OUR CITY

By ANGELA HUNT

Bike ‘litter’ a sign of progress

Bringing Dallas into a new era of transportation, one ride at a time

As someone who truly believes that if the world were a just place, Frito pies and chocolate-filled doughnuts would be recognized as their own food group, it is remarkable to me that my youngest child loves fruits and vegetables as much as she does. I mean loves them. I’ll find half-eaten bags of baby carrots in the stuffed animal bin, desiccated orange peels on the window sill, an apple core on her bedside table.

Sure, I remind her to return uneaten food to the fridge. I encourage her to use this newfangled gadget we’ve got called a trash can. But still, I find broccoli stems in her backpack and leftover grapes in the carseat.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. It brings me joy to find the remnants of her unusually healthy appetite (although, to be honest, it does make me wonder about a baby switch at the hospital). No, her discarded edamame shells and peach pits are evidence that she’s forming healthy eating habits, hopefully for a lifetime. Picking up a few scraps here and there is a small price to pay, and fretting about it is missing the point entirely.

That’s what I think when I hear the frenzy over rental bikes strewn across our city. In the last two years, several private bike companies have come to Dallas in a big way, allowing people to find and rent bikes easily and cheaply from their smartphones. In response, Highland Park has all but banned them. The City of Dallas is poised to regulate them.

But this isn’t something we should be wringing our hands over, and it’s not something that we should try to “solve” with heavy-handed and over-reactive government regulation that will very likely kill these new businesses.

No, this is a problem we should be celebrating. These bikes littering our city are the best evidence yet that Dallas is changing, and for the better.

The leftover bikes — the bike wrappers, if you will — are proof of a significant pent-up demand for bikes as a transpor-

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tation option. Conventional wisdom in Dallas has long held that Dallasites are attached to their cars with superglue and there is no real need for bike infrastructure because only hippies and children ride bikes (and who cares about hippies and children, amiright?). The success of bike share proves that many regularly-bathing adults will use bikes when it is cheap and convenient. We need to encourage this.

The success of bike share is also proof that people will get out of their cars if we give them cheap and convenient transportation alternatives. So let’s focus on how we can make other public transportation options more attractive to riders. If people will get out of their cars to ride bikes, why aren’t they getting out of their cars to ride buses? Is it that buses aren’t convenient enough? Not going to the right places? Not efficient enough? Let’s identify ways to improve other non-car transportation options and get even more people out of their vehicles.

Lastly, Dallas has lagged in investing in on-street bicycle infrastructure because of an erroneous perception that there isn’t a demand and roads are for cars. (By the way, it’s hard to justify building a bridge by the number of people swimming across a river.) All the people pedaling around Dallas on bright green and yellow bikes are proof that Dallas needs to invest in safe on-street bicycle infrastructure. The City’s $20 million recent investment in the Loop Trail, which will connect central Dallas’ trail systems, is a critical start. We need more.

As Jim Schutze recently wrote in the Dallas Observer: “If we think piles of bikes look tacky and we want to figure out how to clean them up a bit, well, ok, maybe. But we ought to be cheering this potentially transformational change, not fixating over minor growing pains.”

Angela Hunt is a former Dallas city councilwoman. She writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her ahunt@advocatemag. com.

Come hear Dr. Irie L. Session as Royal Lane joins Baptist Women in Ministry in celebrating the Martha Stearns Marshall Women in Preaching Month during the 10:55 a.m. Worship Service on Sunday, February 4, 2018.

Lunch & Conversation with Dr. Irie in Family Hall following the Worship Service

Dr. Irie uses her expertise in pedagogy, theology, academic and social research, and curriculum development to increase the impact of the education and training she offers to survivors organizations. She delivers expert training and

6707 Royal Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 214-361-2809

Marketplace

Lake Highlands Acupuncture

Bryan Ellett, L.Ac.

The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture for: chronic pain, high blood pressure, depression/anxiety, digestive problems (IBS, heartburn), common cold, allergies and more! Come see why! Now accepting insurance!

10252 E. Northwest Highway 214.267.8636 lakehighlandsacupuncture.com

My Office

Shipping and Office Supplies

Sometimes Love is all you need! Come and see our cute collection of all things Valentine. From decorative candy jars to cards to tokens of love, we’ve got you covered. Don’t forget you can mail here too. Step into My Office, you’ll always find something you need.

9660 Audelia Road, Suite 123 214.221.0011 myofficelh.com

Biz Buzz

WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

NOW OPEN

Cedar & Vine Community Kitchen + Cocktails opened in the space once occupied by Neighbors Casual Kitchen and Highlands Café at Walnut Hill and Audelia. The owners are Lake Highlands High School classmates Brandon Carter, Jimmy Cannon and Sam Howard. “There will always be something new to try,” says Howard. “We’re using a fresh fish wholesaler in Lake Highlands, and we’ll have rotating flatbreads, homemade pastas and other things on the menu that will keep people guessing.”

They hope to inspire others to expand the dining scene in our neighborhood. Cannon says, “You can’t eat at Cedar & Vine every day of the week. You need other options in the neighborhood, and the more business we can bring to the area, the better. We want to keep dollars in Lake Highlands. We want to get people who live outside of Lake Highlands coming in. We want to make Lake Highlands the dining scene.” Cedar & Vine is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week in Lake Highlands Plaza, 9661 Audelia Road.

