Lucid Moments

"Music is the place where people come to share melody and memory."

–Amy Helm

   Life is a series of lucid moments between interruptions. This week I was blessed by a few lucid moments.

Sunrise over I-77

The Gold Line

Charlotte, NC

(My view from the entrance of Presbyterian Hospital)

Minstrels

Presbyterian Hospital lobby

(see video above)

Søren Kierkegaard said, "The moment... it is not an atom of time, but an atom of eternity."


Amy Helm, the daughter of the late singer and drummer Levon Helm of The Band, releases her solo debut "Didn't It Rain" on July 24th. Listen to her live performance of "Rescue Me" on the player below:

Prayers, Praise and Pomodoro

Grande Disco

Arnaldo Pomodoro

Charlotte, NC

"The social challenge of art today, in my opinion,

is to start a dialogue with the people."

Arnaldo Pomodoro

     "Congenial conversation- what a pleasure!

The right word at the right time- beautiful!" 

Proverb 15:23, The Message.

     Words matter. The art of conversation rests on the right word at the right time. Words are the stock and trade of preachers and politicians, poets and pragmatists... it's no wonder we cringe at the word rhetoric (check out Rhetorica ad Herennium, you can click here to download a copy). FYI- Google translate doesn't list art as a language.


     Saturday I witnessed a beautiful thing- teenagers giving away words of hope, written, spoken and sung, to strangers on a sidewalk in Uptown Charlotte. They defied all the stereotypical 'kids today' comments. They prayed for people, out loud. They sang. Loud. They danced. Extravagantly. They freely gave away one of their most precious gifts- time, for the express purpose of sharing the love of God... without hype or pressure. There were, of course, some who steered clear of the group. These are strange times, filled with strange people. Too many agendas to be leary of.


     Not too far from the youth, across the street, there stands a sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro. The Grande Disco. The artist's statement at the base reads:


     Our life today is one of crisis... of movement... of tension.
     We do not know what our world will become.
     I try to say something about this uncertainty in my work.
     I try to communicate a sense of vitality and connection
     with the movement of life today...
     and to be a part of its movement.
     The social challenge of art today, in my opinion, is to start
     a dialogue with the people.
     I hope that is what happens here with the Grande Disco.


Saturday, a group of teenagers in Charlotte, North Carolina started a dialogue with a few people. Face-to-face, in real time, in front of The Grande Disco.

Street Worship
Tryon and Trade
Charlotte, NC