Umbrella Sky

You most likely have never heard of her (I know I didn’t before a few weeks ago), but Marta Dahlig is an amazing artist. Dahlig works with the digital medium of Adobe Photoshop (fancy, high cost art software) and creates strikingly beautiful images. Her work entitled “Umbrella Sky” features a young woman wearing a bold red dress and holding an umbrella. She sits on a rock with the sea as a backdrop, surrounded by floating goldfish. Don’t let the floating gold fish distract you. Trust me when I say the fantastical image is powerful. “Umbrella Sky” was chosen to be placed on the over of “Exotique 3”, a book showcasing some of the most gorgeous digital characters ever created. Not completely satisfied with her work despite this accomplishment, Dahlig recreated the original image. The new version has greater contrast, more character, and new features like a glowing fish traveling though the more detailed water. Where one person might be satisfied with his or her first attempt, Dahlig saw more potential. She could have sat back and absorbed her achievement. Instead, she strove to improve her work and detailed the process so that other artists might see the potential in their own efforts.
I really wish that I had the eyes of God. God is always able to see things as what they could be, and not simply as they are. I heard one individual say that the purpose of church is to show people what they can become through the grace of God. When Jesus first met Simon Peter, he knew that Simon had been impetuous, easily influenced, and cowardly. But, in John 1:42, Jesus says that he “will be called Cephas”. Jesus saw Simon as what he would eventually become, the rock. God saw a shepherd boy David as a king. Looking back in John 1, at verse 1:12, we learn that we have “the right to become children of God”. 2 Peter 1:4 says that we can “participate in the divine nature”. There are many other scriptures that speak of our potential. We are beautiful works of art, created in the image of God. Instead of being merely satisfied with our current state or being too critical of ourselves, we should strive to do great things. No matter how far we’ve come in life, we can always go further. The potential to do so lies in every one of us.

You Thought Boys Have Cooties?

I have to preface this week’s article by stating that my wife is probably the cleanest person I know. Not only does she practice perfect personal hygiene, but she tends to act as a reverse hurricane by leaving a wake of organization and bacteria free surfaces wherever she goes. This is, I digress, a significant contrast to my own filthy habits. I am improving daily (I even received a vacuum from Sara’s parents as a birthday present!), but I don’t think I will ever surpass my wife’s levels of tidiness. We are the competitive equivalent of a 3-year-old wearing water wings and a tube with a ducky head against Michael Phelps. It’s just not going to happen.
That said, I read a very interesting article today that states “Women carry more bacteria than men”. I put the quotes there so you don’t suspect me of paraphrasing. Though I am not skilled in the use of clothing irons and folding clothes might as well be complex origami to me, I carry less of a variety of bacteria than my female associates. Bacteria differ greatly from person to person, but women simply have more than men. Researchers aren’t entirely clear as to why this is the case, though some argue that men have more acidic skin than women. It might also be because of moisturizer and cosmetic product usage, differences in sweat and oil glands, skin thickness, or hormone production. Of 4,742 species of bacteria identified, only 5 were found on every one of the hands in the referenced experiment.
We have to recognize just how different that we are as individuals. No two of us is exactly alike. However, the Bible constantly stresses that we all need to get along. Ephesians 4:1-6 is just one of several passages in the Bible stressing unity. We have to show humility, patience, gentleness, and love in our interactions with others. There are people that we come across who seem to be more trapped in sin and more involved in evil deeds than we are and we judge them. However, we all of sinned and we all have a responsibility to be united in peace. We all have our own bacteria. Let’s wash them off.

