Third Places have always been a way of life. Decades ago, the suburban sprawl put too many inside their garages before they could say hello to their neighbor. Today, even as we get more tech savvy, that has not, nor will it ever replace human contact and the authentic engaging of all five senses.
I recently discovered a new Third Place in the Birmingham area that the great people from B-Metro Magazine have done a recent article on – so I’ll just let you read it….
Mardi Gras beads, strings of lights, birthday banners, and snowflakes adorn the rafters of the tin-roof shed, creating a wonderland of deranged splendor. Beer bottles are lined up, and yellowing images of singers, sidemen, and Delta bands stare down from the juke-joint walls. Mismatched chairs and tiny tables fill up as neighbors and blues-loving nomads drift in to stake their claims. The wild-eyed feline on a painted sign proclaims this as “Gip’s Place—Where All the Cats Play.
Word spreads underground about this Bessemer mecca for blues-lovers. On almost any Saturday night, the place is packed. Wailing harmonica and rifts so raw they tear at the soul fill the air with pulsating sound. As the night goes on, some dance the boogie on the precious few inches of available floorspace.
Henry Gipson, affectionately called Mr. Gip, allows that he’s had his place since 1952, for “nigh on 60 years” including a few years his brother ran it “before he had to leave town.” He has hosted such blues greats as the late Willie King, Curtis Files, Big Mike Griffin, Kent and Cedric Burnside, Kenny Brown, Liz Brown, Roscoe Robinson, and The North Mississippi All-Stars.
Lightnin’ Malcolm joined Elliott and the Untouchables at Gip’s Place in an unforgettable session that lasted long into the night. Sam Lay, a musician who played with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Bob Dylan, is legendary to the regulars. The list goes on and on. Most bluesmen jump at the chance to play here because so few places like Gip’s still exist.
No one–maybe not even he—knows exactly how old Mr. Gip is. Hank Moore and Lenny Madden, who “discovered” Gip’s Place back in the late ’70s, say they celebrated his 85th birthday at least four or five different years. The son of a sharecropper, Mr. Gip worked for many years as a railroad man. Now he owns Pine Hill Cemetery and still digs graves with his backhoe. His passion, though, is singing the blues. After the main show is over, he often takes part in informal jam sessions that may not end until 3 a.m.
No matter how late the Saturday night, Mr. Gip and his wife, who rarely comes back to the shed, will spend all day Sunday in church. “Here’s a real grave-digger who sings the blues all night and prays all day,” Moore says with a laugh. “Only in Alabama!”
And only in Alabama would a gut-busting night of the blues begin with a prayer and a blessing for everyone there. Then come the rules: No cursing, no weapons, gentlemen are to leave only with the ladies they come with, and absolutely no drugs or gambling allowed. Patrons bring their own beverages. Mr. Gip is from the old school; he’s a tall dignified figure in a Panama hat, presiding over his domain with a gentle but very firm hand.
One night Watermelon Slim, winner of numerous national awards for his music, cut loose with profanity on stage between songs. Mr. Gip immediately set him straight, much to Slim’s bewilderment. “Hey, I thought this place was a juke joint,” Slim later complained to Madden. “Yeah,” Madden said, “but it’s Mr. Gip’s juke joint!”
Ever the genial host, the owner makes the rounds with a paper cup of who-knows-what in his hand, smiling and stopping to talk with the patrons, black and white. “Mr. Gip’s heart is so big that he doesn’t see any difference in people. He wants them to come together,” Moore says. “So they do. There aren’t any differences here. They come together every Saturday and just enjoy the music.”
When Lenny Madden moved to the South, he had already discovered Mississippi John Hurt and had learned to play haunting blues on his guitar. A fellow musician heard him play and eventually trusted Madden enough to invite him out to Bessemer. “Mr. Gip was lying there asleep when we walked in,” Madden says. “I played a little Robert Johnson, and his eyes just lit up. I started going down there and then told Hank [Moore] about it.” Soon they couldn’t stay away.
