Sacramental Living

Our office manager told me Courtney was on the line for me.

“Courtney?”

“She said, ‘Hi, is Brian in; it’s Courtney.’”

I know some Courtney’s … but none that casually.  Who knows …

“I’ll take it.”

Courtney started out by asking if I received the really nice pen with Grace Community Church imprinted on it that she sent me for free.

“Ummmm … I’m sure our office manager might have seen it.”

“Well, can I direct you to a place on line that you can see what it looks like.”

“Courtney are you trying to sell me something?  Because we wouldn’t be interested in buying any promotional items.”

“Oh, well how do you promote yourself?  How do you say ‘thank you’ to your clients that come to your services.”

I’m thinking to myself that so many things are wrong with the question she just asked:

We don’t have clients; we have people.
We don’t thank people we see; we embrace them.
We don’t ask people to come to “services”; people are invited to worship gatherings.
People can’t come to “service”; people must go out to engage in service.
What the heck does promotion in a faith-community setting mean anyway?  (I’ve discussed this in response to church marketing before)

Instead of calling her on those points, I just replied to Courtney:  “We thank people by equipping them to be Jesus in their daily lives.”

Long pause … A few words incoherently started and abruptly changed … Finally Courtney says:  “Well, do … uhh … how do the people in your area know about your church?”

“Courtney, we just try to be the hands and feet of Jesus all the time.  As relationships and friendships are built, some people want to walk on the journey of faith with us.  Our thanks go to God for working ahead of us, and through us, and in us.  It’s hard to express that with a pen.  Much better to just live it, like Jesus did, don’t you think?”

Long pause … again … Finally:  “OK.   Well you have a good day … Thanks.”

“Thank you, Courtney.”

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
How is your energy and money being used these days to live like Jesus … other than in pens?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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If I was still living in Nashville, ministering in Nashville, pressed by the crazy schedule I worked on staff at the megachurch, with that corporate mentality, with the agenda generated by other paradigms, I would never have witnessed what I just experienced.

I was walking from the kitchen to my study in the Grace Community training site, when I saw one of our older parishioners out for her morning walk.  She lives about a mile from here.

My to do list is long today, the pressure is mounting to get stuff done before leaving town on a family holiday, I need to do some planning … etc.  But I decided to get off my timeframe and just go say “Hi” to her, coffee cup in hand.

She is approaching 90, has a husband she cares for.  She’s an amazing woman with a tender heart.  She has weathered the difficulties in re-birthing this local congregation.

I was able to just listen, and learn, and give a hug.  I stood there for about 30 minutes in the coastal Georgia heat (sipping my cup off Starbucks brew, which added to the sweat factor).  All she wanted and needed from me was to be present and listen.  I learned so much about her life story, her extended family, her outlook on life.

I wonder if I was blessed more than her by our conversation.

It’s an art, you know … being patient enough to put aside mental pressures and just focus on someone talking to you.  It’s an art I’ve been trying to practice more these days.  I find myself changed somehow each time I practice it: a bit more humble, a bit more patient, a bit more about others, a bit less about me.

What a great part of my day … seeing Jesus in the presence and words and history of this woman.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
In what ways are you practicing the art of presence?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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It’s been 14 years!  14 years, I tell ya.  14 years since the sounds of “My Name is Jonas” first rang in my ear and opened me up to a whole new musical genre.

I’ve waited with anticipation for Weezer to captivate me like they did with their debut album: Weezer (Blue Album).  And now, finally, it has happened.  The latest self-titled offering has grabbed me and isn’t letting go.

Though there were glimpses of Rivers Cuomo’s brilliance on Pinkerton and Weezer (Green Album), this is the first album since their debut which gets a full play for me.

There is a coming-of-age in this album.  Musically and lyrically.  Being only a pedestrian bass player and a sometimes drummer, I’ll keep my comments mostly to the lyrics.

The first radio single “Pork and Beans” has several layers.  Cuomo’s songwriting has simplified in one sense and matured in another.  Though initially dealing with the cult of cool, the song becomes a battle cry for those with eclectic taste:

“I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans …”

After so many years of so-so albums (receiving commercial and fan criticism), it’s as if the band has settled on the idea that they shouldn’t be about others’ expectations.  Instead, they are opting for what is inspired.  And this album mostly is inspired.

“The Greatest Man that Ever Lived” is a fun and satirical romp through this very journey of trying (but failing) to please:

“After the havoc that I’m gonna wreak
No more words will critics have to speak
I’ve got the answers to the tangled knot
Sleep tight in your cot.

Oh baby,
I’ve been told I’m goin’ crazy.
Oh baby,
But I can’t be held down.
Oh baby,
Somehow I’m keeping it steady.
Oh baby,
I’m tearin up this town.”

And then the quintessential statement:

“I am the greatest man that ever lived
I was born to give and give and give.”

Now, I don’t think Rivers Cuomo is trying to lay claim to what can only belong to Jesus of Nazareth (or, who knows … maybe he is).  But, he understands that the gifts (of music) are his to give.  He’s not responsible for how the gift is received.

There’s a very deep theological statement there.  God gives all good things we need to follow and worship Christ.  It’s up to us to make that gift of grace responsible.  That is to say, it’s up to us to respond to the gift(s).

A reflection on years past weaves throughout the whole of this album.  On “Everybody Get Dangerous” we hear the confession:

“Hockey games on frozen ponds
No safety pads were ever put on
Drivin’ home on country roads
Sixty-five in a twenty-five zone
In my parents Tercel
How did we survive so well
Throw the keys and the wheel locked up
I almost killed every one us”

And the reflection poses a problem for the band, now responsible for their own children:

“What will we say when our kids come to us
And ask, with a smile on their face,
‘Hey Dad, my friend’s got some new ninja swords!
Is it cool if we slash up his place?’”

Oh, if only my 3-year old, Eliot, would only ask before embarking on his paths of destruction!  But the progression from college kid to father is evident.  The Weezer journey has paralleled my own.  Their first album in large part set the parameters for my college experience.

The Bonus version of the album has some very nice additions.  “The Spider” delves into a bit of existential angst with a twist:

“Cuz I’m in pain just like the spider
In the drain, I am a fighter
But I can’t win I’ve got to lose
Give me strength to see me through
And ease the pain that I must feel
As my bones break and I taste the steel
As I go down …the drain…
I’m insane”

The twist comes in the next song, “King:”

“You see I own this town. You best not come around.
If you wanna get by, then cool it down.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I’m king.
If you wanna mess around like that, that’s just how it is.
If you wanna get by, then mind your biz.
If you wanna start something, know one thing: I’m king.”

Cuomo knows he’s only king in his own mind.  But aren’t we all?  It takes a daily effort of yielding to rely on something outside ourselves (in my case, Christ).

Perhaps, I should have titled this post “A Brief Look at the New Weezer Album and How I See Things That Went Into Writing the Songs Through My Theological Lens.”  But that’s a wordy title, don’t you think?

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Are you a Weezer fan?  What’s your take on their new album?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.