Austin- keep it weird

6/11

Alex and I arrived in Austin with the trip odometer reading 3732 miles.

On our way in we stopped to visit a friend and fellow lacrosse teammate, Timmy, who lives just north of the city. We had heard of this year’s thrilling NCAA men’s national championship lacrosse game between Cornell and Syracuse, but hadn’t had the opportunity to see it. The three of us sat on his futon and watched the final five minutes and ensuing overtime on ESPN 360. It is an incredible finish!



Austin is a creative city. It claims to be the live music capitol of the world. While I can't confirm this, it does feel like a less produced Nashville. The city's tag line: "Keep Austin Weird," reflects well the people who live there as they try their best to maintain the mission.

My and Alex’s first visit to Austin came last April when we spent four days volunteering at the Q Conference which was hosted in the historical Paramount Theatre downtown. While at the conference, we made friends with a fellow volunteer, David, a self-proclaimed third-generation Austinite. David, who regularly refers to Alex and me as corn-fed flat bellies, is an artist, designer, filmmaker, and church planter. He and his wife, Veronica, have had the opportunity to plant several churches throughout the years and are now involved in a church plant, Soli Deo Gloria, located in the east Austin neighborhood where they grew up.

That night, over diner, with a nasty storm brewing outside, we were able to hear a bit of David’s story and his heart for the East Austin community. David is a visionary and a creator, but despite his many talents he possesses a beautiful a spirit of humility.

After a great night’s rest in Casa Del Suenos, House of Dreams, the affectionate name for his unique Austin homestead, we woke for some breakfast and a brief tour of East Austin. East Austin is an eclectic, diverse and creative part of the city consisting of Latinos, Blacks, socially-conscious urbanites, the poor, the Spanish speaking immigrant, young college students and everything in between. David comically explained the challenges of doing multi-cultural ministry (mostly in terms of what doesn’t work). Soli Deo Gloria is training indigenous leaders to reach a diverse city.

After taking the morning and early afternoon to relax, Alex and I joined David on the golf course for a very hot nine-hole round. Unfortunately for me, the temperature didn’t seem to warm up my game which turned out to be a complete embarrassment. Regardless, we had fun.