{"id":1023,"date":"2010-02-01T03:01:03","date_gmt":"2010-02-01T03:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/02\/allen-levi.html"},"modified":"2010-02-01T03:01:03","modified_gmt":"2010-02-01T03:01:03","slug":"allen-levi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/02\/allen-levi.html","title":{"rendered":"Allen Levi!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AllenThis past weekend at Laity Lodge I got to know Allen Levi<\/a>. He was the musician for our retreat. And what a musician he is!
\nI expect that some of you know Allen already. He has a strong reputation as a solo artist, and he has teamed up with the likes of Bebo Norman and David Wilcox. Before last weekend, I had heard good things about Allen Levi from people I respect. But I had never listened to his music. That was my loss.
\nAllen is a 53-year-old lawyer from Georgia, though some years ago he put aside his law practice in order to focus on music. According to his website<\/a>,\u00a0 Allen once took a sabbatical from his law practice in order to get a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. That may help to explain his extraordinary gifts as a poet and storyteller.
\nI don’t remember when I’ve heard a more engaging musician\/storyteller. I could listen for hours to Allen’s description of everyday life. Like the best of poets, he sees the world differently. He makes connections and discovers ironies that are there for all to see, but are usually discovered by the poet.
\nAllen is also an excellent guitarist and vocalist. His concert at Laity Lodge was a pure delight. It was one of the most intimate, funny, and touching concerts I have ever been too. It was as if Allen was a friend sharing his life with me and helping me to see my life with new eyes.
\nAllen is a Christian, and his faith shines through his music, even songs that aren’t obviously Christian. He’s one of those artists who doesn’t need to say the word “Jesus” in every one of his works because they are so profoundly filled with Jesus.
\nI thought I’d share with you the lyrics from one of Allen’s songs called “Refrigerator Art.” You’ll enjoy reading this song as a poem. But hearing him sing it is ten times richer than reading it. (You can hear a short clip of the first verse<\/a> here.)<\/p>\n

Your little kid comes home from kindergarten,
\nHe says: \u201cMom, I drew a picture just for you.\u201d
\nA masterpiece on green construction paper,
\nThough what it is you haven\u2019t got a clue.
\nBut you love those little scribbles just because of whose they are.
\nJust what they mean you really do not care.
\nYou just kiss your little Rembrandt and you say,
\n\u201cWhen we get home, we gonna tape it up of the Frigidaire.\u201d
\n\u2018Cause you\u2019re a collector of refrigerator art.
\nYou\u2019re a collector of refrigerator art.
\nLittle kids create their world with their Crayola.
\nTo some it might just look a colored mess.
\nBut beauty\u2019s in the eye of the beholder,
\nAnd moms can be so easy to impress.
\nThey are collectors of refrigerator art.
\nAnd no mother worth the keeping,
\nWould chastise or deplore.
\nShe would open up a gallery,
\nRight on the freezer door.
\nWe try to do the best of which we\u2019re able.
\nBut every time you know we fall so short.
\nCompared to true perfection we all fall outside the lines.
\nAt best we\u2019re just refrigerator art.
\nBut the one who put the stars up in the heavens,
\nThe one who made the wings of the butterflies,
\nHe will take us with our awful disproportion.
\nSomehow we\u2019re all still lovely in his eyes.
\nHe\u2019s a collector of refrigerator art.
\nHe\u2019s a corrector of refrigerator art.
\nHe\u2019s the protector of refrigerator art.
\nWell a little kid comes home from kindergarten,
\nSays \u201cHappy Mama\u2019s Day. I drew this just for you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s hard to convey the experience of hearing Allen in a blog post. No, it’s impossible. So let me say that if you ever have the chance to hear him life, by all means go for it.
\nIn the meanwhile, you can listen to his music via recording. You can purchase several of Allen’s albums from iTunes. Amazon.com is also a source for his music. Just search on “Allen Levi.”\u00a0 You can learn a whole lot more about him and his music, as well as purchase CDs, from his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past weekend at Laity Lodge I got to know Allen Levi. He was the musician for our retreat. And what a musician he is! I expect that some of you know Allen already. He has a strong reputation as a solo artist, and he has teamed up with the likes of Bebo Norman and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nAllen Levi!! - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}