Noah Gundersen & Garage Voice - Live @ Fuller
NOAH & ABBY GUNDERSEN
NOAH GUNDERSEN WITH TOM ROREM
GARAGE VOICE
Brehm Blog
NOAH GUNDERSEN WITH TOM ROREM
GARAGE VOICE
Swan Songs: the music of Carrie Graham & Justin Fung
Peanut butter and jelly. Chocolate and vanilla. Batman and Robin. Ying and Yang. Some of the best things in life are made even better when paired with a good opposite. For three years Coffee by the Books and its Fuller community have witnessed the musical talent of two very different artists: Carrie Graham and Justin Fung. Drawing large crowds whenever each musician plays, Carrie and Justin always bring an energized dynamic to their performances - a particularly difficult task for solo artists.
Justin, an American from Hong Kong via London, is a singer/songwriter who makes such harmonic use of his acoustic guitar as to woo his audience into a sympathetic dream. His style ranges from U2’s open chord progressions of The Edge’s arena rock guitar to the more somber life reflections of Johnny Cash or the near spoken-voice musings of Damien Rice. His baritone voice, compared best with Jason Wade from Lifehouse, alternates back and forth between frail and full, depending on the lyrical demands.
Carrie Graham is a Texan singer/songwriter and pianist whose compositions are an expression of gratitude for the loved ones in her life, including family and close friends. An ardent fan and friend of Carrie Graham says this about her music.
“If Ben Folds and Regina Spektor had a daughter, fed her a Gerber blend of Sia, Kate Nash, and Butterfly Boucher, then raised her in Broadway musicals, you’d have the fiery soul that is Carrie Graham. She… displays a spectrum of emotions in songs written like 'a musical diary, therapeutic sort of thing' (her words). Entries include reflections on the beauty of God’s love, the stupidity of human love, and everything in between.” Dan Long
On Thursday May 28th, 2009 from 6-9 PM, both Justin Fung and Carrie Graham will each be performing their Swan Songs in The Catalyst here at Fuller. Coffee and other refreshments will be provided courtesy of Coffee by the Books and the .
Re-Placing Nature: Visual Art & the Recovery of Sacred Space
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Have you ever been lost in the woods? Or been hiking down a trail hoping that you would? Tina Frei, in her Master's Thesis work, evokes such sentiments. With a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Walla Walla University and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest as her muse, Tina’s body of work provokes a discussion on Western Christianity’s relationship with the natural world. Studying her compositions elicit a literary comparison with the nostalgia of J.R.R. Tolkien, John Milton, or Henry David Thoreau. Drawn both from the stark contrasts of earth and sky in her home town of Walla Walla and the lush green forests of Western Washington, Tina’s paintings convey a quality of immediate spiritual presence for the viewer. Imagine listening to the softer side of Jars of Clay’s first album or the playful tunes of an Eisley cd. Yet Frei is hoping to address our Western attitudes toward Nature by revealing that such nostalgic tendencies are in fact a cue that we’ve already separated ourselves from it. If the “Re-enchantment of the West” is an emerging part of our collective consciousness, Frei does well in adding to that “stock of available reality.” Look for her exhibit, which will be showing 9 AM - 12 noon Friday, May 22nd in Payton 101, here at Fuller Theological Seminary.
The Embodiment of Jena Ashton
Jena Ashton, a Phoenix, Arizona native with a subtle touch of an “Indie” aesthetic, is a second year student in Fuller Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Theology program with a concentration in Theology & the Arts. An undergrad hailing from Grand Canyon University with a degree in Christian Studeis, her Master's Thesis project, entitled Embodiment, debuts Friday, May 22nd on campus in Payton 101. Coming from a vocational background in Youth Ministry & Worship with the Presbyterian church, Ashton draws from this as well as her own life experience as part of her thematic depiction. Her six piece exhibit of mixed media – acrylic, print, plaster, etc. – on canvas features eclectic compositions dealing with various subject matter within the spectrum of Body Theology. These topics include sexuality, gender roles, body image, and the body/ soul indistinction. Drawing upon her own theological tradition, sharpened through her time spent at Fuller, Ashton defines Embodiment as the “portraying [of] characteristics of Body Theology through a holistic understanding of one’s faith which is lived out through the body.”
