Tinney Chapel Today

Click on any image to view it in larger format.

PHOTO ID: Left to right: Lucy Germany, Ellie Voth, Bonnie Sir Kegian and (seated) Liz Soutendiijk. Inset is poet/host Conrad Wolfman.

Click on any image to view it in larger format.

Live Poets Society Met Today, Third Friday in March,
at Conrad Wolfman's Winnsboro Emporium on North Main
Street in Beautiful Downtown Winnsboro

It was a good evening for poets in Winnsboro, a Texas Cultural Arts District, a Main Street City and a Certified Retirement Community.

But this was a day for meditation and metaphor as Joe Dan Boyd read selected excerpts from Edward Hirsch's classic book How To Read A Poem, as a mood-setter.

After the short reading and a brief business meeting, members of the Live Poets Society read individual poems for their own pleasure and that of drop-in listeners.

Missing were Amy Pierson and Angela Wylie, whose aunt (Carolyn Newton) was married that same evening at Tinney Chapel United Methodist Church (the groom was Benny Brown). Angela attended the wedding as both kinfolk and photographer. Joe Dan Boyd, Live Poets' communications coordinator, had to leave today's meeting early for that same wedding event, which suggests the reason for this meeting's lack of further detail. Before leaving, Joe Dan did make the photo shown elsewhere on this post.

Attending tonight's event: (Left to right in photo) Lucy Germany, Ellie Voth, Bonnie Sir Kegian (founder of Live Poets Society) and (seated) Liz Soutendiijk.

Live Poets Society meets every third Friday of each month at 6 pm and is hosted by Conrad Wolfman's Winnsboro Emporium on far North Main Street in Winnsboro.

Live Poets Society meetings are open to the public, poets or non-poets, who wish either to perform (read) or merely listen. No reservations required. Just show up.

Photo via Julie Tinney, Donald's daughter.

Click on any image to view it in larger format.

Donald Tinney, A Man Of Kindness

LIFE, as lived by DONALD TINNEY, was a constant CELEBRATION.

He celebrated the GIFT of LIFE in all the manifestations GOD offers us.

A particular FAVORITE celebration of Donald’s was LIFE in the great OUTDOORS, especially farming, FISHING and camping with his FAMILY.

Donald loved HUNTING GRAPES, an annual OUTDOOR ADVENTURE which is now largely FORGOTTEN by modern society.

During the 1940s, HUNTING GRAPES was an AUTUMN TRADITION for many of us who lived at Tinney Chapel, then as much a well-defined farming COMMUNITY as it was a church founded by Ambrose Tinney, Donald’s GRANDFATHER.

The first BICYCLE that my brother Tommy & I ever owned was a HAND-ME-DOWN from our OLDER Cousin Donald, who lived just down the road with his parents, our UNCLE ED & AUNT VALLIE TINNEY.

Donald’s WILLINGNESS to FOLLOW the EXEMPLARY life lessons then modeled by his PARENTS quickly caused OUR folks, and lots of OTHERS, to lift up DONALD as the ROLE MODEL for boys in our COMMUNITY to follow.

DONALD has always been a TOUGH ACT to follow!

Take, for instance, Donald’s long journey from reading scripture in Tinney Chapel to reading Lady Liberty’s inscription in New York harbor.

That incredible journey took about 18 months for Donald, who strengthened the U.S. Army during a time of true grit: World War II.

His journey started on a Sunday in May, 1945, when Uncle Ed called Donald to the front of the Tinney Chapel sanctuary.

It was the most highly charged emotional moment between a father and son that many of us had ever experienced at Tinney Chapel.

“This may be the last Sunday School or church service that Donald will ever attend here.”

Uncle Ed’s voice was characteristically soft, and on the verge of breaking.

Then came Uncle Ed’s tears, unashamed.

Germany had already surrendered, but conventional wisdom of 1945 suggested that Japan would instead defend its shores to the last man.

That’s exactly what Donald thought during his 17 weeks of Infantry basic training at Camp Hood, Texas, where the emphasis was on hand-to-hand combat.

During that U.S. Infantry training, he once recalled being issued a pocket-sized Bible.

Thankfully, Donald never experienced actual combat, because of another soldier named Paul Tibbets, who piloted a bomber called Enola Gay, from which the mushroom clouds of atomic war swept away the fierce Japanese resolve--saving countless lives on both sides.

Donald’s troop ship, the General Anderson, then took him to Europe as part of the Allied occupation of Germany.

His return voyage home was on the Lewiston Victory transport ship, carrying 1,100 servicemen into New York harbor on a crisp September morning in 1946.

The sun-splashed sight of Lady Liberty’s torch was brighter than anything Donald had ever seen:

“It was great to be home, but I also remember how proud I was to wear the uniform of an American soldier,” Donald said a half-century later on a memorable July 4 when Tinney Chapel honored him, as part of the Greatest Generation, for his love of country and church.

When I was a student at Texas A&M, one of my technical agriculture classes was a lecture/lab combination of Soil Conservation techniques which required, among other things, that I interview a real farmer and prepare an illustrated paper about his plans for conserving the soil. At that time, Donald was a full-time farmer and was happy to assist me in that assignment. Upon reflection, I can also say that Donald was my primary inspiration for enrolling in vocational agriculture as a freshman at Winnsboro High School, a decision which proved to be life-changing for me.

