"The Bare Arms of Trees" by John Tagliabue

Sometimes when I see the bare arms of trees in the evening
I think of men who have died without love,
of desolation and space between branch and branch,
I think of immovable whiteness and lean coldness and fear
and the terrible longing between people stretched apart as these branches
and the cold space between.
I think of the vastness and courage between this step and that step
of the yearning and fear of the meeting, of the terrible desire held apart.
I think of the ocean of longing that moves between land and land
and between people, the space and ocean.
The bare arms of the trees are immovable, without the play of leaves, without the sound of wind;
I think of the unseen love and the unknown thoughts that exist between tree and tree
as I pass these things in the evenings, as I walk.

The Map Room

In terms of cafes, reading rooms, and hang-outs, the Map Room is the GREATEST find this side of 2011. I highly recommend it. The sister and I arrived at 7:30ish (it opens at 5m) which was the perfect time b/c we beat the crowd. We had the whole place to ourselves and I was able to snap some photos. For drinks, we ordered the cranberry-orange sangria and the roasted hazelnut latte (creamy, delicious froth over medium roast, not too sweet). We also ordered tiramisu and raspberry cheesecake (How could we not?! The Map Room is all about pastries, beverages, and ambiance!).  An added bonus is the fact that the Map has a green mission. This coffeehouse truly commits to sustainability.


The Map Room
1901 Withnell Ave.
St. Louis, MO
314-776-3515

Read the RFT review about the Map Room here.

First Winter in Saint Louis

Early spring in winter...

Signs of green in the midst of snow.

I live across the street from this snowy field.

Project 2011: A 3-month Update

 

This being the 1st of April, I provide here an update on Project 2011. Some success, albeit gradual and minuscule in comparison to the strength of my desire to move much more quickly (at the speed of the universe). 

My grand plan to read, contemplate, and comment on Bishop Schnase's book:

Successfully finished reading Chapter 1 on the practice of Radical Hospitality, as well as Chapter 2 on Passionate Worship. I am proceeding through Chapter e to engage Bishop Schnase's thoughts on Intentional Faith Development. I hope to post my synopsis/outline and thoughts on ch. 1 soon and very soon. 

My grand plan to visit 11 congregations in 2011:  

Up until today, I have visited 7 churches. 

1 UMC - contemporary worship (Webster Hills UMC)

1 Episcopal - Rite 1 (Christ Church Cathedral)

2 UMC - traditional (Grace UMC & Kirkwood UMC)

1 UMC - traditional (Lafayette Park UMC)

1 Community church - contemporary (Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis)

1 UCC - traditional (Good Shepherd Church of Christ [no website that I could find])

Several notes:

* The selection process was based on synchronicity and opportunity, with no rhyme or reason for why these churches or why not other churches. I am slightly disappointed to see in the list very little diversity, and the list flagrantly reveals my appalling lack of intentionality and focus (so far). I hope to rectify that in the near future. 

* I only attended the worship service at their publicized worship times; I did not attend small groups, Bible Study sessions, or social gatherings, and if I did, I will only focus my comments (for this Project) on the service I attended. If the service was supposed to be at 7pm, then I attended that service. For example, if the contemporary was scheduled for 8:30am, I attended that service and not the traditional service that followed.

* I realize that a visitor's first impression of a church is often an unfavorable impression because it is a one-time meeting between strangers (are we strangers in a house of worship?). I am also aware that most, if not all, faith communities need the favor of a second, third, if not fourth, visit by a guest in order for that guest to truly recognize/appreciate & understand the dynamics, relationships, and peculiarities of that community.

* The previous note leads me to this last note... Although I recognize that I may be unfairly evaluating a particular church based upon my preliminary visit, this Project is, afterall, all about (unofficially) documenting my first-time experience of visiting a church. I'm not doing anything new, and I know that there are plenty of books and research on congregational studies. On this blog, I'm merely writing my thoughts about my own experiences, and thinking that perhaps you (gentle reader, ha ha) might sympathize or empathize with something of note.

More forthcoming...