Highballin’

On Monday night I experienced Highball for the first time.  It is really unlike anything else I’ve seen in Austin, yet has the distinct feel that it could only happen in Austin.

The club is located on South Lamar, in a part of town known for cheap chic.  My favorite coffee houses, with their patio seating, exposed ceilings, and rickety tables maintain the bohemian steet cred.  But Highball doesn’t even try.

Instead they go for classy.  Leather paneling and chandeliers, high priced food and drinks make me put on a fedora and pretend that I’m somebody.  Then Highball throws you a monkey wrench, or actually a ten pound ceramic ball.  Bowling lanes and skee ball may seem to evoke “family fun centers” aimed at suburban teenagers., but actually add an element of interaction not found in your average club.  Hidden in the back are private Karaoke rooms.

Then there’s the events, whose sheer level of creativity sets the place on it’s own plane.  Everything from Geeks Who Drink trivia, to 90’s dance parties, to Oscar watching parties, to hip-hop karaoke.

I went by Monday night for Big Band night, which is where my only complaint comes in.  The music selection was over the top, brassy and to slow for most of us Swing Dancers (although, it seemed perfect for the surprisingly high number of gray hairs cutting a rug.)  The most fun we had on the dance floor was actually during the DJed breaks in between sets.

That being said, I’ll definitely give them another chance at the next Big Band night, and bring a few quarters for Skee ball.

Tags: Austin

Verge Reflections, Day 3

The Verge Conference ended with a rally.  Local boy John Burke led off by saying “if the formerly unchurched are not leading the church, the church is dying.” Compared to some of the cutting edge thinkers that show up at these conferences, John’s methods may seem a little bit traditional.  However, the fruit, Gateway Church, fits his description perfectly.  All talk of missional-ness doesn’t really matter if you don’t have the fruit.

Jeff Vanderstelt said what should be obvious: do life the way you do normally, just with gospel intentionality.  It’s not that tough.  Hang out with your friends-including those who don’t know Christ.  Dave Gibbons suggested that we walk through crowds slowly, seeing the blessing of God on each person.

Francis Chan ended the conference by marching through each book of the New Testament, showing how pain and persecution are unavoidable when living a missional life.  Having accidentally stumbled into more than one fox holes, I know this to be very true.  I just hope that the people of Christ represented at Verge are ready for the pain, because the world needs us.

Tags: Alan Hirsch, Austin, Dave Gibbons, Francis Chan, Jeff Vanderstelt, John Burke, Matt Carter, Missional, missional church, Missional Communities, Verge 2010

Variety

If I could pick one thing I love about Austin, it’s probably a sense of variety that I find missing in so many places I’ve been too.  In a day and age when you can go to the same strip mall in Minnesota and Florida, there’s less and less that makes places or moments special.  Not too long ago I sat in a coffee house while a talented singer/songwriter warned me about his army of kittens.  The next week before I saw a 12 piece chamber orchestra of high schoolers playing folk rock.  More recently, I went swing dancing, where the live band included a guy that looked like ZZ Top, a young immigrant playing brushes on the drums, and a girl with a sultry alto singing and playing violin.

In a world that looks all the same, I find myself searching for things that are different, even if they aren’t great.  I’ll take a quirky indie flick without a plot over a tired special effects extravangza, even if the indie movie is going to leave me bored and scratching my head.  Here in Austin, there always seems to be variety, but you don’t have to sacrifice quality to get it.

This is the point where I usually make some cultural or spiritual comment based on my earlier observation.  But all I really want to say is: I love this city.  Now I think I’m going to get out and enjoy it.

Tags: Austin

Austin Church Search

I’m looking for a Church.  My goal is to find a place where I can serve under a great leadership with a great vision, be a part of a community making a difference in the lives of the lost and hurting in Austin, and make some great friends with people in my life stage.  Over the next two and a half months, I’m hoping to visit a number of Churches and share my reflections on them.  The purpose of this is to 1) help me as I unpack the experience, and 2) help my readers be more aware of what God is up to in the city.

A few caveats: First, I’m going to keep things positive.  This is not a review or a critique.  I leave that up to guys like John the Revelator.  Second, I will be unapologetically sharing things from my point of view.  I’m a single guy in his 20s, passionate about missional living, serving the poor, and reaching the unreached.  Although I won’t be “grading” the churches reviewed here, it will be hard not to note how they’re doing on those categories.  Because I’m passionate about church planting, don’t be suprised to see more new plants and church-planting-churches than established churches.

For my readers in Austin, I hope that you find this informative.  For those abroad, I hope you’ll learn a little bit about what God is up to and what guys like me are looking for in a Church.

The Churches I’ve already visited and will be sharing about include:

-Austin City Life
-Austin New Church
-Austin Stone Community Church
-Church Under the Bridge
-First Baptist of Austin
-Gateway Church
-Vox Veniae
-Westover Hills Church of Christ

If you would like for me to visit and share about your church, just drop me an email at chrismorton82@gmail.com.

Tags: Austin, Austin Church Search

Why I Love Q

I spent the first half of the week serving Land of a Thousand Hills coffee to participants in the third ever Q Conference.  I’ve been to all three, and plan on going next year.

I love Q because it asks questions and it offers solutions.  This years 18 minute talks ranged from the neccessity of nuclear disarmament to the spiritual implications of the cell phone.  Sometimes Q is groundbreaking (helping get TOMS Shoes off the ground) and sometimes it is controversial (this year’s interview with Ted and Gayle Haggard.)  But it always forces me to think.

Although I love the content, that’s not the most powerful part of Q.  It’s the participants.  It seems like all of them are starting a non-profit or designing t-shirts that save lives in Uganda.  It’s a bit overwhelming, and it’s easy to start thinking, “look how I’ve wasted my life!”

When I mentioned this to a new acquaintance named Jena over dinner, she said to me, “Don’t feel bad.  Feel inspired.”

And I do.

Tags: Austin, Fermi Project, Gabe Lyons, Land of a Thousand Hills, Q, social justice, TOMS Shoes