

Thoughts...

This past semester was a blur of painstaking work. Ponder the irony in those words. I am now on the other side, enjoying my Christmas vacation and getting ready to start gearing up for next semester. Being officially 1/4 done with this masters is most definitely cause for celebration and, for me, a testimony of God's sustaining grace. I went to the Natural History Museum today and saw the Madeleine Albright Pin Collection. Apparently this lovely woman not only used her decorative pins to communicate her hopes and opinions, but her diplomatic intentions. One example was a small missile that upon noting it perched on her shoulder, Vladamir Putin asked if it was indeed a missile. Ms. Albright retorted that it was and that as one could see, the U.S. made very small ones so he should be prepared to negotiate. The exhibit was fascinating. This was another reminder of how powerful and discreet art can be. It can communicate so much in a mere second. I found it interesting that Ms. Albright had recognized, harnessed  and used the power of art to her advantage.

More about the exhibit:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11345/1195762-51.stm


On a completely different note...

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:25

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.  Colossians 1:11

I've found myself struggling with contentment this semester. A few months ago, in a frustrated outburst mingled with tears, I unexpectedly confessed all my dislikes with my current situation in Pittsburgh. The grand finale was, "I'm not happy here!" It has been a combination of many things, but really the why doesn't matter. What matters is that this is where God has placed me now and I would be a fool to not learn all I can in every way no matter where I am or what I am doing. Being on break has given me a bit of time to think more and come back in contact with many friends. This usually leads to a rebirth of impatience  and causes me to desire starting certain things now.  

I still have not found a church to call my own or solid spiritual fellowship and would appreciate prayers for this. I am attending another church tomorrow, for which I have high hopes.

A Word On Church Planting

I've been dreadfully delinquent and will improve the frequency of my posts. I now live in Pittsburgh and am  incredibly busy trying to become a better violinist, artist, and jump through the necessary hoops for that all too flimsy piece of calligraphic paper. I miss many people, access to practice rooms, my church, crisp air and the mountains. My roommate is wonderful. We keep each other sane. Our first week and a half was a bit rocky... Let's just say no mattress, electricity, stove, trying to move out and find a new apartment while classes and auditions were taking place. It proved to be a great bonding experience and now we are prepared to take on anything including the cat that leaps through our window almost every day. God was so good. We found a great apartment and were barely able to get out of the first one in time. There were so many almost disasters, but everything happened just in time. I believe God was taking care of us even while we were faced with the very real possibility of temporary homelessness or a legal battle.

Planting the Church:

May return soon...

Taking A Step Back

As a result of the craziness that led to and was last weekend, I decided to lay off for a bit and focus on other things this week. It was so nice to be out in the real world instead of in a practice room or on a plane destined for the same thing . On Saturday I went hiking in Boulder with friends and did some tree climbing.

 

We happened upon awesome finger puppets that will be useful for teaching. I've been keeping an eye out for those for quite awhile so I'm pretty excited about my spider-man and snail. We got dinner and then caught a concert back in Denver, which  was pretty awesome. It was a fusion of many different styles and I was surprised to see one of our faculty members up there among the young people and electric guitars. On Sunday I sat feet from pianist Jean- Yves Thibaudet as he played an entire recital comprised of Liszt. Who does that? It was wonderful. He never let a missed note or moment of imperfection affect the overall picture. It was stunning. After playing his three encores he signed my Bach, which has now been opened up to  other types of  instrumentalists that  I admire. It's back to the hardcore training again...

   

  I was looking for a picture today and found some other old tree climbing pics. Apparently I like trees...

Why Not Women ?

For years I have been disturbed by some things I have been taught by the church regarding the role of women within the context of the church, society and marriage. I've been unsure about exactly where I stand, which has led me to study, think, pray and ask questions. I have not yet reached a definitive conclusion, but can safely say that I have a much clearer picture of what I believe and why. I have asked questions and made assertions that have at times resulted in being told that I am heretical. Yes, I see the danger in entertaining falsity, but also the treasure found in honest, inquisitive study. I believe that in general people do not question nearly enough and often act like ignorant, trusting sheep. On the subject of heresy, I would also like to mention that heresy is adding to the truth and apostasy is detracting from the it. I do not believe that one is better than the other.

