My Nativity

Recently, my longing for a nativity set of my very own has grown to an incredible strength. Blame it on my German heritage, but this year I knew I had to make an investment in my rest-of-my-life Nativity set. It's something everyone should have, really.

After much consideration, I eagerly decided to buy one from Red Earth Trading Co. Red Earth is the direct trade, sustainability piece of Global Support Mission, the organization with which I work. I have the honor of working with Red Earth every day, overseeing inventory and shipping out orders. Bias aside, Red Earth is awesome. Have you seen their 2011 promo video? Pretty neat stuff. Red Earth partners with artisans in Kenya and Uganda with which they have close relationships. They promote continued economic development, entrepreneurship, and community development by buying the products these artisans make and selling them back home and throughout the world. They do this primarily through house parties and online sales.

This year, one of our beloved artisans, Johnson, made several Christmas products for Red Earth. Johnson is a young man who owns a family-run business outside of Nairobi, Kenya. He is somewhat of an expert in working with banana fiber and Red Earth has sold his Banana Fiber Trees since the beginning. For Christmas 2011, he crafted angel ornaments and nativity sets for Red Earth.

As I said, I had the privilege of buying one of the few nativity sets available this year. To say I love it is an understatement. Ask anyone who's entered my house this December and they'll tell you that the first thing I point out is my nativity set. It is beautiful.

The Red Earth Nativity Set comes with 11 figurines - Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the angel, two goats, a shepherd, and four others - and the stable, which holds them all together when you don't have your nativity set out (although let's be honest: I'm never putting this thing away). It is pristinely constructed out of banana fiber, leaves, and seeds and is entirely handmade by Johnson.

Unfortunately, these guys sold out at lightning speed before December even began. But do not fear - you can still buy one of his four stunning angel ornaments here! 

Don't worry: I bought one of each of these, too. They look great on a Christmas tree, on a doorknob, or dangling from your rearview mirror (may limit front window visibility...). Although you've missed the boat for shipments by Christmas, Red Earth does free and speedy shipping on every order. So hop on over and order something for yourself and all of your loved ones!

When I Look at the Stars

In deepfall, I went on a youth retreat out in rural Tennessee, about 45 minutes south of Nashville. We drove down winding, rural roads, chasing the sunset the whole way. As we unloaded and settled in, several of us ventured out to a nearby field. Next to a group of glow-in-the-dark frisbee-ers, we laid on our backs in the scratchy November grass and stargazed.

My, what a show it was. Shooting stars all over the place!

Not just once did they remark, "these are the most incredible stars I've ever seen!" And the stars sure were great, especially coming from the "bright lights" of Nashville. I mean, growing up a Chicagoan, I think even Nashville's city stars are pretty great.

But having lived in the second most sparsely populated country in the world, my standards are pretty skewed these days.

Over these past six months when people have mentioned how remarkable the clouds look, or how stunning the sunset is, or how clear the stars are...I've been itching to say, "But wait! You have no idea - there's a place where they're even more incredible!" And at first, I always did say that. I would try to describe the sunrises on my walk to school in Ohangwena. I would try to explain how you could vividly see the cloudiness of the Milky Way within minutes of the sun setting in southern Namibia. I would emphasize over and over and over again that African sunsets are incomparable.

But try as I might, I haven't convinced anyone yet. Maybe it's impossible to. I can never find deep enough words or vivid enough photographs to convey my message. And thus, as of late, I've stopped trying. I didn't even make an attempt to tell the high schoolers what they were missing out on.

One Sunday, I was reminded of when Luke says, "though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand (8:9)." How often I read things in the Bible that seem great, but I just cannot fully grasp. Like God's grace and mercy. Or the depth of my sin. How often I exclaim what a blessing something is. Or how such-and-such is like heaven on earth. What do I know?

I can just see God chuckling at my exclamations. Such as when I return from an exceptionally great coffeedate full of good heart to heart conversation and think on how incredible God's provision of companions is, or how comforting and real the community of believers is. God must smile and say, "But, Karen, wait! You have no idea - there's a place where that's even more incredible!" But try as He might, there's no way I will ever fully understand the depth of this community until Christ returns.

And thus are the sunsets and sunrises and stars at night. When I look at the stars, I see a sky that has so much more depth than the sky we see on this side. And yet, I still can't imagine the depths of the heavens above us. While I'm still frustrated by my inability to convey that which none of my dear friends here have ever seen, I am humbled by my inability to clearly see the things God is try to show me. So I will keep trying to explain the African sky, and keep remembering how clouded my own vision still is.

It's Coming

Listen!

...and in despair I bowed my head. "There is no peace on earth," I said, "for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead nor does He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail of peace on earth, good will to men."

It IS the Same Thing

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

TIA Tuesday - Last Day

Today would have been my last day in Namibia...or at the very least, my last required day at school. Strange.

It's oddly wonderful to have all the fast friends that met in DC on December 28, 2010 returning to the States.

