Month: June 2010

Take Gospel Relationships & Titus 2 Woman

Posted on June 3, 2010

The 2nd quarter of City Seminary starts on Monday! It’s not too late to register for Gospel Relationships: a mess worth making or The Titus 2 Woman: Living a Godly Life. Register Here.

3 Reasons to take Gospel Relationships

  • If you ever struggle with Busyness, Conflict, Pleasing people, Marriage & Singleness or Parenting? Gospel Relationships will equip you to understand how to relate to others in the strength and grace of the gospel in these demanding and difficult areas of life! Most people have not been adequately trained in all of these areas. This course will train you how to think true thoughts and act in grace towards others. I wish I would have had it in my 20s!
  • If you want to better understand “the Gospel” and how it really affects everyday life. This course will show how the gospel of Christ is not a LCD, a lowest common denominator of the bare minimum facts necessary to get into heaven, but rather a TOE, a theory of everything that has explanatory and transformational power for everything from human motivation to work and culture.
  • If you are or aspire to leadership in Austin City Life this course is required. We believe so strongly in the value of this class that it is a requirement for City Group leaders and Staff.

2 Reasons to take The Titus 2 Woman

  • If you are a woman then you should take this class, seriously. The reason I have such a godly wife and a delightful marriage is because my wife took this class (an applied it) before we got married. Over and over again, she goes back to the wisdom and instruction of God’s beautiful design for women laid out in the Scriptures, which is a source of constant blessing to me.
  • If you want to make disciples of other women that help them be who God has created them to be. This teaching is basic Bible for godly womanhood and profound for making disciples in your life. Many women have a very distorted understanding of who they are in Christ. This study will help clarify your identity and role in Christ.

REGISTER HERE!

Etsy: Art, Craft, & Community

Posted on June 2, 2010

Etsy.com is a social commerce website that sells handmade or vintage items. It was started by a small company in 2005 and has grown to over 60 employees bringing in over $13 mL a month in sales. It has ruffled the sales of eBay and other online companys. Some have called it a “crafty cross between eBay and Amazon.”It is a DIYs haven.

Now, don’t think cheezy, disposable, one-mans-trash-is-another-mans-treasure. Although there’s certainly some of that, Etsy is also the online presence for many worldwide designers and artists. The variety of handmade goods is incredible. I got a really cool wallet off Etsy that is animal-free, made of tape by Tape Bubba. Thousands of online boutiques, artisans, and creative goods are hosted at Etsy.com.

Parsimonious Fashion

Of particular interest is the Parsimony Store. The store name communicates the designer’s interest “cheapy-chic”, to sell things that are both cute and parsimonious, inexpensive. This store sells fashionable, hand-made dresses, sized-to-fit all at reasonable prices. I’ve seen designer boutiques carry many dresses of inferior quality and fashion for inordinately higher prices.

Now, I’m a little biased because my wife is the designer of these amazing dresses, but check them out for yourself. She’s got a 100% positive rating, ships all over the world, and a five-star/heart Etsy rating! In addition to dresses, she makes lots of creative jewelry and crafts.

More than a Craft

But Etsy is more than a store; it’s a community. NY Times reports on the rise of “Handmade 2.0” noting that “the path that has led to Etsy begins with a motto — do it yourself — that implies distaste for consumer culture.” If it’s distaste is consumer culture (not commerce), then what does it have a taste for?

Etsy is a crafting community, a collective of artistans that are both local and global. Etsy Meet-ups happen all over the world to bring people together around craft and art-making. This anti-consumerism, pro-community impulse is amazing to witness. Every month women from all over Austin pile into my home to participate in craft nights, enjoy good food and wine, and begin, continue, and deepen relationships. Though I don’t linger long (too much estrogen), it’s compelling, creative, and communal. In fact, if you live in Austin, you can meet up at the Etsy Craft Party Meet Up on June 18! See more info at: www.sosewsomething.com.