Willow Arts Conference 1: Getting there…

Well, we made it safely. Had a great time in the car riding and watching a great video together.

That’s a photo of us watching TV in the Suburban. We had a smooth ride and with less construction in Chicago than last year it was a lot faster than we thought it would be. Once we got into Chicago, the weather was really great! Here’s the Sears Tower from the car. More tomorrow…

Off to Chicago!

A handful of people from my church will be going out to Chicago for the Willow Creek Arts Conference and boy are we psyched. I just wanted to let you know that this year, I plan to keep a log of some of the take-aways that we experience, as they happen! So, if you’re inclined to check in from time to time, come on back here and see what we are learning and experiencing. This event is always a great time, and a real encouragement for us who use our creative gifts to serve God, and hopefully we can share some of that great stuff with you all. Feel free to be part of the discussion if you want. I’ll be keeping up with all of this as we go!

Famous things…

So, the Goodyear blimp flew over today. Right over our building. I ran outside and snapped this photo. What’s the deal with the odd way we behave when we something famous, or somebody famous. What is the fascination? Is it because things and people that are bigger than life seem more lasting, more “important”, less fleeting than we are? Is this why Americans buy gossip magazines (and semi-gossip magazines) in the ridiculous numbers we do? There is only ONE who is eternal, though! Hang onto Him today!

Say it with me… unassisted triple play.

Talk about individual achievement. The chances of a second baseman catching the ball, hitting the bag, and tagging the runner, in that order, so that he gets three outs all by himself (it’s only happened 14 times in Major League history, fewer times than a pitcher has pitched a perfect game), are so infinitessimal it’s extraordinary, only 14 times in 100 years. Seems like a spectacular example of individual achievement, doesn’t it. BUT… consider this. Asdrubal Cabrera had to be so proud of himself when it happened just this past Monday May 12, but consider how proud his Dad who probably played catch with him was, how proud his manager and coaches who helped him get better at what he does so he’d be ready for this extraordinary opportunity, and the guy who coached him in little league so many years ago was. Even our most outstanding individual achievements rest on the shoulders of those who brought us to be the people we are today. So find somebody who helped you be who you are today… and thank them!

Favorite films.

I got “tagged” by Doug to list my ten favorite films. Okay I’ll bite! Since he included at least one “trilogy”, I will, too. Thanks Doug! I had another post for today, so perhaps today will be my first “two-post” day.

1. Citizen Kane by Orson Welles. Probably the best film ever made. Period. If I had to list only one, it’d be easy. This one. If you get to watch it the first time without knowing how it ends (hard these days, you’ve probably heard), as I did, it’s incredibly powerful.

2. Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson. All one really long film, imho. Every moment is brilliant, even the stuff that they “added” to the story.

3. Blue by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Yes this is one you have to read (some of the others are, too), but it’s a brilliant story with wonderful music that will haunt you for a long time.

4. Anything with “Star Wars” in the title. Even the bad ones, but especially episodes 3, 4, and 5.

5. The Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa. Another one you have to read, and it’s interminably long, but everything you ever need to make a western is right in there.

6. Godfather and Godfather Part II by Francis Ford Coppola. One of the best descriptions of the capability of the human heart to descend into the madness of evil.

7. Babe by Chris Noonan. It should have won Best Picture in 1995 over Braveheart. Yes, the kids’ movie with the talking pig.

8. Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. I was NOT expecting the story to end so satisfyingly. I won’t tell you in case you want to check it out. You have to read this one, too. AND… this guy is apparently going to direct the two Hobbit movies… that’s going to make them great.

9. Empire of the Sun. Spielberg’s big “flop” and my absolute favorite of his movies. Some of John Williams’ best music, too.

10. Zulu by Cy Enfield. A 1964 classic that was Michael Caine’s first starring role. The best war picture ever. Peter Jackson bragged that he made the battle of Helm’s deep last for nearly an hour in “The Two Towers”. Well in Zulu, the battle lasts for nearly the whole movie, and the tension just keeps building.

I guess I’m s’posed to tag somebody. Okay, I tag Ange Hamm. And I tag Camey. I know you’re supposed to tag five people… sorry I can only think if two (other than Doug who tagged me) right now.

I’m supposed to give a HT to Dan. Thanks Dan!

Be more quiet now…

Lately I’ve been privvy to a lot more people arguing and debating (usually just arguing) than normal. Could it be that we don’t remember how to be slow to speak and quick to listen? I know I forget that… all the time… Guess I should shut up now…

Stay hungry, stay humble.

This weekend at my church I brought in a guest worship leader. His name is Aaron Greer, check out his band (Aaron, Clarence, and Scott-o) here. Here’s the thing. Aaron plays guitar WAY better than I will ever hope to. So when I’m in a situation like that, I have two choices. I can be intimidated and let that change the way I behave, maybe that will even make me act like a jerk… OR… I can just bask in somebody else’s talent, celebrate it and maybe even learn a thing or two on the way. Whatever the case, I grow more by being around people that are better, faster, smarter, whatever… than me, than by being intimidated by them. I hang around people who are smarter than me at work all the time. (Sometimes it makes me wonder why they let me stay here.) Makes me want to learn more and get better at what God has called me to do. Even if I’ll never play guitar as well as Aaron.

Pushing through the dirt…

So, I have this work being done at the house. There are piles and piles of dirt in my yard. It looks like a war zone. And then at the top of one of the piles, some Daffodil bulb that has been dug up and transplanted a couple dozen feet away decides, “Hey, I don’t care if I’ve been traumatized, moved, dug up, shaken up, stirred up… I’m STILL going to bloom.” Do you know any people like that? I do.

RIGHT NOW!

I was reminded in a really nice song this morning to “Breathe it in and breathe it out, Listen to your heartbeat, there’s a wonder in the here and now, It’s right there in front of you, And I don’t want you to miss, The miracle of the moment.” Do something special, just something little, with someone you love today!

Going Places…

I got a chance to fly a LOT this month… four planes in two days… Yuk. It was really interesting watching all the people hurrying by and wondering where they were all going… Some on vacation, some on business, some for some event either happy or sad. We’re all going some place a lot of the time, and when we arrive we are too often thinking about where we are going to be trying to get to next. I wonder how different it would be if we just took one day and didn’t wear a watch or look at a clock or go anywhere or accomplish anything… I bet the world would keep turning… Seems like God had that idea when he gave us the Sabbath. We SO need to slow down in this world, and we say that, but we keep going at this amazing pace, don’t we…