Curious Customs

We have the some pretty odd traditions during the holidays. On Easter, the holiday that I thought was intended for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, has turned in to a radically different character. A large, sentient bunny gives baskets of treats to little children. However, there is a catch. The baskets are full of plastic grass that you find in your vacuum for months to come and the treats are incased in plastic shells and foil. After receiving the baskets, the children have to search for colored eggs that were hidden by the bunny. To top it off, the children are dressed like tiny executives and characters from Little Women and they have to wear these costumes to church. Christmas also tends to leave me dumbfounded. To elevate the memory of the birth of the Christ within our minds, we cut down evergreens and put them in our living rooms. We cover these trees with easily broken glass spheres, statuettes of totally unrelated subjects like gingerbread men and deer, and potentially delicious cookies we turned in to plastic in third grade. Then, we hang large socks from the fireplace mantel and fill them with candy? Really? Last night, we removed the innards of large squashes and carved shapes in to them. Then, we put tiny candles in the squashes and took photographs of them. Do we seem completely insane to the parts of the world that don’t follow these traditions?
Christians have to be different from those who don’t follow Christ and don’t recognize sin as harmful. We really do need to be separate, as stated in 2 Cortinthians 6:17. This doesn’t mean we belong to an exclusive cult where we do whatever we can to exclude outsiders. It means that we have to make major improvements in our lives when we decide to call ourselves Christians. Attending church services is one of our greatest rights but it only serves to bring us together, sharpen us, and give us the opportunity to worship together. Do people know you are a Christian when you exit the building? Are you participating in the same conversations, actions, and thought processes of everyone else or do you reflect the person of Jesus? 1 Thessalonians 5:6 states that we can’t be asleep any longer. We have to be alert. The commands of God and the teachings of Christ aren’t always going to make us the most popular people, but they will make our lives great.

Yes, Another Roller Coaster Illustration

Roller coasters are some of the greatest feats of physics and engineering that man has ever known. They reach incredibly high heights, ludicrous speeds, and perform dazzling maneuvers all while keeping one strapped in with a common seat belt and lap bar that hopefully clicks in to place. A few rides attempt gimmicks such as keeping one standing up, seated with one’s legs flying freely or keeping one’s entire body parallel to the coaster to simulate flying like a super hero. The experience can be exciting, exhilarating, and occasionally a little painful. As well as it worked for Noah, there are some things that should never be made out of wood. While there is enjoyment to be had on a wooden roller coaster, a quick survey tells me that an encounter with a wooden roller coaster is very similar to coming across a group of school bullies or mob enforcers which one is in conflict with. If a major manufacturer started producing wooden cars, you wouldn’t see a lot of people rushing out to purchase one. That’s all I’m saying. As terrified as I was of “thrill rides” up until high school, I enjoy them very much in the present. It not very often that one is taken to heights above 100 feet and rushed forward through loops at speeds above 80 miles per hour. I will take the feeling of weightlessness any time I can get it, even if it does mean waiting an hour or two. I highly recommend that you do the same.
As often as this illustration has been used, I still believe that life can be like a roller coaster. It begins with patience. Colossians 1:11 tells us to persevere and be patient. The ride is full of thrills and excitement. John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came so that our lives can be abundant. We are meant to experience the beauty and joy that God has provided for us. If we really sit and think about it, there is so much for us to enjoy. There is also a fair share or pain in life. In addition to the aforementioned waiting that is required, we all face low points in our lives. We loose loved ones, loose jobs, and see what we think to be opportunity passing us by. In my life of 28 years, 364 days (hint!, hint!), I have been deeply depressed and hopeless at various points in my life. However, I know that I and everyone else must do what we are told to do in Isaiah 40:31. We have to wait on the Lord. Then, we can fly like eagles! We won’t be weary! We will have all the strength that we need! These notions are exciting to me. Just remember that to experience the thrills of life, one has to wait on God and in the meantime, follow his commands.

Smear Campaign

Smear campaigns involve various reputation-damaging activities. They are typically targeted at public officials, politicians, and political candidates. Lately, there has been a cavalcade of advertisements featuring smears hurled from one political candidate at another. It reminds me the playground in elementary school, with kids facing off each other in a brutal contest of insults. The winner was whoever issued the best comment tarnishing the image of his opponent’s mother. Some of the political smear campaigns would have you believe that super villains, witches, demons, or the like are running for public office. They are portrayed to sit on a throne of skulls located in a fortress surrounded by lava, deep beneath the Earth’s crust. They send out their twisted minions to carry out their malevolent plans to lie to waste all that is good and holy. When the smear ads start, I tune them out. The one ad that actually caught my attention involved a political candidate talking about a few issues that I am genuinely concerned about and laying out a few of his plans to deal with these issues. I don’t want to know who’s the worst man for the job; I want to know who’s going to do the job better.
In middle school, I ran for class representative against one of the most popular girls in school. I put together posters, buttons, and various other promotional items. I worked for hours on my campaign speech and the concepts I was to offer for my class. I was defeated by an underground smear campaign and a speech that was something to the effect of “Uhhh… we might get a vending machine... with candy…” Maybe I just didn’t know the priorities of 7th grade students. I learned through this experience that though we face opponents who mean to wound our standing in society, we must hold on to our integrity. Lately, I have seen a lot of negative press aimed at Christianity. The outlandish actions of a few individuals claiming to be Christians often represent Christianity as a whole. I’ve also seen a rise in articles, books, television shows, etc. that insult Christianity in the light of how ridiculous it seems when compared to the “cold, hard facts” of evolutionary theory. The things I read that people say about Christians both angers and saddens me. Isaiah 58:8 tells us that despite all of this, we must continue to prevent injustice and fulfill the needs of others. If we are able to do these things, our light will rise out of the darkness.

