Sometimes...

Sometimes Monika, Chelsea (and maybe Tashley) and I are leaving for New York City this evening so that we can take in the International Artists Movement encounter (aka conference). This promises to be a weekend filled with meeting artists of all kinds from around the world - a chance to share, learn, discuss, be challenged and be inspired. And hey, any place that Fujimura's at, or that he created, can't be all bad.

Exciting times people, exciting time.

The Kind Of Bars I Frequent Now

We hit up a couple of buffets whilst on tour - one regular type buffet in Montreal and one Chinese buffet in Barrie (yes, the same one we hit the last time were there, and yes, it was still instant gut rot). Of course I sampled the salad bars at both of these establishments. Let me just say - very disappointing. Is it too much to ask for radishes and hot peppers? And a few sunflower seeds? Dude, those can make or break a salad - even Calvin College has those at its salad bar - and Vicky's Buffet in the cultural city of Montreal doesn't? Sigh. I was glad that John and Kevin where there - they having sampled from the pinnacle of salad bars at the Mercy Centre.

I just had to share that disappointment.

DSB - seriously - if you find a good salad bar, and you take me there, i'm as good as yours!

Well Maybe Not Easy

Something we learned from a pastor while on choir tour -

Babies make for easy church growth.

Tur

The choir during the welcome at St. Andrew's Presbyterian, Belleville



Chevron (a nickname i just decided to give her) getting acquainted with the piano at Bethel CRC, Brockville



The sultry, smokey voiced Stronks and I in Quebec City



John, Rachel, Kevin and I at my parents' after the Belleville concert



My first day of school, no wait, my last day of tour

J'aime Les Jews (Tour)

Quote of the day for Monday...

"I heard you with the Jews last night."

I'm Sure It Would Be Unholy

I'm in a hotel in Cornwall right now. Its nice. And we don't have to have wheels rolling until 10am. Mmmmm.

I just wanted to share a little funny thing from yesterday's drive from Hamilton to Cornwall - on a coach bus with 35ish people on it.

So we do a thing where more senior-ish students interview rookie choir members so that the entire choir can get to know them. Its pretty tender and usually very hilarious. It often happens closer to the end of tour because we have the most bus time then. But our biggest chunks of bus time happen to be now, so we're doing them now.

One of the questions asked to the freshmen was: if you could combine any two animals and make a superbeast, what would they be and what would you call it? As you can imagine this got some pretty funny and really strange answers from interviews already revealed. A little later after 5 of the interviews had been read over the bus mic, one of our resident hilarious sopranos, Janine came up and said that she had something really important to say to everyone.

She got on the mic and said that one of the first year sopranos had been further discussing the superbeast question - and they wondered what kind of a superbeast would be made by combining Dr T and myself.

cough.

The Reason For The Season

Late yesterday I suddenly realized that I have only had 3 cinnamon hearts this month. I'm pretty sure thats one of the signs of the apocalypse. Its right in there amongst the horsemen.

But seriously, how have I been serving myself this grave injustice?

"Wow. That's really screwed up."

Choir Tour

Its that time of year again..... Choir Tour Time!!

I thought that you might like to come to a concert or two. Thusly I will post when and where said concerts are (side note, i don't know the actual locations of all of these churches, you're on your own there). Awww.

We will be singing a blend of pieces from the upcoming 25 Anthems for 25 Years concert and our Christmas concert. Some pieces may include: the first movement from Handel's Coronation Anthem #2 - The King Shall Rejoice, For God Commanded Angels To Watch Over You by Felix Mendelssohn (and sometimes Brahms), Antonio Lotti's Crucifixus, C.V Standford's Beati Quorum Via, the Robert's spiritual He Has The Power!, a Dale Grotenhuis favourite Blessed Be the Name of the Lord and much, much more!

Saturday, February 16
Quebec City, PQ
Saint Charles Garnier Church
8pm

Sunday, February 17
Quebec City, PQ
Saint Charles Garnier Church
part of the morning service, 9:30am

Montreal, PQ
Knox-Crescent-Kensington & First Presbyterian Church
6225 Godfrey Avenue in Montreal
7:30pm

Monday, February 18
Brockville, ON
Bethel Christian Reformed Church
117 Windsor Drive Brockville
7:30pm

Addison, ON
Heritage Community School
7463 County Rd 28; Addison
9:30am

Tuesday, February 19
Belleville, ON
St. Andrew's Presbyterian
Corner of Church St.& Pinnacle, Belleville
7:30pm

Wednesday, February 20
Barrie, ON
Trinity Anglican Church
7:30pm

You Know..

You know that the sock tan you got in the summer was a mighty good one when it is still very, very much evident in February.

