Arts Festival Accomplished!

We survived! No, we thrived!
The Midsummer Arts Festival came and went and we were inspired! Thanks to all the musicians. As one audience member commented: "How do they keep all that in their heads?" Well, they didn't. The music flew from head to finger to instrument and voice. Amazing music! I forget sometimes what a marvelous space we have for music -- the sound just rolls through the building and envelops a listener. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful -- what more can be said?
The audience enjoyed adding their voices through the Folk Songs, and they must have enjoyed them because when the lead-choir offered to skip one, the audience cried out to sing that one too. Next year, we need more sing-along time.
The ongoing Fine Arts dealt beautifully with the theme of "Despair to Hope" -- thanks go out to those who lent the pictures and graphics on display. And we had some tasty treats to sample as the beauty was appreciated.
The Vespers service was moving for those who spoke German and those of us who can keep up with some German. I think even the English-only speakers were captured by the beauty of the Abendgebet (Evensong / Evening Prayer). And then the Order of St. John fed us royally with delicious grilled Brats (and what was in those beer cups?)
We survived! We thrived! Or hearts were raised at Midsummer!

Getting Ready for the Half-Christmas Celebration!

When our children were younger, we held half-birthday celebrations for them, especially since my son's birthday was in July and otherwise he would miss marking the occasion at school. I have some misgivings about that now, since they still do not want to give the practice up and they are both in their twenties! But I digress. This coming Sunday, First United Lutheran Church is repeating a kind of half-Christmas Celebration -- a MidSummer Arts Festival close to the Nativity of St John the Baptist Day (June 24). On the 28th of June, we shall bring out the Arts indeed in celebration of John the Baptist as well as being half a year towards Christmas. We have pianists from child prodigies in the SMU Youth program to Cliburn Competition finalists. We have singers -- a South African and folks leading traditional German folk songs. Then we will offer a German Vespers service. The evening concludes with a Beer and Brats fest!
Christmas is a great time of the year. We hope to make half-Christmas a joyful, fun, and worshipful time as well.

According to their website: Dallas' Theatre Three concluded their 2008-2009 Season " with the dramatic musical, Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, based on Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country. Lost in the Stars is the captivating emotional journey of loss, grief, redemption, and the resultant peace that only forgiveness and reconciliation can bring." It was an almost archaic reminder at times of the now old issues of Apartheid and societally-enforced racial segregation. At the same time it offered a review of old human issues -- want, accident, forgiveness, reconcilliation. I particularly appreciated one interchange between the fathers of two sons -- one the Black accidental killer and the other the White victim. Referring to the necessity of the death sentence when a murder has been committed, even when it was an accident and the killer has repented and told the absolute truth, the Black father says,"Jesus did not say this." And the White victim's father responded, "But where there is government, it is true." Issues of life and death are so "life and death" and yet what about forgiveness, truth, justice in an unjust society?

7:30am Saturday -- Volunteers Head to Habitat for Humanity!

Yes, at 7:30 AM on a Saturday, I joined a handful of volunteers from First United Lutheran Church, who headed for South Plano and a Habitat for Humanity building project. The early morning cool soon gave way to a roasting heat, especially as three of us started on the roof (Tim Ellis, Jeff Harrington, and me). I had a shoe "blow out" and my red duct job kept the shoe together, but made it dangerous to return topside. Therefore, I joined Paula Ellis in various ground level jobs. Broken by a delicious hamburger and hot dog lunch, we helped with the roof, hanging sofit (how about those air-pressure nail guns), marking cut-outs for drywall, and generally being available. Our small group was happy to see a committed group, including frequent visitors Elisabeth and Heinz Schaefer, making great headway on this duplex. We hope to join in again soon!