I'll Have The Curry.

As a young teenager, I was deeply shaped by what it meant to have a   “personal relationship with Jesus.” I heard it talked about all the time, in every sermon and every Bible study, in every youth group message. I learned that the way to know God was through a “quiet time” where one devoted themself to studying scripture, searching for the sin in their life, asking for forgiveness, and repeating daily. This pattern was engrained in my mind and became the only allowable way to know Jesus. There wasn’t a lot of room for creativity in discovering God because anything outside of the prescription felt sacrilegious, or had potential to lead me astray into something “evil.”   It’s interesting the deep impact those teachings had on me in those formative years. While seminary stretched my imagination for encountering God, I still found myself stuck in a loop of guilt for not doing a daily quiet time as I had learned in my primitive Christian formation in youth group. I clearly remem...

A Sermon for the people of Central Presbyterian Church of Austin and the First Baptist Church of Austin July 21 + July 28 Hope in Strange Places 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Bathsheba  by Loui Jover I bought a running watch at the start of the pandemic. A fancy Garmin watch equipped with a heart rate monitor, step counter, blood oxygen detector, a convenient timer that comes in handy when I’m cooking in the kitchen, and of course, GPS to track the distance of my runs. It was way more watch than I needed but it gave me helpful information on my wrist as I set out on solo runs in my neighborhood-and-beyond to escape the monotony of pandemic daily life. A well intentioned purchase and the cause of my perpetual, unattractive watch tan, this watch also came with a feature I didn't want- the ability to receive smart phone notifications the second they arrived.   Being THAT connected to my phone was the reason I opted NOT to get the very hip Apple Watch. I was jaded by people who, in mid convers...

I’m a big fan of iced oat milk lavender lattes. They have a hold on me during the summer.   And during the winter, I switch to extra hot oat milk lavender lattes (because I like my coffee to burn my mouth when I drink it. Yes, I know, it’s weird.)   I think about lattes in the middle of the day, wishing it was the appropriate time for caffeine.   At bed, I am excited to go to sleep because morning will be soon… and you know what that means- lavender latte time.   Anytime I drive on North Lamar, my Subaru’s steering wheel automatically turns into the parking lot in the search for a delicious   (and affordable) caffeinated beverage.   Today was no different. I headed into the cafe to order my usual latte. I didn’t need any groceries on this trip so I quickly walked towards the same door I entered, trying not to get distracted by the promotions near the checkout. On my way out, I noticed a young mom juggling her freshly made smoothie and her two precious lit...

A sermon for the people of First Baptist Church of Austin May 26, 2024 John 3:1-21 Misunderstandings Jesus and Nicodemus Having a Conversation by ArtByJory It happened a lot during the Covid lockdown of 2020. Information spread fast across the internet, easily shared with one click of a button. People were eager to learn as much as they could about the new coronavirus and with no way to know if the information was accurate, people began developing opinions based off the trustworthiness of the person sharing it rather than the source of the information. “Uncle Steve is a medical doctor so I can trust what he shared on Facebook to be true, because he knows about medical stuff! If he posts it, I’ll believe it!” Before long, opinions about the efficacy and safety of vaccines were being disputed because an echo chamber of misleading information circulated the Facebook feeds of people skeptical of science with mistrust in the government. In this case, the ramifications of that misinformation...

When I was in college, a few girls down the hall invited me to a painting party in their dorm room on a random Friday night. They had gathered cheap supplies from the arts and craft section of Wal-Mart, set out brushes and canvases and encouraged us to paint.   “But what do I paint?” I asked. The host’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Whatever you want!” It was clear she came prepared with ideas to bring to life, but to me, it was incredibly intimidating to create something out of nothing.   Having little experience working with paint, I selected the brightest colors for my pallet, picked a brush that was not too small and not too big, and made marks on the blank canvas.  I had no plan for what I wanted my creation to become, but rather I explored the possibilities with each movement of the brush. I mixed colors to make new ones.  I made thin lines and fat lines. I moved the brush with quick flicks of the wrist.  I fanned out the bristles to make abstract shapes ...

Austin Civic Orchestra, May 2023 at Bates Recital Hall, University of Texas at Austin I have a ritual on Tuesdays.   It’s something that I do each week during the school year; something that I’ve done faithfully for the last 15 years.   It brings me immense joy, even if it’s a pain to carve out the time in my schedule. Each Tuesday, I attend rehearsal as a violinist in the Austin Civic Orchestra.   Each week is different, yet feels the same- I sit down at my chair in a public high school band hall that smells strongly like spit from emptied spit valves and has a lingering smell of teenaged sweat mixed with body splash. We wait for the minute-hand to hit the quarter hour after seven and watch the concertmistress call our 90 piece orchestra to order. We silence our side conversations and listen closely for the oboe player to articulate the perfect A, 440 hz to be exact, to which I attempt to precisely match my A string on my violin. Once all my stings are tuned, I silently...