"Caring about what you are doing is considered either unimportant or taken for granted. On this trip I think we should notice it, explore it a little to see if in that strange separation of what man is from what man does we may have some clues as to what the hell has gone wrong in this twentieth century. I don't want to hurry it. That itself is a poisonous twentieth-century attitude. When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things."
Tuesday morning was spent with Hugh Gill. It is always good to be with a godly man. The thing that impressed me most about Hugh is twofold- he loves the Lord and he is not in a hurry. I met with him to take photographs for the cover of an album he is working on; flute worship- a series of original songs performed on wooden flutes. Currently, the project stands at 4 songs, an EP. Hugh told me the final album will contain 12. He also told me he has given away hundreds of copies (I received my copy through a friend). During the conversation he would play one of his songs. He held up a small flute and said, "I think there's a song in this one." Time slowed as I listened. Several hours passed. At one point Hugh expressed concern over, in his words, a misconception among Christians. He said, "I am not a servant. I am a son of the Living God who serves, and there is a large difference." God speaks to me in a number of ways. Tuesday morning He spoke to me through Hugh Gill.
When Natalie and I finally got to the front of the line to have Wendell Berry sign our books, what struck me most was that he was not in a hurry, although I doubt book-signing is his favorite pastime. I am only recently beginning to challenge deep-rooted assumptions that faster and/or easier is/are better. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about Gill - one of my favorite people to run into when I'm not in a hurry - or when I don't want to be - :-)
ReplyDeleteHugh has that way of making one feel totally "heard." He's like Jesus - always seems to reveal something beautiful about the Kingdom in the simplest, must humble words. Kudos to you Gill if you read this! Oh and by the way, his flute music seems to have the same effect as his conversation - takes you simply to the deep places - before you even know you are on a journey.