Life through a lens

When I was a couple of years older than M is now, my dad introduced me to photography. I learned on his treasured Rolleiflex medium-format camera, and later received the gift of his old Agfa 35 mm camera. It wasn't a precision instrument like the Rolleiflex, but I had a lot of fun with it. After my dad died, my mom gave me his Rolleiflex. The camera is now over 70 years old and in need of expensive repair, so it sits on a shelf in my closet for now. Some day, I hope to restore it to its former glory.

Meanwhile, M has been playing with our old 1-megapixel digital camera (still the only digital camera we own). One of the first books she learned to read was one I had as a kid--Photography. The descriptions of film, darkrooms, enlargers, and processing tanks were a fascinating alien world for her.

At this time of year, renewal is all around us, and it seems like all of God's creation is preparing for the resurrection that lies ahead. In our yard, spring begins with a few crocuses under a tree that M captured today:

Some day, I hope she'll be able to use her grandpa's camera and discover the magic that lies in capturing images on film instead of an electronic sensor. Maybe that's how God works best in our lives: Instead of instant snapshots, we're latent images, waiting for the right conditions to emerge from the darkness and develop into richly hued examples of his creation.

The lighter side

Our small church is growing smaller, with another family leaving this weekend. Still, it's encouraging to note that our pastor hasn't lost his sense of humor. This is the video clip he mentioned in his invitation to our Wednesday discipleship service. It's about 9 minutes long, but well worth watching through the end.

Friday Five: Rivers in the desert

I wasn't going to play the Friday Five today. First, the news that I feared originally was confirmed: this World Cup will now be remembered as the one at which Bob Woolmer was murdered (also see my previous post). Then, my laptop computer's hard disk failed, causing the loss of a day's work (thank God for backups; it could have been a lot worse). And finally, India puts up a miserable World Cup performance and is out of the competition.

Then I read the Friday Five again: rivers in the desert, and I thought, "That's exactly what I need to focus on at the moment."

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19, NRSV

As we near the end of the long journey toward Easter, a busy time for pastors and layfolk alike, I ponder the words of Isaiah and the relief and refreshment of a river in the desert.

For this Friday Five, name five practices, activities, people or _____ (feel free to fill in something I may be forgetting) that for you are rivers in the desert.

1. Music (preferably when no-one else is around, so I can play it loud!).
2. A walk in the dog park with F.
3. Solitude and quiet time (in contrast to #1).
4. Friends who offer the loan of a laptop when a technological crisis strikes.
5. D and M, in spite of frequent conflicts with #1 and #3. They remind me how much God has blessed me already.

On cricket and life

Today was the day I took a cricket bat to church, just another prop to lead into Sunday's message. This was the first time I've been asked to speak on Sunday, as a member of the teaching team, and I think it went well.

Today was the day I read this story. I'm not really sure why it upset me...I had never met Bob Woolmer or even followed his career that closely. He was one of many faces on the England team that I watched as a kid.

Maybe it was the emotional reaction from the Pakistani team that he coached, or the numerous tributes from legends of the game. Maybe it was the circumstances of his passing. Maybe there's no reason at all.

And another memory surfaces, from the same time frame, of a prayer that I had spoken on several occasions. It didn't bring much comfort then, but maybe it will now:

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine on him
May he rest in peace
Amen

Friday Five: Whatcha doin?

From the RevGals Friday Five: Name five things you plan to do today. Bonus: If today is about "have-to" for you as well, share up to five things you'd like to be doing today.

1. Do this Friday Five.
2. Get my outline for Sunday's message finished.
3. Catch up with my e-mail.
4. Take the dog for a walk.
5. Catch up with the business accounting.

What I'd like to be doing: Hanging out in the Caribbean, watching some world-class cricket!

