Steadfast

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North Ridge entered 2012 by partnering with Port City Church in an initiative called My One Word. My One Word is a program where an individual methodically selects a single word, an attribute to which the aspire, to focus on becoming throughout the year. This single word replaces the cumbersome list of New Year’s resolutions that are all broken by Valentine’s Day. My word for 2012 began as ‘bold’ and honed down to ‘speak’ before the year’s end. You may remember seeing drawings from the sermon series (check out the My One Word link in my past series cloud if you are new to Plasso).  Several of us who found success in emulating our words last year chose to re-up on My One Word in 2013. My word for this year – steadfast.

Steadfast – fixed in direction, firm in purpose, unwavering, firmly fixed in place or position.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

Our family of five will be embarking on an adventure this year that we will be a ride that lasts the next four. We are letting go of a safe, consistent income so my wife can return to school full-time. She has been teaching biology in public high school since the fall of 2001. The increasing government regulations and bureaucratic meddling is effectively driving all the quality teachers out of the public sector, Julie is adding her name to their casualty list at the end of this semester. This time of spring in 2017, she will graduate as a licensed pharmacist.

To be quite honest, I chose this word focus on for all four years of the PharmD program! Letting go of the teaching position is the least of my concerns, I’m actually relieved to be free from the toll that career path takes on the teacher’s family. I encourage any young person who asks my opinion on their projected career path to avoid teaching if they also see family in their future. The nation’s public school system is in a sad state, driven by statistical algorithms instead of actual effectiveness. The mountains of paperwork and loathsome hours wasted keeping up with the requirements of this bureaucratic mess have changed the landscape of public teaching.  No longer is it a honorable career path that opens the door to significantly impacting children’s lives. It is now a contractual marriage to a thankless job that demands higher priority than any other aspect of the teacher’s life. 12 years of experience as a teacher’s spouse (2/3 of one year testing out the job personally) created my opinion and nearly every person I speak to who are also (or were formerly) married to a teacher corroborate this position. I am at least as equally excited as Julie that her professional divorce from teaching will be finalized in thirty days.

Our objective now is maintaining the household while she becomes a commuter student  and fulfills a dream to enter the medical field which was alive when we met 16 years ago. Remaining steadfast.

Those of you who follow this blog know how my mind works, or at least are familiar with its results. Steadfast is more than just my word until 2017, it is also an image that is burned into my mind and hangs on the wall above the desk where I type.

Steadfast

Steadfast

Steadfast is composed of three 12″ x 16″ canvases. I used four 8-penny nails to hold each panel in place. Once the shape was created, I began painting. The primary emotion I wanted to convey was agitation. The first layer of the painting was a very dark, midnight black with just a touch of blue. To experiment with media (and a bit out of necessity when I realized I was out of blue acrylic at the time), the under-painting of this piece is tempra.

I made sure to purchase all the black and blue I could need for the outer layer of this piece. Using long, fast, borderline violent strokes horizontal strokes, I imagined myself inside a tornado seeing the wind and debris swirling around my head. Various shades of blues and blacks concealed the dull under-painting. Stepping back to look, I was quite pleased (and a little out of breath) when this sitting was complete.

The final piece of this painting was to take a Jackson Pollock sort of spin like I used in ‘Torn‘ and literally throw some highlights of orange, yellow and white onto the dark canvas. Hosting a party to break the mundane-ness of January changed my direction. Once complete, ‘Steadfast’ had a hole to fill over the computer desk in our living room. It is not a direct focal point in our party-gathering space, but leaving the space empty would stick out like a sore thumb. Though incomplete, I hung ‘Steadfast’ for the party. This proved to be a defining choice for the piece and my understanding of my word.

We have can lights in the ceiling in our living room and the wall above our computer desk is an ideal location for artwork without glass because the piece is perfectly illuminated. ‘Steadfast’ was no different. The piece looks amazing in this location; the lighting makes the subtle light blues pop against the darker hues. The light also added another unexpected dimension. Reflecting against a sheen I only guess was created by painting acrylic over tempra, a streak of almost white yellow slithers its way down the paint and gives the image the same likeness as a calm, moon-lit lake.

