loose ends...

Samuel and me,

playing our Stringer guitars

handcrafted by Hulon Stringer

... here, at the end of days, there are loose ends... random journal thoughts, homeless expressions of a wandering mind... may they find a home in you...

     Unanswered Questions:


Is my faith an event or a lifestyle?



From which perspective do I relate to best- 
     from below the horizon or from above? 



Am I pushing walls outward or pulling walls inward?



Is there an aspect of honor contained within generosity?



What are my students actually learning?



What does 'making a living' mean?



Am I on par with a broken clock- true twice a day?



If I were a font, would I be serif or sans-serif?



How can a person be heard if they haven't found their voice?



Is shame a consequence or an attachment?



Understand God? I don't understand me!




     Bits and Pieces:

My needs give other believers the opportunity to be the Body of Christ. Why am I uncomfortable with that?



In the natural realm, sight precedes sound.



Before a word can be spoken, it must first exist. Speaking lends breath to the thought.



Truth is easier to chew when you are smiling.



Sometimes I feel I am a piece that fell from a puzzle box. 




Mistakes leave scars.

Neighbors and Wise Men

"Stand at the crossroads and look,

and ask for ancient paths where the good way lies;

and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."

Jeremiah 6:16

     In G.K. Chesterton's classic The Everlasting Man, Chesterton writes-

"There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place..."

Early Christians were known as followers of the Way. Anyone who has ever followed Christ must agree with Bilbo Baggins when he said to Frodo, "It's dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door." Paradoxically, it is a business for the faint of heart. There will come moments in the journey when you long for home, when comfort seems far way. Along the path you will encounter paens and threnodies, songs of praise and cries of lament, and you will participate... with your voice or with your silence. And sometimes you will wonder why.

     Tony Kriz introduces his latest book, Neighbors and Wise Men with these words,

"I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYMORE"

Tony Kriz walked 'round the whole world' to come home. If you've read Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz you know Tony as "Tony the Beat Poet." In Tony's words, "I am not a beat-poet. I am not even a normal poet." 

     Neighbors and Wise Men is the story of Tony Kriz's journey, from home to Albania to Reed College to home again. And, along the way, he wondered why. This is a book that will challenge the Religious Camp's ideology, and that is a good thing. Here is an excerpt:

"In time, over a thousand conversations about faith with Muslim people, I learned an unexpected idea. When I stated a fact about faith, it led to a spiritual debate. The argument was often enjoyable, but there was an undeniable sense that the relational separation was growing. However, when I shared a story about how I came to believe what I believe, the relational distance closed like the bellows of an accordion. My unexpected discovery was this: facts are the language of the head; story is the language of the heart. The language of the head encourages debate. The language of the heart encourages friendship."

     As I read Tony's book I realised that my journey is similar to his. I realised that God has consistently surprised me- in pubs and other unexpected places. Tony Kriz reminds us that God delights in revealing Himself to us, especially in unexpected places. 

     I disagree, however, with Tony on one point. He is a poet.

     Thank you, Tony, for Neighbors and Wise Men.

    

A Good Life

"He wanted to be buried in his orchard, beneath his favorite Apple tree."

That is what the family member said.

Rudy and I were there to place the grave marker. I don't know which is the more remarkable thought: that he wanted to be buried under his favorite tree or that he had a favorite tree?

     Since my childhood I have found solace with trees. Nothing clears my head faster than a walk in the woods. Perhaps if our politicians took walks our government would be different.

     Last night, as I considered the man buried in his orchard, I wondered about his life, if in his last days he wondered about his life. What is a good life? Friends, purpose, peace, contentment, and consistency are elements of a good life. Not merely having needs met but the ability to help others is also part of a good life. Perhaps a good life is like the fullness that comes from having had an excellent meal. With an excellent meal there is:

preparation

fellowship

an aesthetic aspect

different courses

elements of surprise

(the known blended with the unknown)

and, dessert

(ending with the taste of sweetness)

    

     Perhaps, at the conclusion of the matter, it can be said by all present, "Something of more than ordinary significance occurred here."

Things I Need to Remember Before Entering the Classroom

I teach art to High School students. Here are a few things I wish someone had told me twenty years ago:

1. Leave room in the lesson plan for the student (and God)

Q: What is more important-

Seeing my goals and objectives achieved or

seeing the student realize that their voice is valid?

