The Rabbit Room

The Last of the Amazons

I could tell by the tone of my mother’s voice that something had happened–-even over the phone I sensed the gentle sadness–-and I knew with a pang of kindred sorrow what it was. Aunt Ruth had died.

Quietly, my mother told me, in her sleep. 104 years old and the last of my grandmother’s sisters. The last of a generation that was mighty upon the earth. I never thought the Aunts would die. It never seriously occurred to me to fear it--they were too foundational to the proper functioning of the world in general and my life in particular: like Corinthian columns fluted and lovely and made to bear the enormous weight of life with seemingly effortless grace, especially in such a precision of placement as these five sisters had aligned themselves. Even frail little Aunt Ruth, an invalid these forty years, had borne her load manfully, with a core of iron and steel beneath her thin housecoat. Out of all these mighty pillars only she had remained, her faded, almost transparent little body but thinly veiling the light and fire of a still-vibrant mind within.

Good Advice from Pixar’s Mark Andrews

This is a lecture that Mark Andrews (Pixar's director of the forthcoming Brave) gave to a group of students at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts). He's talking chiefly about the art of storyboarding, but I found that most of what he says applies directly to the art of writing as well (or any other artistic medium). The video is in two parts. In the first, he shows his storyboard of his treatment of the Icarus myth. In the second part, he discusses the choices he made and how he went about putting the story together. The quality isn't the best, but the advice is spot on. Well worth the fifteen minutes if you're a storyteller.

An Open Letter to Praise Bands

Someone pointed me to this letter the other day, and the author (James K. A. Smith, Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College) gave us permission to re-post it here. As someone who has been in hundreds of churches over the years, I resonate with much of what Smith says. I've wanted to write something similar before, but didn't because I didn't want it to be seen as some veiled critique of my own church---a church I love. This is a touchy subject, and it's easy to get opinionated without affording much grace toward the music leaders. I agreed to lead the songs one Sunday at our church a few years ago, and by the time I had chosen the songs, learned the songs, chosen the keys, prepared the slides, called the band, rehearsed with the band, soundchecked with the band, and played in the service I was exhausted. My week was shot. I learned two things: 1) music leaders at churches work harder than most people realize, and 2) never agree to lead songs at church again if you hope to get anything else done that week.

Truth in the Guise of Illusion

[I'm reposting this after seeing Studio Tenn's production of The Miracle Worker last week. It's incredible. Go see it.]

“Yes, I have tricks in my pocket. I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.”

–From The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

I sat in the theater, huddled around the stage with a hundred strangers, and watched as the narrator sauntered out of the darkness and smirked at us. Those words, the first of his opening soliloquy, made me nod and smile and whisper to myself, “I’m going to enjoy this.” I’m not sure what it is that keeps me from the theater. Every time I go, I’m glad I did. But it seems I usually hear about productions after they’ve come and gone. There’s no marquee next to the mall to remind me of what I’m missing, and there’s no stage version of a Fandango app to feed me show times and reviews. So, too often, plays by local theater companies slip by under my radar until I hear about them from someone else long after the curtain has fallen.

Hutchmoot 2012: Registration is Sold Out!

SOLD OUT! (For the record, it took 7 minutes.) It's time, folks. There are now 100 spots open for Hutchmoot 2012. Let the games begin! We're lining up a great weekend, and we'll see you on September 23. Send us an email to be added to the waiting list.

Oxford Chronicles: The Village Bell-Ringers

A pearl-bright morning lit the sky my first Sunday in England as I set out to find the church in the village where I spent my first few days in the UK. A walk down deserted, cobble-grey lanes brought me and a few friends to the open door of the church. The main door, sturdy as fortress gate, was still closed for "choir practice," so we turned through a narrow entrance to our right, thinking it would lead to the balcony.

But the higher we climbed, the farther went the stair, and the narrower too. Lancet windows let in a cut of light now and then, but the passage narrowed and darkened as we climbed the chipped stairs until we were almost on hands and knees at each step. Go back? Never. The height and mystery egged us on, faster and faster, until, with a startle and stumble, we arrived at a square little room. It was crammed with people. We eight joined eight more, six elderly men and two women, all of whom stared wide-eyed at our accidental intrusion.

Josh Ritter Strikes Again. With Construction Paper!

If you're not familiar with Josh Ritter's music, here's a piece I wrote about my discovery and ensuing fandom of his songwriting. He just released a new EP of lullabies called Bringing in the Darlings, and this video from one of the songs was fairly mind-blowing. Here's what one of the folks at Etsy.com had to say about the making of the video:

What Is Love? Part III – Suffering

What Is Love? Part I - Definitions What Is Love? Part II - Gethsemane Jeanne Guyon wrote, "You must see the wisdom of God's plan in allowing . . . troubles to happen . . . There are two ways of handling little children. One is to give them all they want when they want it. Another is to give them only what is good for them so that they will grow up into maturity and not be spoiled. Your wise Father chooses the best way for you." (Intimacy With Christ) If we are parents, giving our children a strong sense of being loved through attention and affection is the foundation. But it is also imperative to allow appropriate suffering into our children's lives. Without it they cannot grow; without it they will be left without empathy, compassion, self-discipline, respect for authority, and will not accept responsibility for their actions.

Lent: Book Recommendations

Some people take on the spiritual discipline of reading a Christian book during Lent. I have been asked what books I would recommend. Here is a short list of titles I would suggest folks consider. If you have a book you would recommend, comment and let me know.

Non-fiction

The Prodigal God, Tim Keller Abba's Child, Brennan Manning The Prayer Life, Andrew Murray Life of the Beloved, Henri Nouwen The Cross of Christ, John Stott

Fiction

The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis Silence, Shusaku Endo The Power and the Glory, Graham Greene Gilead, Marilynne Robinson [Editor's note: Also great for Lent--our own Russ Ramsey's Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative.]

Hutchmoot 2012: Registration Opens March 1st

On September 20-23, the Rabbit Room will convene Hutchmoot 2012 at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, Tennessee. You're invited to come and enjoy a weekend of live music, great food and conversation, and a series of discussions centered on art, faith, and the telling of great stories across a range of mediums.

More information is available at the Hutchmoot website. Registration opens next week! At 7:00pm CST on March 1st, all 100 Hutchmoot tickets will go on sale. We considered a number of different ways to make tickets available, but in the end we feel the best, simplest, and fairest way is to announce the sale date and offer them on a first-come/first-served basis.