"A work of (whatever) art can either be “received” or “used.” When we “receive” it we exert our senses and imagination and various other powers according to a pattern invented by the artist. When we “use” it we treat it as assistance for our own activities. The one, to use an old-fashioned image, is like being taken for a bicycle ride by a man who may know the roads we have never yet explored. The other is like adding one of those little motor attachments to our own bicycle and then going for one of our familiar rides. These rides may in themselves be good, bad, or indifferent. The “uses” which the many make of the arts may or may not be intrinsically vulgar, depraved, or morbid. That’s as may be. “Using” is inferior to “reception” because art, if used rather than received, merely facilitates, brightens, relieves, or palliates our life, and does not add to it….
...We sit down before the picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way (there is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves such a surrender, for until you have surrendered you cannot possible find out."
-C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis’s An Experiment in Criticism is brilliant. I'm reading it right now (along with a couple other books). I'm thoroughly enjoying it; it's almost like a big essay, where Lewis discusses how to interpret (& appreciate) all forms of art; including music, but it's chiefly focusing on literature. Lewis explores just about everything, from multiple biased views. It's really been interesting. Mr. Lewis, has such a beautiful way of wording things, & of putting things into perspective. Lewis is ever proactive, tactful, biased, open-minded, old fashioned, far-seeing, very annoying & very wise, all at the same time. :)
What are you reading?
How do you decide what you read?
Why do you like to read? And why?
Books are important. They are part of our heritage. When properly taken care of, they can be passed on from generation to generation. Books greatly impact how we think, & judge things. Our brains are like sponges. Books & media can shape our lives. We need to be wary of what we are soaking our brains in. Hopefully not in a stagnate pool, filled with algae & muck, but in the cold clear flowing water of eternal life! (The Bible.) I enjoy reading for pleasure mostly. I love fantasy & historical fiction. (Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, I think. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, quoting Dr. Seuss to some extent.) But I also love good ligature. Dearly love it. The rich way things used to be written, the word-maven expressions, & how people communicated in general, is so much more elegant (& appealing), then today's generation of writers, (or texters). In a way, it's kinda ironic, because I'm terrible with words. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, C.S.Lewis, Elizabeth Gaskell, J.R.R. Tolken, E.D.E.N. Southworth, Emily Bronte, etc. Are some of my favorite writers.
"Remember He is the artist and you are only the picture. You can't see it. So quietly submit to be painted---i.e., keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone. You are in the right way. Walk---don't keep on looking at it." ~The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Vol. 3: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950-1963
As an artist myself, I especially enjoy this quote. (Because I can relate to the painting part.) Sometimes, I can get stuck on a picture, painting on it for hours & getting nowhere. Eventually I might despair, & set it on the shelf for a couple months or so, until I feel re-inspired to finish the thing. But God never despairs, or puts things on the shelf. He works all things for His glory 24/7. We need to press onwards. "Further up, & further in!" ~The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis.
I also think this quote is also beautiful, because Lewis talks about submitting to God. Resting in the assurance of His plan; a grand mural, that paints a picture, so glorious, that we can't even imagine what it looks like! It's a picture of life. For freedom, Christ has set us free! He paid the ultimate price for us, so that we might live. We need to stand firmly rooted deep in His Word, repent daily of our sins & walk by faith in Jesus Christ, while taking every thought captive. We need to pursue all our work with gusto, at whatever point in life we may be at, & whatever the work may be. House work, office work, volunteer work, etc. Everything we do, should be done in His holy name!
"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ... does not cry: 'Mine!'" ~Abraham Kuyper 1837-1920
With art being the topic, think about todays society, & how the general public perceives art. This
nation was established on Christian principles, as our Founding Fathers were
inspired in their creation of a culture where Faith would flourish. But it didn't last long, our nation today is gradually slipping further & further away from its origins, & heading down a
course that will not only leave burdens on the backs of our children, but
oppose the flourishing of that faith as well. The world tends to reject things of beauty. Go to your local art museum, or take a walk downtown (if you live in a city), most of the "art" looks twisted, abstract or just plain unexplainable. Those who prevail in the arena of “ideas” will ultimately control
any culture. Hollywood, CNN, the modern liberal arts, the green movement, our increasingly communistic government. Wow. Keep thinking about it. It's big, & getting bigger. We gotta wake up!
