A Picture's Worth A Thousand Screams

Title: "Threats Will Get You Everywhere"

I just completed this last night. Overall, the whole drawing took about 10 hours. It was nice and relaxing.

I drew this from a reference (taking a bit of artistic licence of course). The original can be found in the new Contagion anthology, War Stories put out by Aegis Studios.

Anyway, this was all about getting back into the habit a bit. I started with the left and worked my way right. As time progressed, I started getting back into the groove. As a result, the right looked much better than the left. So I went over it with some digital touchups here and there (and there and there). It's amazing how easy it is to tell the difference from the right side (which is dominated by pencil rendering) and the left side (which has substantial digital alterations). I definitely like the pencil work better.

And don't forget to notice the tatoo. I didn't want to mess up the drawing when trying trying to figure out where to put my sig. And there we have it: An immortal young lass wearing my name on her arm for all eternity! The ultimate in artistic vanity? You tell me. Some would say yes. Some would say no. The rest of us could really care less.

Read More

Handwriting Analysis

The results of your analysis say:

You fill every waking moment with activity.
You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones.
You are affectionate, passionate, expressive, and future-oriented.
You are a talkative person, maybe even a busybody!
You are self-confident and like to bring attention to yourself.

What does your handwriting say about YOU?

Read More

It's 5' x 9'

Title: Advent Truth

This is the pictoral version of my sermon a couple of weeks ago. It's about how during the season of Advent (just before Christmas), we are called to take upon ourselves the pain of what it is to be human, become the voice of those who suffer, cry out to God on their behalf, and live into and bear the hope of that which is to come.

On the left is the present and on the right is the future Kingdom of God. On the left, a watcher is on a stylized version of the Second Con tower wearing black (the color of pain to match the pain-colored city of Rockford in the pic) who has a firey head (the color of the Christ-head on the right) looking over Rockford and into the future.

The waters of baptism flow from the future and sweep through all with thier claiming power. Meanwhile, the Communion elements (bread and cup) bridge the now and future.

The big white thing in the middle is the moon, which relates to the scripture passage read for the sermon.

Hopefully, the snapshot is clear enough to see.

Read More

New Home Page

After a long silence, I should introduce everyone to my new home page: Eclectic Mass Home Page. It's much better than my geocities one.

Let's see, what's happened in the last month since I posted?

My car was broken into. Someone smashed out my rear, passenger side window in order to pillage my back seat. The boneheaded move on my part was to leave lots of stuff there. The thief must have felt silly though rummaging through a box that had copies of the Presbyterian Outlook and a liturgical calendar in it. All the person made off with was a smoothie machine. (Oddly enough, I didn't want a smoothie until my machine was gone.)

I went to the Octane to celebrate Tim's 33rd birthday. Happy birthday Timmy-boy! Met some really neat people there too. (And a quick "hello" to them if they happen to stumble across this entry.)

I've discovered a new art form (well, new to me anyway): paper lace. Basically, take a long sheet of paper (my mock-up is 8 1/2" x 17"; the final will be about 5' x 10'). Draw a design on it. Strategically cut out negative spaces, making sure you have enough paper attachments to hold it together. Then hang it from the ceiling. It becomes a really cool banner that is far less complicated than it really is. Eventually, I'll get a pic of my creation story mockup.

The Contagion War Stories anthology is officially out. I have an article in there entitled "All Things are Relative." I also did the pic to go with it.

I'm really missing the time to draw. I'm being creative in other ways, which is way cool, but I keep getting the hunkering to break out a HUGE sheet of paper and just go crazy with my pencils for about a day or two. Unfortunately, I'm having a tough time convincing the world to stop turning so I can create the next series to dominate the louvre (or maybe somewhere slightly smaller).

Read More

My Roller-Coaster Ride Last Weekend

Finally having a weekend where I didn't have anything that I had to do up here in Rockford, I finally got out of town. Friday, I made it down to Charleston, IL, where I got to see some Eastern Illinois University friends. That's where I received my history degreesl, and it was good to reconnect with my past profs. I was amazed at how it seemed like had seen them not so long ago. In fact, the last time I saw Anita and Newton was in 1999. I'm glad they hadn't changed much. I kind of like them just the way they are. So that was the highlight of last weekend.

Unfortunately, on Sunday I was down in Ladd with the First Presbyterian Church. I served as their pastor for 2 years, until we didn't receive the redevelopment grant that we'd hoped for. As a result, I had to get another job and they had to make the difficult decision to close. Last Sunday was the final worship service for that congregation. I really enjoyed being their pastor and I hope they find congregations they can connect with. While it was great to be with them again, it was a really sad occasion.

Read More

A Must See: Crash

Movie: Crash
This is by far the best movie I've seen in a long time. The way the story line unfolds is masterful. It definitely made me think more about the world in which I live.

