January 2019 Murfreesboro Pulse by The Murfreesboro Pulse

IN MUSIC

TAY KEITH, LUKE LAIRD + OTHER GRAMMY NOMINEES / ZUG / ANDREW WHITE / EYE FOR NONE / WES HOUP & MORE! JANUARY 2019 / VOL. 14, ISSUE 1 / FREE

 DANCE MURFREESBORO

From Darkness to Sight

PAGE 18

 ART OF MARY MILLER VEAZIE

DR. MING WANG TELLS OF HIS JOURNEY FROM CHINA TO MIDDLE TENNESSEE PAGE 14

 MICRO WRESTLING

PAGE 40

PAGE 24

Contents

PHOTO BY TINA BARKER/PHOTO CONNECT MURFREESBORO

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

GRAMMY NOMINEES

24 Art

8 Sounds

THEATER Newsies, Julius Caesar

CALENDAR Polar Bear Plunge, Wild Things, Frostbite Half Marathon

Several talented MTSU grads earn Grammy nominations.

FAITH AND SCIENCE

Dr. Ming Wang recalls his journey from darkness to sight in book, speeches.

MUSIC NOTES Zug

CONCERTS Andrew White, Thursday Night Blues Jam, Junkbox, Shane and the Moneymakers, MTSU Horn Day and more!

DANCE!

Learn swing, waltz, salsa and many other styles at Dance Murfreesboro.

MARY MILLER VEAZIE

ALBUM REVIEWS Eye for None, Wes Houp

Artist continues producing portrait, animal and abstract paintings.

18 Living

GET FIT!

Find the best fit for you among Murfreesboro's many fitness offerings.

MICRO WRESTLING

5 Events

Small professional wrestlers return to Murfreesboro on Jan 18.

LIVE . . . WELL! Follow it through.

22 Food RESTAURANT REVIEW Kool Runnings Jamaican Cuisine

Advertising: Don Clark, Ryan Kent Leslie Russell-Yost

BOROPULSE . COM Publisher/Editor in Chief: Bracken Mayo

Art Director: Sarah Mayo Copy Editor: Steve Morley

PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Connect Murfreesboro explores rule of thirds

POETRY Poetry in the Boro at MLT on Jan. 13

31 Movies STILL GOT JOY Upcoming film tells story of local minister overcoming addiction. REVIEWS Mary Queen of Scots, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs NEW RELEASES Escape Room, A Dog's Way Home and more!

34 News

BUSINESS BUZZ El Hornito Mexican Bakery, Hop Springs, Enchanted Planet,

Contributors: Jennifer Durand, Joseph Kathmann, Jordan Hall, Tony Lehew, Laura Lindsay, Rick Malone, Zach Maxfield, Jay Spight, Andrea Stockard, Ladiah Marche Thomas, Phil Valentine, Kory Wells, Andrew Wigdor, Michelle Willard

Andy's Custard, Just Love, Buff's and more! AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS City of Murfreesboro signs off on $4.5M airport terminal design.

40 Sports

SPORTS TALK Titans and injury-prone Mariota fail to make NFL playoffs. MTSU SPORTS Blue Raider basketball teams to open C-USA play in January.

Opinion PHIL VALENTINE Let’s study the true meaning of the word “justice.” SPIRITUAL MATTERS

The master sculptor RECOMMENDED READING Ecce Deus

Copyright © 2019, The Murfreesboro Pulse, 10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Proudly owned, operated and published the first Thursday of each month by the Mayo family; printed by Franklin Web Printing Co. The Pulse is a free publication funded by advertisers. Views expressed in the Pulse do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. ISSN: 1940-378X

10 N. Public Square, Murfreesboro, TN 37130 • 615-796-6248

WE MADE IT THROUGH 2018. It’s a wrap, distant history, and we enter into a new year with fresh goals, clean books and all sorts of plans and desires. What will 2019 bring? What will you cause it to bring? Wow. Almost to the roaring ’20s, once again. We lost some people in 2018, and some new ones have been born. More will be coming. If there is one thing I’ll predict for 2019, it’s that not all of us will make it to the end of it. I am not sure which ones; could be me, could be you. So, do what you need to do and say what you need to say while you have the chance. May you all have an opportunity to succeed and live comfortably this year. Set aside time for physical fitness and mental rest, sleep and fun. Build your team. It is tough to try and make it alone. As some say, it takes a village. As we enter the new year, identify your existing and needed team members—your personal trainer, barber, massage therapist, sales team, dentist, mechanic, church group, handyman, drummer, counselor, graphic designer, babysitter, assistants, production crew, tennis partner and friends—have them in place, treat them well and help them out, because you know you need their help. Some of us may have quality people in all of the necessary roles already. Great! Retain them, keep them there, let them know they are valued. Some may have voids in their lives that they could use some assistance with. The right person is out there. Seek and ye shall find. The Pulse (now entering year 14, baby!), continues to spotlight as many interesting events, activities, artists, foods, places and people of the Middle Tennessee area as we can and attempts to present a thorough picture of the community. Keep turning the pages and you’ll find all sorts of interesting features in this issue, from Jamaican food to dancing; artwork of Mary Miller Veazie to Ming Wang; from Still Got Joy to Poetry in the Boro; Micro Wrestlers to Blue Raiders. Thanks, many times over, to all who support this community endeavor—to those who use their marketing dollars to place ad space in our pages, to those who write stories for the Pulse, to those who pick up and read each printed edition or subscribe to our email newsletter, to area businesses who display copies of the Pulse each month. Thank you for being a part of something really neat and valuable to our community. Keep in touch. What do you want to see in the Pulse? What’s on your mind? Please know, you can send comments, letters and columns to the Pulse; we welcome submissions of articles, suggestions, artwork and story ideas from the people of Murfreesboro. When you have the chance, peruse the Pulse website, at boropulse.com, and discover all sorts of neat stuff there about our area of the Earth. May you learn something new, meet someone interesting and have an adventure in 2019.

To carry the PULSE at your business, or to submit letters, stories and photography: bracken@boropulse.com

to receive our weekly digital newsletter at BOROPULSE.COM/NEWSLETTER FOLLOW US:

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The Murfreesboro Pulse

Peace, BRACKEN MAYO Publisher/Editor in Chief

Events

CALENDAR / JAN. 2019

BY ANDREA STOCKARD

ALL MONTH LONG

7:15–9 a.m., with Krista Hawkins’ “The Long Way Is the Shortcut.” Krista Hawkins, co-founder of Future Legacy Leaders, emphasizes how to approach 2019’s goalsetting differently. Hawkins has invested her career in helping others to create new beginnings. Bring plenty of business cards to make connections. Rutherford Cable meets at the Stones River Country Club (1830 NW Broad St.). For more information, visit rutherfordcable.org or contact yourrutherfordcable@gmail.com.

CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSALS Instead of trashing your Christmas tree in the landfill, recycle it back to nature. Make sure it is free of everything including tinsel, lights, tree stand, ornaments and ﬂocking. Trees are then shredded and turned to mulch. They are used on trails in the parks and mulch by your neighbors, so they must be clean. For more information, contact 615-542-4633 or mkeisling@rutherfordcountytn.gov. Rutherford County drop-off points include Cannonsburgh, the Murfreesboro Solid Waste Facility, Lee Victory Recreation Park and La Vergne Public Works Facility.

JAN. 9 LIVING SENT LUNCHEON

JAN. 5 HEALTH AND FITNESS FAIR Join CoreLife Eatery (2330 Medical Center Pkwy.) for information on local fitness, wellness and health businesses at its Fitness and Wellness Fair on Saturday, Jan. 5, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Support local businesses and sign up for CoreLife’s 21-Day Challenge with bonus swag bags for the first 30 people who stop in alongside rafﬂes, giveaways and surprises. Learn how to take care of your body and mind through whole foods, movement and overall wellbeing. Admission is free. All pre-registered attendees will get 25 percent off their meal (but registration is not required).

JAN. 7 NEW YEAR NEW YOU CLASS Don’t just start the New Year off right; keep it up all year ’round. These classes at Sports*Com (2310 Memorial Blvd.) from 10:15–11:25 a.m. target those problem areas that greatly affect daily life. By the end of the year, your body should be balanced, strong, ﬂexible and better than ever. All classes may include mat/ﬂoor work, stretching, body weight exercises, light weights, bands, foam rollers and massage balls. Topics include: back health in April, May and June; foot health in July, August and September; and myofascial release in October, November and December. Admission is $4 or facility pass. For more information, contact 615-895-5040 or adavidson@murfreesborotn.gov.

JAN. 8 FINANCIAL SEMINAR Edward Jones is offering a year-long series of monthly financial seminars at Linebaugh Public Library (105 W. Vine St.), begin-

JAN. 5

PHOTOS BY JIM DAVIS/MURFREESBORO PARKS & REC

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE Join the Arctic Adventure and the Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday, Jan. 5, from 8:30–10 a.m. in the gym and in SportsCom’s outdoor pool (2310 Memorial Blvd.). The annual tradition includes games, food and fun. Admission is non-perishable food to be distributed to needy individuals through Greenhouse Ministries. For more information, call 615-895-5040. ning with a seminar on saving for college on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. Subsequent seminars are held the second Tuesday of each month. Learn how to focus on your long-term financial objectives. American Funds talks about 529 education savings plans which are designed to help make investing for education easy and accessible

to everyone; learn about tax benefits, too. For more information, RSVP at 615-8958282 or visit rclstn.org.

JAN. 8 RUTHERFORD CABLE Join the Rutherford Cable January Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday, Jan 8, from

JAN. 8 MYRA WILKINSON BOOK SIGNING Linebaugh Library hosts local author Myra Wilkinson for a book signing on Tuesday, Jan. 8, from 5–7:30 p.m. (105 W. Vine St.). Wilkinson signs and sells copies of her book, Start Each Day With a Smile, published August 2018. The book encourages a journey of self-care, selfdiscovery and personal growth utilizing journaling to help you dig deep within, cultivating self-love while exploring your personal needs and learning to practice self-care. Myra Wilkinson is a licensed marriage and family therapist servicing Murfreesboro and surrounding areas. For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

 To read about local events online, visit BOROPULSE.COM/EVENTS

Join the Living Sent Luncheon at the Experience Church (521 Old Salem Rd.) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 11:30 a.m. Derek Truelove will deliver the God story. Truelove is a risk management specialist for 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty and is involved with Wilson County Fair Board, Citizens Academy of the Wilson County Sheriff Alumni Association, Living Sent Ministries and Wilson County Chamber of Commerce. Monica Schmelter is the application speaker. She has devoted a lot of her time to spreading the Christian message, and her last book, Messy to Meaningful, co-written by comedic mother-daughter duo Rhonda and Kaley Rhea, was released in 2018. Living Sent, with chapters in multiple Middle Tennessee communities, encourages business leaders to live out their Christian faith through their businesses to help build the kingdom of God. For more information, visit livingsentministries.org.

JAN 11 FROZEN FAMILY FUN NIGHT Make some snow with your favorite winter characters as Elsa, Anna and Olaf join a winter celebration at the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center (100 Sam Ridley Pkwy. E.) on Friday, Jan. 11, from 6–8 p.m. Sing, dance, eat snacks, and make crafts and frozen experiments. Costumes are encouraged. Admission is $2. Registration suggested through CommunityPass. For more information, visit townofsmyrna.org or contact miranda.pewitt@townofsmyrna.org or 615-459-9710.

JAN. 12 MASTER FOOD CLASSES Linebaugh Public Library hosts the Rutherford County Master Food Volunteers for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOROPULSE.COM

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series of classes starting Jan. 12 and continuing the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. This group of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences helpers educate communities about healthy foods and skills such as planning meals, shopping, cooking, freezing foods and safe food handling. Classes run through July, excluding the month of April. January’s topic is “Cooking for One or Two, Soups.” Recipes are shared with steps to make things easy. Classes are at the Club Room on the first ﬂoor of the library (105 W. Vine St.) and are free and open to the public. For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

JAN. 12 MOMMY AND ME CLASS All Murfreesboro moms are invited to CoreLife Eatery (2330 Medical Center Pkwy.) on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 10–11 a.m. for a Mommy and Me Class. Get moving in a fun workout with your kids in a great opportunity to meet and connect with other moms. Learn more about the new Mommy & Me – Move, Meal, Motivation Class that Vanessa offers Tuesdays and Thursdays, allowing moms to work out while the kids play. For more information, contact strong4byv@gmail.com.

JAN. 13 SELF-CARE SEMINAR Join Myra Wilkinson, LMFT, and five amazing panelists to discuss self-care and ways to practice self-care daily at Patterson Park (521 Mercury Blvd.) from 1:30–4:30 p.m.

JAN 19 WEDDING DRESSES THROUGH THE DECADES Oaklands Mansion once again presents the award-winning exhibit, “Wedding Dresses Through the Decades,” Jan. 19–March 3 (900 N. Maney Ave.). Enjoy stories of the community through wedding gowns spanning 150 years. Step back into time and experience the common threads that weave lives together while exploring women’s history, fashion, culture and the history of the community. The exhibit is open Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and Sundays 1–4 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Mansion tours available. For more information, contact mb@oaklandsmansion.org or 615-893-0022.

Learn how to define, discuss the importance of and acknowledge the challenges of selfcare. Start implementing change in different areas of your life such as emotional/mental, career, personal, physical and relationships. Leave with the book Start Each Day With a

Smile, a five-week journey of self-care, selfdiscovery and personal growth and two free self-care gifts. For more information, visit mwilkinsonconsulting.org/shop.

