Segue Dallas

So here we are . . .
This place of hope and potential.
This place of promise and purpose.
This place . . . this space,
Where art and spirit collide.
Where peace and encouragement intersect.
Where possibilities emerge.
And tonight the hope of forgiveness
spills into our souls.

Could it really happen?
Could I really be forgiven?
How?
Why?

This must be a mistake!
Something is wrong!
No one owes me forgiveness.
Not after what I’ve done.
Not after I’ve caused so much pain.

Forgiveness . . . that’s for the “good” people!
Not for people like me.
I don’t deserve it.
I certainly haven’t earned it.

But forgiveness that is earned isn’t forgiveness at all.
That’s penance.

To forgive is:
to erase debt
to let something go
to extend mercy
to release grudges
to choose love

Why do we hold on to pain?
Why is it so hard to let go?

What does our unwillingness to forgive bring us?

Some form of twisted comfort in thinking that we’re
somehow controlling the one we refuse to forgive?

What does our unwillingness to forgive bring us?

An angry distant persona that always longs for what
should have been rather than making the most of the
way things are?

FORGIVE . . .
And RECEIVE forgiveness!

And find:

Peace
Hope
Release
And the embrace of mercy.

October/November Newsletter

A new book from Mark Siljander, former US Congressman, details his quest to bridge the Muslim Christian divide. Learn more at www.ADeadlyMisunderstanding.com

There are 27 million slaves in the world today. The Film Call + Response exposes and informs and calls for action. This film opens at the Angelika in Dallas October 17. Check it out at callandresponse.com.

Yep, it’s time for a change. The Segue gathering will soon experience a change of location. Beginning October 5, 2008 the Segue gathering will be held at Space in Deep Ellum. It’s the second floor of the Carson Warehouse building on Main Street.

The address is
2814 Main Street Suite #201
Dallas, TX 75226.

We’ve always wanted to have that 75226 zip code and well, now we do. Timing is crucial and it seems the time is right. Why? Well mainly because we have a lot of good relationships in the neighborhood and therefore people can trust us and hopefully not think, “Here are some more people to tell us we’re going to hell!” Somehow that doesn’t seem like a very good way to make friends. Check it out if you want. We start at 5:30 with a meal and it’s pretty laid back.

August/September Newsletter

Things are going very well on this first
stint. We’ve been out on the road now for about 27 days, and driven
almost 4 thousands miles, but we continue to go strong! Today we were on the
second page of the Texarkana Gazette, in a piece that was more than
half the page, so that was cool. I always get worried about being in the
paper, just because of misquotes and all that jazz, but from what I am
told the piece was really, really good. All today I’ve been getting
phone calls and emails from random people telling me how inspired they
are, and how they want to be a part of what we are doing. So this is good,
but adds a new dynamic.

Lately we’ve really been focusing on sharing not only our love with
people, but also the love of Christ. I noticed a small process, if you
will, that Jesus went through in His conversation with a few people
throughout the bible, particularly with people in need. Usually he
encountered them, healed them, then forgave them. So we’ve been trying to embrace
them as our friends as Jesus would, provide them with food, water,
drink and a person to listen, and then share with them the love of Christ.

For me, the trip has become more than just loving on and providing for
the homeless. It’s really shown me that we as humans all are hurting in
some way or another, and most of the reason for that hurt is another
human being. For instance, people who are homeless are often serviced
with shelters, soup kitchens, and job training, but that’s not getting to
the core of the issues they are dealing with. Most men and women on
the street have been hurt by parents (75% of homeless men and women have
been raped, or molested), and so if it’s relationships (unhealthy ones)
that scarred them, then it’s relationships that will heal them. Soup
kitchens won’t heal them. Shelters won’t heal them. Relationships will.

And so I am moving this idea over into the rest of the people in the
world, and I’ve noticed it’s just as valid. Somewhere over the course of
time we are all shaped, positively or negatively, by the relationships
we have with friends, family, or that bully at school, or that rapist
who broke into our house, or so on and so forth; and so relationships
are the only things that’s going to heal that. This may seem obvious
enough, but as I look around at some churches, organizations, and even the
government, people seem not to see this.

Looking into the bible, I think this is obvious enough as well. In Acts
2 thru 6, there is amazing community that is life giving, healing, and
focused on Christ and the Spirit. So that’s good! And positive! And
those sort of relationships are good, and bring you closer to our Savior.

If I turned around Acts 2-6, what does that look like? What is the
complete opposite of Acts 2-6? People not providing for each others needs.
People not meeting daily with each other. People not thinking of
others, but thinking only of themselves. People not rejoicing together.

