C'est la vie d'artiste

Hello my friends!

It's been a while since I gave an update on the musical endeavors of my life.  Since they pretty much rule me right now, it seems an appropriate time to let everyone else in on the craziness that is being a working (which does not always -- and in fact most often does not -- mean paid, by the way, but I digress) musician.  Truth be told, sometimes it doesn't look like being a musician at all.  For instance, last night I picked up my guitar for the first time in almost two weeks and realized that -- although these two weeks have consisted almost entirely of planning and organizing some very musical events in which I play a large musical role -- often the administrative side of being a musician takes over much of the time and energy I would otherwise put into actually playing and creating music.  And I have to admit, it's frustrating.  I also find it ironic that being a "productive" artist usually consists of such overwhelmingly unartistic endeavors.

C'est la vie d'artiste, I suppose.  But must it be?

Well, that was about to become an entirely other post.  But the intent of this one is to tell yous guys what's up in our music world.  So here it is:

Saturday, October 1st: For One Chicago

     I'll be leading the worship times of this event with a lovely, lovely group of friends and musicians.  The event itself is for a fantastic cause -- serving with our hands and feet the beautiful people of this magnificent city.  It's not just going to consist of coming to a big auditorium and praising God with our lips and asking Him to make us better servants at some undefined time of our lives.  It's going to involve both worship and response.  Now, I know worship is a response... to God.  We're also going to worship Him, though, by responding to Chicago, by serving the way Jesus served.  Check out the link above if you're interested in getting in on this very exciting city-wide project.  

Friday, October 14th: Acoustic Blend

     Now, this little fella has been a long time in the making.  It's the folk arm of the Fusion Concert Series that my body-of-Jesus home -- Holy Trinity Church -- puts on annually, including concerts of jazz, blues, classical and other awesome genres of music.  I coordinated the first Acoustic Blend in the Spring of 2010, and -- as it's already Fall (today!) of 2011, we thought it was about time to get around to it again.  This concert will be held at The Tapestry, a great little venue for these sorts of concerts in Chicago, and coffee will be provided gratis by CityGrounds coffee bar of Lincoln Park.  Thornfield (including yours truly) will be playing, as well as some other fantastically folksy folks.  So, if you're at all interested in folk music, great coffee, or just like to hang out with people who are, this is the place for you.  There is a "Suggested Donation" of $5 to help cover costs, but don't let that stop you from coming if you really can't afford it!

Friday - Sunday, October 28-30th: Women's Weekend Away

     This is specifically for the women of Holy Trinity (though if you don't attend HTC, you're still more than welcome... er... if you're a woman).  I'm organizing the music and worship for this weekend, which has been super easy thanks to my friend Shandra and some other awesome organized women.  (What would we creative types do without organized people?!?)  

So.  October. Is. Crazy.  But as all of these projects seem to be coming together -- not effortlessly or seamlessly, but together nonetheless -- it's sure to be an exciting month for us.  And the craziness has definitely taught me a lesson or twenty on depending not on my own strength but on the Spirit's.  What He gives us to do, He will enable us to do.  ::sigh of relief::  Thornfield will not be doing our monthly gig at CityGrounds for obvious reasons, but we'll be back there on Saturday, November 12th.  Please check out our website (www.thornfieldmusic.com) for more up-to-date events, interviews, recordings and more.  

Aaaaaaand... Since I'm writing about music, I think there should be some inspiring picture to go with it all in your mind.  So here it is:

Have a great weekend!

Theologically-Minded Women Needed!

Hello friend,

I'd determined to start this new blog with greater passion and predictability than my last had become, but apparently I'm already having trouble keeping those attributes in mind.  The truth is, my life as it currently is (consisting of school, work, service and, my personal favorite, wifehood) doesn't leave much room for putting words to my musings.  Even so, the musings exist, if only in my mind, and I feel it does them no justice to pass them over in thought only with nothing to show for it.  So, here I am.

I've been trying to keep a list on hand of things that cross my mind worthy of being written about.  Some interesting topics have been pondered lately, so I hope to have time to expound on them soon...  Such as, a woman's role as it relates to theology... That's been a highlight here, as of late.  I've been reading When Life and Beliefs Collide, which at first was a bit of a trudgery (as almost all required textbooks are), but soon became a fount of encouragement and excitement for me.  Truth be told, even as a Bible student, I've never really liked "theology."  That is, I never liked what I perceived theology to be... lifeless study of some god out there somewhere.  And, for some reason, more suited to the musings of men than of women.  I've since discovered what theology really is... a life-long treasure-hunt... but not a hunt for a treasure never really to be found, or even only once found and then spent.  Rather, a hunt for something so great that life-changing pieces of it are found and put to use every single day it is sought, and every single day after which it has been found.  I've discovered theology and its pursuit to truly be an act of worship... something to be pursued by both men and women ... and an act daily forming my worship to be truer and closer to the kind of worship that God deserves.

That said, it's now time for me to get to another sort of act of worship, if thought of correctly... Time for me to go to class.  :)  But I'll be back, more musings in tow, shortly.  Till then, think about it... What role does theology play in your life?  Do you consider it dull or useless, insofar as it relates to you and your own relationship with God?  If you are a woman, do you consider "doing" theology to be more part of a "man's role", or do you consider it an active part of your own worship?  If the former, what has impressed that thought on you?

                                                                        grace and peace,

                                                                                Carrie