JAN. 14 WINTER ARTS CLASSES Winter classes for children ages 5–18 begin at the Center for the Arts (110 W. College St.) on Jan. 14. The Center Stage Academy puts you in the spotlight and offers classes that include acting, singing, dancing and production. The production classes include Annie, Jr. For more information, call 615-904-ARTS (2787) or visit boroarts.org.

JAN. 14 AND 28 NASP MEETING

JAN. 16 TWENTY-ONE-DAY CORELIFE CHALLENGE Join CoreLife Eatery in launching its 21-Day CoreLife Challenge on Wednesday, Jan. 16. This challenge is free and available to anyone who wants to make a real change in 2019. This 21-day process helps people recharge, refuel and get on the path towards living a healthier lifestyle. Gain the tools to detox along with refueling the body with the foods it was meant to eat. Participants get daily educations and motivational emails as well as special offers and treats along the way. All 49 CoreLife Eateries in the country are participating. For more information, visit corelifeeatery.com.

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NASP (Nashville Association of Sales Professionals) is a nonprofit, professional organization providing a positive forum for skill enhancement, training and networking for career sales people. They meet the second and fourth Monday of each month (Jan. 14 and 28) at Burger Bar Restaurant (1850 Old Fort Pkwy.). Hear expert presentations from outstanding motivational and sales training speakers. You are invited to expand your horizons by networking with peers and making new friends in the sales arena. For more information on the group, visit nashville-nasp.org.

JAN. 17 THE CONNECTION Local small business owners will gather for The Connection: An Evening of Professional Networking and Business Brainstorming from 5–7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17, at Carmen’s Taqueria, 1935 S. Church St. All Middle Tennessee entrepreneurs and professionals are welcome to attend this casual, free event, where they can meet other small business owners and tap into one another’s experience and energy. A discussion will encourage participation from those in attendance, asking them to articulate their vision for their business and calling for examples of some of the challenges and solutions they are experiencing. The series will continue the third Thursday of each month.

JAN 20 CAMPFIRE / TOTAL ECLIPSE School is out on Monday, so join the SOAC at Sharp Springs Natural Area (1000 Espey Dr.) around the campfire for a chance to view the blood moon total lunar eclipse and enjoy yummy s’mores on Sunday night, Jan. 20. Dress warmly. Food is first come, first served. Admission is $2. All ages welcome. Registration is suggested through CommunityPass. For more information, visit the Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center Facebook or contact mike.kraft@townofsmyrna.org.

JAN. 26 MLK BREAKFAST Join Carolyn Cox at the MTSU James Union Building (516 Alma Mater Dr.) on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 9–11 a.m. as the Murfreesboro Branch of the NAACP celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visit mlkbreakfasttickets.eventbrite.com for tickets or more information.

JAN. 26 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT Join Our Daily Bread CACFP for a training session open to all unregulated and licensed childcare providers in the state of Tennessee on Saturday, Jan 26, from 9 a.m.–noon. Get provided with all of your required annual Child and Adult Care Food Program training needed for the year. The guest speaker topic is child physical and sexual abuse. All attendees receive a certificate with credited training hours. Licensed or unregulated childcare homes, centers and after-school facilities are all encouraged to attend. For more information, visit odbcacfp.org.

FEB. 2 SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE DONG PEOPLE’S NEW YEAR This film screening shows the lives and culture of the Dong ethnic people of Southwestern China. An ethnic group of China, the Dong people have unique traditions, music and language. With no written language until 1958, the Dong wear vivid costumes and perform in large choral groups to sing about their history. Learn more about this culture at MTSU, Room 160, College of Education Building (1301 E. Main St.) on Saturday, Jan. 2, from 2–5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 615-904-8121 or visit the CCMCMTSU Facebook Page (MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture).

Marathon on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 11 a.m. at Cedars of Lebanon State Park (328 Cedar Forest Rd.). Register before Jan. 25 without late fees at reg2run.com. For more information, contact 615-390-6977 or tomasdepaulis@att.net. Frostbite Running Club is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 and is a member of Road Runners Club of America. The race is also part of the Tennessee State Park Running Tour, a series of 20 races staged in parks around the state each year. For more information, visit frostbiterc.org.

THROUGH FEB. 15

MONDAYS GIRLS WHO CODE Girls Who Code is a nonprofit whose aim is to support and increase the number of women in computer science. The organization is working to close the gender employment difference in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like. The group meets at the Technology Engagement Center (306 Minerva Dr.) every Monday through from 4:30–6:30 p.m. For more information, contact angela@okasinc.org or 615-904-4493 or visit girlswhocode.com.

FLAG FOOTBALL SIGNUPS

WEDNESDAYS

Ages 7–13 can sign up for the Smyrna Parks and Recreation Flag Football League through Feb. 15. Program signup is $75 and includes jersey, game ﬂags and a membership to USA Football. Sign up at register. communitypass.net. For more information, contact Marty Smith at 615-459-9742 ext. 2622 or marty.smith@townofsmyrna.org or Kyle Mooney at 615-459-9742 ext. 2615 or kyle.mooney@townofsmyrna.org.

BORO2SQUARE RUNNERS Boro2Square Runners is a running group for individuals interested in running and socializing with other runners. Weekly runs begin at 6 p.m. each Wednesday, starting from the Boulevard Bar and Grill, 2154 Middle Tennessee Blvd. Distances covered are 3–5 miles, with runners of all paces welcome to participate. For more information, visit facebook.com/boro2square.

MONDAYS & SATURDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

STORYTIME FOR KIDS

The Murfreesboro Writers Group, comprised of local writers who seek to improve their work through mutual critique, meets every Wednesday at Linebaugh Library (105 W. Vine St.) from 6–8 p.m. You might hear science fiction, poetry, alternate reality, memoir, fantasy, mystery, literary fiction, or

Join Barnes & Noble (2615 Medical Center Pkwy.) every Monday and Saturday from 11–11:30 a.m. in the children’s department for a story, coloring and fun. For more information, visit stores.barnesandnoble.com/store/2292.

WRITERS GROUP

FROSTBITE HALF MARATHON Come out for the Cedars Frostbite Half

CHESS CLUB The Murfreesboro Chess Club meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 907 E. Main St. Chess players of all levels are invited to come meet and play against other local chess enthusiasts. For more information, email murfreesborochess@gmail.com or call 615-713-9256.

THURSDAYS FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY Almost 5 million people have taken control of their money with the easy-to-follow lessons they learned in Financial Peace University. Join this special 12-week series offered at Linebaugh Public Library, beginning Thursday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. Edward Jones teaches practical ways to create a budget, pay off debt, make wise spending choices and save money for the future on the first ﬂoor Club Room at Linebaugh Public Library (105 W. Vine St.). For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visitrclstn.org.

FRIDAYS GAME NIGHT & CHESS CLUB Hang out at Barnes & Noble cafe (2615 Medical Center Pkwy.) on Fridays from 6–9 p.m. to enjoy any of the available demo games or play with the local Chess Club. Anyone is welcome to participate. For more information, call 615-895-8580.

FREE FINANCIAL FRIDAYS Learn budgeting, credit building, debt consolidation, home buying, refinancing and building wealth at Free Financial Fridays (free to the public; live webinar available) every Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (120 E. Main St. #310). Sign up at naltm.eventbrite. com. For more information, visit naltm.com or contact info@naltm.com.

GROUNDHOG DAY LUNCHEON

FEB. 2

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS

FEB. 2 MTSU’s annual Groundhog Day Luncheon returns Feb. 2, at 11:30 a.m. inside Murphy Center, as head coach Jim McGuire and the MTSU Blue Raider Baseball team kick off their 2019 campaign. The popular luncheon features the traditional menu of ham hocks, white beans, tomato salad, green onions, cornbread, chocolate cake and ice cream. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Reservations can be made by calling 615-898-5261. For more information, visit goblueraiders.com.

more. For more information, find Murfreesboro Writers Group on Facebook, email sayhello@murfreesborowritersgroup.com, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

WEDNESDAYS WILD THINGS AT WILDERNESS STATION Wild Things at the Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park (697 Veterans Pkwy.) teaches children ages 1–4 (accompanied by an adult) about the wonders of nature with a weekly session consisting of songs and discussion about the animal of the week, a simple craft and a nature hike or fun activity revolving around the wonderful, wacky wildlife that lives in Tennessee. Wild Things is held each Wednesday in January from 9:30–10 a.m. Registration required. Admission is $3 per person. For more information, contact 615-217-3017 or outdoormurfreesboro@murfreesborotn.gov.

SATURDAYS VISIT RANSOM SCHOOL The Rutherford County Historical Society invites everyone to visit Ransom School (717 N. Academy St.) Saturday mornings from 9 a.m.–noon and discuss history while enjoying a cup of coffee. Bring old photos and memorabilia, and leave with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, your past. Volunteers needed. For more information, visit rutherfordtnhistory.org. BOROPULSE.COM

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Sounds

Read more about the community at

boropulse.com/category/living

Faith & Science Eye doctor Ming Wang recounts his journey from darkness to sight BY BRACKEN MAYO

MING WANG CAME TO THE U.S. “WITH ONLY $50 and a English-Chinese dictionary in my pocket, but with a big American dream in my heart,” he says. Today, the Nashville-based eye surgeon is one of the most renowned professionals in his field. Known all over the world, he frequently donates his time and skills so that he may help give sight to the blind. 14 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Wang (born Wang Ming-Xu in Hangzhou, China) recounts his incredible journey at speaking engagements throughout Middle Tennessee and beyond, as well as in his 2015 book From Darkness to Sight. He will visit Murfreesboro the morning of Thursday, Jan. 24, for a presentation to the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club. Wang seeks every possible opportunity to encourage others and to spread the word on sight restoration, as well as the Eye Ball fundraiser, his China Bible project and other charitable endeavors. Wang encourages other area organizations and churches to contact him for free talks and speaking engagements. Wang has earned doctorate degrees from both Harvard and MIT, making him one of the few Lasik surgeons in the world who also holds a degree in laser physics in addition to his doctorate of medicine. And while Wang is a dedicated student of science and technology, he still prays with many of his patients prior to undergoing surgery, asking for God to bless the medical procedure and guide the results. “I ask their permission; when it’s your eye doctor with a laser, it’s hard to say ‘no,’” Wang joked. “Faith and science can indeed work together,” Wang says. “Science is what things are. Faith is why things are. Science and technology give you the tools, but faith gives you the purpose. “God ultimately has control, but I have 100 percent control of my effort.” Wang’s experiences in China during the darkness, violence and suffering of its Cultural Revolution and “the worst famine in human history”—due to People’s Republic of China Chairman Mao Zedong’s insistence that the state take control of the grain—led

him to want to help the underprivileged in other areas later in his career when he had the means to give back to others. “I have come to understand that people who live in physical darkness have the most intense appreciation for sight,” he writes in his book. “Who appreciates sight the most? The blind. Who appreciates freedom the most? Those who don’t have freedom.” Wang encourages Americans to not take their way of life for granted, and to “become a people who who truly appreciate something as precious in life as freedom, before we lose it.” Wang also wants today’s generation in the United States to realize what Chinese youth went through not all that long ago, in a society where they were not so much concerned with acquiring the latest version of the iPhone but rather avoiding a lifetime of hard labor, starvation or the threat of their family members’ execution. He encourages the youth in all societies to value “their opportunity to get an education, to learn science, technology, history and about other people, to research God’s creation.” Wang grew up during the brutal policies of Chairman Mao, the “dark period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.” “The first goal of the Cultural Revolution was to eliminate higher education,” Wang said. The establishment looked upon intellectualism, enlightenment and tradition with disdain, at least among the masses, and aimed to increase industrial output under a tightly regulated and controlled Communist system, partially through “re-education through hard labor.” “Either we supported the ruling party or our lives would be at stake. Dissent was simply not tolerated, and dissidents were often executed,” Wang writes. While these circumstances in society surrounded him, Wang says he still has fond memories of family life as a youth in China. “We were materially poor, yet we were rich in love,” he says. “During these years, China had no God and virtually no religion, besides the doctrine of communism,” Wang continues. Both of his parents were medical doctors, as was his grandfather and numerous other family members. Wang said that growing up, his family “did not believe in God; we believed in education.” During the period when Wang was in high school “the government would send 100 percent of students to hard labor camps after CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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they completed the 12th grade,” he says. “My parents made the agonizing decision to take me out of school, in a family where education is everything.” In an effort to avoid a lifetime of hard labor, Wang’s parents halted his formal education, and he dedicated himself to learning dance and the erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed and bowed instrument, somewhat similar to a violin. He would sit outside of the dormitory where his family lived and practice the instruments for hours, often in the cold, in snowy or windy conditions. “Many youth were sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor. Music could be a way out of that. You might could get into a communist song and dance propaganda troupe,” Wang said. Now, in Middle Tennessee, many have seen Wang ballroom dancing in television commercials to promote his practice and his fundraisers. He has performed the erhu alongside Dolly Parton and other notable musicians. “This is not a hobby,” Wang clarifies regarding his dancing and instrumental abilities. “I learned these things to survive.” However, ultimately, it was not his musical abilities that directed his path to America. Following Mao’s death in 1976, universities began to re-open. It was announced that, following a 10-year absence of a national college entrance exam, they would once again offer an opportunity for a college education for a very limited number of students, based on their performance on an entrance exam. Although Wang missed out on two years of high school, his parents continued his education the best they could, both at home, and by allowing Wang to illegally attend classes and labs at the medical university where they taught—until they were found out. Upon the announcement of the college entrance exam resuming, Wang’s parents lined up tutors for him, and he poured himself into studies, earning a spot at the University of Science and Technol-

ogy of China, against minuscule odds. Here, Wang was introduced to lasers: “focused beams of unified, monochromatic light . . . the science of lasers quickly became my passion,” he writes. Eventually, through a student exchange program, Wang and some of his classmates traveled to America to study. He took full advantage of the opportunity, first landing a student-teaching position in chemistry at the University of Maryland, and later gaining admission to Harvard and MIT. Now, established in the Nashville medical community, Dr. Wang has performed thousands of eye surgeries on his patients, including over 4,000 procedures on doctors. “I’m known as a ‘doctor’s doctor,’” Wang said. He was the inspiration for the character Martin in the recent feature film God’s Not Dead, and his autobiography has inspired and amazed many readers, in Tennessee and throughout the world. “From Darkness to Sight chronicles Ming’s remarkable journey from the search for freedom as a teenager in China to building a new life in America, escaping deportation, fighting racial discrimination and financial hardships, and ultimately becoming a world-renowned eye surgeon and philanthropist. His is an inspirational story of moving from East to West, from atheism to faith, from fear, poverty and discrimination to healing—for himself and others,” Bill Frist wrote in the book’s introduction. In his book, Wang writes that his father once told him “Ming, remember that life’s path is hardly ever a straight line. There are always lots of zigzags before you find your way. Never give up hope.” Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club meets at Stones River Country Club at 7 a.m. on Thursdays. For more information, find Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club on Facebook. Wang will speak on Jan. 24. For more information on Dr. Ming Wang, visit drmingwang.com or wangvisioninstitute.com.