And I believe this is where we are. And it’s relationships, the ones
that are manifest in love that comes from Christ and have a purpose to
connect with Christ; it’s those relationships that will heal us as
followers of Christ, as homeless men and women, as terrorist, rapist,
murderers, and any other man or woman. Because at the heart of every issue and
problem we face, there is a broken understanding of what it means to
be loved and love. The killer kills because he was never paid attention
to. The rapist rapes because he was molested. The terrorist terrorizes
because someone told him that killing meant service and love to God.
The homeless man is homeless because he lost hope in people, and didn’t
realize anyone cared. The high school senior cuts her wrist because she
feels the world is against her. The freshman boy smokes weed because he
feels like it’s the only way to fit in. The business man commits
adultery because doesn’t feel like he’s being paid
attention to by his own wife. The leader of this nation declares war
on another because he feels threatened.

Chad

Kevin,

Listening to you talk about the move to Deep Ellum in Segue was really interesting, if for no other reason that it really hit home with the move that I’ll soon be making. You see, if I had not known different, I may have mistaked the Segue move to Deep Ellum with my move to college. The similarities were astounding: New place, new relationships, more people to meet, etc. I thought that this was cool, and I’m really excited for the opportunity that is presenting itself both for my future, and for the future of Segue. I was really glad to see the focus for all the positive that could come out of this, and rightly so. When you asked the, “Why do you want to make the move?” question last week, I immediately associated it with the move I’d be making, and that begged the question for me as to what excites me about my move to Austin. And really, the answers are the same: i.e. building relationships with new people, and becoming a part of the bigger picture.

One thing that I often find myself doing is overlooking the downside or shortcomings in people, places, ideas, or whatever, simply because it’s not pretty. I cannot really express how excited I am (have been) for college to get here. I don’t think I fully realize it now, but I know there will be things I both miss about home, and things/situations that I do not like in Austin. It was evident through the conversation at Segue, that y’all have put a lot of thinking into this, and not just about all the good things that this move allows for, but also for the worries that come with it. There will be expectations, but I hope the majority of Segue stays the way it is. There will be an “adaptation process” but much as with my move, you can only be who you are.

I believe it was Kelly that talked about not biting off more than can be chewed and burning yourselves out. This reminded me somewhat of something my baseball coach at Woodrow told me. In his first years, he tried to be the guy-who-controlled all, who did everything he could to make the players all that they could be. Eventually he burned himself out, simply because not enough of the kids cared. He put so much into trying to make them care, and it backfired. Now, that’s not to say he didn’t want teams such as the one this year to succeed, but he no longer does what he once did: He simply couldn’t keep it up. In this case, an attitude adjustment was not something he could change in one year, but he poured his all into it and ended up burning himself out. I’ve never been one for real inspirational words, and as odd as this sounds I have no idea what to make of that story. But, that was the first thing I thought of, and maybe there’s some connection there that I don’t quite comprehend.

But I am a firm believer that this move is for the best, and it will be successful. From talking to you, this seems to be something you’ve really wanted and I have no doubt that Segue will flourish because of it. I know that I for one am looking forward to coming back and attending Segue whenever possible. But hey, I still have about 5 Segue’s left with y’all and I’m looking forward to those too!

Two or three months down the road, Segue may no longer be held in your house, but in essence I think that its going home. And that’s pretty cool!

Sam

I’m sure that when M. Night Shyamalan started to write the script for Lady in the Water, he did so with some sort of an idea for the kind of person he wanted to play each role.  Conversely, there were probably a good number of actors who read the script and either thought it was a great role for them, or that the proverbial shoe didn’t quite fit.

The task of finding the right person to fit the role is essentially what the movie Lady in the Water is all about.  Cleveland Heep goes on a quest to return the girl who saved him, Story, to her home in “the Blue World”.  To do so, Cleveland must find people capable of helping Story, a Symbolist, a Healer, a Guardian, and a Guild.  Cleveland seeks out the help of a movie critic named Mr. Farber, who gives Cleveland what he thinks are the leads that he needs to seek out the identities of each of the helpers.  Of course, Cleveland picks the easy answer, and it is not until later that he finds the identity of each of the players.  Once he does so, though, they are able to safely get Story to the eagle that will take her back to her world.

This past Sunday at Segue, we discussed some of the ways in which this movie parallels what is going on with Segue.  It really is funny, because through each individual’s eyes you could see a different interpretation as to what this movie means.  Watching this movie, it was easy to see what Kevin was getting at a few weeks ago when he talked about his vision for what he would like to see Segue become when a permanent home is found.  If my memory serves me correctly, he envisioned a place where Jim would be outside greeting people, a place where Austin and Justin could use their artistic talents to make a visually vibrant worship space, a place where Jana and others could use their talents to make a sensually calming atmosphere.  I know I’m leaving out multitudes of others, but you get the idea.

One of the big pillars of Segue is community, and everyone who wants to can find their own niche within this community.  To some it comes easy, but others of us are like Cleveland.  The obvious answer may not be the best answer, but after a little searching, it will come.

And that is what is makes this movie interesting to me on so many different levels.  Much in the same way that Shyamalan had a plan for this script, God has a plan for us.  The script has been written, and it’s up to us to seek out our part.

Now it’s your turn.  What is it that you see in the movie?

June/July Newsletter