2. Words have the power of Life and Death

3. My students are hearing with fresh ears

4. Profanity is the sign of a poor vocabulary

The thirsty will drink filth and young people are thirsty; i.e., people will settle for the mediocre or shock because they are unaware of the richness that surrounds them, from both the past and the present.

5. Joy is contagious

6. Negativity is contagious

7. I am a steward of ideas, not an owner

Not all my ideas are for me.

8. I teach people, not subjects

9. Learning is reciprocal

The floor in my classroom is level.

10. You never know what a day may bring forth...

and it is a Good day

like petals falling...

In the aftermath of the recent school shooting in Connecticut, my friend Jacob wrote the following:

                                                                 Silence brings connection between past and present, present and future. Some have discovered and others will discover we are made for eternity. Even with this understanding, albeit shallow, our hearts still betray us. We know that death will arrive, announced for some and suddenly for others, like an unfamiliar person who shouts your name from behind. Separation is part of what we do here on this earth, but when the cause is a disconnected, mentally-ill youth, the effects are not unlike an atomic bomb; mass destruction at the center spreading outward causing additional damage in the form of anxiety, knee-jerk reactions and irrational fear. It eats away at our sense of safety and spills our faith on the floor, like petals falling from a dying flower.

                                                                                         The heart bleeds in times like this, unsure of what reaction to make. The questions to be answered are difficult and long. In the end the voices, disconnected from us suddenly, will be heard, not only in this age but in the age to come. For now, let us pour out our hearts as offering and spill our tears in the same way. We will never be okay with these acts, as they don’t fit even on this side of paradise. Now, let us lift our eyes to heaven, where are strength comes from for He died to heal our broken hearts.

Jacob Valdez

Charlie Peacock Sings a Classic

Get More: Go Tell It On the Mountain (Holidaze Day 2), Charlie Peacock, Charlie Peacock Videos

There Is A Season- A Limited Edition Book

The Reckoning International began its history by redeeming 150 slaves among the Tharu in Nepal and providing them with opportunities to create a livelihood. Today, the faith based organization is working in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Dominican Republic, Ukraine and Nepal.

During Trinity's Fall Camp, a representative from The Reckoning presented a challenge to the students-

Use your creativity and ingenuity to increase $100.00

within a span of three months.

My student's solution: a hand-made, limited edition book. Every image has been hand-printed, every book has been hand-sewn. After our pre-sale initiative, there are only 30 copies available. The price is only $20.00 with 100% of the proceeds going to The Reckoning International. And, if you are ordering from out of town I will personally pay the postage. By purchasing this book you become a part of something that is bringing hope to people in desperate need. For more information regarding The Reckoning International click here.

Our three month deadline is upon us.

You have an amazing opportunity to obtain this handmade book but you must place your order, with payment, by December 1. The books will be available in the office (or mail) by December 14, making a beautiful Christmas gift for the person who has everything.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. My email is mcarter@trinityprep.com.

Here are a few sample pages:

Grace by Max Lucado

"More verb than noun,
more present tense
than past tense,
grace didn't just happen;
it happens."

Max Lucado
Grace- More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine





      Reading a book by Max Lucado is like bumping into an old friend, and Grace is no exception. If there is one concept that transcends time and culture it is grace. As Max Lucado puts it:

"Grace is God's best idea." 

Grace is also one of Max's best. By way of personal stories, confessions and historical events, Max Lucado draws a portrait of God's kindness. The word that best describes this book is honesty, from the beautiful dedication he gives his wife to the End Notes. And, as a bonus, the book includes a Reader's Guide for personal and small group discussion.

     Max begins Grace at street level, meeting the reader face-to-face, without condescension. As he weaves scripture into the conversation, the reader is challenged to continue at a pace that allows time for reflection. It is in the re-telling of Bible stories that Max Lucado displays the finesse of a true wordsmith. As he recounts the story of the woman caught in adultery, Max writes this about Jesus:

'He's prone to stoop. He stooped to wash feet, to embrace children. Stooped to pull Peter out of the sea, to pray in the Garden. He stooped before the Roman whipping post. Stooped to carry the cross. Grace is a God who stoops. Here he stooped to write in the dust.'

     The characters continue as the lineup includes Barabbas, Moses, Ruth, Joseph and Simon Peter, all leading to the character of the hour- You, the reader. 