At the time, in 1978, there were racial undercurrents in Birmingham. A constant stream of great blues musicians, most of them black, came through town but their music stayed in its narrow subculture, never advertised to the public at large. Many of these musicians came out to play at Gip’s Place, where they mightily impressed the two new visitors.
The music was too good not to be more widely heard, yet few outside the very modest neighborhood were even aware of it. “A friend of mine was talking about another place, saying that it was the best blues joint anywhere around,” Madden said. “I told her, “Y’all have one right underneath your nose that you don’t even know about!” But it was two more years before the friend ventured to Bessemer.
There used to be only a stage behind Mr. Gip’s house, and music-lovers sat on the ground or perched on one of the old sofas scattered about the place. Madden and Moore stepped up to build flooring and a roof so the building could accommodate listeners more comfortably.
Now the room can be used year-round, but on warm nights people often go outside, swaying around communal tables to rhythms rich with history. Many in the crowd are members of the Magic City Blues Society, which even has a section on its web site called “What’s Happening at Gip’s?” Most, though, are just people who love the music enough to make the trek. They come from all over Alabama and even farther at times.
Roger Stephenson, a British transplant who—except for his accent—seems more Southern than a native son, helps book regional and even national acts for Gip’s Place. Passing around a tin bucket, he oversees the collection of $10 cover charges, which barely meets the expense. If it doesn’t, he and Madden dip into their own pockets to pay the bands.
“We’ve never had a band be disappointed though,” Moore adds. “They respect what this place represents: the tradition. And always, the music.”
People say that the Blues gets in your blood. “It’s in you, and it got to come out,” sang John Lee Hooker in his famous song, Boogie Chillun.
[MT note] Amazing what putting your hands to what your heart is speaking can do….
Standing in the kitchen with my son strapped to my chest in a Baby Bjorn man-harness (shameless plug for Baby Bjorn, yes I will take free stuff). Observing how happy and calm he is with his head against my heart instantly made me start thinking about a few things….
How would I live my life differently if my children were always strapped to my chest? Think about it literally; hearing my every conversation, seeing my every move, feeling my heart for every situation that I find myself in.
When we cry out to God, I believe He straps us to His chest, putting us against His heart. I don’t believe there could be a more safe and calming place this side of Heaven. That made me want to pray – “God, strap me to your chest, hold me so close I feel your heart.”
How would you live differently? Where do you feel safe?
A Cowboy and a Bartender walk into a church just before services were to begin. This motley crew of jeans, t-shirts, boots, tattoos, and hats were spotlessly clean. In their hands were worn-out bibles. The church they entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church they had ever seen.
The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories. As the Cowboy and Bartender took their seats, the others moved away from them. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed them. They were appalled at their appearance and did not attempt to hide it. As they were leaving the church, the Pastor approached them and asked if they could do him a favor. ‘Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship.’ They each assured the Pastor they would ask God that question.
The next Sunday, they showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirts, boots, and hats. Once again, they were completely shunned and ignored. The Pastor approached them and said, ‘I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our Church. ‘We did,’ each man replied. ‘If you spoke to God, what did he tell the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?’ asked the Preacher. ‘Well, Sir, God told us that He didn’t have a clue what we should wear. He said He had never been in this Church before.
Let’s be honest – you’ve either been the giver or receiver of someone’s thoughtless comments about a woman who is pregnant. Maybe you’ve asked a woman when she is due, only to find out she is not pregnant (you deserved that black eye btw). Maybe you were the ‘well-intended’ giver of great advice that came out in the form of a ‘fear-induced’ statement.
You may be familiar with ‘The Serenity Prayer’
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Hearing one too many of these thoughtless comments to pregnant women, I took the liberty of writing…
A Pregnant Woman’s Serenity Request
If you have something positive to say – Speak Up
If you have something negative to say – Shut Up
If you don’t know the difference – Grow Up
May we recognize this simple layout that God has given us; two ears – one mouth. That means just as a carpenter will measure twice and cut once; we should (at a minimum)think twice and speak once –
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” – Proverbs 18:21
I know this blog is a little long, but bare with me – the story you’re about to read is one that is worth the time.