The Yogurtland at Lake Highlands Town Center began welcoming customers last month. Franchisee Shezy Khan says the California-based frozen yogurt shop, with flavors like pecans and pralines and cranberry-raspberry tart, uses its own dairies to create ingredients, which includes dairyand gluten-free options.

Fish City Grill also opened at the Town Center in January, famous for its fried dill pickles, roasted jalapeno soup, shrimp and grits and homemade bread pudding. The new eatery is located at Skillman and Walnut Hill, on the corner between Jersey Mike’s and Taco Diner.

Newly Proposed

An empty lot behind Sonic could soon become our neighborhood’s newest night spot, although few details of Club Azul have been decided, so far. “Until that zoning requirement goes through, we don’t do any design work,” says Jay Woo of JNF Associates, the project’s architect who is also representing owner, NWH & McCree, LTD., in its application for a specific use permit to operate a nightclub at the site, 11921 Northwest Highway. The land is zoned commercial, and neighboring bar Bombones already has a specific use permit to serve alcohol, meaning the request does not set a new precedent on the block. According to the application, “the facility will be open mostly in the evenings on weekends.”

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A program born to assist troubled youths in getting their lives on track eventually transformed into Texans Can Academies, a series of charter schools that targets students who don’t thrive in traditional classrooms. It has a special emphasis on supporting those who have dropped out and are seeking a way back into education. The nonprofit is proposing a new campus in Lake Highlands, on Skillman Avenue north of the LBJ. It already operates six campuses in Dallas Country, from which 1,100 students have graduated.

By GEORGE MASON

BAPTIST

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

ROYAL LANE BAPTIST CHURCH / 6707 Royal Lane / 214.361.2809

Christian Education 9:45 a.m. / Worship Service 10:55 a.m.

Pastor - Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg / www.royallane.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 6:30 pm

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Episcopal

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 9845 McCree Road / 214.348.1345

Worship 8 & 10 am / Family Service 10 am / Sunday School 9 am

Nursery Open for All Services. / StJamesDallas.org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org

Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Pastor Rich Pounds

Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON

503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint

8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am sanctuary / access modern worship 11:00am

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE POINTE CHURCH – WHITE ROCK CAMPUS

Classic Service at 9:30 & Contemporary Service at 11:00 am lakepointe.org / 9150 Garland Road

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr.

214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sundays 8:30 & 11:00 am

Sunday School 9:35am / All Are Welcome

Chocolates or ashes?

What happens when religious holy days and secular holidays overlap?

Clergy like me like to gripe about how culture calendars usurp church calendars. We’ll have to be especially creative this year as Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day and April Fool’s Day is also Easter. Oh my.

How we tell time is a spiritual exercise. Our calendars direct the seasons of the soul and mark the holy days (holidays).

Christians follow a calendar that tracks the life of Christ. It begins each year with Advent, reimagining the coming of God in Jesus as the babe in the manger and yearning for the coming of God’s final union with the world at the end of days. The seasons then move from Christmas to Epiphany to Lent, during which times we follow the ministry of Jesus and learn to follow in his steps today. Holy Week climaxes with his crucifixion on Good Friday, and the world begins again on Easter Sunday with his resurrection from the dead. Easter season yields to Pentecost, when the Spirit that empowered the earthly Jesus is given in a new way to the church. The latter half of the church year then is devoted to how the resurrected Christ continues his liberating work through the church. This longest season of the year is Ordinary Time, so called because we order our daily lives by the agenda of Jesus.

Jews and Muslims order their lives with similar calendric approaches. The three major pilgrimage festivals of Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Sukkot) highlight the Jewish year. The Muslim month of fasting known as Ramadan ends with the Feast of Eid Al-Fitr. The pattern of fasting before feasting is common to all faith calendars. Likewise, the originating narrative of the religion is annually rehearsed, featuring Moses or Jesus or Muhammad, along with the people they formed.

The lunar calendar undergirds these religious calendars, thus joining the natural and supernatural rhythms in one dance. What annoys religious leaders is when the commercial calendar, the school calendar or the sports calendar takes precedence. Neither Hallmark, nor Congress, nor the NFL determines our holidays. Mother’s Day is not a religious day. Memorial Day does not commemorate martyrs. Super Bowl Sunday doesn’t change the menu at the Lord’s Table.

Do you see the challenge?

This year some of us will celebrate romantic love with ashes on our fore- heads. We may indeed need to repent of our lack of love in order to renew it, but my guess is that restaurants will be busier than churches and people will be giving chocolates rather than giving them up for the start of Lent. Penitence and indulgence are hard to reconcile.

Neither Hallmark, nor Congress, nor the NFL determines religious holidays.

Easter is a little easier, since an old tradition of the church has the preacher starting the sermon that day with a joke. Resurrection Sunday was the ultimate fool’s day. On Good Friday, the Devil was tricked into believing he won with the death of Jesus; Easter proved the joke was on him.

Maybe the spiritual will conquer the secular this year after all. Time will tell.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.