     Whether you claim the name of Christ or not, Grace is for everyone... because we all need grace.

Laundry Days

   

"It is tempting to say that what you do with this time you save is your own business. Briefly stated, however, the Christian position is that there's no such thing as your own business."

-Frederick Buechner

"The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God."

-Oswald Chambers

     Lately, I feel my life is what happens between laundry days- the moments I spend between the moments I stop to remove the world from my clothing.

The Call

Watercolor

Samuel Carter

"The place God calls you to is the place where

your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

Frederick Buechner

Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC

     The 17th Century poet, George Herbert, said, "Life is half spent before we know what it is." E.E. Cummings said, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." 

     My life is surrounded with words of prophets and poets- the storytellers and imaginators who flavor my conversations, the men and women who share dreams and impart to me a title- Dreamer. At age ten I was an astronaut. By sixteen it was music. When my twentieth birthday arrived, I was a painter. But, musical astronauts who paint are an odd lot- too odd for most. In my twenties I was a part of the family business- a maker of tombstones... a storyteller of a different sort. Then something happened, something I did not expect. God called me to teach.

     We hear through the filter of our history. The distant voices cry, "You must ..." and "You cannot ..." 

     As I walk in the place where God calls the voices din. And it is good.

     

An Apologetic Thank You

"... our neediness is also the source of our greatest strength,

for our need requires the cooperation and love

of others from which derives our ability not only

to live but to flourish." 

Stanley Hauerwas

     Standing there, at the Walmart checkout, I realized I owe an apology and a 'Thank You' to my third-grade teacher. The clerk helping me was a young man. All went well until he scanned the paint can. $17.94 appeared on the screen. "Will that be all?" he asked.

     "The paint is 50% off," I said.

     "Oh?" 

     I pointed to the large, black lettering on the lid. He looked around for a manager.

     "Let me see if I can do this." After several buttons were pushed, he said, "There, I think I can override now." He looked around again. "If only I had a calculator."

     "I could do it on paper, if that's O.K.," I offered. The young man watched me divide 17.94 by 2 as though I was solving the 47th Problem of Euclid. I held the answer up- $8.97, but when he typed the numbers in, he added them instead of subtracting them. "Uh, that's higher than it was," I said.

     "Oh, sorry. Let me get a manager." 

     A woman soon arrived and said, "Let's start over." When she scanned the paint the original $17.94 appeared.

     "It's 50% off."

     "And that is...?"

     I held the paper up. "$8.97." I noticed the young man was smiling.

     My third-grade teacher introduced me to division. I hated it. I didn't believe I would ever have a need for the ability to solve a division problem. But my teacher persisted, and as I walked toward the Walmart exit I looked at the paint can and smiled.

questions

"The antidote to your past

is your future."

Graham Cooke

     A friend helped me realize that sometimes I don't need answers to my questions... sometimes I need better questions. My friend suggested asking God for questions- specific and personal- questions to wrestle with. As our group was praying, a question entered my Spirit... a question that took my breath-

'What if you heard God say,

"ENOUGH!" 

?

the knowing

Carlos Robson- Amazing Grace

One of my students sent me a link to the video below.

It speaks for itself.

Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Simple Gifts

1848

Elder Joseph Brackett

Two questions collided this week, seemingly unrelated, and yet... most of our walk through life involves connecting the dots between the 'unrelated'.  

Question One: 

'What motivates you?'

I was still considering question one when, days later, I was asked question two:

'What do blind people dream?'

Motivation. Blindness. Dreams.

Here is a story about blind men who were motivated by, what some might consider, a dream-

Matthew 9:27-34

As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, "Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!" When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, "Do you really believe I can do this?" They said, "Why, yes, Master!" He touched their eyes and said,

"Become what you believe."

The Message

What motivates you?

What do you dream?

Become what you believe.

Many of the best gifts are simple. Here is a video by Vituc, recorded with an iPhone-

The Creative Life Conference

"The best way to love each other

is to listen to each other."

Michael Card

     The Creative Life Conference at Glen Eyrie last week was an amazing time of fellowship, music, art and worship. Hearing Michael Card and Phil Keaggy play together in an intimate setting cannot be explained- it is a moment that must be experienced to understand. For me, as good as the music was, the highlight of the conference was watching new friends in the visual art workshops produce something that surprised even themselves- their voice expressed through art. Here is a sampling of their work:

To all who attended- Blessings!