A good painting, shouldn't be something when hung on the wall, the viewer only sees for the first few days. (Like when you rearrange the furniture in your room. It's new for a day, then it's the normal.) It shouldn't just disappear, & blend in with the rest of the room. A good painting should always draw the viewer in, with renewed interest & appreciation for it. We shouldn't hang just anything on our walls, to fill the void space. We should place something meaningful & beautiful there.
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." ~Mere Christianity
Be creative, fresh & original. "Pursue things of beauty: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ( Phil. 4:8) Be yourself, today you are you! That is truer then true! There is no one alive who is you-er then you! (Dr. Seuss again.) No matter what we do, or where we go, isn't it always awesome to look back & say- I was out there, I was alive, I did that. God made all of us exactly like we are, with talents, & weaknesses. Embrace your gifts, create a memory, do something special. Enjoy life. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a painting is worth a lot more. Generations will reap what we sew; we can pass on a curse or a blessing to those we will never know. (Deut. 11:26-28) Let's leave a history that generations to come will be proud of!
America is waiting in suspense. The election count is rolling!
We all need to remember, that whatever the outcome from the election is; is that it won't fix our country. No Republican or Democrat, or whoever is in control of the House or Senate; can fix anything. The only person that can, is our LORD & Savior Jesus Christ, through the men of His choosing. Our country has lived in gross defiance of God, murdering innocent children, openly practicing sodomy, & blatantly saying that God does not exist. He does exist, & He is watching our every move! We need to run back to Christ, & fling ourselves at His feet & pray for mercy; that America would be judged to repentance & not to destruction. All of the economic disfunction & the erosion of national pride & identity in America, is a direct result of living in defiance of God. Right now the polls aren't looking too good. Obama is winning. (The scumbag!) Since we don't have tv, I've been near the computer all evening… waiting, watching, trusting. I do not want Obama to win. But I could not in good conscious vote for Romney. (In my opinion, they are basically the same thing, but I would prefer a Republican to win anytime, over a Democrat.) For many Americans, sadly it was the choice of choosing between two evils: the hypocrite or the heretic. Then for many other Americans, it was simply the matter of choosing between the Elephant & the Donkey. Heehaww.
A donkey dressed in a lion's skin, scaring all the other animals away. Drawing by Thomas Nast
"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God & the Bible."
~George Washington (I like this quote. It is so true!)
When Obama got elected in 2008, I was only 16 years old. So, this was my first presidential vote. First of all, I am not a very politically inclined person, but I enjoy following along in my own little way. I voted Ron Paul for president, because I know that there isn't that much difference between most GOP candidates & Democratic candidates, especially in this election. I'm a Christian & 100% pro-life. I strongly believe in upholding & the pursuing the Constitution. I believe that following the Constitution; something rooted in Judeo-Christian ethics, is the only way to get America out of the woods & back on the right path. We can't take what we've had for the past 4 years much longer. Ron Paul is good, consistent & he's an honorable man. And he took on the Federal Reserve, MSM, Military Industrial Complex, Federal Government, pro-American foreign policy & the GOP! So I voted for him, even though I know he doesn't have a chance, in fact, there never was one. But he was the only person that I could vote for. Here's to the next 4 years, no matter the outcome of the election: May God have mercy on us all.
And here is a short youtube vid, please take the time to watch it.
Soli Deo gloria-
-GB
"There comes a time when nations fall. When nations flee from the God they loved. Once trusted and feared, once served and sought. There comes a time when men become weak. They falter they fail, they stumble, they fall. The time is now, the nation is us. Yet the path to freedom and life, lies open before us, unchanging forever. Let us rise from the ashes, and return to the guide by which we must live... Our King reigns over all His creation. His words never change. His commands are ever pure. Let us seek His face and fear His name… For now is the time to return." ~From the vid above^
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
‘Yet not I.’ That is to say, not in mine own person, nor in mine own substance. Here he plainly showeth by what means he liveth; and he teacheth what true Christian righteousness is, namely, that righteousness whereby Christ liveth in us, and not that which is in our own person.
