Aarrgh......Insane...I'm Going Insane
I am in New Jersey for the week at Princeton Theological Seminary. The school is hosting two gatherings, the first of which was just completed. It was titled Best Practices of the Emerging Church and has been a dialogue between emerging church leaders, leaders sympathetic to emerging realities but from the context of mainline institutions (i.e., churches, denominations, seminaries), and administrators, professors, and PhD candidates from the PTS community.
In a little while Brian McLaren will address the larger community of Princeton in a public forum regarding theological education. That, by the way is theme of the second gathering here that will continue until Friday. However at the end of his lecture today, Brian will fly out and head immediately to Kansas City where he will address leaders from all over my city at Mid-America Nazarene College. Most the staff of Jacob's Well will be there without me, so that is a bummer...but, Princeton in November is hard to complain about and I am glad they will get some of Brian in that context.
I am going to grouse a bit now however. Last night one of my favorite bands, Nickel Creek, played in concert at the Uptown. They always come through either Kansas City or Lawrence (or both) this time each year. I know this because my birthday is looming and twice I have been able to see them on or around my birthday, once at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, once at the Uptown. So, it wasn't too difficult to come to Princeton given that I've seen them twice and haven't listened to their new record that I'm guessing comprises much of their current tour. However, when I landed at Newark yesterday morning at 10:20 a.m. (EST), I received a voice mail from my wife informing me that Nickel Creek was playing an ad hoc set yesterday morning at my favorite spot in Kansas City, the Broadway Cafe. Broadway was started by an old high school friend of mine named Sara Honan and is, bar none, the best coffee shop in Kansas City. Nickel Creek, being aficionados of coffee stop there every time they are in KC and have listed Broadway as one of the top five coffee shops in the country. That these two things came together yesterday and live music resulted from it and I WASN'T THERE! Are you kidding me? I thought I had worked through this yesterday, but I am shaking as I type this. I actually had physical pain in my body listening to my wife's message. That is not good.
I had friends there who were able to enjoy it though, and that makes it both better and worse. Some of them like Nickel Creek but not Broadway. Some of them like Broadway but not Nickel Creek. Does this seem like a cosmic injustice to anyone else? It was good to hear the sense of transcendental peace that accompanied Mikelan's voice telling me they missed me in this environment. I hope to God someone recorded this deal.
My only hope is that walking around Princeton over the next couple of days might afford me a chance to bump into John Nash (is he still alive?). I walked beneath the dorm that you might remember Russell Crowe shoving a desk from a window in "A Beautiful Mind." Tonight we are having what Adam Cleaveland is calling the ultimate Emergent cohort and that will be a blast. I'll come back later and add some pics and hyperlinks to this post, juice it up a little...but for now I needed to do some therapy. I am off to watch Brian work his magic in this context, much like he will do tomorrow in Kansas City. Even though too many good things can be a bad thing, it is great to be here.
In a little while Brian McLaren will address the larger community of Princeton in a public forum regarding theological education. That, by the way is theme of the second gathering here that will continue until Friday. However at the end of his lecture today, Brian will fly out and head immediately to Kansas City where he will address leaders from all over my city at Mid-America Nazarene College. Most the staff of Jacob's Well will be there without me, so that is a bummer...but, Princeton in November is hard to complain about and I am glad they will get some of Brian in that context.
I am going to grouse a bit now however. Last night one of my favorite bands, Nickel Creek, played in concert at the Uptown. They always come through either Kansas City or Lawrence (or both) this time each year. I know this because my birthday is looming and twice I have been able to see them on or around my birthday, once at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, once at the Uptown. So, it wasn't too difficult to come to Princeton given that I've seen them twice and haven't listened to their new record that I'm guessing comprises much of their current tour. However, when I landed at Newark yesterday morning at 10:20 a.m. (EST), I received a voice mail from my wife informing me that Nickel Creek was playing an ad hoc set yesterday morning at my favorite spot in Kansas City, the Broadway Cafe. Broadway was started by an old high school friend of mine named Sara Honan and is, bar none, the best coffee shop in Kansas City. Nickel Creek, being aficionados of coffee stop there every time they are in KC and have listed Broadway as one of the top five coffee shops in the country. That these two things came together yesterday and live music resulted from it and I WASN'T THERE! Are you kidding me? I thought I had worked through this yesterday, but I am shaking as I type this. I actually had physical pain in my body listening to my wife's message. That is not good.