The anecdotal life

Our church is doing a series based on Max Lucado's book, Cure for the Common Life. I'm filling in for our pastor this Sunday, so I thought it would be a good idea to read the book, or at least the part of it on which my message will be based :)

The basic premise of the book is pretty simple, and one that I've heard before (expressed more elegantly, perhaps, by Bruce Wilkinson in The Dream Giver). God has created each one of us with unique gifts, and each of us has a one-of-a-kind assignment to find our calling and use our gifts to fulfill the plan God has placed before us. Lucado stresses the fact that we can only live in the "sweet spot" if we're doing what we enjoy and what God has equipped us to do.

As I skimmed through the book, I realized how "fluffy" it was, in that it could probably be condensed into five or ten pages at most. I also didn't like the way Lucado bounced around among various Bible translations, seemingly picking the one that best suited his particular point even though the verse read quite differently in another translation.

In fact, I started thinking, "I could write a book like this." Then I realized something (besides my lack of credentials in either theology or pastoral ministry): what stitched the thin fabric of the book together were the anecdotes. These stories--little snippets of life from people that the author knew intimately, others he had met in random circumstances, and still others that he didn't know at all--did more to drive the points home than all the scriptural references.

Although I can dredge up anecdotes from my life at will, I don't think they're particularly profound. Maybe I should leave this type of writing to Lucado and his ilk after all, and instead write what I enjoy.

Wait a minute--where have I heard that before?

Friday Five: Matters of taste

From the RevGals: Name five things you like a lot that some close relative or significant other did/does not like. This could be food, movies, hobbies, music, sports or whatever springs to mind.

1. Cricket: A game I grew up with, played in school, and really miss after being transplanted here in the US of A. Next week the World Cup begins, an event that happens once every four years, but D still doesn't get what all the fuss is about, and M only knows it as a computer game. It's still the only sport I know of where fans routinely have heart attacks from the excitement during a particularly tense game.

2. Opera: D would rather listen to just about anything else, although M is making progress. She actually picks out Beethoven CDs from the library.

3. Battlestar Galactica, the TV series (thanks to Songbird for mentioning it a while back). I managed to watch all the previous episodes online, and was hooked after the first few. D is not a fan.

4. Dogs. My mom and brother have absolutely no interest in dogs (or other animals, for that matter).

5. Marillion. A group that produced perhaps the most brilliant concept album ever recorded, but most folks I know have never heard of them.

I believe

I finally got around to writing a Statement of Faith. It's been a long time in the making, has changed over the past few years, and will probably change some more over the next few. Still, writing it down brings a little more clarity to the ideas jostling in my head. I see it as a living document, one that will grow with me as I continue my journey.

Friday Five: Artsy crafty

This week's RevGals Friday Five is about creativity...

...working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing--a creative offering to God--whether it's gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so:

1. Would you call yourself "creative"? Why or why not?
Yes, it's a big part of both my business and what I see as my gift (writing).

2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you'd like to develop further.
That's an easy one--writing fiction. I've been struggling to find/make time to pursue this with some degree of consistency, but life (and over two feet of snow) keeps getting in the way!

3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.
I'd love to play the saxophone--this would require a minor miracle, since I can't read music and have no musical talent whatsoever.

4. Complete this sentence: "I am in awe of people who can _____________."
...turn their creative passion into a profitable business venture. They never fail to inspire me.

5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has "called you to your best self." (I'm pretty sure that's from the Gospel of Oprah.)
When I was in college, I was in charge of organizing a city-wide chemistry expo (the equivalent of a science fair). It took several months of planning, cutting classes (with the blessing of some of the faculty), and the coordinated efforts of almost two hundred volunteers. The last few days were particularly intense--I went three days with almost no sleep and ended up losing my voice, so I had to walk around writing instructions on a slate. On the opening day, I was exhausted and discouraged over a few things that had gone wrong. What kept me going was the encouragement of a chemistry professor, who pointed out all the kids entering the expo. He told me that none of these kids would have had this opportunity if we had given up along the way (and, at several points, we had come pretty close).