When I returned to Winnsboro after a long career as an agricultural journalist in several states, I quickly resumed the active participation in Tinney Chapel, which had been an important part of my childhood and teen years. This required that I choose a Sunday School Class, so I asked Donald if I could join The Wise Ones, a class that he then attended, and where I remained until I was asked to lead the Pairs & Spares (later renamed Remnant) Sunday School Class.

Many of the folks at Tinney Chapel still think of Donald as their patriarch as well as their primary evangelist, because Donald never missed an opportunity to invite newcomers to join him in worshiping the Lord he loved.

Donald had the perfect podium from which to do that at his business, Tinney Building Supply, where he made sure that every new customer heard about the quintessential country church nestled just off FM 312 at 449 County Road 4620.

He didn’t bother to ask newcomers whether or not they already had a church home.

Donald’s style was humble and homespun.

His invitation to his church was no different from his invitation to his home, and in every respect, Donald seemed to regard his church and his home as one and the same.

That a great many of those newcomers thought enough of Donald to accept his invitation is part of the sanctified lore of Tinney Chapel, where an uncommon number of those newcomers either moved their church membership to Tinney Chapel or joined by profession of faith after accepting Christ as personal Savior.

Today, in the foyer of Tinney Chapel’s new family life center, a massive painting of the Ten Commandments, engraved in stone, bears a bronze plate dedicating that painting to the memory of Donald Tinney.

It’s a constant reminder to all that God expects us not only to lead exemplary lives in Christ, but also to invite others to join in that quest for Eternal Life at the right hand of God.

There, we may be certain of visiting once again with Donald Tinney, where we will surely find him doing what he has always done best: Worshiping his Lord with all his heart, and inviting all the newcomers to join him!

AMEN.

Click on any image above to view it in larger format and/or click on the arrow below to view a video of a portion of this concert.



The Great American Songbook sung by Shannon Monk with accompaniment by True Blue

Another sold-out audience greeted Winnsboro torch singer Shannon Monk, whose effortless but earnest delivery of jazz-tinged songs about love and lovers has made her a household name hereabouts and helped her hold this full house in the palm of her hand at Brubakers Restaurant and Pub on Main Street.

Shannon was backed by the same talented band that has provided accompaniment since her first concert in the town she calls home. The band, True Blue, is still led by Georgia Gagliardi, who is the group's arranger and also plays keyboard and guitar. Guitarist Kurt Bittner is the newest addition to True Blue. As usual, the band is rounded out by Ben Scarborough on bass and Rick Murray on drums.

The first set included Fly Me To The Moon, Let's Fall In Love, Come Rain Or Come Shine, I Wish You Love, It Might As Well Be Spring, Autumn Leaves, Justification Rag (a semi-serious take on theology by Gagliardi), Smile, Five Foot Two (with Shannon on her vintage/restored Maybell banjo-ukulele), It Had To Be You and Let's Do It.

An intermission followed the first set and attendees could buy copies of Gagliardi's newest CD, which includes the aforementioned Justification Rag, which is actually a serious, non-offensive look at theology with a few side-splitting bits of humor tossed in for good measure. In fact, this reporter has not heard such a mix of humor and theology since the late Rev. Dan McBride's touring concert days. Gagliardi's CD is surely worth the money for that song alone.

Shannon's second set included From This Moment On, Our Love Is Here To Stay, Misty, Popular (sung by guest vocalist Johanna Ramsey, who recently performed it in the musical "Wicked"), Slow Boat To China, I'm Old Fashioned, Too Marvelous For Words, This Is My Time (a kind of musical memoir written & sung by Gagliardi), Every Now And Then, Accentuate The Positive, Ghost Of A Chance and Second Star To The Right (which might be regarded as a bit of a tribute to Peter Pan).

To satisfy the enthusiastic audience, Shannon's ecnore number was Route 66.

The video elsewhere on this post includes Shannon Monk on Misty, Slow Boat To China and I'm Old Fashioned. It also includes guest vocalist Johanna Ramsey singing Popular.

Click on any image to view it in larger format:

LIFE'S JOURNEY

I believe it is fair, and relatively true, to say that most of us, whatever our ages, never quite give up, or even loosen, the golden thread that ties us to our childhoods.

For some, the tie is mom's apron strings. For some it's a strange feeling of "independence" associated with what's left of that least-independent time of our lives. For still others, it's just the golden memories of our childhoods.

And what is memory, but an ever-present, always open, ever brimful time capsule that continues to feed and nourish our psyches and souls all through this earthly life.

Cher said, and I agree, that life is not a dress rehearsal.

Jonathan Swift enjoins us to live all the days of our lives, and that is likely a unique thought for some, but yet profound advice for all.

Perhaps the most sage advice comes from the Sanskrit:

"Look to this day!
For it is life,
the very life of life...
for yesterday is already a dream,
and tomorrow is only a vision,
but today, well lived,
makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness, and every
tomorrow a vision of hope."

Again, Angela, songbird of Tinney Chapel: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.