Shrimp Boats and Daydreams

During a recent trip to South Carolina, I took a detour with my aunts and mother for an adventure in Calabash, North Carolina (just at the NC/SC border).

Calabash is home to 'calabash' style shrimp, shopping (Callahan's), and family vacations. Its neighboring beaches, Sunset and Ocean Isle, serve as the get-a-way spots for many American families.

While strolling the Calabash dock, we noticed that the shrimp boats had just come in. Excited, we wondered if they had yet unloaded their 'gold?'

It turns out that we were just in time to see their treasure. As we watched, the fishermen unloaded coolers of freshly frozen shrimp (caught out at sea and immediately frozen to preserve the 'just caught' taste) and prepared for business. They measured the shrimp in ten pound lots, cut their heads off, and put them in plastic grocery sacks for patiently waiting customers.

As I watched the fishermen, I wondered if they found joy in their profession. What was it like it to faithfully travel out to sea, catch something, and fill the (many) bellies of anticipating locals and tourists? I admired their lives and work as I watched them diligently weigh these sea creatures in the glistening sun.

Photo: Shrimp boat at sea

Photo credit: http://www.townofcalabashnc.com/

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

Perfectly Gratuitous

With hopes of lightening your load and starting your day off well - here's something that's perfectly gratuitous ...

I listen to music when I write. It inspires me, and I associate words and melodies with people, moments, and places.

A few favorites ...

Crossroads, will you ever let him go?
Will you hide the dead man’s ghost
Or will he lie, beneath the clay,
Or will his spirit roll away?
- The Allman Brothers, "Melissa"
www.peomhunter.com

I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
- Bob Dylan, "Shelter from the Storm"
www.bobdylan.com

If I said I love you would it be too soon?
Cause timing is everything in this old familiar tune
I would spend my life underneath a wandering moon
If every time i said goodbye
I could come back home to you
- Christopher Williams, "Every Time I Say Goodbye"
www.christopherw.com

There's a light at each end of this tunnel you shout
Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made
You'll just make them again if you'll only try turnin' around
- Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 AM)"
www.lyricsmode.com

What words/melodies have inspired you lately?

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

"W." - With God On Our Side

If you remain in your seat to watch the ending credits of Oliver Stone's latest film, "W." - you'll hear the old familiar and awkward melody of Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side" playing as the credits roll.

Indicative of the tone of the movie, "W." is brilliantly portrayed by Stone as a cowboy called by the Almighty.

On an afternoon running trip after a night of heavy birthday drinking, W falls in the brush on the side of the running trail, and Stone simulates a "Road to Damascus" experience with careful use of camera focus and natural light. Several scenes follow with the "born again" W receiving support and counsel from his evangelical preacher (Earle Hudd, a composite character sketch of several evangelical preachers).

Most importantly, Earle Hudd returns later in the film, while W is governor of Texas. In a heart to heart chat, W announces to Earle that he feels called to the presidency.

“I've heard the call. I believe God wants me to run for president.” I can’t explain it, but I sense my country is going to need me. Something is going to happen, and, at that time, my country is going to need me. I know it won’t be easy, on me or my family, but God wants me to do it.”

(The dialogue for this scene comes from "The Faith of George W. Bush," by Stephen Mansfield, pages 108-109) http://www.wthefilm.com/

Earle Hudd looks startled at first, then supportive of W's aspirations for the presidency - seemingly with God on his side - and he prays for W.

Public servants have often attributed their dedication to service with a value system that includes a solid faith structure. But does "God on our side" grant us permission to do the unthinkable? Does God become the scapegoat for the hubris of humanity?

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Please share!

Photo: Josh Brolin as "W."
Photo credit: IMDB

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

With God On Our Side
But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

Copyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music
http://www.bobdylan.com/

Near the sea ...

Near the sea
Counting is lost

Each sunrise and sunset
Retreats to the other


Cleverly calculated tides
Keep the World's greatest rhythm

Reminding humanity
That we are truly small

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

In Alexander Pope's epic poem, Eloise to Abelard, Eloise retreats to a convent longing to forget her love for Abelard.

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;

We rush to forget, regret, patch, and protect ourselves from these familiar haunts. Instead, what if we weren't frightened of the mess we've made of our narratives, and instead embraced each step of the journey? After all, each experience has created the careful composite of who we are today.


Photo: Morning Dawn at God's Acre
(Old Salem, North Carolina)
Photo Credit: Brian Leon, http://flickr.com/photos/ncbrian
Used with permission

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

Grandmother

Diamonds sparkle
Reflecting the light of freshly polished fingernails
Always elegant, always shimmering
Face made, lipstick applied

Eyes richly brown with liner and shadow
Dressed flawlessly with accessories to match
Silly scarves and fun hats
Southern and graceful

You taught me how to be a lady
To wear colors and speak my mind
To embrace the seasons - and decorate accordingly
Remembering that anticipation is everything

Candy spaghetti and belly laughs
Endless stories and Andrews Sisters
Teaching us the blessings of our generation
While reminding us to value yours

Now resting at Bono
Where you can see the sun rise and set
Seasons pass, time moves on
And we remember that anticipation is everything

In memory of Dorothy B. Lewman
(March 6, 1922 - September 28, 2004)

Photo: The Andrews Sisters

© 2008 J. Dana Trent

The Glen Lennox Community

At Duke Divinity School, the word “community” is a staple in the vocabulary of theologians-in-training. Ethics professors Stanley Hauerwas and Samuel Wells form seminarians with wisdom of the gathered and scattered community. As a graduate of Duke Divinity and one formed by their writing and teaching, I have experienced that community is indeed a word that extends well beyond the degree program.

Recent news surrounding the fate of Glen Lennox cottages in Chapel Hill has prompted many citizens to think about their own notions of community and home. In the months since Grubb Properties announced their intention to develop Glen Lennox cottages in Chapel Hill, I have discovered the ever-growing meaning of the word for myself and many.

My first reaction is primitive and selfish: “Where will I live in Chapel Hill that’s affordable?” Now on to thinking beyond myself: “Where will the other 439 households find affordable housing?” In some portions of the United States, this number of households constituents an incorporated town. For example, Dana, a small town in Western Indiana that I've written about before has 252 households according to the 2000 Census.

Theologically, I know that community is about the gathered people, and not bricks and mortar. As a theologian, I struggle with this development on many levels: personal, sociological, and even Biblical (think the displacement of peoples in the Bible!). While the Christian sense of community suggests that we are not to be tied to material things (or places) of this world, I still think that these precious Glen Lennox bricks have fostered a community spirit in Chapel Hill unlike any other.

Still, I’m amazed that in a world where we are always plugged in, claiming we are lonely and longing for community, we tear down well-established single story communities rich with history, green space, and side streets (all conducive to relationship building), to produce larger, shiny, mixed-use, multi-story buildings for the sake of convenience and progress.

No matter what the outcome, I am confident that the process will be parsed out thoroughly by all of the interested parties, and that the spirit of this community will live on. I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege of being a part the Glen Lennox Community.


Photo credit: http://www.saveglenlennox.org/

© 2008 J. Dana Trent