If you happened to be on the Upper West Side in New York City last night – specifically near the intersection of Broadway and 61^st – you might have seen me walking along the street holding a lit cigarette in my hand. Some of you know that I used to smoke, but it has been over a decade since my last puff. So why was I walking along Broadway like any other smoker, smoldering butt hanging between my fingers?

Well, first a little background. I happened to be at the corner of Broadway and 61^st Street because that is where the Museum of Biblical Art is located, and I am a fan of that museum and had decided to attend the opening of their latest exhibition, Ukrainian Icons, which took place last night.

continue reading

ON MY RADAR THIS WEEK
There’s a lot on my plate right now, and it’s all really awesome stuff (at least, to me!). Here’s a bit of what I’ve been up to since my last post:

IAM Conversations with W. Davd O. Taylor
This week, I interviewed W. David O. Taylor, an energetic, articulate, kind, and creative author/speaker/seminary student. We talked about his work as an arts pastor in Texas and his new book, “For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts,” a collection of essays by people I know and love (Andy Crouch, Barbara Nicolosi), people I just know of and love (Eugene Peterson, Jeremy Begbie, Lauren Winner), and people I had not heard of until this book but now love (John Witvliet, Joshua Banner). I know I say this a lot, but this was one of my favorite IAM Conversations, and it’s especially great for pastors.

The Lausanne Congress in Cape Town
I am one of around 400 people from the United States who will travel to Cape Town, South Africa this October to participate in a global summit of Christian leaders from around the world. I am told that there is an estimated 4,000 people from 200 nations planning to attend the third Lausanne Congress for World Evangelism.

As part of the build-up and preparation for this incredible event, the Lausanne Movement is hosting twelve events in twelve cities across the nation to engage Christians from many denominational backgrounds to wrestle with several key questions and issues that will be addressed in Cape Town.

Last night was the New York City “Conversation,” and it was a good one for me on several levels, both personal and corporate. Personally, since all three of my pastors (Dave, John and Peter) came with me, I felt a little like a kid when her parents come to see her in a school play. I kept looking around for them and feeling a little more confident because they were there with me. I also got to see several people who are very dear to me, but I have not seen much in years, including Deryck & Cathy Barson (All Souls Christian Church, NYC), John Yenchko (North Shore Community Church, Oyster Bay, NY), Joan Ball (author), Laurie Midgette (Christian Cultural Center, Brooklyn), and many others.

On a corporate level, it was great because it is a rare occasion when more than one person (me) is representing Staten Island at a “New York City Church” gathering, and last night there were FIVE from Staten Island (that I knew of). Four from New Hope Community Church, and one from Chinese Christian Church (Lee Ka.) I get a little fed up with events that are billed as “New York City Churches” with no one from Staten Island in the mix. So, using my little part in these things, I’m doing my best to represent “The Forgotten Borough.”

My Father’s House in El Salvador
This week I booked two flights – one for me and one for my Dad – to go to El Salvador in July to visit La Casa De Mi Padre, a wonderful orphanage there. My parents have been supporting the orphanage for years, and this will be my fifth visit there (that's me with Alejandro at right). I can’t wait.

Ethnology of Africa
The class I am taking this semester for the Communications and Culture program at CUNY is “Ethnology of Africa,” and for my fieldwork project, I am comparing my experience as a white American Christian with worship experiences with native African Christians. Part of my research involved a trip this week to worship with a community of Christians from Nigeria. I wore the beautiful, custom-made dress and head wrap that I got when I was in that country in 2005, and I had a delightful time worshiping with these brothers and sisters, who were certainly surprised to see a white woman joining them (especially a white woman clothed in their native dress!) but received me warmly and demonstrated genuine hospitality.

HUMANIZATION
The exhibit up at Space 38|39 right now is HUMANIZATION, featuring art by seven Philadelphia-based fine artists. The show had a very successful opening last Friday and will be up until May 3.

Etc.
As I look back on the past week, it’s been a full one! I led worship last Sunday at Grace Church of Greenwich in Greenwich, CT… rehearsed with the singers who will be on my worship team at the Metro C&MA Spring Women’s Retreat next weekend… spent hours of time on conference calls with IAM regional people in Wisconsin, Germany, California… celebrated three friends’ pregnancies at a baby shower… took a beautiful walk in Snug Harbor… and made a delicious pot of lentil soup.

continue reading

In case you’re not familiar with Tim Keller, he’s a New York Times bestseller, a gifted orator and founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. To those fond of Keller, he’s often regarded as the “thinking person’s pastor,” with sermons that are culturally relevant, exegetically sharp and profoundly practical. On any given Sunday, Keller can in one breath be heard quoting C.S. Lewis, an Old Testament prophet and an op-ed from The New Yorker.

Having visited Redeemer church a dozen times or so, I can attest to Keller’s ability to connect with the casual New Yorker, and by casual I mean well-read, successful and impeccably groomed. His congregation, which now hovers around 5,000 people, have known for years what many Christians outside Manhattan are finding out—Tim Keller is a powerful figure in the church.

continue reading

 

My church recently released a live worship album on iTunes called, “Without End.” It’s a collection of old hymns and new songs written by our own congregants and, well, it’s just a fantastically done album. To see it on iTunes here's a link http://tinyurl.com/muwny3.

That said, here’s why I felt the album was worth writing about. My church, Trinity Grace Church (TGC), is a rarity in that it’s a growing church in New York City, and the beauty of TGC can be heard in this worship album.

The album was created by a team comprise of professional singer/songwriters, church staffers, theater performers, a Starbucks manager, and a taxi cab driver (and these are only the people I know). In other words, the album bleeds New York.

As I listened to the tracks on my commute this morning, I was thinking how powerful the words, “Let Your Kingdom Come,” means when sung by a passionate Starbucks manager who on any given day serves coffee to hundreds of Wall Street bankers. Or when my taxi driver pal belts out, “How high, how wide, how wonderful,” he does it with the landscape of the city’s streets in his mind.

The album is really a good reminder of the importance of integrating our faith with our reality. Songs of worship, words of His renown are not just meant to be sung on Sunday mornings. They’re available to us as sweet reminders that waking up Monday to go to work can also be an act of worship.

It begs the question: how are you leaking worship into your everyday life? 

continue reading

This month marks the end of my first decade as a New Yorker. It's really strange to think that I have been here for ten years. So many things have filled those years - incredible experiences and adventures, relationships and heartbreaks. 

Since I have been journaling since I was nine, I thought it would be fun to go back and read through the things I wrote during that first year, and since sharing an experience only increases your enjoyment of it, I thought it would be extra fun to share my journal entries (at least, portions of them) with my friends on Conversant Life. 

So for the next year or so, I'll periodically share entries from my journals. Join me as I re-visit Christy Tennant, age 23...

2/2/99

I am so out of touch with this journal! Without going into every detail (hopefully memory will serve...), I am now all set to move to NYC next week. I am not going to be in Hoboken with Shaun; instead, I am going to sublet Kim C.'s apt. in Manhattan for 3 months while she is in Wisconsin doing Show Boat. The rent is going to be $500, which I am very nervous about - its the most I've ever had to pay! But apparently the location is superb, so it should be great...

continue reading