Authenticity Resonates Well

The Swell Season just played at the Paramount this evening. My insides are still spinning. This is the second concert I have seen this week and this one, hands down, blew the other one out of the water, and I love the other band, I’ve seen them at the Triple Door three years in a row! There was something so Authentic about these two. Glen told stories that gave context to many of his songs. They had us sing along. They met a girl singing on the streets of Seattle today and asked her to play at their concert tonight… so she did!!!  He honored the Clancy Brothers, The Frames (his band before the Swell Season), a woman in an elevator with a blue coat, the woman up in the third tier who “opened up” to him and the entire audience, and he honored us, his audience… each with a song. He played one of his songs as he stepped away from all the mics… and the place was silent, you could have heard a pin drop. The Van Morrison song he played, made me nearly float, it was so amazing. The man can play a guitar!!! He broke strings on 3 guitars before the song was over!!! He told stories of real people in a way that you knew he valued them, not just the story he was telling about them. All of that was bonus… because then, they played their sweet music…. and all was well within me. …and did I mention the 6-song encore???? There is something so nice about seeing someone be who they are instead of putting on a show.

Right Place at Just the Right Light

Sometimes I walk by something at just the right time. But rarely do I actually have my camera with me! My sister and nephew were in town and we were exploring downtown when we walked by this beautiful site. The sun was shining on this psychedelic building and it cast a beautiful reflection that is hard to put your finger on what exactly is the source of light or reflection. Can you guess what building it is??? The colors are saturating.

A Beautiful Mess: Video Part One: Easter

A Beautiful Mess

011, originally uploaded by cynditabug.

At church this past Sunday, my friend Brenda and I painted on a canvas that had been painted on the week before by the whole congregation. Easter Sunday, we invited the people to come up and express themselves on a canvas with paint. You can see the whole stream of photos here. At the end of the service on Easter, we had a mess of a painting. Dean shared this Sunday about how God makes beauty out of our mess, and then we went into a time of worship where the band played and Brenda and I painted for about 25 minutes while the music played. I have no words for what happened during that time. I have not worshiped like that in a long time, or ever really in such a creative way. It was amazing to see God show up in such a way that literally felt like no one else was around. It was the first time either one of us had painted together or in front of anyone else. Normally neither one of us lets anyone see us painting. We looked at each other during this worship time and she whispered, “I’m not nervous at all” I agreed with her. We both were oblivious to the fact that anyone else was in the room. God just showed up. I can’t wait to do it again.

Deep Beauty

The Cathedral was beautiful last night. A beauty that sang, spoke and confirmed things deep within me that are coming to the surface.