Steadfast (no flash)

Steadfast (no flash)

A good friend who is a creating in his own right as a writer (check out his work here) admired the piece and we discussed the background, the creative process, and the future plans for the piece. Jason made a profound suggestion; leave the image as is for 2013, but revisit it each year and modify the image as your understanding of remaining steadfast evolves. Pure creative genius. I am doing as he suggested and practicing steadfastness by leaving the image alone until next January.

What began as an agitated, chaotic whirl-wind with three canvases holding on for dear life became the most peace-filled, calming image I can recall ever creating. Through the process of creating this piece, God showed me that remaining steadfast is not just exemplified in a soldier on the front lines of battle who yells to his comrades to stand their ground. There is a peaceful, calm side of steadfastness as well. Keeping your cool under stress, refusing the urge to worry when anxiety comes knocking, declining the part-time, third shift job I was offered to supplement the income and remaining faithful that ends will meet without sacrificing my presence with Julie and the boys. This is me remaining steadfast.

Steadfastness for you could manifest in a thousand different ways. Steadfastness is maintaining your integrity and standing your ground. While at times it will be a fight against adversity, there is a peacefulness to be found. Peace as a result and peace within.

Peace runs deep, deep in Him.  - ‘Train Song’ Josh Garrels

Outside Your Window

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Outside Your Window

 

Today started a new series entitled ‘Multiply’ as we continue in our study of Matthew.  The text for today is Matthew 9:35 through 10:42; the meat o these verses being Jesus commissioning his twelve disciples to expand his ministry by serving people following the example he’s given them.

To start today’s message in context, we took a detailed look at Matthew 9:35-38. The word ‘compassion’ being used here is more than just feeling sorry for another. When we look at the original language, this word is describing an emotional and physical reaction Jesus has to seeing the lost state of the people around him as they grope for something to complete their spiritual selves. This is a gut-wrenching sorrow for humanity.

Second is the word ‘harvest’. As an amateur vegetable gardener, I understand too well the urgency or harvesting your crop before (1) another mammal does or (2) it over-ripens and is ruined. The harvest is ripe, the harvest is urgent.

Our main emphasis as  a church was a prayer that I have prayed many times; Abba, let me see people through your eyes. Brandon Heath recorded a song in 2009 that accurately captures this desire, “Give Me Your Eyes”.

Jesus approached the unapproachable, touched the untouchable, and embraced every sector of society without hesitation or remorse. He broke down walls with complete disregard for his own safety. Now he’s turning to his inner circle and telling them, “It’s your turn.” As followers of Jesus, we are included in that call. Go and make disciples of the people right outside our windows. Jesus does not warn the disciples away from adversity, he tells them to expect it and embrace it. “Do not fear those who can kill your body but cannot kill your soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. (Matthew 10:28).

The theme of today’s message and resulting drawing brought back an image created for our ‘Bold’ series last year. A figure, representing you as an individual and the church as a whole, being faced with a decision; step out in faith or play it safe? In both images, the figure has taken down the warning labels members of society (many who are inside church walls) set in place to keep themselves safe and is stepping out into the perceived danger in faith. It is important to note the figure walks alone. Stepping out in faith is not a movement, it’s a decision we make as individuals that risks no one following.

Who do you see outside your own window who needs someone reach out to them? Take a bold step, introduce yourself then introduce them to Jesus.

A Prayer for Boldness

Prayer for Boldness

 

Life is in the Eyes

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Life is in the Eyes

 

Matthew 7 reaches the most quoted verse, not only from Jesus’ teaching, but most referenced in the entire Bible, at least the most paraphrased; Judge not, lest you be judged. As we studied this portion of the scripture, something jumped out at me I had not seen before. Every reference Jesus uses to make his point from 7:1 – 7:20 involves the eyes. By the same scale you judge others, so you will be judged; the way you view others determines how they will view you.

