In my time off this weekend, we went to the Mint Museum in Charlotte. It was there I came across a piece of art made from bread ties. It reminded me of my love for pop art, found object, and even some of Dada, because it uses the things we see each day and lifts […]
(An older version of this post first appeared on my Facebook – facebook.com/j.lemastersmith on March 2, 2021) The combination of my current reading, my current experiences, and the articles talking about the pandemic impact on rural healthcare is weighing on me today. Rural healthcare systems are already strained and many communities have lost hospitals and […]
As someone who loves to hike, no matter the season, the American Beech tree is a welcome site among the brown and grey winter woods. The American Beech trees leaves die like all deciduous trees, but they do not drop their leaves, instead the leaves turn a off-white paper color and stay usually until new […]
One thing we can do to help alleviate church “growth” stress in rural churches is to remind them that there’s more than one way to get home from here. I regularly take different routes to get to my destinations. I’ve been at my churches just over six months and I’ve learned a dozen different ways […]
I’ve been thinking about worship in the rural church lately(since I preach weekly, of course, but also because of a couple projects I’m working on). Worship is one the strangest zones to inhabit. The disagreements over music, sermons, the color of the bulletin, the order of worship, and everything else all flair from time to […]
Every five albums I plan to add in a bonus album. These will likely be albums that may never make it on a 100 Greatest Albums list (or at least this kind of list). Still, they are albums that mean something to me and my exploration of faith and music. First up is Charles Wesley […]
Today (November 8th) is my birthday. And today, an article from Christian Century found me. It is an article about Heaven, and the need for heaven to be real. I’ll link it here. And Quote the last two paragraphs: “Sometimes I wonder if the church’s witness is failing because we don’t know how to translate […]
Now we’re getting into new music territory for me. The Flatlanders’ More an Legend than a Band is a weird and sort of mystical album for me. It is full of songs about life, loss, and a mix of hopelessness and hope that both teeter on the edge. I’d never heard of this group, but […]
I have to admit, I’m not a big Keith Urban fan. I’ll listen to his songs on the radio, but I don’t search out his music when given the chance. I enjoy him for what he is, pop country, somewhat innovative, and a non-US country singer. But, since he was on the list, I wanted […]
To go from early 2000s beach country to an absolute legend with Kitty Wells’ legendary Country Hit Parade is, at first, a little jarring. The classic sounds of steel and twang are much more present in her iconic songs. Yet, the reality is, Chesney is in the same lineage, and you can see it in […]
Jonathan LeMaster-Smith 