DSB - Job To Do

Dear Secret Boyfriend,

You are more than allowed to take me out to lunch, maybe Mexicali Rosa's today and then make me supper as a way to help me nurse the emotional hangover from last night.

Make That 6-7

marriedtothesea.com

It Just Keeps Getting More Exciting!

My Mom sent my blood donor card to me in the mail. I am O positive. And according to the nice letter Canadian Blood Services sent with the card, and then their website (which I went to on my own), this is the most common blood type in Canada. It is also one of the most versatile as it can be given to anyone with a positive blood type.

Whoot!

Cabin Fever

Dancing on hardwood floors while wearing Oma slippers - risky.
-5:11pm


"The roads are slick and dangerous."

Just like me baby.
-6:01pm


Farting while sitting on an exercise ball - hilarious!
-7:10pm


Sometimes licorice breaks and hits you in the eye.
-7:52pm

Tread Lightly

Ok, so you know and I know that the roads in the city aren't that bad. I don't discount that the roads in the country are bad, but maybe, well, we got lucky on this snow day and school closure. Shhhhhh. Here's the thing nobody say anything to Jacob or Justin about this. Actually wait, no, say things, but say bad things - like if you work downstairs at RUC and you're getting some coffee and either of them walks in to also get some coffee, can you talk loudly to them about how it took you 15 hours to scrape off your car, and how the roads were so bad and it was 4pm before you even saw a plow. Or if you're talking with a co-worker in the hallway and you see either one of them coming, can you speak emphatically about the 10 car pile-up at the end of your street - even if there wasn't one, say there was (why does it say there is a paper jam, when there iiiss no paper jam) and then say how glad you were to not have to be on the roads. We need to tread lightly here people - if they think they're losing their judgment on snow days, well, we may never see one again.

FYI

You should know that Church in the Box is this Sunday night, in the Redeemer auditorium at 7pm. This month's theme is Christ the Foundation/Brother, the offering is for World Wide Christian Schools. The speaker is a woman that I have known for a very long time, who I think has a very dynamic story to tell of the power and tenacity of God. The speaker is me.

You should come.

They Forgot One

While I was at the worship symposium there was a lot of printed material for sale. At one table there was a series of pamphlets. I was looking at my desk this morning, and I think based on the denomination, the location of Calvin College and a few other things, they should work this title in with the rest...

Some current titles include - So You've Been Asked to Lead A Worship Team, So You've Been Asked To Sing A Solo, So You've Been Asked to Lead In Prayer

Addition - So You've Got A Map Of Michigan

Things That You Think Are Bad When You Live In A Basement Apartment...

...but turns out be much worse when you live on the 7th floor - forgetting something in the car.

Basement Apt:
Oh man! I left something out in the car, now I will have to scale those 12 stairs, or 4 stairs a landing and then 6 more stairs, to get outside and walk allllllll the way along the house to the driveway or parking spot beside the driveway to get the forgotten item.

7th Floor:
Realization of forgotten item - assessment of worth - is it worth getting the keys, exiting the apartment, locking the apartment, waiting for the elevator (say anything about the stairs and I'll hunt you down - and besides, the stairs would not fit well into the worth to effort ratio), riding the elevator down, walking down the hall, going out two sets of doors and walking across the parking lot, and then reversing the process to get back up - usually not worth it, but sometimes you really need those pants.

Something You Really Needed To Know

Calvin Seerveld can use solfege like its nobody's business.

Combining Both

A combination of the previous two posts happened to me today - a food related milestone - I shared in my first Cinnabon today. Chelsea exposed/treated.

There was bewilderment as to how I could have existed so long without having one - but my explanation was simple - the notorious B.E.V. Who needs mall pastry growing up when you have Bev at home?

Salad Bars, My Second Love (Jesus Being My First)

Once upon a time I went to the OMSC January Student Seminars in New Haven CT. They are hosted annually at the Mercy Center. Now I don't know what they do the rest of the year, but when the worldly missional students are there, there is a fan-freaking-tastic salad bar. This salad bar had multiple kinds of lettuce, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, hot peppers, olives, cherry tomatoes, carrots, sunflower seeds, croûtons, raisins, craisons, chow mein noodles, bacon bits, and possibly more. To dress your salad there were homemade oil based dressings, the standard dressings and do it yourself oil and vinegar. I had the salad bar with every meal I could. And when I left I had withdrawal symptoms.

This weekend while I was back at Calvin for the Worship Symposium we had cafeteria style meals for two lunches and supper. This involved, you guessed it, a salad bar. The salad bar at Calvin didn't have quite as many veggies as the Mercy Center or the anything that was fresh and oil based, but mmm, it was still so good. And it really made me realize how much I love fresh(ish) veggies and so much fantastic saladness.