BOROPULSE.COM

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Living Learn swing, waltz, salsa, line dance, foxtrot and other styles at Dance Murfreesboro BY LAURA LINDSAY

Dance! Just

A GOOD WAY TO BECOME MORE active, and relaxed, in the New Year is to visit Dance Murfreesboro, owned and run by Becky and Steve Lanham at their Murfreesboro studio and event space, The Warehouse. “We started Dance Murfreesboro in 2010 as a place for people to come socialize, dance and take classes and just learn ballroom dancing,” said Becky Lanham. “Ballroom dancing was something I was enjoying doing as a student and I wanted a place where people could come and do it affordably.” This month, the studio is running a special called “Swinging for the New Year” where participants can attend a class on each of the four Mondays for $20. The first two weeks will cover single-step swing followed by two weeks of salsa. The first two classes cost $10 each and then attendees receive a punch card good for the last two classes, where they’ll learn the basics of the dances plus a little more to get them out on the dance floor, Lanham said. For those who want to dance more, Dance Murfreesboro offers classes three nights a week with social dancing after the lessons on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Monday nights usually have a beginner class from 6–7 p.m. and on every other week there is a line dance class from 7–8 p.m. In the line dance class series, Dance Murfreesboro alternates many styles of line dance, from a country dance to hip-hop dance and even a smooth-styled line dance more similar to ballroom style dancing. 18 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

“We mix it up and do a little bit of something for everyone,” Lanham said. On Wednesday nights, the establishment offers a beginner and intermediate class in a different dance style each week, followed by an open dance. One week, they might teach waltz or foxtrot, then salsa or samba, then some East Coast swing or country two-step. You can come with or without a dance partner; the classes are designed for singles and couples alike. Tuesday night is West Coast swing night at Dance Murfreesboro. West Coast swing is popular among dancers because it can be adapted to several kinds of music and tempos—in-

cluding the blues, R&B and contemporary music—and it allows dancers the versatility to improvise that many other dances do not. It is also one of the most difficult dances taught at Dance Murfreesboro because of the variety of basic steps, so beginners should come to the classes repeatedly to learn it. Tuesdays begin with a free beginners class from 6:30–7 p.m. followed by an intermediate class for more experienced dancers. The social dance is from 8–10 p.m. West-coast swing class is taught by Brooklyn Lanham and Keith Penu. “We have been working hard to build our dance community,” Brooklyn said. “Our hope is to create a welcoming, familyoriented atmosphere for people to express themselves through dance.” Penu said dancing has improved his confidence and has been a great way to connect

with people from all over. Another dancer explained, “It’s been great. I got back into dancing after 25 years, and my son is just starting and is obsessed. It’s great to do something with your 13-year-old son, when most parents can’t even get them to say one word to them. It’s really helped his self-confidence, also. Dance Murfreesboro is a great, family-friendly place.” Janis Cromer, who is in her 70s, says she is learning ballroom, Latin, country, swing and line dance—and she can’t wait for her next lesson. “Come and start with group lessons for $10 a night and then when you find your passion for one dance, try private lessons for 25 or 50 minutes,” she said. “Learn whatever you want at your speed without contracts.” Cromer said she used to feel awkward on the dance floor and didn’t know what to do with her feet. Dance Murfreesboro taught her how to walk on the dance floor; after all, she said, dancing is just walking to the music. “Whether you are an experienced dancer or, like me, a former dance-a-phobe, you will find what you need at Dance Murfreesboro,” said Elliot Cotto, who came to Dance Murfreesboro three years ago. “Dancing will change your life. I know, because it has changed mine.” For more information, including a calendar of events and classes, visit dancemurfreesboro.com. The Warehouse is located at 730-A Middle Tennessee Blvd., Suite 14, Murfreesboro.

Live Exceptionally...Well! BY JENNIFER DURAND

Follow It Through ARE THERE THINGS IN YOUR LIFE that just keep getting buried deeper and deeper? Are there ideas that just get put “on the shelf ” until a more opportune time? It seems like there are lots of beginnings to things—ideas, dreams, relationships, business goals, personal goals—but then the enthusiasm winds down when the action, discipline and grit required to see it through become all too apparent. This becomes the breaking point of putting thoughts into actions. How badly do you want to accomplish your beginning? And then to see it through? “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” — Zig Ziglar Then, of course, “life” has a way of throwing lots of curve balls and surprises. Often we have to stop mid-stride and give our concentrated time and attention to the immediate. Have you ever noticed the energy and thrust you find within to handle the unexpected? Almost with little thought we react and tend to the task at hand, until we see it through to its completion, because we want life to get back to the normal flow as quickly as possible. It is amazing what we can take on in addition to our daily routine (which is often very full these days), when prompted by the unexpected. Perhaps you want your “normal” to change a bit. Maybe you’ve gotten into a rut with your routine, and you’re bored but don’t know what to do to change it. List the things you have been putting off or putzing around with—the projects you started but haven’t followed through on. Pick just one. List it as the “unexpected or urgent” category that has interrupted the normal flow of your life. Build your energy with the momentum needed to get it done now, and add the thrust that you would use if it was urgent. Yes, you will put other things aside temporarily as you seek to complete this mission. It is momentary. Once you finish, your “normal” might look or feel different in very positive ways. Once you’ve picked one item to see through to its conclusion, list the steps you need to take to get there. Then, see if you can break it down even further. Now 20 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

you have created your “to do” list. As you handle each task, check it off the list. You will already feel more accomplished toward the completion of this task as you can visually see what you are doing to get there. “Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you!” — themomhood.wordpress.com I remember a time when my desk was “organized chaos.” I mean, I knew where everything was, but there was so much and I just kept touching the same pieces of paper over and over as I’d put them aside until I could tend to them. I tired of this time-waster and decided to stack all of my papers into one pile without regard to their perceived importance. I decided I would touch the papers only once now, starting with the first one on top of the pile. I wanted to get through the stack so I built my momentum by creating a sense of urgency for the one in my hand. Then one by one I made it through the stack. It was exciting to be able to throw several of them away. Some took longer than others, but I chose to see it through so that it didn’t have to make the pass again and again. I have also used the method of separating items into: 1) Urgent – do immediately 2)Important – tend to within a couple of days 3) Necessary but not urgent – handle within the week. Anything that didn’t fall into those categories would get put in the “idea folder” or would be tossed. Don’t overcomplicate the process. It becomes a barrier to pushing through more quickly. Break it down. Take one step at a time, and follow it through. How exciting— the landscape of your life is about to look and feel different! “Follow through: the part of the swing that takes place after the ball has been hit, but before the club has been thrown.” — Henry Beard Jennifer Durand is the owner and operator of The Nurture Nook Day Spa & Gift Shoppe. Learn more by calling (615) 896-7110 or visiting nurturenook.com.

Food From left: Brown stew chicken with yams and cabbage; fried plantain; mac and cheese

Ja-maican Me Hungry STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO • PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

Discover jerk chicken, oxtail, saltfish, beef patty and other tastes of the island at La Vergne’s Kool Runnings

f you ever find yourself craving some Jamaican jerk chicken, yams with pineapple, oxtail, carrot juice, roti, beef patties or other flavors of Jamaica, it only requires a trip to the northern edge of Rutherford County, and not all the way to the Caribbean island nation. Upon approaching the Kool Runnings building, located on Murfreesboro Road in La Vergne, the delicious smell coming from the smoker may greet visitors. They know how to smoke some wonderful chicken at Kool Runnings, a name that is a shout-out to the famed Jamaican bobsled team. This jerk chicken has a tantalizingly smoky flavor on its own, but try covering it in some of the delicious sweet and tangy mild sauce,

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or, for the more adventurous, the the hot sauce, laced with scotch bonnet peppers. The walls and tables display various flags, maps of the island, photos and other Jamaica-related art, and the Kool Runnings team seems very jovial and friendly to regulars and newcomers alike, as diners step up to the counter to order cafeteria-style. A standard Kool Runnings plate includes a main dish, two sides and a sweet cornbread muffin. The jerk chicken and oxtail are popular choices, and other dishes include brown stew chicken served in a savory, gravy-like broth, and fish dishes such as escovitch fish (fried fish with hot pickled vegetables), salt fish with callaloo (greens prepared similarly to turnip or collard greens with other vegetables and seasonings added) and salt fish and ackee (a unique, savory, smooth Jamaican fruit which some describe as having a cheese-like quality). Side choices include cabbage, rice and peas, white rice, collard greens, fried plantains, mac and cheese, yams and callaloo. “I just had the oxtail with rice and peas with some fried plantains. Definitely going to have to try the whole menu,” John Franklin Park III said recently. “This place is amazing.” Another diner, Kevin Franklin, also rec-

ommends the oxtail. The yams, flavored with a little fruit juice, are incredibly sweet, tender and filling; Kool Runnings loads its collard greens with pork and salt; and banana lovers can step up their fruit game with the fried plantains. Among all of these exotic Caribbean flavors the Kool Runnings mac and cheese gets a lot of love. “I fell in love with the mac and cheese— so creamy and cheesy,” Takiyah Choi said. “All the food was amazing; I had jerk chicken, yams, cornbread, rice, fried plantains and mac and cheese.” Kool Runnings also offers the popular Caribbean street food beef patty, a delicious, flaky, Jamaican hot pocket. And each day the restaurant may offer a special recipe, such as shrimp curry, jerk pork or even Irish moss, a seaweed. Try a sweet carrot and mango juice with your meal, from the beverage container loaded with colors, also offering all sorts of other guava, coconut and pineapple juices and sodas, as well as Jamaica’s most famous beer, Red Stripe. Many in Tennessee have grown to appreciate the Jamaican culture through Bob Marley and reggae music, the nation’s powerful

The Dish RESTAURANT

Kool Runnings Jamaican Cuisine LOCATION

5238 Murfreesboro Rd., La Vergne PHONE

615-213-2090 HOURS

Tuesday–Thursday: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Saturday: 12–9 p.m. PRICES

Jerk chicken with two sides: $12; Oxtail with two sides: $15.50; Beef patty: $3; Brown stew chicken with two sides: $11.50 ONLINE

koolrunningsjamaicancuisine.com

Olympic sprinting team (and, of course, its winter Olympians too), its tropical, laid-back lifestyle, colorful fashions and the famous sacred plant of the Rastafarians. Now, take a fun trip to Jamaica without leaving Tennessee. “Great food! I absolutely love the oxtails, peas and rice and collard greens,” Raziyah Ast posted after a Kool Runnings meal. So get up, stand up, and order some jerk chicken. One love, mon!