Fantasy Sports

I am genuinely surprised at my level of interest in fantasy sports this year. As much as I enjoy playing them, I’ve never been consistent in the researching and viewing of sports. As much as I have desired to become the stereotypical male, glued to my Lazy Boy recliner every Sunday as I watch football, I tend to be a fair-weather fan. Is it because my home team, the Detroit Lions, is reliably awful and rarely wins? Not to be completely negative, but even with seemingly the right players in place, the Lions tend to be an expected “easy win” for their opponents. Regardless, there is something in me that has faith in the Lions. Anything’s possible, I suppose.
Hockey has been a different story. The Detroit Red Wings, the defending Stanley Cup champions, are typically one of the better teams in professional hockey. Detroit is referred to “Hockeytown”. An enormous crowd of citizens gathered in Detroit last summer to hold a parade in honor of the Red Wings. As a youth, I had dreams of playing Olympic and eventually professional ice hockey. I would wake up every morning at 4 or 5 o‘clock in order to practice. Even when not practicing with a team, I would run drills with myself until it was time to prepare for the school day. When school would let out, I would get back to practicing or play a pick up game with friends. However, I never really had what it takes to be a professional. Like so many other of my interests, I gave up when I didn’t see results.
There are a few parallels that I can draw between my sporting life and my spiritual life. It’s difficult to remain steady in our relationship with God. When relationships, careers, and health fail, it is tempting to blame God. We tend to loose interest in Christianity when we don’t feel that it provides any advantage to our dismal lives. Phil. 2:12 states that we need to continue to work out our salvation. We can’t be spectators in the church. In Acts 2, just like today, people were being “added” to the church. We are part of the team. We are a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). As such, it is our responsibility to do God’s work. 2 Thess. 3:10-12 states that, “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat”. We often won’t see immediate results in working for God. Prayers are not always answered in our time. Growth takes time. But, if we are ever to see positive growth in our lives and in the lives of others, we must continue to work.

Meet Mr. Earth

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about creation, science, and how the juxtaposition of these two concepts just doesn’t click for a lot of people in our world. The Genesis account, which we who are believers hold to be fact, is thought by many to be merely some fictional tale passed down through generations. The universe and all of it’s many inhabitants are considered to be completely random products resulted from the right combination of RNA and proteins. All of these differences in belief aside, the Earth is an extraordinary and as far as we know completely unique planet. I wanted to share a few facts about the Earth that you might not already know. First, did you know that if the Earth were shrunk to the size of a pool ball, it would actually be smoother than a pool ball? However, the Earth might not be round enough considering that centrifugal force actually causes the Earth to bulge so it isn’t a perfect sphere. Use that one to impress friends at parties! Ever thought about what would happen if you could dig a hole through the center of the Earth? Well, first of all, you wouldn’t end up in China. With a properly coated hole and several other precautionary measures, you’d get to the center of Earth in about 20 minutes. You would then proceed to the other side of the world in another 20 minutes. You would continue to fall up and down indefinitely. I bet it would make a pretty amazing ride at an amusement park of the future. Finally, as few know, the Earth is actually getting larger all of the time. Not much relatively, the Earth gains about 40 tons a day. It sounds like time for Weight Watchers Mr. Earth.
God’s creation inspires my faith on a daily basis. It takes a lot to properly sustain life and only our Earth can do it. (as far as we know) Acts 17:25-28 tells us that God sustains life and that he does this so that we will reach out to him. The knowledge of our planet is not meant to pull us away from God. It is meant to bring us closer to him. We can find things to be thankful for and reasons to praise God all around. Habukkuk 2:14 tells us that “the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord”. I enjoy learning about the Earth because through it, I learn a lot about the creator. It might be why I use so many metaphors and illustrations. I can’t help but see God’s glory in everything he has created. I can’t help but make connections through what I see.