Seems fit for this to be my last official TIA Tuesday post. After a year of experiencing African and American extremes, I'll readily admit they aren't so extreme after all. Just different. And different is good and such a normal part of my 2011.

There still may be TIA moments in the coming years, but look forward to a new year of new blog adventures!

This is Africa and America...contrasting and beautiful, just like the Namibian motherland.

Nashville Nugget No. 14: Tex's World Famous Bar-B-Q

This week's work field trip involved a trip to a hole-in-the-wall place we had spied earlier this fall. Said establishment was called Tex's - not Texas, but Tex's - and is located in a wood-paneled building near Foster Ave and Murfressboro Rd. The outside looks like your typical roadside barbecue stop - a little run-down, covered in vintage signs, and an inviting neon "Open" placard in the front window.

On their website, Tim "Tex" Williams boasts that his establishment is one of the oldest barbecue joints in town, having been open for 35 years. They don't "make the most" barbecue and are "not the biggest barbecue house in town," but for all their humility, they certainly are something to write home about (don't we need to change that phrase? Who "writes home" about things anymore? Let's say it's something to text home about.).

They serve up heaping portions of smoked-and-pulled-in-house barbecue and fixins. You know it's going to be good when sides are called "fixins" and macaroni and cheese qualifies as a "vegetable."

Not only that, but they're only open Monday through Friday from 11-2. They serve up their delicious food "professionally and informally" - and if you know how to strike the perfect balance of professional and informal, then you're a winner.

You can order practically any combination of barbecue and fixins you can think of - brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, smoked turkey breast, bbq baloney, and ribs with "veggies" (everything from mac&cheese to black eyed peas to potato salad to deviled eggs to collard greens to baked beans), cobbler, pies, and several fresh cornbreads. I ordered a "lite plate" which included pulled pork, sweet cornbread, and three sides - macaroni and cheese, green beans, and baked beans. I didn't want my plate to ever be clean - this food was phenomenal! The only thing they could improve upon was making their sweet tea a tad sweeter - but I suppose I should thank them for trying to save my arteries in the eleventh hour.

Tex's World Famous Bar-B-Q is located near Foster Ave and Murfreesboro Rd at 1013 Foster Ave.

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas

Last year, an intense internal debate raged in my head over how to share my favorite Christmas songs with my friends. Facebook? Twitter? Blog? None of the above? My, my, it was a trying time; but I settled on posting one song a day throughout the December Advent season on Facebook. I received a startlingly good response and soon had many friends sending me their own favorite & unique Christmas songs. Some were typical, played-every-hour-on-93.9-Lite-FM songs; others were original holiday tunes. All were fantastic.

While I don't yet have my act together to start sharing my favorite carols for 2011, I am giddy to share the original list of 25 from my countdown last year. They appear in no particular order. You should listen to one a day until Christmas, or all 25 every day this month. Check them all out on Grooveshark or Spotify or buy them on Amazon or iTunes.

Merry December 1, y'all!

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas 2010:

1. *Jill Philips & Andy Gullahorn “I Will Find a Way” (local favorites...in fact, their whole CD is outstanding - maybe my #1)
2. *Butterfly Boucher “Cinnamon & Chocolate” (from Ten out of Tenn Christmas)
3. “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” (classic...not many know this one, but the friends who do are keepers.)
4. Dave Matthews “Christmas Song”
5. Coldplay “Christmas Lights”
6. Mona Abboud “Pretty Little Dolly” (a Sue McGee favorite...strange and hilarious)
7. “Dominick the Donkey” (a Bob McGee favorite)
8. *98 Degrees “This Christmas” (duh.)
9. *John Denver & The Muppets “12 Days of Christmas” (go see the new Muppet Movie if you haven't already!)
10. Bebo Norman “Angels Interlude” (hammered dulcimer...'nuff said.)
11. Mariah Carey “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
12. *Amy Grant “Grown-Up Christmas List” (a serious Sue McGee favorite)
13. Sarah Mclachlan “Wintersong” (divine.)
14. MercyMe “Silent Night” (in 4/4!)
15. Aaron Krause & Troy Akers “Born!” (you can download this Grace friends' track for free on Noisetrade right now!)
16. *Andrew Peterson “The Holly and the Ivy” (mandolin.)
17. Garth Brooks “Baby Jesus is Born” (no, he did not sing this at his December concert. boo.)
18. Sesame Street “Counting the Days” (a Jess Luthy favorite)
19. Basil Marceaux “Come Christmas” (horrible. only because he was the biggest joke last year.)
20. Alli Rogers “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
21. *Sufjan Stevens “Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming”
22. *Yo-Yo Ma & Natalie MacMaster “A Christmas Jig”
23. Whitney Houston “Who Would Imagine a King” (still looking for the original of this song from "The Preacher's Wife" that the kids sing during the Nativity.)
24. Barenaked Ladies & Sarah Mclachlan “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings”
25. *Andrew Peterson “While Shepherds Watched”/ “Behold the Lamb of God” (the transition between these two tunes is breathtaking)

* check out the entire album. these are some of my favorites.