Art

 ARTIST PROFILE

THE ART OF

MVM

M ARY M ILLER V EAZIE Mary Miller Veazie continues animal and abstract art, discusses area’s strong support of local art BY ANDREW WIGDOR

urfreesboro artist Mary Miller Veazie has been perfecting her paintings for over a decade. Veazie majored in art during her time at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, but didn’t put her degree to much use until after having her children. “I think that brought the creativity out of me,” Veazie said. She then began taking oil painting classes in California because she wanted to become a portrait artist. Veazie moved to Murfreesboro 16 years ago, where she decided to pursue art professionally. “Painting portraits was wonderful, but you don’t want to do the same thing all the time,” she said. In order to diversify her work, Veazie became acquainted with an abstract painting organization in Nashville called the Contemporary Collective. Millie Jarrett, the instructor of the group, invigorated Veazie’s desire to learn

more about art. “I think it’s important to take classes and keep your education fresh,” Veazie explained. “You always want to find an artist you admire.” Jarrett showed Veazie that a painting didn’t just have to be a replication of a photograph but a portrayal of one’s emotions. After her classes, Veazie was able to apply abstract techniques in representative paintings. “It’s allowed me more freedom in how I apply paint,” Veazie said. “I have much more of an emotional involvement with the canvas since I started painting with the Contemporary Collective.” Recently, Veazie has created many winterthemed animal paintings. She said she gained inspiration for these series after being commissioned to create paintings of farm animals. “I thought, ‘[These] would make a really good Christmas prints.’” She transformed the 

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 farm animals into holiday art by adding elements such as jingle bells to the ears of a cow rather than a tag. Veazie has created two years worth of farm animal prints and is now producing woodland animal prints. Veazie is also involved in local art groups such as the Stones River Art Association and the Murfreesboro Art League. With the league, she has taught several classes and workshops. Veazie said that through these groups and events such as the Boro Art Crawl, Murfreesboro has shown itself to be extremely supportive of the art community. “I’ve never been in a town that was so heavily involved in the arts,” Veazie said. “I think we have more in this area than anywhere else in Tennessee.” Among her other 2019 ventures, Veazie will be the featured artist at the 15th annual Lipscomb Academy Art Event from Feb. 8–10. Lipscomb Academy, a private school connected with Nashville’s Lipscomb University, holds an art show with dozens of local artists every year. Each artist brings many of their paintings to display and sell, with a percentage of the proceeds going to Lipscomb Academy. One artist is featured every year, and Veazie was chosen for the 2019 event. “I was honored to be chosen,” Veazie said. “To get into the show is rather difficult because they only take career artists.” Veazie’s art can be found and purchased online at mmveazie.com and in store at the Peddler Interiors & Gifts (1756 W. Northfield Blvd.), The Marketplace (107 S. Church St.) and Studio S Pottery (1426 Avon Rd.) in Murfreesboro as well as at Bennett Galleries in Nashville.

Art

 PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO CONNECT MURFREESBORO, a group that aims to bring together and inspire Murfreesboro-area photography enthusiasts, issues a monthly photo challenge to all who would like to participate. Recently, the group announced a challenge focused on the “rule of thirds.” Rule of thirds states that a piece should be divided into nine squares of equal size, with two horizontal lines intersecting two vertical lines, according to a photography lesson on study.com. Elements of the composition should take care to not cross the lines, and points of interest in the work should land near where two lines intersect, known as a crash point. “The idea is that an offcenter composition is more pleasing to the eye and looks more natural than one where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame,” according to photographymad.com. Previous challenges have included freezing motion, macro photography, self-portraits, wildlife, street photography, leading lines, tight-crop, and marketing/product shots. Photo Connect holds meetings the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Technology Engagement Center, 306 Minerva Dr. All photographers and photo enthusiasts are welcome to participate in challenges and meetings, whether professionals or hobbyists. This group is a tool to connect, teach, learn, exchange resources and, most importantly, promote photography in Murfreesboro, according to organizers.

Murfreesboro Photographers Explore Rule of Thirds

For more, visit facebook. com/groups/photography connectmboro or email photographyconnectmboro @gmail.com.

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Clockwise from top left: Photos by Teresa Taylor, Sarah Rausch, Jenny-Faye Foley Klooster, Tina Barker, Sarah Rausch and Carmen Hedrick Bouldin

Art

 THEATER

Newsies Coming to Center for the Arts in January EXTRA! EXTRA! Disney’s Newsies kicks off an exciting 2019 season at The Center for the Arts, onstage Jan. 11–27. Based on the 1992 movie about the true story of the newsboy strike of 1899, the show inspires everyone to seize the day and fight for what’s right. “This cast of Disney’s Newsies is top notch!” said show director Mark David Williams. “The singing, the dancing, the dedication and work ethic already displayed is beyond anything I hoped for. I promise this is going to be one of the best shows ever produced by the Center!” Williams has appeared in many shows at the Center, including Jekyll & Hyde The Musical, Hairspray and Pirates of Penzance. When Joseph Pulitzer (Adam Boe) decides the easiest way to fatten his bottom line would be to raise the price of the newspapers for the newsboys who distribute them, Jack Kelly (Nicholas True), a charming but cheeky Newsie, decides that he’s tired of the publishing giants exploiting him and the other Newsies in town. With the help of Davey (Callum Ammons), Les (Jude Williams) and journalist Katherine Plumber (Isabella Kearney), they rally the newsboys from all over the city to form a union and go on strike, where they discover that wrongs can be righted—if they’re united. Newsies runs Jan. 11–27, at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Rated PG. Tickets available at boroarts.org, by calling 615-904-ARTS (2787), or at the Center for the Arts Box Office, 110 W. College St.

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dǆƚ͗ ϲϭϱͲϰϮϳͲϯϰϬϲ

&Žƌ ĨƌĞĞ ŽŶ ƐŝƚĞ ŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐƚŽƌǇ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ͘

WĞƌƐŽŶĂůŝǌĞĚ ŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĐŽĂĐŚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ǇŽƵ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ǇŽƵƌ ĨŝƚŶĞƐƐ ŐŽĂůƐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ǇĞĂƌ͘ tŽƵůĚ ǇŽƵ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ŚŽƐƚ Ă ƐŵĂůů ŐƌŽƵƉ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ Ăƚ ǇŽƵƌ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ Žƌ ŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͍ >Žǁ ŝŵƉĂĐƚ͕ ŶŽ ƐǁĞĂƚ ϯϬͲ ϲϬ ŵŝŶƵƚĞ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ůĞĂǀĞ ǇŽƵ ĨĞĞůŝŶŐ ĂǁĞƐŽŵĞ͊

 THEATER

Nashville Shakespeare Festival Production of Julius Caesar Comes to MTSU THE NASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE Festival’s 12th annual Winter Shakespeare production is the political thriller Julius Caesar directed by Santiago Sosa. This edgy, action-packed production will tell the story of the assassination of Rome’s charismatic dictator Julius Caesar in a compelling, Romannoir re-imagining where conspiracy thrives in Ashdown the shadows and dark corners of the city. The show runs Jan. 10–27 at Belmont’s Troutt Theater in Nashville and then at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre in Murfreesboro from Jan. 31–Feb. 2. Veteran TV and Onken

Broadway actor Chuck Wagner plays the role of Julius Caesar. Wagner played the title role in TV’s science-fiction series Automan in the 1980s and has performed several starring roles in some of Broadway’s biggest hits including Les Miserables and Into the Woods. “Shakespeare is at the heart of my theatrical education,” he says. Artistic director Gleaves Denice Hicks adds, “The timelessness and timeliness of this play never cease to amaze me. This is a 400-yearold play about people who lived over 2,000 years ago and yet their hopes, fears, ambitions Wagner

 POETRY IN THE BORO

and sorrows are true and relatable today. The rhetoric resonates in our politically charged times,” Hicks says. Other cast members include Sam Ashdown—returning to Nashville after his critically acclaimed performance in the title role of NSF’s 2018 production of Hamlet—Melinda Sewak, Morgan Davis, Andrew Johnson, Matthew Cruz Benenson, Miranda Pepin and Antonio P. Nappo. Joining the company for the first time are Josh Inocalla, Ang Madeline Johnson, Natalie Rankin, Chamberlin Little and regional powerhouses Christopher Joel Onken and Jordan Gleaves. Facilitating the shadowy, neo-noir aesthetic of the play is lighting and set designer Phillip Franck, and returning NSF composer Natalie Bell will design the suspenseful soundscape. The abundant violence in the play will be co-choreographed by fight director Eric Pasto-Crosby, along with Sosa.

BY KORY WELLS

Poetry in the Boro Set for Jan. 13, Spoken Word, SE-YA Registration “THESE SUDDEN ENDS OF TIME MUST give us pause,” writes Richard Wilbur in his poem “Year’s End.” For all the universal truths and traditions surrounding the new year, poetic responses to it vary as much as poets. W.S. Merwin says the new year is where we come with our hopes “untouched and still possible.” Kim Addonizio says “Today I want / to resolve nothing.” A similarly wide variety of voices are welcomed and celebrated at the monthly gatherings of Poetry in the Boro. This month’s event will be Sunday evening, Jan. 13, at Murfreesboro Little Theatre. Featured poets will be Andrea Spofford and Frank Frizzy Sykes. A writer of poems and essays, Andrea Spofford is poetry editor at Zone 3 Press and an associate professor of poetry at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. Her work appears in journals such as Cimarron Review, The Account, The Portland Review, Puerto del Sol and more. Spoken word artist Frank Frizzy Sykes is a former law enforcement officer and self-described “country boy” from Columbia, Tennessee. He’s become known on the Middle Tennessee poetry scene for both his own work and for his role in producing Poboys and Poets Nashville. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the features begin at 7 p.m. Open mic time follows. For more details, including this month’s word challenge, see Poetry in the Boro on Facebook. 30 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Performances at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre (615 Champion Way) will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 31–Feb. 2. For more information, visit nashvilleshakes.org.

FRIDAY, JAN. 11, local spoken word poet Christopher Williams will be producing another edition of Under 1 Roof, a “night of talent and creativity” in poetry, comedy and live music for adults 21 and up. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Heritage Room adjacent to CJ’s Restaurant. Food and a bar will be available. Tickets are now available online; check Facebook or Eventbrite for details. TUESDAY, JAN. 15, registration opens online for the Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival Book Fest (SE-YA). This event, founded by four Rutherford County librarians, is now in its fourth year of connecting middle and high school students with authors. This year’s schedule includes over 40 authors, two days—March 6 and 7—for school group visits and a community day that includes optional writing workshops on Saturday, March 8. Tickets are free but pre-registration is required for groups and the writing workshops. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or interested reader, get all the details at seyabookfest.com. SATURDAY, JAN. 26, the MTSU Todd Art Gallery will host a Spoken Word Performance event from 12–2 p.m. An open mic will follow scheduled performances that relate indirectly or directly to communication, text, literacy, social constructs, socioeconomic systems and power relationships. More information is available by contacting gallery coordinator Eric Snyder at eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.

“Denotative Meanings” by Andrea Spofford first appeared in New South. Spofford is one of two featured poets appearing at Poetry in the Boro on Jan. 13 at Murfreesboro Little Theatre.

Denotative Meanings BY ANDREA SPOFFORD

To say the landscape looks like a quilt from the air, the farmland all sewn together by threading of roads between fields, the stitch of cornrows as stitches through overlay, not cotton but dirt, is to say I want to be buried beneath it, to lounge and tumble as a Sunday morning. These days are the jars we place on high shelves in pantries like full ripe peaches slick in orange syrup so wet that when the jar breaks the house smells of peaches for days after. Consider this act of saving, the crashing of glass into hardwood ﬂoors, the impossibility of indentation—how to fix this scar in the wood. Scent is the mental construct of this thing—scent is sawdust in piles on the ﬂoor.

Movie

FEATURE

STILL GOT JOY Upcoming feature film tells story of a minister’s journey of overcoming addiction BY ANDREW WIGDOR

he extraordinary story of a Murfreesboro woman who beat addiction and overcame great adversity is being transformed into a feature film. Local minister Shonda Reynolds Christian is the subject of the movie. The film, titled Still Got Joy, is focused on Christian’s journey of overcoming a drug addiction. She said that she began smoking marijuana laced with crack cocaine in her early 20s in Pulaski, Tennessee, her hometown.

“Doing that was overbearing for me,” Christian said. As she fell victim to a deep addiction to drugs, Christian’s life spiraled out of control. She said that she lost all respect for herself and lost any desire to do anything. Christian was also married to one of the most notorious drug dealers in the area at the time. “It just started cycling,” Christian said. “I started writing bad checks and just things you wouldn’t do when you’re in your right state of mind.”

During this time when everything seemed lost, Christian said she had an out-of-body experience. She said she went to speak to a local pastor in the middle of the night. “It was so real,” Christian said. “I went to this pastor (in the middle of the night), and I said. ‘I’m outside of my body and I can’t see it.’” After this experience, Christian moved to Muncie, Indiana, where she didn’t use drugs for a time. “I was trying to get saved and was doing good, but then I went back to Pulaski,” Christian said. Christian fell back into drug use and her life fell apart once again. She lost her job, her car, her place of residence and the life she had attempted to build. Other victims of this addiction were Christian’s two children, both of whom were often left alone. “During that time that my children were exposed to things they shouldn’t have been exposed to,” Christian said. Christian said that she was eventually rescued by something she had heard years ago. In middle school, her basketball coach took her aside and said that she would one day be a leader and that she could do anything she wanted to do. “I happened to go through despair at

the age of 29,” Christian said. “During that time, when I was just crying all the time, I could hear the words of [my coach]. During that moment of insanity, I heard those words that brought life to me.” Around this time. Christian decided she needed to go to rehab. Shortly after, she was able to distance herself from her addiction and went back to school to earn a degree. Christian graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2003. She then earned a Master in Public Service Management from Cumberland University in 2010, a Doctor of Ministry degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary in 2013 and a Master in Training and Development from MTSU in 2017. In 2013, Reynolds published her first book, Dying to Live, based on her life story, and later published her second book, Dying to Live (A New Beginning). After the story becomes a film, Christian, who is working as the executive producer and co-author of the script, hopes her story can help more people who are going through problems similar to her own. “Sometimes when you’ve been beat down, you don’t think you can get up,” Christian said. “But when there are people willing to share their story . . . I believe that gives encouragement and it empowers.” Richy Ivy, the founder of media production company Highly Favored Studios and director of Still Got Joy, has been working very closely with Christian to bring her story to life. He said he has been corresponding with Christian through daily phone calls, and she has worked with him on cast, production and every step of filming. “It is a bio on somebody that went through a lot of tragic events, and I decided to bring their story to fruition,” Ivy said. “It was a new challenge for me.” Ivy said that when he first heard Christian’s life story, he knew he had to do it justice. “It kind of makes you be on edge because this is someone’s baby and you want to do the best job you can,” Ivy said. Still Got Joy is currently in the editing process and the filmmakers plan to release it in late spring or early summer 2019.

