An Oberservation: The Denton Border
"For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another." - Romans 12:3-5
The other night I realized that I was still living along the border; only it wasn't a border culture between two countries, but one in the same city.
Downtown Denton
Downtown Denton is made up of local music artists and much creativity. You can walk around the downtown square and enjoy live music on the sidewalk from a violinist or a small band on the grass of the former courthouse. You can wake up to freshly brewed coffee from Jupiter House or enjoy a refreshing beer at the Oak Street Draft House. Two of my personal favorite places are Recycled Books- a used bookstore at a former Opera House- and Mad Records- local shop that sells everything Vinyl.
There’s the hippie-like culture where it’s about peace, dumpster diving (and not just for furniture), and refusal of showers. Then hipsters (different from hippies) who are as defined by a friend, "[hipsters] don't know they're hipsters." I tend to think buttoned shirts, long beards, skinny jeans, excessive coffee drinking, and simply organic. Most significantly, there lacks an urgency for responsibility; an evident picture of, what many call, the "Peter-Pan" generation where all money and effort is spent in "finding yourself" and having a real job is selling out.
South Denton
South Denton is a radical portrait of "the other side" where there is change in culture and the structure of the city. The Loop (a feeder highway that loops around Denton) houses an L.A. Fitness (equivalent to that of Gold's Gym), chain-food restaurants and several mainstream businesses such as 5 Guys Burgers, Men’s Warehouse, Barnes and Noble, and the notorious Best Buy. The community is a little more established, family oriented, and faster paced. They've all grown up.
What happened to the live music? The local business? What about the local coffee shops?
Live music became an event, not a way of life. The local business is a struggle. And there was a Starbucks if you needed coffee. South Denton invests in roots and worst of all, “8-5” office jobs ((cue suspense music)).
One City. Two Cultures.
One city and two distinct cultures, both beautiful and able learn from one another. Those in the downtown area, I can tell you that getting a real job to provide is actually a good thing, waking up early isn’t crazy, not every band is going to "make it,” and organic is a system of organs or parts that work together to achieve one purpose creating change. That’s right, a system.
For those in south Denton, not everything has to be done or finished yesterday. There is value in walking around and enjoying the simplicities in life or laying on the grass while reading a book or listening to music, mainstream doesn't mean "better.” I can buy the same UnderArmour shirt at a thrift store; I’m not cheap, but a bargain shopper.
The Way
If you enjoy locally brewed beer while wearing TOM's and riding a scooter as “the in” thing to do then that’s fine or if you like name brands, drink Starbucks' green tea every morning, and drive while talking on an ear-piece at 70 MPH on a 45 MPH zone because life is a schedule, I can't wait until you get kicked, but I get it.
Final Thoughts: we are not the way and because we're not the way, we are in need of a Savior; we're in need for Jesus who calls us to Himself because of His finished work on the cross. That alone diminishes any and all sorts of statuses.
The truth is, we need the hippies AND the cookie cutters! Unity doesn't mean uniformity, but purpose.
Our identity does not lie in diversity, but in Jesus who has gifted us accordingly. The beauty and purpose is reflecting and fulfilling one purpose: glorifying Jesus.