And here Christ and my conscience must become one body, so that nothing remain in my sight but Christ crucified, and raised from the dead.
But if I behold myself only, and set Christ aside, I am gone. For Christ being lost, there is no counsel nor succour, but certain desperation and destruction must follow.”
— Martin Luther
Galatians has been rocking my world. That book is SO good, it's truly the living word. I found this quote by Martin Luther. Thought that it was worth sharing. :)
Better have two lights than only one. The light of creation is a bright light. God may be seen in the stars; his name is written in gilt letters on the brow of night; you may discover his glory in the ocean waves, yea, in the trees of the field; but it is better to read it in two books than in one. You will find it here more clearly revealed; for he has written this book himself, and he has given you the key to understand it, if you have the Holy Spirit. Ah, beloved, let us thank God for this Bible; let us love it; let us count it more precious than much fine gold.
" A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." …Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up."
Do we prepare ourselves for worship, like men preparing themselves for warfare? The Sabbath is a day of rest, set aside for worship, but even then, we are still at war. Not only on Sundays, but all through the week, we need to be relentless in rooting out our sins. We need to die daily to self while staying on the straight, narrow path the Lord has set us upon. We should acknowledge our weakness, & dire need of HIS saving grace in our lives. Do we put on the full armor of God before stepping out into the world? Are we trusting in the world, or in Christ? It's so very important to read & study the Bible. Without HIM, we're nothing. There is such a war raging around us! We need to be well disciplined, humble, & quicker then the enemy, while trusting in HIMthrough all things. No matter where we are in life, God finds us acceptable in the beloved. HIS loving mercies are so abundant! God blesses us, so that we in turn, may bless others. God allows 'bad' things to happen to us, so that we might seek after & glorify HIS name. He never gives us more then we can bare. Our plan 'B', is God's plan 'A'. Everything happens for a reason. HIS grace is sufficient for all things. A glorious bond & truth through Christ have melded us together. We are HIS adopted children. The Lord is so forgiving! Minute by minute, day by day, He forgives you & me, through the blood of HIS son Jesus Christ! We simply must trust in HIM, serve HIM, & remember that it's not our will, but HIS will, that truly matters in our lives. Thank you God!
“For my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
Of the strawberry moon. It's 4:00am. Only got 2 hours of sleep. The night is beautiful. The temperature is cool. The dawn is still breaking. The stars twinkle faintly in the pale light amongst dark clouds that lie low on the horizon. There's a full moon. It's large & luminous, setting slowly. There are cool shadows being cast by her radiance in the misty light. The swollen river roars in the distance. All is calm. A company of crickets sing their song in the field. A dog barks. I'm looking out my window, waiting for a lunar eclipse. If I'm fortunate, I'll see the anomaly, take a picture, then return to bed for a couple more hour's of shut eye.
(edit: Somehow I missed the eclipse & got up for nothing. This pic is from one I saw last year.)
Whenever I look up at the heavens & see those innumerable twinkling stars, I'm reminded that they are the works of HIS fingers, & not one of them is missing. HE set them all in place & calls them all by name. Through faith in Christ, I'm one of those stars; I am a descendent of Abraham. (Genesis 15:4, Psalm 8, Isaiah 40:26, Galatians 3:7-9) The stars are so amazing, it's hard to fathom how far away they are, the concept of space & how short a time we have here on earth. We need to be wise with the time given to us. Here's s bit from John Piper'sDesiring God
In “The Simple Life”, Vernard Eller delights himself in some of the great parables of SØren Kierkegaard. One of his favorites is the parable of the lighted carriage and the starlit night. We could also call it the crisis of Christian Hedonism. It goes like this:
“When the prosperous man on a dark but starlit night drives comfortably in his carriage and has the lanterns lighted, aye, then he is safe, he fears no difficulty, he carries his light with him, and it is not dark close around him. But precisely because he has the lanterns lighted, and has a strong light close to him, precisely for this reason, he cannot see the stars. For his lights obscure the stars, which the poor peasant, driving without lights, can see gloriously in the dark but starry night. So those deceived ones live in the temporal existence: either, occupied with the necessities of life, they are too busy to avail themselves of the view, or in their prosperity and good days they have, as it were, lanterns lighted, and close about them everything is so satisfactory, so pleasant, so comfortable — but the view is lacking, the prospect, the view of the stars.”
