Winamac House Concert

A couple of weeks ago, before things were a little busy with sound issues and leading at a neighboring church, I had the pleasure of traveling out to Winamac, IN for a house concert with my new friends Matt and Candace. Their cute ranch style house is tucked away in a cute little neighborhood, along snow covered roads that took us through multiple small towns. Definitely a direction across Indiana I had not had the opportunity to see yet! My friend Kevin was a good sport to chauffeur my gear and I out there and back in the same night, so I could be at Saint Joseph for a funeral the next morning....and not drive on somewhat snowy roads! The evening kicked off with a dinner of tacos, a rescue of a friend whose car had slipped off the road in a neighboring town, and the usual music! I had the added benefit of a couple of toddler dancers for the first bit of the night, but bedtime came soon after and they headed out. 

Such an enjoyable evening. I fully believe in these house concerts. An informal setting that allows stories to be shared and relationships built. I am thankful for each opportunity to share my story, but also to hear the stories of others. And to laugh. With new friends. Pretty much makes my day.

Thank you Matt and Candace for opening your home and inviting us in. Winamac is a special place and I adored an evening there! I hope to come visit in warmer weather!!!!!!

December House Concerts

The First...... My first house concert...I was nervous, recovering from some virus I had picked up, and I had no idea how the actual evening would go. I had a pretty good mental picture of what I wanted to happen, but that's a bit unreliable when paired against reality at times.

It was fabulously fun. I shared the stories behind the songs, and other historical facts as necessary. The set flowed, Andrew was awesome on cajon, and everyone who came seemed to really enjoy the time together. 

My last thought at the end of the night was, "I can't wait to do this again." I am thankful for this exploration of house concerts, for intimate settings, for people like Karen, who so willingly open up their homes and invite others in. And for friends who came...and brought new friends.

And the Second.....

The following week, came a house concert at my good friends, the Whybrews. Their toddlers, Tucker and Tessa, graciously agreed to go eat pizza and play at a friend's house and we welcomed a motley crew mostly comprised of staff from Saint Joseph. Which I loved the reactions of certain coworkers to my "Bob Ford" song... and most of their reactions in general. 

I'm finding that the concept of a house concert is new to many. Hoping to do a blog post soon on just what it means to host one... basically means picking an evening, inviting friends, and providing some snacks... but I'll make it sound a bit more snazzy....:o)

Sunset Photo Attempt

I am blessed to have amazingly talented friends. Rachel, www.blackcranephotography.com, is always up for an adventure. So when I told her I wanted sunset photos...preferably in a field, with some sort of chair, well, we tried what we could when we had a chance. The problem is...it gets dark early in Indiana as we head into late fall. And her beautiful three children are not yet easily entertained (all five years and younger). But Rachel had a photo shoot scheduled out at Salomon Farm one Friday evening with a young family and so I went along to keep an eye on her little ones... and in case we still had some daylight for our own photos. 

We met up with the other family, and as Rachel snapped some pics, I braved rush hour traffic on that side of town and ran by Mcdonalds with the kids to grab happy meals. Note to self: even if they will be eating in the car, the Murphy children will cry if you do not order sweet and sour sauce with their chicken nuggets. We made it back as the shoot was finishing up. It was chilly, darkening fast, but we managed to catch a few keepers. Let me know what you think!

The chair and field part comes later....

Taylor Chapel

We worshipped this morning in a gym with an odd assortment of chairs, a sound system prone to feedback, and a tentative plan of where we wanted worship to go. Close to three hundred people gathered ready to pray, sing, and share their hearts. Hope in the midst of brokenness. It hadn't even been a full week since a fire destroyed the sanctuary at Taylor Chapel UMC, one of our neighbor churches here in Fort Wayne. A week of heavy clean up and assessment. Of salvaging and repair. Only yesterday, over 700 people passed through that family life center as a part of their Upward Basketball program. And only hours later, the altar was set, the sound system and screen in place, and the chairs laid out. 

Most amazing to watch, has been the outpouring of support and encouragement from the community and other area churches. The altar came from one church, childcare from another, coffee from the Bob Evans right next door. 

I had the humbling honor of leading worship...of walking alongside this community of believers on a morning where it was important to grieve, to remember, and to sing of hope. I stepped up to the microphone after a few acapella hymns led by a member, a photo montage of memories coupled with the current state of the sanctuary, and prayers spoken by representatives from area churches. I claimed the morning as a "holy and set apart" time and invited the members to stand, sit, sing, pray, and cry... these beautiful, courageous people were ready.

The next two hours (rare for the average united methodist congregation :o)), we sang, prayed, reflected, read scriptures, shared thoughts, and took communion. My heart resonated with the authenticity and transparency shown about the room. I love when the movement of the Spirit is felt strongly...I lost track of how many times the feeling of goosebumps ran through me. 