“Sometimes when you've been beat down, you don't think you can get up.”

For more information, visit stillgotjoy.com. BOROPULSE.COM

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Movies

REVIEWS

the Pope so he could divorce his first wife), all while both queens endure the constant squawking of their royal councils, urging both women on what to do, and growing petulant when they do not heed their selfinterested advice. Both women are shrewd strategists, but Mary exhibits all the qualities of a fair and just ruler, which is her ultimate downfall. Ronan imbues Mary with admirable cunning and also caring in the face of her conniving council and spineless spouse.

Robbie as Elizabeth is given less screen time, the specter of power looming over Scotland in the midst of a coup, evoking the same mystery of her white-faced paintings, but Robbie still allows through in Elizabeth whatever humanity hasn’t been crushed under the weight of the throne, a weight made all the heavier by the men at her side who can’t stand to have a woman in power (David Tennant appears behind a giant beard as a vitriol-spewing Protestant minister in his most despicable role since Barty Crouch Jr.). With a screenplay adapted by a writer on House of Cards, Mary Queen of Scots has the feel of a political thriller, but with impending dread replacing conspiratorial intrigue. First-time director Josie Rourke brings her talents as a theater artistic director to Queen Elizabeth’s opulence. She has an eye for grandeur, be it in the Scottish highlands or the English royal court, but she also shows a deep understanding—as I’m sure most women do—for the sacrifices these women must make in order to keep their supposedly God-given power from the hands of petty men, and the price one might pay for refusing to make those sacrifices. — JAY SPIGHT

(James Franco) segment. It’s also a head-scratching decision, as Franco definitely feels miscast. He certainly was an unorthodox cowboy, and I just was not a fan of him in this role. I felt the same way about Neeson. That said, the stories that did work hit it out of the park. Led by Alice Longabaugh

(Zoe Kazan) and the Prospector (Tom Waits), these segments hooked me almost instantly. The Prospector segment in particular was gripping and emotionally powerful. The story opens with a 5-minute-plus silent section reminiscent of the opening of There Will Be Blood, and it leads to what is undoubtedly the best moment of the entire film. I also think that, in terms of accessibility, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is as good of an entry as any to give the Coen Brothers a go if you haven’t seen any of their films outside of something like No Country for Old Men. While a few of the stories are heavy in Coen-isms (particularly the Ballad of Buster Scruggs itself, starring Tim Blake Nelson as Scruggs) the more gripping stories are also the ones that don’t feel riddled with their footprints. In short, there’s something here for everyone, and given that you can watch it from the comfort of your couch right now, there’s no reason not to take a chance on it, regardless of your pre-existing feelings on the Coen Brothers. Don’t miss it! — JOSEPH KATHMANN

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS DIRECTOR Josie Rourke STARRING Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Guy Pierce RATED R

The quick summary on IMDb for the new historical bio-drama Mary Queen of Scots reads “Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.” Like many aspects of human interpretation—especially of events that occurred almost 500 years ago—this meager sentence is both true and completely off the mark. Mary Queen of Scots is about power, and the difficulty and danger of wielding and keeping it. Saoirse (rhymes with inertia) Ronan inhabits the title role, a young and beautiful queen married off to a French monarch and widowed, only to return to Scotland to attempt to rule her native home. Mary claims to have true birthright

to the English throne, currently occupied by the equally beautiful, if power-hardened, Queen Elizabeth (Margot Robbie). Despite IMDb’s oversimplification, the film follows the many correspondences between the two cousin queens as they dispute over the line of succession, who should marry and to whom (Elizabeth refuses, while Mary’s heir would have an indisputable claim to the throne), the Catholic/Protestant question (Elizabeth is the daughter of Henry VIII, who divorced England from

THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS DIRECTORS Ethan and Joel Coen STARRING Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Zoe Kazan, Tom Waits, Liam Neeson, Stephen Root, Willie Watson RATED R

It’s rather difficult for a six-part anthology to be effective. But if anyone could do it, it would be Joel and Ethan Coen. And execute, they do. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a film comprised of six stories, each dealing with a different aspect of life in the Old West, is the perfect made-for-Netflix film. If one of the stories doesn’t land, you can either fast-forward through it or entertain yourself until the next one. Each story revolves

around a certain human virtue or vice, including greed, arrogance and bravery, to name a few. Most are effective, but a few of them didn’t do it for me. But again: that’s where the beauty of this being on Netflix came into play, as I had no trouble finding ways to entertain myself during Impresario’s (Liam Neeson) segment and Cowboy’s

A CLASSIC

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OUTSTANDING

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OPENING IN JANUARY PLAYING THIS MONTH

JAN. 4 Escape Room Eli The Upside

JAN. 11 A Dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Way Home Perfect Strangers

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AROUND TOWN ’BORO BUSINESS BUZZ

El Hornito Mexican Bakery, Enchanted Planet, Hop Springs, Andy’s Frozen Custard, Just Love, Buff’s

THE COUNTRY GOURMET has started selling the coffee alternative NuJo. The blend of chicory root, quinoa and spices claims to be prebiotic, detoxifying, caffeinefree and locally made.

BY MICHELLE WILLARD HOP SPRINGS opened its Steel Barrel taproom to the public to enjoy its 18 rotating beers and growler filling station offering Life Is Brewing beer brands: Mantra Artisan Ales, Steel Barrel Brewing and Humulus Project. Hop Springs has plans for opening other amenities in 2019. This will include a brewhouse, 18-hole disc golf course, threeacre dog park, a pond overlook, 360-degree outside stage, 5,000-seat amphitheater and more. Hop Springs is a family-friendly facility, and guests are encouraged to bring their dogs to enjoy the farm. The 83-acre research and education farm and production brewery will house the offices of Life Is Brewing, as well as fermentation and sensory labs for MTSU’s Fermentation Science program. For more information, visit hopspringstn.com.

BAKERIES A banner reading “EL HORNITO BAKERY #2 ” appeared back in April above a unit in the multi-tenant commercial development on Rutherford Boulevard that also houses Nacho’s Mexican Restaurant and Little Caesar’s. The bakery is now open and serving Mexican bread and pastries. Check out some amazing cakes on its Facebook page. El Hornito Bakery #1 is on Murfreesboro Road in Nashville. In other bakery news, a possible third bakery is coming to downtown Murfreesboro. A sign appeared on a window in one of the buildings on Maple Street near Marina’s that said “NONIE’S BAKERY. Coming soon.” You’ll know more when I know more. It’s no secret that one of my favorite places is SIMPLY PURE SWEETS on Walnut Street. As I reported last month, owner Chantell Kennedy-Shehan tied the knot with Bread Man Matthew Joseph, who started baking bread full-time at the bakery. To reflect the new menu options, the Kennedy-ShehanJosephs have rolled out a new logo featuring wheat. I think they should name the new bread brand Simply Pure Wheats, but we’ll have to wait to see if they take my suggestion. 34 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

Now OPen

El Hornito Bakery #2

SUN TAN CITY BUYS HOT SPOT From 1999–2018, HOT SPOT TANNING had provided vitamin D and UV rays to the people of Middle Tennessee. But on Dec. 3, the business was sold to SUN TAN CITY for “strictly personal reasons,” owner Lyvonn Reese said in a letter posted to her Facebook page. A majority of the company’s nine locations closed but Sun Tan City converted two Hot Spots spots on Rutherford Boulevard and Nolensville Road. Clients can fulfill all their tanning needs and outstanding package credits there. Their infrared- and red-light clients were directed to FLOAT ALCHEMY to continue their treatments. MORE BUSINESS NEWS ENCHANTED PLANET is moving from its longtime Lytle Street location to its own Broad Street building near Mercury Boulevard—look for the truck parked near the street displaying some of the Enchanted Planet merchandise in a glass encasement. Enchanted Planet will hold a grand opening celebration at the new location Jan. 18 and 19.

The good people of Walter Hill don’t have to drive into town to have their shipping needs met anymore. POSTAL PLUS SHIPPING AND MORE recently opened at 5987 Lebanon Rd. The new shop seeks to fulfill the packing, shipping, printing and business service needs of residents in that section of Rutherford County. ANDY’S FROZEN  CUSTARD has opened on Memorial Boulevard in its retro building, not far from SportsCom. This is the second Andy’s that has opened in Tennessee, the first being the Spring Hill location. BUFF’S SUBS BURGERS WINGS has opened at 451 N. Thompson Ln., in the location formerly occupied by Smashburger.

JUST LOVE GROWS Locally owned coffee roaster JUST LOVE COFFEE will open its eighth location at Fountains at Gateway in early 2019. “Fountains at Gateway is an ideal home for our newest coffee cafe,” said Rob Webb, co-founder of Just Love Coffee. “We were drawn to the Class A quality of the development as well as the events and entertainment that bring the community to Fountains. Also, its location on Medical Center Parkway next to St. Thomas Rutherford is convenient to everything and equidistant to our two other coffee cafes in Murfreesboro.” If you haven’t been to one (really, did you just move here?), Just Love Coffee Café serves a full menu of its specialty drip coffee, caffeinated specialty drinks, traditional espresso, cold brews and signature lattes as well as a wide range of breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees, sandwiches, salads and sweets. Just Love Coffee Café at Fountains will be located in a 1,897-square-foot retail space adjoining the pocket park that connects the retail space and five-story office building. The interior build-out of the coffee shop is underway and the projected opening date is March 2019. Just Love Coffee also partnered with Nashville’s Tennessee Brew Works and the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy this holiday season to support conservation efforts with their coffee roast or a beer toast. A portion of the sales of the “State Parks Coffee” and the “State Park Blonde Ale” support the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit partner of the state parks system. Just Love Coffee produced three flavors branded as Tennessee State Parks varieties— Earthy Blueberry for West Tennessee, Chocolate Raisin for Middle Tennessee and Smoky Blueberry for East Tennessee. The coffee flavors are available for sale in 16 state park gift shops across the

state, including Cumberland Mountain, Fall Creek Falls, Montgomery Bell, Roan Mountain, Cedars of Lebanon, Dunbar Cave, Henry Horton, Natchez Trace, Old Stone Fort, Paris Landing, Pickett, Pickwick Landing, Radnor Lake, Reelfoot Lake, Sycamore Shoals and the central office at the Tennessee Tower in downtown Nashville. Tennessee State Parks staffer David Pineros did the artwork on the labels. CLOSINGS CORNER On Dec. 14, FUZZY’S TACO SHOP announced in a Facebook post that it was closing to business just two days later. “It’s been a great run, folks, but the team at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has decided it’s time to close our restaurant. After thousands of tacos and who-knows-how-many beers and frozen drinks, we have arrived at the very difficult decision that Sunday, December 16th, will be our last day of operation,” the post said. The local franchise was opened in Fountains at Gateway on Medical Center Parkway by restaurant industry veterans Sean Chambers and Richard Phillips. The pair owns the Fuzzy’s Taco Shop franchise for the Nashville area, including Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties. Murfreesboro was their first location. “We simply don’t have the resources to continue, try as we might,” Chambers continued. He added there will soon be another restaurant opening nearby and the staff is invited to work there. Maybe it’s the Just Love. The couple behind ECLIPS BARBERSHOP decided to close the business after trying to make a go of it following the shooting of co-owner Eric Ortiz on Nov. 2. Ortiz was shot point blank in the chest at the shop that he co-owned with his wife, Alicia. After only a month, Ortiz attempted to return to work but it was too taxing and the couple was forced to close the shop. Antonio Hurt II turned himself in to Murfreesboro police in connection to the shooting. He is currently making his way through the justice system. There is a GoFundMe to help the Ortiz family with medical expenses. While it still might be temporary, AZTECA MEXICAN GRILL on Broad Street remains closed after fire damage. No official word on when it might reopen. Other closings worth noting include the SUBWAY at 206 N. Thompson Lane, and The GAP at The Avenue, which has announced that its last day will be Jan. 26.

