Friday, August 31, 2012

Photo Rescue Take 2

Again I found myself in another antique shop and, once again, found an awesome stack of old photographs being sold for $1 a piece. What I love about these things is 1) they're beautiful and 2) I find myself trying to recreate the very things that once were so normal in the era these were taken. And, for whatever reason, these weren't seen to be the art they are now realized to be. Look at us. We have hundreds of photo applications and editing mediums in attempts to recreate these beautiful, dreamy effects of pure simplicity and elegance. They are hidden treasures that I love being able to find.

 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Be A Comma

"I turn the music up, I got my records on. From underneath the rubble, sing a rebel song. Don't want to see another generation drop. I'd rather be a comma than a full stop." - Every Tear Drop Is A Waterfall by Coldplay

 

Inheritance

In Numbers and Deuteronomy it talks about the inheritance of the Levites, of the priests. While the other tribes of Jacob were given land as an inheritance, the Levites were given none of the sort but it says, "The Lord is his inheritance." (Deuteronomy 10:9) 

Now Jesus comes and takes His place as our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17, 3:1, 4:14-15, 5:1-10, 6:20, 7:27-28, 8:1,3, 9:11, 9:25, 13:11-12) calling us into His royal priesthood (1Peter 2:9) to become co-heirs with Christ and partake of His portion- Himself (Romans 8:17). Now the Lord is our inheritance also.

 

That's such a simple statement with profound and exquisite consequences. He came to establish an inheritance that we could share in!

 

Back in Numbers and Deuteronomy, the Lord takes time going into great detail describing the portions that were to be allotted to the Levites. He provided completely for them, they had no need. Nor do we who call ourselves His. What an inheritance.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Beautiful Church Sign

There is a church sign in Gainesville, Florida that is a brilliant piece of artistic and symbolic worship. It is a simple, modest, woodent church sign with plain white letters reading Harvest Christian Church. You would never notice it and may never have seen it before. But night time and headlights reveal its subliminal message. There are reflectors placed on the letters C-H-R-I-S-T so that when you drive by at night, the word "CHRIST" is all you see. And isn't that how it's supposed to be? Shouldn't Christ be what's illuminated in our church rather than the church itself?

It is a thoughtful piece of artistic worship that can be found on 34th Street as you head to 441. Next time you drive by it, flash your lights and see for yourself.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Lomography

Lomography is a movement of people seeking to get back in touch with the roots of photography by using film to gain the effects that are now being recreated by instagram and various photo editing applications.

Call it a fad, call me a hipster; I don't care. Last year I tried my hand at pinhole photography and really enjoyed the process of making my own camera and then playing with exposures, shutters, frames, and manipulation of film. So now I'm playing around with 35mm toy cameras, 110 film cameras, and Polaroids.

So why do it when you can get the same, if not better, effects by using an iphone app? Because anyone can use an app, but there's something about creating something with your own hands. It's no longer about the quickness with which you can take a photograph, alter it to your liking, and post it for the world to see; it's about the patience and the mystery of not knowing what it'll look like. In a fast-food culture, it's nice to slow down and submit yourself to waiting.

Round 1 involved a 35mm point and shoot camera with a fixed focus 28mm lens. It has the "First Union" bank seal on the back so it was probably some cheap as give-away. Years later I find it in a 99 cent bin and badabing, score for me! It was broken and I took it all apart and fixed it. (A fact I'm very proud of). So here are some of my favorites from the first round of pictures from this camera.

 

 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Thought for the Day

God is not a guest, He lives here. He lives in us and yet sometimes we treat Him as a guest; telling Him when He is welcome and closing the door when He's not. As if He should be invited in His own home. Some way to treat an owner. He did, afterall, purchase us. Let Him have His way with the place. Let Him remodel, restore, knock down walls and rebuild; let Him make it His own.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Thoughts Behind 'How He Loves'

Recently I just recorded my own version of How He Loves. It's a very popular song originally written by John Mark McMillan. (If you would like to hear the story behind why he wrote this song, Click Here) It's the first release of what I hope will be partnered with a small worship EP I'm planning to record.

The cover art carries a story that I don't want to pass on without sharing. One day I came outside to see the makings of a gorgeous sunset. The sky was very pretty, but it's beauty was not so irresistible that I felt obligated to run and grab my camera (as I had felt so many other evenings before). Some time later I glanced out the window and saw how the colors had progressed and at that moment I had to run and capture the moment, it was too beautiful to pass up. That's when I had a revelation. God does not find one moment more beautiful than another, it's the total sum of all moments that He loves and that's how He loves us. He doesn't pick and choose moments by which to define the means and the measure of His love. He loves us simply because we are just as He most complexly is. He looks at the whole display and unfolding of our life and finds it totally and exquisitely beautiful.

 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Loving on University Ave.

I had a free day today so I decided to do something I've been wanting to do since last year (don't ask me why it took me so long). Let me first make this statement: this is not my original idea. I saw this online one day and have been wanting to recreate it ever since.

The poster says, "Love (take all you need)". I drew 1 up, made about 10 copies, parked my car and walked around University Avenue posting them wherever I felt like.

Why do this? Why not? We all need love and although they won't get it from ripping off a tab, it may get them to thinking- which is one of the main purposes of art in the first place.

My version of the concept has a hash tag attached to every tab. It'll be interesting to see if people tweet in response to why they took a tab from the Love poster. #L247

I did meet one guy while I was putting the posters up. He came up to me and said, "So you're the one hanging the posters. Well since you're spreading some love; do you want to pet a bunny?" In his arms he had a little white baby bunny that he let me pet.

 

 

Photo Rescue

On my journey back home from Las Vegas, my family and I stopped in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Pleasant little town with a killer coffee shop (Highway 61 Coffee Shop) an old Coke Museum and an antique shop. In the antique shop I found a bowl full of old black and white photos. I've become sort of a lomography fan so the bowl interested me. As I sifted through the old photos I found some truly stunning shots.


The photos were certainly beautiful with excellent placement, angles and contrast, but more than being aesthetically pleasing, these were someone's stories. Come to find out from the antique dealer, a man came in one day with all of these photographs and asked the lady how much she'd give him for them. As much as she tried to dissuade him from selling them, he threatened he would throw them away if she didn't want them and therefore she resolved to take them off his bitter hands.

It's sad. I took these photos because they were $1 a piece and beautiful, but these are someone's stories and someone's history that will never be told or passed on. Who knows what happened to that man that made him so adamant about disposing of his history. But it's made me a bit more respectful of mine and far more mindful about how my stories will be passed on.




"But I know we're all made out of shipwrecks, every single board. Washed and bound like crooked teeth on these rocky shores. Come on and let's wash each other with tears of joy and tears of grief. And fold our lives like crashing waves and run up on this beach. Come on and sew us together, just some tattered rags stained forever. We only have what we remember." - 'Wooden Heart' by Listener