By James Lamkin

"Play It as It Lays"

       Ever heard of the odd book entitled, The War of Art (note the play on words)? It is about the resistance inherent within the creative process; and it feels like a war.

       By choosing to do anything creative, we necessarily must deal with the inertia of resistance; and this means war! It can be a new exercise regimen, a diet, prayer, Lenten disciplines, a new habit, writing a book, preparing a sermon, or finishing your income tax return.

       Steven Pressfield is the author. He also wrote, The Legend of Bagger Vance. I loved that movie; and if you've seen it, you will see the connection between authenticity, creativity, and resistance.

       In The War of Art, Pressfield tells a story that took place on the first hole of the windy golf course in Prestwick, Scotland. He said, "I started with an eight-iron thirty yards to windward, but a gale caught it; I watched in dismay as the ball sailed hard right, hit the green going sideways, and bounded off into the cabbage."

       I can't print what Pressfield said next; but he then turned to the caddie and said, "Did you see the wind take that shot!?"

       What followed was a sly glance and the Scottish caddie's classic response: "Well...ye've got t' play th' wind now, don't ye?"

       We all do our work, live our lives, pray our prayers, and mind our business in the real world. Adversity, injustice, bad hops, rotten calls, and sudden gusts of gale-force winds will send our souls into the rough every time.

       "The playing field is level," says Pressfield, "only in heaven."

       Given the number of countless variables every day, all the professional can do, he says, is "to handle himself or herself as sturdily and as steadily as he or she can."

       To me, all of this has a Lenten sound.

       The season is holy spring cleaning. It is getting your life "ship-shape," so that when the wind blows, when the ball takes a bad bounce, or when the cookie crumbles--it is a terrible shame--but not a catastrophe. All is not lost. You are not lost. You are found.

       You have found yourself to be in the grace and love of God.

       You may feel afraid; but fear will not have the last word.

       I'm thinking of Kurt Thomas with his guitar, singing Amazing Grace with a sweet sweet sound. We all know of feeling wretched and lost; but thank God, we also know of being loved and found.

       So as we continue our forty day trek across the uneven terrain of Lent and life, remember the caddie's wisdom: "Well...ye've got t' play th' wind now, don't ye?"

       It sounds like what Jesus said to Nicodemus: "The wind blows where it wills...and so it is with everyone born of the Holy Spirit." 

on

Lenten Wednesdays

February 22-March 28

6:45-7:30 PM, in the Chapel

Tune My Heart to Sing...

February 22, Ash Wednesday - Songs of Confession (Psalm 51)

     Homily by James Lamkin; Jeff Harbin, piano

February 29 - Songs of Grace (Psalm 25)

     Homily by James Lamkin; Kurt Thomas, guitar & Jeff Harbin, piano

March 7 - Songs of Lament (Psalm 22)

     Homily by James Lamkin; Greg Colsen, piano

March 14 - Songs of Praise (Psalm 8)

     Homily by Zach Bay; Julian Turner, piano

March 21 - Songs of God's Strength in Times of Trouble (Psalm 121)

     Homily by James Lamkin; Kurt Thomas, guitar & Jeff Harbin, piano

March 28 - Songs of God's Sovereignty (Psalm 99)

     Homily by Zach Bay; Greg Colsen, piano

Sunday, March 4

   Music on the Hill ............................................ @ 3 PM

Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65 - Chopin

Polonaise Brillante - Chopin

7 Variations on "Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen"

from Mozart's Die Zauberflote - Beethoven

with Charae Krueger, cello & Robert Henry, piano

  The Choral Guild of Atlanta ........................... @ 4 PM

"In Paradisum"

Requiem in C minor - Cherubini

Requiem - Faure

Saturday, March 24

   Collegium Vocale Spring Concert ................. @ 8 PM

pre-concert lecture @ 7:30 PM

Mass in E flat Major - Amy Beach

  with Julie Lowry, soprano; Magdalena Wór, alto;

Bradley Howard, tenor; Larry Frazier, bass; & Clair Maxwell, organ

Sunday, March 25

   Music on the Hill ........................................... @ 3 PM

Piano Trio in B flat major, D. 898 - Schubert
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor - Arnesky

with Helen Kim, violin; Charae Kruger, cello; Robert Henry, piano

         Northside Drive Baptist Church Hosts Workshop on Separation of Church and State.

       Northside Drive Baptist Church will host a weekend workshop with J. Brent Walker, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee (BJC) for Religious Liberty. The workshop will focus on religious liberty and issues surrounding church-state separation. The cost is $5 per person for the lunch on Saturday payable to the church office with BJC in the memo line. For further information or to RSVP for this event contact David Cook at cook@ahclaw.com or 678-637-7196.

Saturday (3/10), 11:30 AM-1:30 PM

       Luncheon followed by an educational presentation by Brent Walker. The luncheon will focus on First Amendment legal issues and will be directed to attorneys or others who work closely with the law or politics. Including lunch, It should last approximately two hours. A light lunch will be provided for $5. Dress is casual.

Saturday (3/10), evening 5-7 PM

       Gathering at the home of Hal and Jo Meeks. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided, and Brent Walker will provide a short presentation. Dress is casual.

Sunday (3/11) Church School and Worship

       Brent Walker will be presenting in an open Church School class. Then, Brent will preach in worship.

Please visit the event pages and share:

       Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/187421144691025/ 

       LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/zxoRxP 

       NDBC: http://www.northsidedrive.org/min_events.asp 

       

The NDBC staff celebrates the anniversaries of three of our colleagues in the month of March!

March 1 - Renee Gamache, 5 years

March 15 - *Joleen Neel, 11 years

March 17 - James Lamkin, 15 years

We are glad that Renee, Joleen and James are a part of our team.

Gratefully,

       Mike Gregg, Zach Bay, Paul Fletcher, Jeff Harbin, Rose Hidlay, Vanessa Johnson, and Richard Willingham.

* NDBC Preschool Curriculum Coordinator 

in the Fellowship Hall

This $2.8 billion redevelopment project will shape the way Atlanta grows throughout the next several decades. The project provides a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other.

The presentation will begin at 11 AM, with the lunch served at Noon.