City of Murfreesboro Unveils New $4.5 Million Airport Terminal Design MURFREESBORO CITY COUNCIL reviewed design plans for the new Municipal Airport in December. The new $4.5 million airport terminal will replace the old terminal originally built in 1952 with renovations in 1986. The new 15,200-square-foot terminal will include a large main lobby with raised and ground level observation areas, lounge seating, a high sloped ceiling, a large leasable business conference center, smaller conference room space, pilot lounge and office space. “The new terminal will be three times bigger than the existing terminal,” said Murfreesboro Airport Manger Chad Gehrke. “We want the terminal to present air travelers with the best impression possible and to fulfill the needs of a growing city for the next half-century.” Murfreesboro-based Smith Design Build, a commercial building contractor, and Nashville-based architectural firm Lowen+Associates, LLC teamed-up on the design to meet the unique needs of the municipal airport. The airport caters to the Aerospace Department at Middle Tennessee State University and Air Methods LifeFlight emergency medical transport for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Murfreesboro has a land lease with TDK Hangar and will soon occupy a 16,400-square-foot hangar and 4,000-square-foot office space. The main lobby area will feature a large BA Fan that mimics aeronautical elements possibly showcasing two mounted DA-40 or Cessna aircraft shells. The terminal will include a raised observation area with

stairs leading to the main lobby and to an outdoor balcony. A catering kitchen with ample storage can serve a large leasable Business Conference Center accommodating 75 people. The Center will provide patrons with a view of the airfield. “The goal is to be able to use the leasable space for catered events,” added Gehrke. “We feel strongly that the business and higher education community will utilize this space as it is a focal point for air travelers and the first impression air travelers see as they visit Murfreesboro.” A smaller executive conference room, approximately 475-square feet of office space, and additional lease space provide flexibility to expand. On the exterior runway side, a mez-

zanine extends outside to an observation deck to allow for easy-viewing of air traffic. On the land side, entrance to the terminal exterior includes multiple-vehicle parking around the existing circular area where the flag pole is currently located. Earth tones with accents in metal, tall glazing and brick create a feel for use beyond an airport terminal. “We designed the new Murfreesboro Municipal Airport terminal building to be simple and refined to convey the use and imagery of an airport terminal with added uses,” said James Lowen, Lowen+Associates. “Pin-mounted signage on either side of the entrance tower is designed to represent the City and the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport.”

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Sports FACE IT Fitness

 FITNESS CENTERS

Murfreesboro Hot Yoga

Anytime Fitness 2397 New Salem Rd. 1500 Medical Center Pkwy.

Transparent Heart Yoga

Armored Body Gym 1411 Mark Allen Ln. Blueprint Fitness 855 W. College St. Championtone Fitness 1180 Park Ave. FACE It Fitness 810 NW Broad St.

 THE NEW YEAR IS UPON US, which means lots of resolutions to get fit and active again after the holidays. Some people make the typical resolution as a recurring joke year after year, others enter the fresh year with a realistic plan and schedule to really get into a workout routine. Whatever your unique case is, the Pulse offers this list of Murfreesboro establishments that can help with that journey towards better fitness. The town offers plenty of the standard gyms and fitness centers, along with other activities such as rock climbing, CrossFit, yoga and even a ninja warrior training facility. Many of these places require appointments or memberships, so be sure to check their individual websites for prices, hours and details.

Find the best ﬁt among Murfreesboro’s many ﬁtness, martial arts, yoga and kickboxing centers BY LADIAH MARCHE THOMAS

 BARRE Barre 11 Fitness

2223F N.W. Broad St.

Garage Barre

106 S. Maple St.

Pure Barre

1970 Medical Center Pkwy. Suite C

 MARTIAL ARTS Bill Taylor’s Bushido School of Karate

MaxT3 546 Brandies Circle, Suite 105

Black Dragon Martial Arts

Murfreesboro Athletic Club 710 Memorial Blvd.

Chonburi Muay Thai

Olympus Athletic Club 810 N.W. Broad St. #206

Gracie Barra Murfreesboro

OrangeTheory Fitness= 2615 Medical Center Pkwy. #1730

Guardian Mixed Martial Arts

Patterson Park Community Center 521 Mercury Blvd.

1820 N.W. Broad St. 1911 Business Campus Dr. 242 Warrior Dr.

1400B W. College St. 1720 Old Fort Pkwy.

730-A Middle Tennessee Blvd. Ste. 12

Nemesis School of Mixed Martial Arts

Planet Fitness 1954 Old Fort Pkwy.

810 N.W. Broad St. (At Olympus)

Quality of Life Fitness 307 S. Church St. Suite D

805 Commercial Ct.

Sports*Com 2310 Memorial Blvd.

2812 Old Fort Pkwy.

Transformations 4 Life 232 W. Northfield Blvd.

 CROSSFIT CrossFit Barbell Battalion 520 W. Burton St.

CrossFit Murfreesboro 831 Park Ave.

Stevens Family Tae Kwon Do UFC GYM Murfreesboro

 CLIMBING The Ascent

831 Park Ave.

Climb Murfreesboro 1660 Memorial Blvd.

 BOXING / KICKBOXING 9Round

2658 New Salem Hwy. 149 Wendellwood Dr. B2

CrossFit Rutherford 325 W. Rutherford Blvd.

Title Boxing Club

CrossFit Rampage 1402 W. College St.

Total Fitness Kickboxing

 YOGA

Ultimate Fitness KickBoxing

Arden Yoga & Wellness 524 N. University St.

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423 W. Lytle St.

Gold’s Gym 1713 Old Fort Pkwy. 313 S. Church St. 1691 Memorial Blvd.

CrossFit Imagine 200 Weakley Ln., Smyrna

Hot Yoga

1715 Old Fort Pkwy.

HotWorx 2306 Medical Center Pkwy. Suite B-2 3028 S. Rutherford Blvd. Suite C

1311 Greshampark Dr. 3006 S. Rutherford Blvd. 1948 Old Fort Pkwy.

 NINJA WARRIOR TRAINING Fortiﬁed Fitness

203 Southpointe Ct.

Sports

Lineup of body-slamming match-ups that fans can expect: MATCH 1 LIL SHOW THE REDNECK BRAWLER the meanest S.O.B. in the MWF from the badlands of Mississippi – 4 feet 2 inches tall, 160 lbs. vs. HEAVY METAL MARIO He kicks ass, eats mushrooms, and saves princesses from Las Vegas – 4 feet tall, 80 lbs. MATCH 2 FLYIN’ RYAN The most hated Micro Wrestler from Boston 4 feet 3 inches tall, 135 pounds vs. BABY JESUS The Chosen One 3 feet 6 inches tall, 100 lbs. MATCH 3 MASCARITA DORADA former WWE superstar El Torito, from Guadalajara, Mexico 4 feet 5 inches tall, 130 lbs. vs. BIG DADDY BRUISER the wrecking machine from Kansas City 4 feet 5 inches tall, 150 pounds THE MAIN EVENT The Micro Royal Rumble: All of the Micro superstars enter the squared circle and stand tiny toe to tiny toe against one another in the main event. The belt is on the line, and only one Micro Wrestler will leave as champion.

LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG SHOW

Micro Wrestling Federation Returns to Murfreesboro on Jan. 18 BY LADIAH MARCHE THOMAS WRESTLING IN MURFREESBORO? Yes, it is happening. With all the artists, football and musicians we have, it is definitely a change of sport. Get ready for the Micro Wrestling Federation, coming to the ’Boro on Friday, Jan. 18. The MWF is a full-scale, WWE-type event sporting an entire cast under five feet tall. Yes, they are technically called dwarfs, but once you see them in action, you’ll be calling them the most incredible “small” athletes in the world. These “Micro Wrestlers” are living their dream as professional wrestlers, according to Micro Wrestling Federation promoter Jack Darrell Hillegass. Even though they may be short in stature, they are proving that with perseverance and hard work anything is possible. They are inspirational and motivational, but when they get 40 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

in the ring, these athletes are fierce and focused. The WMF has been around for 19 years now, making it the longest-running organization of little people wrestling. With over 100 shows throughout the course of the year, the shows keep getting better, Hillegass says. Jan. 18 is the day all the madness ensues in the Mid-TN Expo Center in Murfreesboro. Picture and autograph opportunities will be available at the show. The Mid-TN Expo Center is located at 1660 Middle Tennessee Blvd. It is a show for all ages. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $15, with ringside seating available for $30. For more information, visit microwrestling.com.

 BASKETBALL

Blue Raider Basketball Teams Set to Open Conference Play in January

Story and photos courtesy of GoBlueRaiders.com

 FOOTBALL

Appalachian State Defeats Blue Raiders in New Orleans Bowl THE 2018 FOOTBALL SEASON came to a tough close for Middle Tennessee on Dec. 15. The Blue Raiders were invited to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl for the second time in program history and went home with a 45–13 loss to Appalachian State. “Appalachian State has a good football team and had a good win against us tonight,” MT head coach Rick Stockstill said following the game. “I said it early going in that we’d have to be able to run the ball, and we never could establish a running game . . . and we didn’t tackle as good as we needed to. “Overall, they just whupped us.” Middle Tennessee’s second trip to the New Orleans Bowl didn’t prove nearly as fruitful as its first, especially offensively. In their first trip to The Big Easy in 2009, the Blue Raiders racked up 243 rushing yards en route to a win over Southern Miss. It was their first bowl win as an FBS member. In 2018, the blue and white were able to force three turnovers, but lost the total yards battle, managing only 62 yards off 35 rushing attempts (1.8-yard average). They were also guilty of 12 penalties for 89 total yards. Things started out promising for Middle Tennessee, thanks to its defense. Appalachian State’s first two drives ended with an interception and then a fumble after just 13 combined yards gained, setting MT up with great field position each time. The problem was that the Blue Raiders couldn’t capitalize with touchdowns.

Kicker Crews Holt put MT on the board with a 24-yard field goal to end the first drive, but the second was halted by the first of two interceptions thrown by Raider quarterback Brent Stockstill. “They’re a really good defense, and we didn’t play too good,” the southpaw signal caller said. “It was just a poor performance . . . and they got after us all night.” Appalachian State rattled off 24 unanswered points before Holt hit his second field goal to end the first half with a 24–6 score. The Mountaineers added 21 points after halftime, while MT scored only once more on a 43-yard pass from Stockstill to Isaiah Upton. Brent Stockstill, MTSU’s all-time leading passer, finished the game 25-of-37 for 330 yards, one TD and two interceptions. His historic career ends with 12,485 passing yards and 106 touchdowns, good for 28th and 20th all-time in NCAA FBS history, respectively. “It wasn’t the way we wanted to go out, but we accomplished some pretty special things,” he said. “I love those guys to death.” Defensively, the Blue Raiders were led by six tackles and two interceptions from sophomore Reed Blankenship. He finished the year with 107 tackles to lead the team. The current group of Blue Raider seniors is the first in program history to play in four straight bowl games. “They’re great leaders and taught me a lot . . . I’m really going to miss them,” Blankenship said regarding the outgoing senior class.

MTSU HEAD BASKETBALL COACH NICK MCDEVITT has had a tough first half of the season in his first year leading the Blue Raiders. At the end of 2018, and the end of non-conference play for the Blue Raiders, the team sits at 3–10. The Blue Raiders will open Conference-USA play at home on Jan. 3 against FIU, followed by another home contest on Jan. 5, facing Florida Atlantic. Antonio Green has led the way for the Blue Raiders, averaging over 18 points per game. MTSU has faced some stiff opposition, including losses to Belmont, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Butler and Ole Miss, but the team hasn’t found its rhythm, with an average 18-point deficit in its ten losses. Following the loss to Ole Miss, McDevitt said the Blue Raiders were getting “easy scoring opportunities, but, unfortunately, we just missed several . . . it’s a little bit of a sign of a young, immature team.” Blue Raider Jayce Johnson said the team will continue to practice hard. “We have to keep working on knowing each other and getting that chemistry,” he said. “We have to build that up, and once we do, I think we’ll be alright.”

 MTSU MEN'S BASKETBALL UPCOMING HOME GAMES:

FIU Thursday, Jan. 3 @ 6:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic Saturday, Jan. 5 @ 5 p.m. University of Texas San Antonio Thursday, Jan. 17 @ 6:30 p.m. University of Texas at El Paso Saturday, Jan. 19 @ 5 p.m. University of Alabama at Birmingham Wednesday, Jan. 30 @ 6:30 p.m. Meanwhile, coach Rick Insell once again has the MTSU Lady Raiders playing at a high level. The women’s team enters 2019 with a record of 9–4. Seniors Alex Johnson and A’Queen Hayes are leading the Lady Raiders in scoring on the year.

Antonio Green

Alex Johnson

After a recent win against Chattanooga, Insell complimented his team on shooting the ball well. “We had excellent ball movement and when we found the open player, she knocked down the shot,” Insell said. MTSU opens Conference-USA play on the road against FIU and Florida Atlantic before returning to Murfreesboro to face Southern Miss on Jan. 10.

