by kenny

We went to a Christian compound near Waco. No, not that one. The Trinity Institute in Tehuacana (teh-WAH-kana), Texas. Trinity is run by Jim Parker, a professor of Apologetics at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for the last 18 years. It is modeled after Francis Schaeffer's Labri, which is a place for spiritual seekers to come, rest, and ask questions about all things spiritual. On the Trinity property is a historic building called the Texas Hall (originally built as the Presbyterian Trinity University from 1869-1902, then used as the Methodist Westminster College from 1942-1950). The hall is amazing-built of limstone, four stories high, and going through a badly needed major restoarion (as money allows). It houses a small local historical museum and an art gallery, and some of the rooms are useable for visting groups, weddings, videos, and photo shoots. The property also includes a big house with an awesome enclosed porch with many swings, as well as an old student boarding house. If ever in this part of Texas (the highest point between Dallas and Houston), you should stop by and check it out.

Trinity Institute has been opened up to anyone who is seeking spiritual things. The Institute also has an artist-in-residence program. Any artist is welcome to stay there free of charge for however long they want to pursue their creativity, Christian or not. Musicians, painters, screenwriters, photographers, what have you. And they do. Sometimes for a few days. Sometimes for over a year.

We visited Trinity because this sort of thing is what we hope to provide in the future. A place were artists and friends can come to live, free of charge, to focus on their craft. Trinity has been successfully doing this and we were able to ask a lot of questions and let our minds go wild with the possibilities. It was really uplifting to be in an environment where our dreams were being accomplished. Maybe we are not crazy after all. It is being done, so perhaps we can do it too.