I had friends there who were able to enjoy it though, and that makes it both better and worse. Some of them like Nickel Creek but not Broadway. Some of them like Broadway but not Nickel Creek. Does this seem like a cosmic injustice to anyone else? It was good to hear the sense of transcendental peace that accompanied Mikelan's voice telling me they missed me in this environment. I hope to God someone recorded this deal.
My only hope is that walking around Princeton over the next couple of days might afford me a chance to bump into John Nash (is he still alive?). I walked beneath the dorm that you might remember Russell Crowe shoving a desk from a window in "A Beautiful Mind." Tonight we are having what Adam Cleaveland is calling the ultimate Emergent cohort and that will be a blast. I'll come back later and add some pics and hyperlinks to this post, juice it up a little...but for now I needed to do some therapy. I am off to watch Brian work his magic in this context, much like he will do tomorrow in Kansas City. Even though too many good things can be a bad thing, it is great to be here.
what kills me is that we were in town and we didn't know about nickel creek at broadway - both of which we love. i am just sick.
Posted by: brooke | November 03, 2005 at 11:27 AM
... i also recieved a voicemail and was unable to make it to broadway. i did, however, enjoy a great show last night at the uptown. really great. complete with covers of radiohead, britney spears, and the counting crows. you'll get em next year....
Posted by: rachel | November 03, 2005 at 02:42 PM
Tim -
I can't say I'm feeling your 'exact' pain, but I'm feeling your pain.
Jenae called me at work all frantic while watching NC on the tube @ BC as we are both big fans as well. I couldn't get away from work to catch them in time, but made it up there around lunch hour and talked to a few patrons and employees about them. Nothing but great things to say as usual.
I was fortunate enough to meet NC back in 2001 before they "made it". I was a Grad Assistant in the Student Life office @ SMSU, in charge of the graphic design for all concerts, lecturers, etc. We had NC in for an annual end of the year all-day music festival (they played before Run-DMC ! ! !) and I've been hooked ever since. Not to mention, I ate pizza with Sarah before the show.
OK, that was a whole lot about nothing.
I do hope being in New England (is Jersey considered NE ?) in the fall and being with such great people is some consolation.
Posted by: doug | November 03, 2005 at 09:11 PM
* * * UPDATE * * *
turn that frown upside down :
Nickle Creek - 11.08.05 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
Chris Thile & Mike Marshall Tour - 1.19.06 Liberty, MO Liberty Theater
ps - you mentioned your bday is "looming", when is it ? mine is "looming" as well.
Posted by: doug | November 03, 2005 at 10:04 PM
Thanks for the solidarity, peeps. How was it Rachel?
I'm a seventh guy, Doug. You? Maybe I can catch one of those shows by the way. Thanks.
Posted by: Tim | November 04, 2005 at 11:26 AM
Would it send you over the edge to know that Bono flew in to catch NC at the Broadway too? **grin**
Whip those Presbys in to shape, TIm. Don't let 'em rub off on you too much. It does my heart good to know you are there.
Posted by: Michael Kruse | November 04, 2005 at 06:49 PM
I'm reading this to my Doug, and like my daughter-in-law Brooke said, WHAT? We love both NC and Broadway, too!! We would have SO been there! Standing with you, Tim, in your pain... :)
Posted by: katy Raymond | November 05, 2005 at 03:10 PM
Thanks for the solidarity, Katy.
Posted by: Tim | November 22, 2005 at 08:31 PM