Let’s be clear on this point, the judgement Jesus refer to here is not discerning right from wrong, this judgement is not only permissible, but is required of Christians. The judgement that will condemn us is that of assigning motives to another person’s actions. Call out sin as sin, but do not assign motives for its commission.

Deal with the plank in you own eye before trying to remove a splinter from someone else. Again with the eyes. Take care of your own faults because you are no better than you neighbor.

Then we hear an analogy for giving and parenting. Who’s child would ask for a fish and be given a snake? Or call for bread out of hunger and be handed a rock? Even the worst of humanity know how to treat the ones the love, how much more generous will your Father be to you?

So if the righteous are not evident by their ability to determine unrighteousness or their diligence at public behavior modification, how are we to know who is and who isn’t? With another analogy; by the fruit they bear. Good trees produce good fruit, bad ones do not. Likewise, good people are obvious by their lifestyle, you can see it in their eyes.

The physical, spiritual and emotional health of a person can all be determined by looking into their eyes. The presence of life cannot be described, but the evidence cannot be hidden from view. Today’s drawing is every reference Jesus made to show us how to live through Grace, assembled together to create an eye.

Living by the law leads to comparison, living by grace leads to compassion.

Unpack

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Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?   Matthew 6:25

3-10-13, City on a Hill 7, Unpack

 

I will do what God wants me to do.

I will give God what I cannot do.

I will trust him no matter what.

Like a well used suitcase, covered with pictures and scars from a lifetime of travel, everyone has a story that longs to be told. Each trip added a little for weight to the luggage, each destination another mark on the case. The material and dimensions of a piece of luggage determines how much that item will hold before breaking. Airlines limit the weight of each bag of luggage because they know the limits of their aircraft, too heavy and the plane will plummet. The human spirit is weight-rated as well, we are not designed to carry all the baggage life piles upon us alone. God gives us each other to share the load. This weekend magnified the importance of telling our story, regardless of how insignificant it may seem to the storyteller.

Unpack your bags, tell your story, because we’re living together on the other side of done.

 

Emmanuel – The King is Here

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NR, 12-9, Carols 2, Emmanuel - The King is Here

After a two-week hiatus, I finally have a new spontaneous drawing to share! At least one person in our household has fought an upper respiratory virus, but it’s finally out of the house.

We’ve started a new series for the Christmas season at North Ridge, Carols. The theme focuses on common Christmas carols, their origin and their meaning. Our study of carols will take us through the book of Matthew.

The carol of today is ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ 12th Century, translated into English by John Mason Neale 1851:

O come, o come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

Read full lyrics here.

Verse one was our main emphasis, leading into Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus in chapter 1.  O Come Emmanuel is a carol that summons the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the blood exchange for our souls.

Matthew 1:18-25 covers an early part of Jesus birth. Mary had learned of her immaculate conception and the significance of the child she carried. In today’s passages, Joseph learns of the coming child and must make a decision; stay betrothed to Mary and adopt the baby as his own or cut his losses and leave Mary to raise the child on her own. Joseph’s character guided his decisions through the process and, like many men hearing his fiancée was pregnant and it was physically impossible for the child to be his, decided to end the relationship. Engagement in this early culture carried with it the weight of legal marriage today. The only detail separating the betrothal period from full marriage was physical consummation. To end a betrothed relationship was to file for divorce. Adultery, in this culture, was also treated much more seriously than it is today. Any woman caught in adultery could face execution by the state. The decision Joseph makes at this point either establishes or eliminates Christianity. Joseph decides to balance justice with mercy and divorce Mary quietly, breaking his responsibility to the relationship but saving Mary’s reputation (and most likely the life of both her and the child).

Obviously, the story does not end here. God understands the importance of a two-parent family and will not allow his son to grow up without a physical father present. An angel visits Joseph in a dream and explains the situation, confirming Mary’s story (v.24). Hearing the supernatural circumstances of his situation from a supernatural source, Joseph decides to remain committed to Mary and effectively adopts the son of God as his own flesh and blood. The imagery here speaks significantly to our relationship with God, where we make the same decision as Joseph to adopt Jesus or not and Jesus, in turn, adopts us as his by stepping in as the ransom for our sins.

