Turn It Off

This picture was taken at Hume Lake camp in 2008. It represents a time of change, refocusing and renewal. It definitely was also a time for all of us (students and leaders alike) to "turn off" all the distractions and busyness of life and take a rest. This was during worship time. For me it represents the spirit of the poem below.

When you just want the phone to ring
put it down
turn it off
open the Bible and start to read.

When you just want someone to answer
put it down
turn it off
close your eyes and take a knee.

When all you want is that one person
ask yourself:
"Would this person die for me?
Or would they do even less for me?"

Reconsider the pursuits of your heart.
Redirect the objects of your affection.
Invest in what is eternal.
Seek the face of Jesus.

The Golden Hour

In photography circles, the "Golden Hour" is the name for the time just after sunrise and just before sunset where the sun is low on the horizon and casts a golden light on everything. This is unofficially regarded as the best time to take photos.

I could go on, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

An Authentic Question

One day, soon after moving to Orange County, I thought about the state of my life and these exact words came to me as I drove past this spot. 

9-20-07

Doesn't your life change completely
when you move across the country?
Or at least move place to place
with hundreds of miles between?

No, I've found that life only stays the same
as long as you stay the same.
You always reap what you sow
you always receive what you give
and in life, you always get out of it
what you put into it.

A Necessary Evil

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

¹ To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: 

       ² A time to be born, 

And a time to die; 

      A time to plant, 

And a time to pluck what is planted; 

       ³ A time to kill, 

And a time to heal; 

      A time to break down, 

And a time to build up; 

       ⁴ A time to weep, 

And a time to laugh; 

      A time to mourn, 

And a time to dance; 

       ⁵ A time to cast away stones, 

And a time to gather stones; 

      A time to embrace, 

And a time to refrain from embracing; 

       ⁶ A time to gain, 

And a time to lose; 

      A time to keep, 

And a time to throw away; 

       ⁷ A time to tear, 

And a time to sew; 

      A time to keep silence, 

And a time to speak; 

       ⁸ A time to love, 

And a time to hate; 

      A time of war, 

And a time of peace.

Rain, and all our seasons, are a necessary evil.

Black & White

I wish right now
that all memories were black & white.
That they all took place in the fall
on a Sunday
watching football.

That the smell of noon dinner
permeated them all
that hooded sweatshirts and jeans
were worn into cool October weather.

That the trees in the back yard
and across the street
were failing to keep their leaves.

I wish all memories were black and white.
They are not colder, but somehow warmer.
Then we look to the other senses for memory.