 UPCOMING HOME GAMES FOR THE LADY RAIDERS:

Southern Mississippi Thursday, Jan. 10 @ 6:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech Saturday, Jan. 12 @ 6 p.m. Rice Thursday, Jan. 24 @ 6:30 p.m. North Texas Saturday, Jan. 26 @ 5 p.m. University of Alabama at Birmingham Saturday, Feb. 2

BOROPULSE.COM

* JANUARY 2019 * 41

SPORTS

TALK

COLUMN BY “Z-TRAIN”

titanman1984@gmail.com

Titans and Marcus Miss Playoffs; LeBron Insults NFL Owners

Derrick Henry came on strong for the Titans late in the season

IT’S A NEW YEAR and, as always, the Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard! 2019 is upon us and life is good! Don’t listen to the naysayers spreading doom throughout the news and social media. There are over 7 billion people living on Earth and most of the 300 million living in the United States of America have it far better than nearly all of them. Fact! Remember when Tennessean Al Gore won an Oscar and Nobel Prize in 2006 for An Inconvenient Truth? I have yet to forgive Gore for claiming the Titans would win a Super Bowl, that the polar bears would go extinct and that Earth would be beyond saving after another decade. Well here we are in 2019, and none of his predictions have come to fruition. In fact, the polar bears’ numbers have increased, while the Titans have only won a single wild card game since ’06 (last year). Can you believe Gore made An Inconvenient Sequel in 2017 after being so wrong? In this sequel he claims kangaroos will sprout horns and become fierce apex predators, he claims the Walter Hill landfill is really a volcano ready to blow and he claims the birds are running out of sky, all because of global warming! Ha-ha! Let’s quit the shenanigans and discuss some sports. What a whirlwind season for the Titans, who ultimately finished 9–7. They swept the NFC East, beat the Patriots and ended the regular season winning four of the last five games. The Titans will miss the playoffs with the same overall record that got them into the playoffs last season. But don’t be sad, as there 42 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

is some success this team can build upon. Corey Davis was good when given the chance to receive, and Derrick Henry ended the season as the hottest running back in the game. Harold Landry, Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans all look like future defensive superstars, as Orakpo announces his retirement. The special teams were excellent, and Adoree Jackson seems to be improving into a decent corner. Jurrell Casey is a beast and Logan Ryan, Kevin Byard and Vaccarro all had successful seasons at their position. Let’s be honest this was a good season for Coach Mike Vrabel, considering all the injuries this team dealt with. This team was so frustrating because it won games it should have lost and lost games it should have won. The name Blaine Gabbert should become forgotten Tennessee history. Marcus has failed to play a full 16-game season for four straight years. Titans fans are clearly divided: half believe Marcus is cursed and injury prone, while the other half believe it’s bad luck, and point blame at the coaches and offensive line. I don’t know what the answer is. I am a fan of Marcus and yet I’m struggling to defend him these days. This is a serious question: how long can the Titans wait for Marcus? This is his fourth year in the NFL. Tennessee came within one game of the playoffs this season under first-year coach Mike Vrabel. This team has a lot to build upon. I stand with Marcus still as the future of this team, but crunch-time has long since passed. Next season will be a telling year as Marcus Mariota enters his final season on contract. Do they sign him and pay him for

recently, “Getting that an extension, or take a Jewish money, everywait-and-see approach thing is Kosher.” James for 2019? Whatever hapgeneralized Jewish pens, I love this team people and was forced and will always remain to apologize. The bigger loyal until the day they story is what James said bury me. Believe that! on his new HBO series, Titan up, 2019! LeBron James The Shop. I believe his Let’s give a quick comments were disrespectful and deserve shout-out to the Nashville Predators! As the full condemnation. The Shop is a show where year ends, we can reflect on the first half of LeBron brings in other personalities who disthe Predators’ season and look forward to cuss controversial issues with no resistance to 2019. Injuries have been heavy and the power their one-sided views. In one episode, LeBron play has been horrendous, yet despite all that James had Ice Cube, NAS, Jimmy Fallon the Predators have managed to stay near the and star NFL running back Todd Gurley as top of the Western Conference. After a fast guests. “In the NFL they got a bunch of old start early in the season, December became a white men owning teams and they got that rough month full of road losses for Nashville. slave mentality, and it’s like, ‘this is my team. Hockey has a long season and the regular You do what the f*** I tell y’all to do or we season ends near the beginning of April. With get rid of y’all,’” James commented. that said, 2019 is looking very sexy as superThere is no defense for saying that. It’s star players like P.K. Subban, Filip Forsberg, irresponsible of LeBron, it’s bigoted and it Ryan Ellis and Viktor Arvidsson begin returngives us insight on how he must really feel ing from injury. You want your best hockey about white people and businessmen. LeBof the season being played towards the end. ron wants to be a voice for change and social Who cares about another Presidents’ Trophy? The Nashville Predators only have eyes for the justice, yet he just labeled an entire group of people as being comparable to what is today Stanley Cup. This team can score, can hit and one of the vilest insults possible: slave ownhas speed, and their defenders play a special ers. I dare say African Americans from years kind of hockey that makes Daddy Pekka past who were lynched, beaten and whipped Rinne happy. Smashville, get loud! would disagree mightily with James and Random news: New Jersey high school his insensitive comments. Imagine being wrestler forced to forfeit or cut hair? Re24-year-old NFL star Todd Gurley? LeBron, cently a video of 16-year-old junior Andrew the most powerful athlete in the world, is Johnson having his hair cut went viral, bashing the league you love and represent. causing a social media firestorm. In short, Of course he kept silent. At least eighta kid had dreadlocks, a referee gave him 90 time pro bowler and future Hall of Famer seconds to cut his hair or forfeit the match. Antonio Gates condemned the statement by Then a visually distraught Andrew is seen claiming he has a phenomenal owner and on video getting his hair quickly lopped off. reminded us that “you get paid to play!” Rules state hair must be at a certain length You should YouTube Jason Whitlock. He or a special hair cap is required. Most aris a co-host for the sports show Speak for ticles are quick to point out Andrew is black Yourself on Fox Sports1 and has many wise and the referee white, so it must be racism like everything else, right? This is just a case things to say about James. That is, unless you’re a fan of Stephen A. Smith and the of bad decisions. The adults and coaches around Andrew failed him. This should have nonsense spewed on First Take. If you don’t like what I have to say about the King, I will been resolved long before the match, rather stop criticizing James, when he stops generthan to force a kid to cut off his dreadlocks alizing others, specifically NFL owners. within 90 seconds of the match, losing That’s it. The Train Daddy is rolling into something that takes years and patience to the station! Remember to cherish the 5 Fs: grow properly. Andrew went on to win the Faith, Family, Football, Food and Friends! match, yet lost five inches of hair. It may be a sad time as Titan football comes LeBron James! What has that social/politito an end for now, but for those of you cal activist, I mean NBA player, done now? embracing life, time is nothing and football Well, the basketball superstar managed to will be kicking off again before you know it! upset some Jewish people, and most liberSay goodbye to 2018 and try to improve one als and weeks later marginalized an entire thing about yourself in 2019. league and its owners. As James tweeted

Opinion Perhaps We Should Study the True Meaning of the Word “Justice”

found it ironic that MerriamWebster chose the word “justice” as its word of the year for 2018. They said in a statement, “The concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice.” Then they mentioned some newsworthy events in which they say justice played a role. The Mueller investigation was the most prominent one. They cited the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as another.

VIEWS OF A

CONSERVATIVE

BY PHIL VALENTINE PHILVALENTINE.COM

It’s about seating the court with qualified jurists. Where’s the deserved punishment? Christine Blasey Ford had not one shred of evidence, and those whom she claimed were witnesses had no recollection of the event in question. Was there any downside for her? Quite the contrary. She walked away with a hefty payday from crowdsourcing and is probably in negotiations for a huge book deal. You want to know what justice really is? Justice is allowing the person the American people elected as their president to do his job. Chuck Schumer actually had the audacity to tell President Trump that elections have consequences. This from a leader who just lost the senate . . . again. The president reminded him that elections do have consequences, Neither case radiated much justice. We’ve been and that’s why we’re doing so well. told for 19 months now that there was some sort Justice is a wall. The wall the American people of collusion between President Trump and the wanted when they elected Donald Trump president. Russians. Now we’re bogged down in a debate over Justice is bringing to a close this endless harasswhether or not hush money to a mistress constiment of the president over Russia. Despite the tutes a campaign contribution. If so, what kind perjury traps and convictions of campaign work did Stormy totally unrelated to Trump, the Daniels do for the money? “Justice is a wall. relentless pursuit of impeachThen there’s Brett Kavanaugh. Not much justice there. The wall the American ment continues. Justice is allowing Supreme Oh yes, he made it onto the people wanted when Court nominees to answer civil Supreme Court, but at what they elected Donald questions about their qualificacost? His entire life was dragged tions and not have their reputathrough the mud. He was made Trump president. tions torched in the process. out by the left to be a rapist. His Justice is bringing to Justice is abiding by an elecfamily was put through untold a close this endless tion without snowflakes melting torture and humiliation just beharassment of down like it was Armageddon. cause the Democrats in the senJustice is media coverage of ate couldn’t get past the notion the president a president that isn’t 92 percent that the president of the United over Russia.” negative just because those States, whoever he is, gets to reporting it hate him. pick whomever he chooses for Merriam-Webster based their choice of “justice” the court, so long as they’re qualified. And Justice in part on how many people searched for the word Kavanaugh most certainly is. Michael Avenatti, the on their site. A spokesman for the company said creepy porn lawyer for Stormy Daniels, surfaced people didn’t look up the word because they didn’t during the hearings with supposed bombshell allegations against Kavanaugh that proved to be totally know how to spell it. They were looking for its true meaning. Perhaps that’s because they don’t recogunfounded. Still, the damage was done. Justice? nize it in today’s political landscape. Too many people measure justice by whether or not they get their way. One of the dictionary definiPhil Valentine is an author and nationally tions of “justice” is “the administering of deserved syndicated radio talk show host with Westpunishment or reward.” Kavanaugh may have techwood One. For more of his commentary and nically gotten the “reward,” but confirmation to the articles, visit philvalentine.com. Supreme Court is not about the individual justice.

SPIRITUAL

MATTERS

why didn’t He? Questions such as these may stretch BY RICK the limit of healthy speculaMALONE tion. We can have many questions God may not answer. But Moses does tell us creation was a process instead of an instantaneous act. He portrays God as an artist at work, laboring over His created work to bring a masterpiece into existence. And by doing this, He displayed God’s glory. Just as the work of an artist reflects something about the character and attributes of that artist, this masterpiece of creation reflects the beauty, the power, the goodness and the order of the one who made it. God begins with bringing the elements of the universe into existence, but in a raw state. And out of that chaos of this raw state He brings divine beauty to His crethen they bring something beautiful into ation. He separates the land from the sea existence out of those materials. But God creand the sky. He causes vegetation to sprout ated the beauty of this cosmos from nothing. from the soil, and animal life to appear By the power of His word and will, all things in the air, the sea, and the land. He even came into being; “For by him all things were forms Adam from the dust of the ground created, in heaven and on earth, visible and and molds him into God’s own image. By invisible” (Colossians 1:16). God created creating in this way, God demonstrates His everything that exists. And the beauty which unlimited power and wisdom. He demonis found in God’s creativity enables and feeds strates His goodness as He acknowledges our own creative passions. the goodness of what was accomplished on Over a period of six days God brings the each day of creation. And as Moses stresses universe and all that is in it into existence. the point that God begins all this work But as we read the opening verses penned with the initial chaos of formlessness, God by Moses, we notice a strangeness to the way demonstrates that He, as the great Creator, God begins His creation. Moses tells us “God is the one who brings order out of chaos. created the heavens and the earth. But the This world is called the cosmos, a term earth was without form and void, and darkwhich means “the bringing about of beauty ness was over the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:1–2). The original state of creation, it is sug- through order.” We are familiar with this word when we see it as the root of a word gested, was somehow imperfect (or lacking); it was void and dark and formless. Then, over like cosmetics, or cosmetology: A woman accents the beauty and order of her face by a process of time, God brings the creation using cosmetics. To consider the universe as into the fullness of its beauty. Once He comthe cosmos is to recognize an orderly beauty pletes that process, He pronounces that His to its existence, as opposed to chaos, which creation is “very good.” has no order or form. When Moses describes “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis the initial state of creation as chaos instead of cosmos, he is giving us a picture of the 1:31). Why would God initially bring His elements of this world apart from God’s creation into existence in a formless and void divine presence. Just as the block of stone state? Why would He then, from the chaos apart from the presence of the sculptor has of that formlessness, mold His creation into no order or form, the darkness of the original its perfection? Couldn’t God have created the creation, apart from God immersing Himself finished work in a moment? And if He could,

The Master Sculptor “IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light” (Genesis 1:1–3). Michelangelo is one of my favorite artists. He is, of course, well known for painting the ceiling and altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. These two works encompassed more than 10 years of his life, during which he painted over 600 figures. The iconic images from this chapel such as The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment are indelibly etched in many of our minds. But as an artist, Michelangelo did not consider himself to be as much a painter as a sculptor. Marble was the medium in which he loved to work. He viewed sculpting as the art of taking away the excess stone to reveal the beauty he could visualize inside the marble slab. And his passion for that beauty enabled him to reach inside the stone and bring figures to life, figures such as David and Moses. Even after nearly 500 years, these works are considered unequaled in their perfection. My personal favorite is The Pietà, a statue of the grieving Mary holding her crucified son in her lap. Her head bows forward over His lifeless body as it hangs in the caress of her loving arms. In silence, the sculpture speaks as Mary gazes upon Christ. Michelangelo is able to convey Mary’s compassion and sorrow as she holds in death the Son she once held at her breast. The Pietà is a beautiful display of Michelangelo’s creative genius. As we open the first page of the Bible, we encounter the ultimate creative genius in the person of God. Michelangelo, and all artists, create from existing materials. They use marble, paint and canvas, wood or sound, 44 * JANUARY 2019 * BOROPULSE.COM

“Just as the work of an artist reflects something about the character and attributes of that artist, this masterpiece of creation reflects the beauty, the power, the goodness and the order of the one who made it.”

in it, has no order or form. Then God said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), and in this first command God, like a master stone cutter, brings the beauty of His presence into the chaos. For the light God speaks of in this verse is not a created light. It is the light of God Himself: “For God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). The created light of celestial bodies does not take place until the fourth day, (Genesis 1:16–19) and by those lights God established the orderliness of time. But the light of the first day is the true light of the life and beauty of God. Apart from God’s presence there is only darkness and chaos. With God’s presence there is cosmos. This truth becomes very relevant for us when we realize that as a result of our fall into sin our world has become corrupted and has lost the beauty and order it once possessed. It has entered a spiritual chaos and darkness. It is only God, and the entrance of the light of God into this despoiled world that can bring restoration to that chaos. As John begins his gospel of Jesus, he uses Genesis language to harken us back to the chaos of creation: “In the beginning” (John 1:1). And he speaks of Jesus as the light entering a world of darkness: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4–5). By making this Genesis connection, John enlightens us to a fuller understanding of Jesus’ mission. God once again was entering a dark world with His power and beauty, not to create out of nothing as He did the first time, but to re-create out of our fallenness. Just as God brought His presence into the darkness to bring about creation, Christ entered the darkness and chaos of the Fall to bring about a new creation. God’s work of bringing the cosmos out of chaos parallels God’s even greater work of bringing redemption out of sin. For, as a result of our fall, not only has the world become corrupted, but we have become corrupted and lost the beauty we once possessed. God’s work of redemption is to make us, and the world, beautiful again through the beauty of Christ. Michelangelo was able to sculpt figures from a block of stone which seemed to exude the light of life. God sculpts life itself back into His dying creation through the light of Christ. That light is beautiful. Behold the glory of it! For God, who said “let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 4:6).