Piper summarizes:
Eller comments, “Clearly, ‘the view of the stars’ here intends one’s awareness and enjoyment of God.” The rich and busy who surround themselves with the carriage lights of temporal comfort, or the busy who cover themselves with troublesome care, cut themselves off from what Kierkegaard calls “the absolute joy”: What indescribable joy! — joy over God the Almighty… for this is the absoulute joy, to adore the almighty power with which God the Almightly bears all thy care and sorrow as easily as nothing.
Wow. Think that over. We shouldn't hide under baskets, we should shine bright as stars in the dark of night. It's very profound. The worldis sacramental, as is everything in it. When understood, this results in mediatedgrace for everyone who is responding to God in true faith. God grants immediate grace in various ways... This immediate grace should be radiant grace, that spreads everywhere, & gets into everything. True faith can find it in anything- keep the wonder, look all around you, what do you see? All too often, we get distracted & shut it out. The grandeur of God can come from anything; shining stars, the shrill chirr of crickets, doing house work, shoveling rock etc. We all need to have radiant grace, that spreads out through everything, affecting everything else, & causing everything else to become a mirror that reflects the glory of God.
I grew up in the heart of the Appalachian (a-puh-LATCH-uhn)Mountains. (So yes, I'm a hillbilly at heart.) Here are things I'll always remember Southerners saying. In the summer, whenever company would come, we'd sit on the porch fellowshipping, drinkin' sweet tea & eatin' ice-cream. When the sun started to set, & they turned to leave, we'd always say—
"Y'all come back now- ya hear?"
"I declare!" & "Wull, I never!" were said often as an exclamation or, when there is just plain nothin' to say. It was always said with a looong southern draw. This translates into stubbornness: "He could argue with a fence post." "Right quick" means it'll be a moment. "Dead as a door nail" There ain't nothin' deader then a door nail. Frequently used as a self-denigratory“Aw, shucks” Betchya don't know what a "Sundog" is. It's a little rainbow that appears to float in the sky. And are best seen when the sun is low. Planning on doing somethin'? They'd say "I'm fixin' ta—" "Wull, I swore!" was often used as an exclamation. Honey, babydoll, darlin’, sugah, sweetie… Always said with a sentence, usually accompanied by "Bless yer heart". "Ifn' he ain't — " meaning, if he weren't plannin' on it. When they can’t find somethin' in front of their face, & suddenly do, ya tell 'em— “If it bin a snake, it’d a bit ya.”
…Oh, and did ya know you can hear corn growing? On a hot summer's night, go stand by a large corn field & listen…..
Cultivate a cheerful disposition; endeavor, as much as lieth in you, always to bear a smile about with you; recollect that this is as much a command of God as that one which says, "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart." Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. When it is the Lord's work in which we rejoice, we need not be afraid of being too glad. Cheerfulness is most becoming in Christian men. Contentment is the crown jewel of a happy life. Amen!
"Love your life, perfect your life. Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and of service to your people. When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." — Act of Valor. I thought the little paragraph above was worth repeating. Particularly like the last sentence. I watched the movie recently, & liked it. It was intense, realistic, & a bit of a tear jerker. Live rounds were used during production. Part of the film was shot digitally on a Canon Eos 5d mk2, saving big $. One of the coolest things about the film, is that actual, active-duty US Navy SEALs & SWCC were used. Channing Moss, one of the actors & Navy SEALs inspired the RPG survival in the film. While on duty & in action, Moss was hit by an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade)on the left side of his body & it extended out of his skin on the right side, though miraculously the RPG did not explode. Surgeons removed the RPG without it going off. Moss was awarded the purple heart.