Perhaps my interest in this subject was fueled by a meeting I stumbled upon during my Taylor days. I would practice in the recital hall, but on one particular night it was being used for a seminar. I didn't hear much, but I do remember being impressed and intrigued not only by what was said, but by the fact that a husband and wife, both retired professors, advocated side by side for female leadership within the church. That night I learned about the organization Christians For Biblical Equality (CBE) an egalitarian organization that "affirms and promotes the biblical truth that all believers—without regard to gender, ethnicity or class—must exercise their God-given gifts with equal authority and equal responsibility in church, home and world."

I hesitate to place myself in any one category (traditionalist, complementarian, egalitarian, etc.) for many reasons, not the least of which being that none of them accurately reflect my current and evolving beliefs on this subject.

I have been reading the book Why Not Women? by Loren Cunningham, founder of YWAM,  and David Hamilton. I have been refreshed by the scripture- backed truth found in its pages. I originally intended on writing multiple blog posts on this subject, but have decided to merely leave a quick overview, urge you to read this book and do your own researching, thinking and praying.
 
Let me offer some questions worthy of greater thought.

What of the historical context of Greek, Roman and Jewish culture? Why are the works of men such as Plato, Hesiod and Aristotle still commonly used and prized today without mention of their shocking debasement of women?
" [A]ll those creatures generated as men who proved themselves cowardly and spent their lives in wrongdoing were transformed, at their second incarnation, into women...In this fashion, then, women and the whole female sex have come into existence." - Plato

What of the original meaning of the text/ difference in translation that is found between different texts? (It is incredibly interesting to look at what the original Greek and Hebrew meant and what words have been chosen for translation into our different modern versions of the Bible.) What of how Jesus and other prominent leaders, such as Paul, spoke to, of and treated women? What of the leadership positions held and honor given to women such as Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Priscilla, Chloe, Stephana, Euodia, Syntyche, Mary, Persis, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Phoebe, Sarah, Hannah, Abigail, Esther, Anna, Isaiah's wife, and  Philip's four daughters? How do our attitudes, beliefs and decisions regarding the value and role of women affect the greater world today? How will they affect the future?

Hidden Art

“Look at the streaks of lightning that split the black sky with zigzag patterns, or gasp over a northern light display. Watch a falling star cut through a night sky, and then look down over a cliff to the white foam bright in moonlight washing the rocks in black wetness. Swim in southern waters and open your eyes to the fish, a variety of shapes and colours, flashing among weeds and coral. These are God’s light shows." – Edith Schaeffer

God is the ultimate artist.
 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible.”- Colossians 1:16

I remember specifically thinking in high school about the question, “what is art?” and feeling very overwhelmed by the task of fully unraveling the mystery. To partially understand remains an easy task. I believe it is, as Colossians says, all things visible and invisible. Art is those things that communicate and communication itself. It is something, tangible or intangible, that is inclusive, revealing, inspiring, beautiful, expressive, refreshing, satisfying, imbued with structure or design, pleasing, painful, uncomfortable, comforting, communicative,  humbling, involving, reflective, convicting, instructive, transformative, powerful and dangerous. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

God is the ultimate artist. I am created in his image and as such am, in one sense of the word, an artist because of this. We all are. However, we are not His only creation. Art is not only in us, but all around us.

I was thinking yesterday about how often art on art occurs. For example, when I play my violin an inconceivable amount of art is working together and being produced simultaneously. 

1. My body and soul is a work of art. Each muscle, bone, cell, and the innate tendencies and desires God created in me from the moment of my inception were crafted. 

2.  My violin is a piece of art. It has an unique build and sound. As I look at the winding scroll, trace the elegant perfling around its body and admire the grain of the wood on the back, I am in awe of not only each raw part, but the craftsmanship, skill and design that is reflected.

3.  My performing and playing is art. There is the technical skill acquired through use of other arts such as thinking and movement of my body. Then there is the art of communicating a feeling, mood, picture, or who I am to my audience when I play. There is also art in the communication between myself and fellow performers when I am joined by others on stage.

4. The music itself is art. The speed of vibrations that differs for each note played, the beauty in how the notes visually lay on the page, and the harmonic, rhythmic and overall construction of form skillfully designed by the composer are reflective of artistry.

Where is the hidden art in your life? Thank you Edith Schaeffer for your artful and inspiring book...