This past week myself and the team from LIVE Design Grouptraveled to Baton Rouge for the All Access 2010 conference for ARC church planters. The event was hosted by Dino Rizzo and the uh-maze-ing servants from Healing Place Church in combination with the world’s greatest interns from around the country.
The previous week, while in Orlando, I said to Dino – “Hey man, are you gonna have the weather this good for us next week?” He responded – “Can’t promise you that, but I promise we’re gonna fill ya belly!”
Maybe it was the travel, maybe it was the sun, and maybe it was a Divine set up – ??? – but I found myself hungry and approached a table to ask if I could grab a bag of chips, even though they were intended for the night’s after party. I happened to recap my conversation with Dino the previous week and then said something like – “I think I’m the only guy losing weight here this week.”
I sincerely meant nothing bad by that statement, but what started to happen next made me realize, in the simplest way, that this Servolution ‘thing’ is Fact not Fiction. I went on to another part of the church campus completely different from where I had engaged this conversation; it was about 20 minutes later that a girl approached me with a “Healing Place bag” and she said in the happiest cheerleader-camp voice you’ve ever heard – “Here ya go!!!”
Taken back and slightly weirded out for a moment – I said “What’s this?” She said, “The lady outside said you’ve not been eating enough and this is a bag full of food to get you through to dinner tonight.” Even as I write this, I’m drawn to tears because I can still feel the heart that was behind that simple act of service. – I thanked her, reached into the bag and started with a tasty bear-claw and a water….
Now it starts to just get funny – - – at least 5 more times over the next two days, people would ‘randomly’ show up and offer me food – each making some comment like, “Hey there, we heard you’ve not been eating enough this week.” And then they would give me a chicken biscuit, pasta salad, chicken wrap, pizza, etc… Are you ‘for cereal’ (aka serious)?!?! These guys are insane – insanely wonderful that is……I’m here to tell you that Servolution is Fact and not fiction.
I love that when I shared this story with Dino before I left last week, he did not have a look on his face that said “of course they did” – even though I know he was thinking it. The look on his face is what reminded me of the absolute sincere place that this all came from – the look on his face as he half-smiled and shook his head was one of “they still amaze me too”.
Thanks for taking a moment to find out what I’m up to – as you know – I’ve been discussing, designing, and developing Third Places and helping churches know how to implement them as viable ministry tools for nearly 14 years. Over the past decade and especially that last 3 years – conversations and questions from the church about Third Places and their role, responsibility, and real place in culture – have dramatically increased.
In response to this increased need and in an ultimate response to God’s sovereign leading in my life – I’m stoked to share with you that I’ve joined the firm of LIVE Design Group, an architecture and interior design firm based in Birmingham, AL whose client list includes Church of the Highlands, Celebration Church, Church of the King, and Red Mountain Church. In addition, I’m confident that their rich history in designing facilities that house education and entertainment will serve well as we continue to design now for the future of the church.
As the latest edition to the team, I will serve as Lead Collaborator, where my primary responsibilities will include connecting, communicating, and collaborating with clients. I will remain the owner and Idea Engineer of Third Place Consulting – also based in Birmingham, AL – and will add to the design and service offerings of LIVE Design Group in helping churches connect and communicate through cafes, lounges and marketplace solutions.
I’m very excited to be a part of LIVE Design; a team with deep integrity, creative imagination, and exceptional design capability. Aubrey Garrison and I share a passion for helping our clients with connecting people, developing leaders, and funding causes and we are already seeing how this relationship is providing more holistic solutions for our clients.
You can always find me here on this website, but I invite you to check out the amazing team I’m serving with now www.LIVEdesigngroup.net Thanks again for stopping by – and thanks for pouring into the lives of others.