Come by Payton 101 on Fuller’s campus to see the incarnational work of Jena Ashton and several other Fuller artists during Artventures starting 9 AM this Friday, May 22nd, 2009.
Q: Day One
MORNING SESSION
David Taylor & Lisa Mickey, Welcome to Q Austin.
Alan Hirsh, Post-Christendom Mission.
Joel Kotkin, The Future of The Suburbs.
David Goetz, Suburban Addictions.
The doors opened promptly at 10 am and hundreds of church leaders frantically rushed into the Paramount Theater to find the best seats. Built in 1915, Paramount is classically adorned with frescos and ornate trimmings. The history of building is juxtaposed with the large project onstage and the high-end lights, sounds equipment and large HD video cameras. Gabe Lyon gave the introductory talk which included the call to be fully present rather than trying to “record” what is being said, and then called his first presenters for a interview-style talk about the host city, Austin. And with that, one after another each presenter in the morning session gave his or her thought provoking 18-minute presentation. It was surreal; I can't believe I'm actually at Q!
TALKBACK
David Goetz
Talkback is a time for attendees to pick a topic for further discussion. Attendees broke off into groups that meet at various local venues. David Goetz gave a provocative insight into the flaws of the perfect picket-fence suburban lifestyle, and so I went to the Q&A session that was held at Buffalo Billiards, a local darts, pool and shuffleboard hangout. During the Q&A Goetz shared stories of his high-maintenance lifestyle and the burden that comes with it. He distinguishes in the city, while many socio-economic dynamics are compactly present; the differences are obvious whereas in the suburbs they are not. In the “Burbs” there is no drugs, no crime, no poverty and everything looks perfect from the outside. However, Goetz points out that poverty is not only financial, deeply hidden behind he picket fences is a spiritual poverty. The addictions lie in maintaining a certain lifestyle, and living our dreams through our children. Therefore as Christians it would be profoundly life changing to recognize these “toxins” and reach out to neighbors in meaningful ways. During the talkback, questions were asked to Goetz about remedies and positive outcomes to which he honestly confessed that it was still an on-going problem for him and the friends he is trying to reach. It was also asked if there were spiritual leaders to look to up to which he replied he is always hesitant point out a superstar, but rather seeking to find mentors who are older, found just within our communities. People who are farther along and not asking to be "trumpeted". I couldn't agree more.
AFTERNOON SESSION
John Burke, Pluralistic Evangelism.
Andy Crouch, Power, Privilege and Risk.
Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, The Post-Atomic World.
Shannon Sedgwick Davis, Not On Our Watch.
Bill Townsend & Bill Hampton, Economic Opportunity.
TALKBACK
Andy Crouch
During talkback Crouch dug deeper into concepts for his next book. Thoughts such as what happens after you have created culture. Does one simply marinate in the success or does one turn the accumulated power back into new opportunities. Couch shared how his first book Culture Making was first formulated during Q and how over the years it finally came together. Although with success, he expressed concern that no one wanted to here about taking risks and giving up the comfort of privileges. For the talkback he expect only a few people to show up but it ended up being fully packed with people standing on the sides. He gave illustrative answers that eventually addressed the issue but the whole way through he was thoroughly engaging!
EVENING KEYNOTE
Shane Hipps, The Spirituality of The Cell Phone. Keynotes are an extended talk, where rather than 18 minutes, the talks are doubled to 36 minutes. Hipp’s talk occurred after dinner and we were warned that upon entrance back into the theater, our cell phones would be confiscated for the period of the talk. There was a lot of anxiety for some many folks who found it really hard to part-ways with their smart phones even for that period of time. There were many people including myself trying to get in their last calls before handing over their coveted device. There was a survey where about 60% of the attendees had iphones, probably the largest concentration in any conference! I made a friend from Australia who cynically refused to hand anything over in America after many experiences of lost items in the past. Shane Hipps talked about the disembodiment of technology and how we are constantly being taken out of the present moment. He even made an iphone app called, “Fully Present” where for a specified time one can disable the phones functions. That when multitasking, our brain is merely dividing up the same limited resources and spreading it thin. Being so fragmented is the opposite of spiritual wholeness. Therefore to counter this he satirically made an iphone app called, “Fully Present” where for a specified time one can disable the phones functions. He also talked about how the power of presence is unique to the Christian faith, where God decided to take on a body to come to Earth. As Christians we are also called to be incarnate in a disincarnate world.