My initial inspiration for today’s drawing came from the title of the message, ‘Our King is Here’. I first wanted to visualize what the arrival of a character as significant as Jesus looked like, from an abstract point of view. I chose light to represent the arrival of the Messiah. My next step was to choose the setting. I tossed around ideas of a neatly wrapped Christmas gift, a simple star, or a secluded shack but none of these felt right. Dave Matthew’s Band’s Christmas Song floated into my mind and supplied the inspiration I needed for the setting. One phrase from this song specifically generated the mist of light creeping through the streets of a dark city:

His heart was full of love, love, love

Love, love, love

Love, love is all around.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place this way.

The word originally used for ‘birth’ here is the same word used to recount the creation of the universe, genesis. This word is not being used coincidentally, Jesus was as alive at the creation of earth as he was at physical birth and as he is now. Jesus’ main emphasis throughout his ministry can be summed up in one word, love. His heart was, and still is, full of love and his goal is to fill each of us with that love. Love, love is all around.

The light that represents Christ drops into the middle of the city then proceeds to seep its way in and out of every street, every corner, down every dark alley, slowly filling the city with its presence and replacing darkness with light.

This is why we celebrate Christmas. Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’, the King is here.

 

So That I Can Rebuild It

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What breaks your heart? This is the question Dean (lead pastor at North Ridge)  asked on his Facebook page this week. As you can imagine, asking a question like this on a public forum generated a huge variety of answers. I saw answers referring to apathy, marriage, priorities and they continued on. I answered the question with this; any expression of selfishness, no matter how insignificant. This is about as close to a “Sunday school answer” one can get, but it is my gut response to the question. Asking this got our minds thinking about what makes us long for change, which led into today’s message.

Craig Goeschel refers to the situation that inspires people to action as their “Popeye moment”. Whatever it is that breaks your heart, that is the motivator for the Popeye in you. The start of Nehemiah lays out a Popeye moment in Nehemiah’s life. The setting is 400 B.C. Jerusalem, the Jews are on their return trek from exile in Babylon and the temple lays in ruins. Nehemiah, a cup-bearer to the king, learned of temple’s state and wept in prayer because he understood it was the unfaithfulness of his community that created the dire situation where they found themselves. Seeing the temple in ruins was Nehemiah’s moment, it broke his heart. He cracked open a can of spiritual spinach and wept, praying through his tears. Nehemiah saw something needed to be done and his immediate response was to pray that God let that someone be him.

We should respond the same; someone ought to do something and it might as well be me. Once we are confronted by an action, an ideal, a cultural norm that breaks our heart, it is our responsibility to respond, or not. Why doesn’t someone else see the need and respond? Why should I? You might be tempted to ask this of yourself. The answer is simple; because God gave it to you.

Changing the world requires three key actions. First, allow your heart to break. Second, respond. Last, commit to rebuild. Nehemiah’s heart broke for the destroyed temple, he responded by petitioning God in prayer and then the king in his court. After obtaining the blessing of the king and in the face of public opposition, he rebuilt the temple walls.

Today’s drawing is inspired by a photograph that has spread across social media, blogs, and photograph showcases across the internet. The shot is of a bubble, the exact moment it is popped by an intruding finger. The image itself is quite captivating. The timing and clarity of the shot impressive as well. My drawing is a recreation of this image, portrait instead of landscape and the bubble is earth. Written over the hand is the question that led into the point of today; what breaks your heart?

Changing the world requires some level of destruction; dismantling a broken system, questioning a misguided philosophy, invalidating an crucial aspect of a culture’s world. The hand’s pointing finger impedes on the world to burst the bubble it’s become. Even righteous destruction is not without pain. The splash of liquid strewn as the membrane breaks represents the tears of broken hearts; or, at least one broken heart.

As the world ruptures, the last phrase of Nehemiah’s plea to the king appears; so that I can rebuild it. Inseparable from the responsibility of destroying fallacy is accountability for rebuilding with truth. Only the one who created the destruction can rebuild with sustainable integrity.

Why doesn’t someone do something? The someone is you.