This also lead me think that the salad bar and the DSB need to be linked. So, secret, shy, waiting for the right time to create and opportunity man, you can research a great salad bar place to go to and I'll be happy and then full of veggies.

Milestones

I have had a couple of milestones over the past few days. One is that today I had my grad photos taken. Yup, further steps to indicate that I will actually graduate from university. The other is that I had my first dutch cheese cutter injury on Friday morning. I sliced a way a bit of my thumb. I feel like my integration into Dutch culture is that much more complete.

If you don't what I'm talking about - I cut myself with one of these:

G-Riggity

Vell, I and 14 other worship leadery type students are trickling down to GR for the Calvin Worship Symposium. I'm driving a van full of students leaving tomorrow afternoon. Now I have heard some people not be too excited about this event, because they say that after you go to it for a few years there is nothing new for you to learn, etc, etc. These people are all musicians, and maybe its true if you only go to sessions on how to make your praise band better and how to write praise music. But I am SO diggity dang excited to be going. This is my second time going and seriously I feel like each time is a weekend of professional development for me.

Since I'm sure my parents are curious, I thought I'd copy in the descriptions of all the sessions I'm registered for -

Worship Through Visual and Interactive Arts: How to Develop, How to Begin—Steven Caton
Most, if not all, eagerly support the idea of worship through art and the senses. But it still seems to be an elusive worship component in many churches. How is art created for worship? How do you generate ideas for art? How do you get people involved? How do you ensure art supports the greater scope of the sermon or ministry? How do you plan for such items? How do you end up not doing it all yourself and burning out?! Our congregational team has been on a long journey of finding answers to these questions; getting worshipers involved through participation and the senses. Come hear the philosophy behind such a ministry and get some practical ideas and resources for follow-through back home.

Redeeming Ritual: Lessons from Iona—Doug Gay
Doug Gay, an Associate Member of the Iona Community, will reflect on the ambivalence towards ritual in Reformed/low church traditions and how we might move beyond this. He takes two key rituals from the weekly worship cycle of Iona Abbey in Scotland: the Act of Healing and the Act of Commitment, reflecting on how they work and arguing that many churches—traditional and emerging—could benefit from incorporating them as regular elements in their worshiping life.

Lament in the Context of Corporate Worship—Michael Card and Calvin Seerveld
In this session, you will have an opportunity to witness the remarkable relationship between Michael Card and Calvin Seerveld as together they provide some concrete and creative examples—spoken and musical—of incorporating lament into worship.


An Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Liturgical Dance—Shelley Marinus
In this session, we will learn the purpose of liturgical dance and some basic elements of choreography for worship. We will also be exploring the Psalms through movement.

The Holy Spirit and Worship—Mariano Avila
We will explore the biblical teaching on the central role that the Holy Spirit plays in worship. Dependence and freedom, order and spontaneity, reverent silence and joyful noise will be some of the paradoxes we will explore in the framework of Scripture. Our purpose is to inform some of our present-day worship practices and enrich, challenge, and transform them for the glory of the Lord we worship.

Panel Discussion on Church Galleries, moderated by Betsy Steele Halstead with Makoto Fujimura, Bern Lewis, Kelly Sisson, Vange Van Huesen, and Michael Winters
There continues to be a growing interest in church visual art galleries, exhibitions, and educational opportunities related to art within our churches. In this session we will be joined by church leaders who have well-established programs and those who have just begun organizing a visual arts ministry. Hear how these ministries have come to be a catalyst for outreach, a way of enriching the congregation’s preparation for worship, a building block of their educational ministries, and a unique way of encouraging intergenerational fellowship.

Highly Favored: The Virgin Mary in Visual Art—Bert Polman
This session will focus on the depiction of Mary, the mother of Christ, in historical and contemporary works of art. It will be held in conjunction with the Calvin College art gallery exhibit “Highly Favored: Contemporary Images of the Virgin Mary,” which is a CIVA-produced show of recent Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic Marian art.

Offering Our Neighbors’ Pain to Jesus Who Wept—Calvin Seerveld
Why did Jesus weep in John 11? Is it possible for us to sing comfort to those in pain, or not? We will examine a range of attempts from Psalms, Gregorian chant, Genevan tunes, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, African-American Blues, to current pop song.

He's Right You Know

"Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is a great matter.
Art is an organ of human life, transmitting man's
reasonable perception into feeling."
Leo Tolstoy

I Forgot To Tell You I'm Famous

Exhibit A - I wrote an article in The Crown

Exhibit B - a photo my boss took in the summer, and has now used on her website - scroll down to see my delicate hands - look for the tell tale ring

Oh yeah, and I also had a poem published in the Fall semester's volume of The Minstrel (RUC's poetry and short story publication)

I'll be signing autographs after the show.

Not To Be Confused With Hemiola

nataliedee.com




Hemiola