New Year's Resolution, January 1, 2009

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest @DisneyBritton

My resolution is to leave NYC, and to go home to be with Greg and my family. I hate being here. [Resolutions!]

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Riverside Church of New York is a Garden in Gethsemane

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

"Christ in Gethsemane" (1890) by Hienrich Hofmann. Collection of Riverside Church, NYC.

Long before I moved here to NYC, I already knew that this move was not about my new job but about finding "something lost." I have no idea what I am seeking, but here I wander anyway. Today, I visited The Riverside Church on the Upper Westside, and I felt a rush like I'd experienced long ago during my Christmas pageants in our grandmother's living room. I had forgotten that feeling-- that joy. I'd also forgotten the framed print of "Christ in Gethsemane" that hung on her wall facing us on stage my Dad assembled. The original by Heinrich Hofmann is here in an amazing art collection owned by the church (donated by a Rockefeller born in Ohio). Gethsemane is a place we go in agony seeking something lost. This massive and beautiful church, rich with diversity, artistry, and led by a black Baptist  minister from Cincinnati (Rev. James Forbes) might just be where I find that "something lost" that I came searching for in New York City. It's the first time that NYC has come close to feeling like home.

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A&O Prize (2008): "The Dead Christ in a Tomb" by Kehinde Wiley

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

CALIFORNIA - Unarguably the most celebrated African American painter of our times, Kehinde Wiley's "The Dead Christ in a Tomb" (c. 2007) is the recipient of the Alpha & Omega Prize for Contemporary Religious Art of the year.  The painting is currently on view at the Roberts & Tilton Gallery in Los Angeles. The prize is a contemporary religious art recognition for the promotion of religious dialogue in America during the past year.

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A&O Meetup: Metropolitan Community Church of NYC

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK - Founded by Rev. Troy Perry in 1968, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) is an international Protestant Christian denomination. There are 250 member congregations in 23 countries with a specific outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families and communities. The movement has Official Observer status with the World Council of Churches but has been denied membership in the US National Council of Churches. The church borrows from many Christian traditions, and therefore has a very eclectic approach to the religious arts. I've visited several of the denomination's churches but am most intrigued, and impressed by the murals and rich artistry of this small multi-storied Manhattan church.

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US Open, Day 6: James Blake vs. Mardy Fish

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK---In the US Open, James Blake was stretched to a 5 set thriller against American teenager Donald Young in the first round. Blake easily won his second round match after Steve Darcis retired and then lost to friend and fellow American Mardy Fish in the third round in straight sets. Day 6 featured several upsets and lengthy contests, as four of the eight men's matches went to five sets, and five seeded players were knocked out. Thirty-second seed Gaël Monfils, who had reached the semi-finals of his last Grand Slam, the French Open, knocked out number seven David Nalbandian; unseeded Mardy Fish beat number nine seed and good friend James Blake.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen05/columns/story?id=2145859

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Tah Rules - 10 Guiding Principles

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

This blog is inspired by many creative and spiritual people. Special thanks to my dad, Ernest Britton (OH), Angela Corley (FL), Dr. Leon Boothe (KY), Gregory Disney (IN), and Leslie Krienes (OH) for their help in shaping a set of principles to guide my life philosophy. The biggest thanks is due to my spiritual friend Robert Maverick. During a 2007 visit to see him in California, he greated me with a huge sign with the words "Tah Rules" as my official welcome.

Here are the 10 "Tah Rules" he listed:

1. FOLLOW one passion.
2. ACCEPT only your ideal. 
3. FINISH what you start.
4. KEEP Sunday for family. 
5. REMEMBER why you started.
6. Never let love SLIP away.
7. Never PLAY alone.
8. Never TAKE CREDIT not earned.
9. Never MISLEAD with silence.
10. Never DISHONOR other seekers.

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At Home in One of God's Art Museums

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

NEW YORK CITY---Church of St. Vincent de Paul on 23rd Street in Chelsea is across the street from our office, and I don't think that's a coincidence. They have daily noon mass, and while I've never done that before, I think I might give it a try. What's most surprising though is the church buildings major state of deterioration. While it's clean, it's also clearly crumbling away and how is that possible with the riches available in NYC? The ten Romanesque-style stained-glass windows are credited as made by Tiffanys. I can't wait to show them off to my visitors from back home! There is a small chapel to the left of the entrance devoted to St. Thérèse which honors French soldiers who died in foreign wars past. I don't know why it honors French soldiers but I assume that French-Americans started this church. I Googled, and discovered there are over 6,000 houses  of worship here in NYC, nearly one on every corner so I'm glad to have already discovered one that I like.

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