Powerful. Humbling. God's love never fails, never gives up, never runs out. A holy and set apart time.

Celebrating Grace

Today was a tough day. We celebrated the life of one of our members, Neal, who passed away right before Christmas. He had a long battle with cancer, and I was blessed to know him in my year at Saint Joseph. A drummer, a husband, a father and grandfather. A strong exterior, with a gentle heart. In a bittersweet twist of irony, our digital soundboard locked up forty-five minutes before the service, and so in a quick moment, we put in the sound board Neal had donated to the church this fall. His sound board for his funeral service. Seems fitting. 

And so the morning passed in a bit of a blur of tech issues, people, music, and stories. I spent my late afternoon at Taylor Chapel UMC, another local church in the Fort Wayne area. A fire destroyed their sanctuary earlier this week, and their worship gathering on Sunday morning has been moved into their family life center. We provided a portable sound system and I will be helping to lead worship there in the morning. We set up, tested out our equipment, and met to discuss tomorrow's service and pray for the congregation. Such courage and faith I see in these people, who are trusting in God, who are clinging to the promise of hope we have in Jesus.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve and walk alongside people. I pray for wisdom and discernment and peace. That days like today remind us that we are living for more than what these flesh and bones feel. We celebrate grace.

Hello 2013

2012.....was a good year indeed. A year to settle in to a new place, to take on new adventures and challenges... build relationships and find community...and lean even farther into what God is burning deep inside of me. I am grateful for the past year. For the opportunity to grow and learn and stretch. To have a plethora of amazing people that love and support me.

2012 was the year I got a tooth infection on vacation. The year I scared the hiccups out of someone. The year I flew home and surprised my family. The year I started sharing my songs. 

A good year indeed.

So hello 2013...what will you bring?

Behind the Scenes: Getting Ready for the Pop Up Market

Playing the Holiday Pop Up Market in downtown Fort Wayne at the end of November was incredibly fun and a beautiful day to spend among other creative people.  But it was also a lot of work! Sitting down in the Murphy living room with an abstract idea of "a small project" led to hours of scheming, creating, and trips to hobby lobby.  But the end result of mostly borrowed items, was a warm, cozy, and inviting set.  I adored it.

We started with an old shag rug rolled up in the garage and Brendan's lighting trellis to feel out the curtains and lights.  A flat sheet with a cherry blossom pattern became the main backdrop.  Two sets of netted Christmas lights and a floor spotlight added so much to the warmth.  Two silver buckets originally from Rachel and Brendan's wedding arrangements held branches from a recently disabled tree from their backyard. And an LED candle put into a lantern from their three seasons room added a pop of light in the front.

We did the initial set up Saturday night with a growing list of to-dos in a couple of days times.  The Bentons were able to help in the making of a logo Sunday, which meant by Monday night my name was printed on foam board!!! How awesome is that? I cut it out with a pretty dull exacto knife...I'll know better next time.

Why sleep when you can watch Amy cut foam board in your garage?

And so with a borrowed photography backdrop stand, and some brown sheer curtains of mine, we threw in a stool, a guitar case, and a side table and we were done!  We didn't have any fishing line at the time, so the name went up with some rope to give us a better idea of the finished product!

On one hand, I could have just shown up the day of, with my guitar and sound system and played some music.  But having the backdrop and lights set apart our little space and was a perfect addition for winter wonderland music.  It took so many different people to make it all happen.... I am thankful for each and everyone of them!

Last Thanksgiving

Because I have not been in the same place for more than 10 months since.... I don't know I guess all the way back to high school! It's always amusing to play the "where was I a year ago today?" game.  To reflect on where I've been, and how quickly life shifts and changes and launches you forward. A year ago today, I met my current pastor for breakfast at Cosmos, a local Fort Wayne culinary experience.  I had auditioned/interviewed the night before and running on a lot of adrenaline and not a lot of sleep.  The way too expensive rental car I had gotten was out in the parking lot as we sat in a booth up against a window with heaping plates of eggs, hashbrowns, and toast.  I quickly pushed away my plate of food, as Russ handed me an un-official job offer...the official one to follow that afternoon.  It's hard to eat when one is contemplating a job, a move, a new direction!  I remember staring at the paper, the title "Worship Pastor" at the top, and being asked what I thought of it.  My response was simply, "This looks like I would be doing what I feel God is calling me to do."

Soon after, I was back in that sweet rental car, driving once again in the rain, to fly home for Thanksgiving.  The official offer came later that day, and on Thanksgiving, I accepted the job and began making plans to move mid-December.  I had and still have so much to be grateful for here in Indiana.

I like Thanksgiving. I like taking a moment in the year to pause the hectic planning and scheming and inhale the scent of goodness and blessing.