 RECOMMENDED READING “This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America. Within the U.S., you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.” — books.google.com

Ecce Deus

Essays on the Life and Doctrine of Jesus Christ BY JOSEPH PARKER (1867)

Ch. XI

Christ Adjusting Human Relations Christ prayed that his disciples might be kept from evil, but he had also a work to accomplish on a larger scale; not only had he to keep the disciples who were called by himself personally, but to extend their numbers. To say that Christ found human relations disorganized, would be to put human history into the tritest form of expression; yet that inclusive fact lies at the bottom of his mission and plan among men. The man who was made “upright” found out many “inventions,” but among them all was not that of regaining the equilibrium which he had lost. If man had not destroyed his nature, he had disarranged his proportions. A very subtle thing is the equipoise (balance of forces). An extra handful of dust on the side of a planet might endanger the universe. At the risk of violating a strictly logical progression (though not more so than Christ himself apparently did), it may be useful to look at once at the work which Christ accomplished in adjusting the relations between man and man; which will give us, from another point, Christ’s view of human nature, and place something concrete and immediately appreciable before us. It is of primary importance to remark that Christ never depreciated manhood in any of its forms or conditions, but on the contrary, continually spoke of man with reverence and affection; not of the Jew as a Jew, or the Roman as a Roman, but strictly of man as man; thus incidentally illustrating the meaning and force of his own appellation, the Son of Man. In one of his most touching parables, he rebuked Jewish exclusiveness with great dignity, yet in a manner which must have been most galling to the haughty men who heard him. It was the priest who passed by, and the Levite; but it was a scorned Samaritan who stopped and proved himself a practical philanthropist. Would any other Jew but Christ have so introduced a Samaritan? And would Christ himself, if he had not been more than a Jew? On another occasion, he declared that the faith of a heathen woman was greater than he had ever seen in

Israel; and as he cast his eye over the nations of the earth, taking in his comprehensive survey “regions Caesar never knew,” he boldly told the supposed favorites of heaven that men should come from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and sit down in the kingdom of heaven. When his contemporaries called themselves the children of Abraham, John struck the boast off their vaunting lips by telling them that God was able to raise up out of the very stones children to Abraham. In the same manner, Christ showed that manhood was not a geographical term, having one meaning on this coast and another on that, but that it was overflowing with moral significance, and stood in very intimate relation to God. One of his longest discourses was delivered upon the subject of the relations between man and man, and man and his kingdom. The old and vexed question of gradation came up among the disciples and was referred to the Master for decision. The disciples would soon have rent the new kingdom by this question of position, had their leader not quenched their carnal aspirations, and showed them that they were equally wrong in their notions. Rulership has always been one of the hardest problems which society has had to solve, and today it lies at the root of all war. How can there be a kingdom without rulership? The disciples naturally pondered the inquiry, and entertained some exciting speculations on the point. When the matter so agitated them that they could no longer keep it to themselves, they abruptly laid it before Christ; whereupon he delivered a copious and impressive address on human nature. He called a little child unto him and set him in the midst and said—You trouble yourselves a good deal about greatness in my kingdom; now let me tell you, that except ye be converted—that is to say, radically changed in your self-estimation—and become as simple, trustful, and unconscious of your own importance as this little child, you shall not so much as even enter into that kingdom, much less have any distinguished position in it: great, swollen, self-idolizing men cannot be admitted; the gate is strait (narrow)—only childlike men may pass through. Nothing could be more foreign to the spirit of carnal ambition than such an answer. It did not leave the subject open for discussion. No craft could wriggle out of so positive a doctrine. But the text was not exhausted. The little child was still there, and Christ continued in the most sweet and captivating manner to discourse respecting the great value which he attached to manhood. In effect he said—Human nature is not to be measured

by what is accidental, but by what is essential; you must value man as man, even though he be as low in the scale as it is possible for any human creature to be. The image of God, though much defaced, is upon the lowest man; if you despise him, you despise me; for the Son of Man is come to seek that which is lost; he will have to go a long way down for it, but it must be found. If you undervalue man, you undervalue my mission and reproach the wisdom of God; but if you value man as man, apart from all that is accidentally repulsive, and receive him in my name, you receive me; and whoso receiveth me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. We all go together—God, Christ and the lowest man; take one and you take all, reject one and you reject all. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Do not look high, as though men were to be judged by their stature; so important, so sublime, is humanity, apart altogether from culture and development, that whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned on the depths of the sea. Such talk about human nature was new. Up to this time men had hardly advanced farther than to a civil regard for those who belonged to their own particular nation. But Christ set man above the nation; the gold above the inscription which had been stamped upon it. This one circumstance is a commanding plea in support of the divine origin of the Christian religion, and is in exquisite accord with the whole mystery called Christ, so far as we have been able to trace it. To reject Christ is, speaking merely in view of his humanity, to reject the most consistent and powerful vindicator of the dignity and value of human nature that ever challenged the attention of the world. If we cannot at once join him in some of the higher ranges of his discourse, we may at least sit down at this point and learn his view of the capability and worth of our own nature. Even Cicero himself apologized to a correspondent for referring to the death of a slave who had died in his family! It is, then, to be distinctly recognized as a primary fact in Christ’s teaching, that Christ will not allow any man, no matter how sunken he may be, to be despised. No word of contempt can be permitted; not even a thought that tends in the direction of scorn: “Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” Not only were men to love those who loved them, but to love their enemies, bless those that cursed them, and pray for those who despitefully used them; and this they were to do for a most remarkable and suggestive reason. “That ye may be the children of your Father, who makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain upon the just and unjust.” When men have made a feast, they were to call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and

they would be blessed in so doing, for the guest could not recompense them, but they should be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. The words are now so familiar, and have indeed produced so great an effect upon modern society, that it is difficult to estimate their influence upon the men to whom they were addressed, or the moral courage which was required to utter them in the presence of the most exclusive social system in all civilization. The poor were not to be talked about as a farmer would talk about bog land, but to be treated as sharers with the greatest of a common human nature; and the divine element that was in them was not only to save them from contempt, but to bring them into brotherhood with the foremost men. But brotherhood in its true sense cannot come from the outside. There is a vital difference between patronage and brotherhood. Nothing is easier than for a man to conceal his pride under the forms of humility; actually never to stand so high in his own estimation as when seen in the public highway arm in arm with rags and wretchedness. He then says, “Look at me! This is humility; I am not ashamed to be seen thus.” It requires less moral courage to pick a beggar out of the ditch than to be seen on friendly terms with an honest man who earns weekly wages. In the one case the very extremity is its own defense; in the other there is room for several undesirable inferences on the part of genteel observers. Today the sect-church has conceived an extraordinary liking for institutions which touch the lowest strata of society; the nobility of the land refreshes itself by teaching the ragged and homeless Arabs of England—a very beautiful and even heavenly thing when done with a pure motive, yet covering a most seductive temptation to confound patronage with brotherhood. It is possible to like the rags more than the human nature—possible for the rich man to give Lazarus a coat, and yet to grind the face of his own servants, and by so much as this is possible, society should drill itself in the difficult doctrine that God hath made of one blood, and will call to one judgment, all nations of men. Society is very careful of its extremities—its purple and its rags, but midway is there not a great cemetery filled with living hearts, whose only hope is death? Is it, then, really human nature or human circumstances on which benevolence is operating? Society has to be saved from mistaking patronage for philanthropy, and can only be so saved by a deep study of the life of Jesus Christ. Such a civilization as that of the nineteenth century brings society very much under the influence of the richest culture and refinement. The spirit of the age is aesthetic. Even utility (the basic and functional) now goes abroad gilded and brocaded most elaborately. The humblest industry has been taught to aspire to a position in the temple of the arts: and nation challenges nation to a comparison of CONTINUED ON PAGE 46 BOROPULSE.COM

* JANUARY 2019 * 45

handiwork. Under such circumstances there is a special temptation to worship faculty, skill, or genius—the attributes rather than the nature of man. We now ask for certificates of merit, and make manhood prove itself by competitive examinations. And now that certificates, medals and titles are so plentiful, it is a bare chance if the uncertified man escape contempt. Men are industriously trained to criticize the external; they are learned in all artificialism; inexorably exacting in matters of dress, posture and pronunciation. What, then, can the unconventional man do? What if he still be “lost”? Then the ministry of Christ becomes his hope, for he never forgets the “lost” man, but goes after him till he is found. Refinement brings its own perils. When refinement boasts of itself, it becomes vulgarity. True refinement is a question of the heart, not an attainment of the schools; under the roughest exterior the most tender sensibilities may throb, and under the finest there may be dross and dust. After all, then, the question is fundamental: man, not circumstances; man as God made him, not as he has made himself. A true conception of the value of human nature lies at the very foundation of Christ’s earthly mission. The term salvation is important only so far as human nature is important. The Cross is the only adequate interpretation of man. Would Christ, from all that we have seen of him in this rapid examination only, have died for a trifle? Gather a multitude of

the worst characters that can be found, and let the heart say how much of its blood it would shed for their elevation. Not a drop, probably. It cannot see far enough. It sees the worst, not the best. Only God can value man; he knows how he made him; what music there is yet in the untouched chords of the human soul; he knows how terrible would be his own loneliness if the child of his heart were lost. But some men are vulgar: yet they are men still, but must be refined. All the gifts of man are to have a downward influence as well as an upward tendency. Refinement is to refine others. Culture is to be an inspiration, not a terror to those who are still rude. The criminal is to see in the judge what he himself might have been, and what even yet he may become. The chaste woman is to be the hope, not the dread, of her fallen sister. Education is not to enclose itself in an unapproachable hermitage, but to move among the rude humanities with a subduing and inspiring grace. This is the very spirit of Jesus Christ. He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and that the chief of his disciples was to be servant of all. Merely, then, as a matter of argument, it must be allowed that Jesus Christ, immeasurably beyond any other teacher, recognized the greatness of human nature. How did he come by this unparalleled estimate? Certainly he had no inducement to flatter it in return for his personal reception on the earth. Sometimes pleasant circumstances

force weak observers into an exaggeration of praise; but, in spite of the harshest reception, Christ affirmed that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son for its salvation. His verdict is thus the more important by reason of the conditions under which it was given. Had he been asked to give an opinion of human nature before he assumed it, his opinion might, on easily understood grounds, have been favorable; but after he has lain in the manger, been exposed to hunger and thirst and cold, been smitten on the face, and condemned as a felon, when he has been laughed at as a fanatic, or shunned as a madman, he speaks of human nature with the fond tenderness and lofty reverence of one who was preparing to die for it. Something more than human must explain this humanness. Every other man falls short of it: how came a Galilean peasant to have it all? It is an affront to common sense to say that it is an imaginary sketch; but even if it be, what then? The problem is not solved; for as only a poet can write a poem, so only a Christ could have conceived a Christ. The first thing, then, that is before us is Christ’s adjustment of man’s relation to man, giving us deeper insight into humanity, inspiring mutual love, and strengthening the common trust of society. There is another phase of his adjustment of man, which, though less commanding, is yet one of great interest—that is, his way of setting them towards nature. Christ

walked much in the open country with his disciples, and gave them a new method of reading the landscape and all natural objects. He turned nature into a great book of illustration; he showed that every bush was aflame with consuming fire, and vocal with the utterances of God. He made all nature preach the doctrine of trust in the divine Fatherhood. He spoke of the lilies as pledges of God’s care, and pointed to the fowls as an illustration of God’s watchfulness over all life. He bade his disciples consider these things, and lay them to heart as defenses against distrust or apprehension. Who can measure the distance between God and a flower of the field? What connection there is between the lily and the man we have not yet been sufficiently educated to discern, but Christ’s lesson is pointless if there is not a line common to all kinds of life, running through and binding all. It would be useless to “consider the lilies,” if they and the considerers had no point in common, though in the present state of our faculties it may be inappreciable; as well might the beggar say that he would “consider” the doorplates of the city because the hands that burnished them might feed him. The explanation is, that the universe is a series, and that he who cares for the least will care for the greatest; that simplicity and beauty and fragrance and every form of life are all of God, and that the Creator of all is also the servant of all. Read unabridged at boropulse.com