Congratulations Nairobey

2/28

Nairobey. And David. And the dragon.

Saturday was one of those long days. A day long training session. Don and I focused on church vitality. (He said Sunday he was looking for a miracle….there are no miracles….) Then son Nate and I worked for four hours trying to get rid of adware…does anyone really believe that anyone would buy something  from unwanted ads that keep popping up and make you want to shoot your computer or yourself? ..I thought that didn't happen to Macs!...or the despicable people who pose as official Mac types and entice you to pay to remove for what they put on your computer in the first place…and a vanished wifi network…just disappeared.

Leaving me to go to the church to see what I could do to help Victor the Mexican accordionist and finish my service and other work I should have done earlier…

And then  I go up to check out the after party for Animals out of paper…the former off-Broadway hit by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. I saw Nairobey in the chapel before her final scene. This play really took me by surprise. It’s unique angle is origami as an art and as metaphor. (Not to mention the incredible origami work that literally covers the stage created by a veritable all-star team of origami artists like Christopher Yuki Otoh and Paul Frasco to mention only two. Even the use of red and white to match the walls was a sign of the detailed intention and attention in this production… ) It was clearly a work of the heart by Nairobey Otero and her creative partner David Beck joined by the boundless energy of Maneesh Sasikumar.

It’s always a shock to discover a jewel in your own house but Nairobey’s Animals …joins the resume of theatre productions that have taken life at West-Park. Fully professional in every way. And even got a mention in the New Yorker! (That’s two, counting Pantha du Prince of the Red Bull Music Festival  ..)

Earlier in the day, I had met Nairobey at the precinct to see videos of the man who stole her purse, wallet and cell phone. I held my breath hoping it was not someone I recognized. Not completely sure, but at least none of our community. (You have no idea how many eyes are on each of us every day…every visit to a bank ATM, every swipe of a metro card, all retrievable video…) Given everything she went through, it was great to see her smile and feel good about a great achievement. Rajiv Joseph himself had come tonight….

As the set being struck, Nairobey asks me if I want a piece of origami. I ask her to find one that represents her stay here with us. She pauses a moment, finds the right one. Smiling, hands me a red dragon’s head. Looks gentle enough, she says, but such sharp teeth.. something to remember  me by..and she laughs.

I take a cup of wine, my dragon’s head. More work to be done. Congratulations, Nairobey.

enLIGHTen 3: All things to all people

2/8

Animals out of Paper

This week we start precisely at 11. Regardless….

It’s the third Sunday in bringing the light by being the light…..And today we’re looking  at Paul’s comments about being all things to all people…In 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23:

 ⁶If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

¹⁹For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. ²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. ²¹To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Last night I saw the play currently running in Mc Alpin Hall, Animals out of Paper…(https://www.facebook.com/events/1532910106970706/) It’s a play about origami…..a subject I knew little about. It’s intelligent and well done and through a taking us deeply into a trio of characters who live intensely in the world or origami illustrates that what opens the doors to one world, opens doors to all worlds. It also has a great signature quote: So much of what I am is what I've lost...Like we used to say when I was in  college, anyone who’s into anything is into the same thing…

Then there’s the story of the Hot Metal Bridge Church in Pittsburgh (http://www.hotmetalbridge.com/) that began as a Bible Study in a tattoo parlor…then moved into a bar, then bought the bar….then....

In some ways , this is a continuation of last week’s conversation….everything permitted, not everything is wise, …and making good use of that freedom…When I was in Tulsa, single, young, free,  I went everywhere…sports, music, theatre, community events…every night of the week. I was in a large church…over 5000 ,members. So everywhere I went, I ran into church members. When they would see me at their event, the members felt, wow, he shares my interest, he understands me…

It seems we have all kinds of group ….jocks for Jesus, hikers for Jesus, bikers for Jesus…

The point is, we’re each made different and special…..with  different gifts, skills, talents, interests, passions…all of which are gifts of God and reflections of God, part of God’s light….that is where we find the light, our light today.

On Fridays we have an Open Mic here….it is accepting of all…each performer welcomed, supported, encouraged, given the room to grow, to  improve,  get better, move closer to the dream of what they want to be…that’s what we should be doing in the church as well…helping each other to see the light that it is in us and helping us to shine brighter, sharing that light with each other….

We sing our songs, finish with Shine on me one more time…and the service is over….and as soon as we are finished, the In2 Korean church is on its way in, ready for their service.

Fridays are for open Mics

1/30

Welcome back, Nick

A woman seeking space. A man sleeping on the pews. A young woman, the same troubled person I’ve seen before, asleep.

I come to Open Mic after having watched the Yale-Columbia game with Nate.

Yale won

Pat O is still perfecting his traveling set including the song about his divorce, which always gets me, and the World War 1 centennial inspired Old Soldiers.

Pat O

A singer, Divine Life (…or Light?) does a solid R&B/hip hop set.

A Divine set....

Young Nick Lantigua is back with his original banjo work. And Alex Fry is here to celebrate the release of her first EP.(http://rippletunes.com/album/Alex-Fry/Brave-New-World-EP/957407570/t0)

Alex plays

And she’s brought a friend who sings harmony, especially on that insidious song from Once, Falling Slowly,

Alex and friend

insidious because of how it gets me. And as for me, I go with my Southern Lady, to recall my Yale days, (Texas girl in New Haven…), Love Again Tomorrow (due some special treatment by Milica on Monday) and Leonard Cohen’s Tonight Will Be Fine… and feel good about it….

2/6

Animals out of Paper

Morning  session with Jeremy, including a lesson to help me with my sense of rhythm. Pat O and I will spend a long session going through the strategy to see what steps can be taken to build the congregation.

Long conversation with Nairobey Otero, who’s got a production of the origami play (a real understatement) Animals Out of Paper going on in Mc Alpin.( https://www.facebook.com/animalsout )Last night she had her wallet and cell phone stolen during her performance. With Dzieci and Work Center in the building, it’s hard to imagine how that happened. I decide to watch her performance. Leila’s got to scramble around to find another theatre group rehearsing a play called Under God’s Tongue because either gym or chapel will interfere with Nairoby’s production so we decide to delay the Open Mic so that they ca get a solid hour and a half rehearsal at least.

Nairoby’s Animals…takes me by surprise. It’s a fine play. Written by Rajiv Joseph, it opens up the world of origami and as follows, whenever any world opens up for us, we find another door into understanding our own better. The level of professionalism is also impressive and I’m once again struck as to how Mc Alpin Hall can be easily transformed into another world by good theatre people. Both Nairoby as Ilana and her one co-lead, David Beck as Andy, are Equity pros and Manesh Sasikumar, is a bundle of energy and creativity as Suresh, Ilana’s apprentice. I learned a lot about origami, but was also legitimately moved by a good story.

Down in the sanctuary, Open Mic is going on. Joel is into another of his improv adventures.

Joel

 David S plays his own This is just a Test after some 80’s rock

This is just a test

and David L takes us to Waylon and Willie country again.  

Waylon and Willie and David

Alex (who I always love talking wrestling with, his son wrestles at Muhlenberg) is back again.

Alex on guitar

He’ll pull out his violin for RL’s Stay Awhile.  I’m sorry Don was here for one stand up guy’s crude and obscene performance that came off as disrespectful. There’s so much more….As for me, I open with Southern Lady, follow with Love Again Tomorrow (Milica’s  performance was snowed out Monday night…so we’re still awaiting…) and finish with Girl from the North Country, a good winter song. Tonight, I’m singing with Kristen Leigh in mind whose cabin in the woods has become uninhabitable.  The song is starting to feel like I’ve got my own take on it. And that feels good.