When I consider...

Stardust from PostPanic on Vimeo.

1 O Lord, our Lord,How majestic is Your name in all the earth,Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strengthBecause of Your adversaries,To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,The moon and the stars, which You have ordained ;4 What is man that You take thought of him,And the son of man that You care for him?5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God ,And You crown him with glory and majesty!6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;You have put all things under his feet,7 All sheep and oxen,And also the beasts of the field,8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8

A Year With G.K. Chesterton

"Since Christianity broke the heart of the world and mended it, one cannot really be a pagan;
one can only be an anti-Christian."

G.K. Chesterton


To 'sum up' G.K. Chesterton in one volume is akin to eating an elephant, and Kevin Belmonte has done an admirable job of providing the reader with bite-sized pieces. A Year With G.K. Chesterton is just that- a daily scripture verse, an appropriate quote, a passage from an article or book and a factoid from the day in history. Whether you are new to Chesterton or have read his every word, this book is an excellent way to begin or end any day (I tend to save my daily reading for bedtime). 

I highly recommend this book!


Factoid
GKC IN THE NEW YORK TIMES (1921)

At the opening of a lecture Chesterton gave on January 23 at the Times Square Theatre in New York City, he was introduced as "the Prince of Paradoxes."

snowsound

through my window

i see

the sound of snow

it is in contrast

to friday-

two days passed now

like satin

embracing burlap

could this be selah?

this surprise of silence...

the sight of

snowsound

satisfies my soul...

and the Spirit whispers,

"Peace, be still."

More or Less

"Just when I think I have a handle on what is enough in my life, I am confronted by new ways to ask the question. There's a continuous line that we all must define and redefine at many different points in our lives."

Jeff Shinabarger

More or Less

     How much is enough?

     John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, was part of an expedition funded by a wealthy businessman. A story is told that one night the campfire conversation turned to the subject of the expedition's patron. After a few of the men speculated the man's worth, John spoke up. "I've got more than he does."
     "How do you figure that?" asked one of the men. 
     "I have all I want. He doesn't."

     More or Less by Jeff Shinabarger is one of those books that convicted me on one page, while offering a practical solution on the next; it goes beyond the usual question- How much is enough money? More or Less asks- How much is enough food, clothing, transportation... enough time? 

     Shinabarger writes:

     "There was a time, not so long ago, when the polite answer to the question, "How are you?" was, "Fine." It seems that busy is the new fine."

     "...we now determine the significance of a person by how busy they are. Somehow, busy has become better than fine."

Jeff Shinabarger's solution to an ever-busy world?

Presence.

     "Presence is a physical expression of love in the midst of a culture that never stops- it is to stop and be with someone that matters."

You will have to read the book for a beautifully simple way to practice presence with others in your home.

     America is fat with excess and slim with generosity. Graham Cooke posed this question- "Do you want to be known as a careful person or a generous person?"

More or Less is scheduled to be released March 1. Thanks to the good folks at Story Cartel I was blessed with an advance copy. If you want to challenge your lifestyle paradigm, read More or Less by Jeff Shinabarger. I am glad I did. 

A Blessing

Samuel Carter

Leading a discussion on his recent paintings

     It is a beautiful thing when a son blesses his father. 

And I am blessed indeed. 

As my son Samuel becomes a man he continues to bless me with his insight and generosity. Not a day passes without him telling me about a song he has heard (and then play it for me) or sharing something he has read.  Recently he decided to sponsor a child in a foreign country, even though he is currently unemployed. Before I could ask how he would provide the support he said, "I plan to sell my plasma until I get a job."

     Last week I was privileged to hear Samuel speak before a group of artists. At one point, as Samuel answered a question from the floor, my friend Susan looked at me wide-eyed and said, "He sounded just like you when he said that!"

Yes, I am blessed.

Here are a few of Samuel's paintings.

May they bless you.

I praise God for sharing you with me, Samuel.

You are a blessing.

May the Lord continue to sanctify your imagination

and bless the work of your hands.

God will provide the Lamb

"God will provide the Lamb"

Michael R. Carter

32" x 14"

Oil on corrugated cardboard

     And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

Genesis 22:7,8 NASB

     Tests come in many forms. Teachers test their students. People test our patience. Situations test our convictions. Chapter 22 of Genesis begins with these words:

'Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham...'

Teresa of Avila, in the Interior Castle, commented-

"We are fonder of consolations than we are of the Cross. Test us, Lord- for You know the truth- so that we may know ourselves."

     Tests are life's litmus paper, revealing the acidity or baseness of our character. Abraham's test revealed his faith.

The texture of Truth tempers the test.

     This painting is the result of a friend's question- "Have you considered painting the story of Abraham?" Click here for the original post.

    
      As the painting progressed, the work became a collaborative effort. My friend noticed the Hebrew word for love- ahava- contained within Abraham's name.  Two names, Abraham and Elohim, touch at the tip of the ram's horn. The tip of the horn crosses the final letter of Abraham, forming the A of AHAVA. The ram's horn later became an instrument, the shofar, to be blown on Rosh Hashanah. In this image, God and Abraham meet at the mouthpiece of the shofar. In the blowing of the shofar, God-breathed man offers breath in return, as a reminder of sacrificial love.

   

     As a final note, the inclusion of two Arabic words were suggested- the word for 'sacrifice' on the left and the word 'Moriah' on the right. In the story of Abraham, three faith-groups meet: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

     If the viewer 'reads' the painting from the left, the story begins with an instrument of death. If, however, the painting is treated as the reading of Hebrew, the story begins with the sacrificial life. And in the middle are the thorns. 

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.