I'm going to go see my parents this weekend. It has been too long since I've been able to make it down there, but getting a two-day weekend hasn't exactly been easy.

No, last Sunday's sermon has not made it to the podcast yet. I will get that out there as soon as I can.

My shopping for the cheapest internet service is going to take me into the arms of Insight again. I was looking at the possibiliy of dish plus DSL, but DSL requires phone service, which cranks the price up to Insight levels. Oh, well. I can deal.

This Sunday evening, the High School Youth Group will be going out to Chamberlain's Nursery to check out their mazes. They have five. One of them is a corn maze for which we need flashlights. This ought to be a lot of fun.

Heir to the Empire came out back in the early 90s. It's the first book in the trilogy that continued the Star Wars saga beyond Return of the Jedi. I'm finally reading it all the way through. I like it. I need to go pick up the second book before I run out of this one.

Read More

I Like This Quote

I just read a great quote from Parker Palmer's To Know As We Are Know: Education As a Spiritual Journey. I wanted to share.

On the one side, prayer is our capacity to enter into that vast community of life in which self and other, human and non\human, visible and invisible, are in-tricately intertwined. While my senses discriminate and my mind dissects, my prayer acknowledges and recreates the unity of life. In prayer, I no longer set myself apart fro others and the world, manipulating them to suit my needs. Instead, I reach for relationship, allow myself to feel the tuggings of mutuality and accountability, take my place in community by knowing the transcen-dent center that connects is all.

On the other side, prayer means opening myself to the fact that as I reach for that connecting center, the center is reaching for me. As I move toward the heart of reality, reality is moving toward my heart. As I recollect the unity of life, life is recollecting me in my original wholeness. In prayer, I not only address the love at the core of all things; I listen as that love addresses me, calling me out of isolation and self-centeredness into community and compassion. In prayer, I begin to realize that I not only know but am known. (p. 11)

This book is one of my personal fav's regarding the field of spiritual formation. I recommend it for anyone who leads small groups.

Read More

There Is No End to the...

boxes, boxes, and more boxes.

I've officially moved in to my new place. Of course, there's no room to move around yet. The worst part is that I can't find my coffee pot. I bought this cool new Chocolate Silk coffee to try out, but I have no way to make it at home. I've had to bring it to the office. It's good, but not as good as I'd hoped.

I posted flyers around downtown yesterday. We're starting up an "Experimental Worship" service at Second Con and we want local musicians to play.

What we're looking for:

• Street music that speaks to people spiritually (which does not necessarily mean "Christian" music)
  People who can commit to participating regularly in the Experimental Worship
  
• Several groups with different styles (since we want to rotate different artists regularly)
  
• People intersted in helping to carve out their own spiritual niche
  

What we're not looking for:

• Contemporary Christian music (there's plenty of places that have that; we want somethign different)
  
• Artists who only want to come if they are playing that night

And, some suggested styles:

• Etheral
  
• Drumming
  
• Reggae
  
• Other sounds from the neighborhood

I'm not sure the of the actual start date, but I do know that it will be tied into our Wednesday Night Live. We will begin with a community meal around 5:50pm, and then around 6:20 we will adjourn to the chapel.

I'm looking forward to starting this up. If anyone who reads this knows of someone who might be interested, please give them the head's-up.

Also, we're considering starting up a Living the Questions group. If we go in this direction, I'm toying with the idea of having it over at the Minglewood. That would open it to the public.

Read More

Is that Queen I Hear in the Background?

Title: Stained Glass at Second Con
We won! Second Congregational Church is officially the soft-ball champions of the church league as of last night. The final score: 14-9.

On a different note, I got a bit of feedback for my sermon last Sunday. It came in a beautiful card with our stained glass windows on the cover (see above).

Here's what she said:

Dear Bo,
A church service such as yesterday's inspires me the rest of the week. Welcome to Second Congregational Church! Youre sermon was great.

I'm not going to give the name of the author, and she probably won't stumble across this blog, but just in case she does....thank you!

For those interested in hearing the sermon, it can be found on my Eclectic Podcasting Mass. Or you can just click on the following button.

Read More

Preaching

This Sunday will be my first sermon at Second Con. I just finised the nearly-final draft. As I try to think about where this congregation is, I realize that I may have to take a pretty different approach to sermons. I have effectively moved from a conservative, rural congregation to a liberal, urban one. The extent to which I have to adapt I don't yet know. It has made this first one tough though.

I'm also thinking about doing another DVD discussion group at a local coffee shop (much like the Historical Jesus Discussion Group that I did at the Common Grounds BookCafe). Mike has suggested a "Fundamentalist Recovery Group." It's a neat idea. I think Bart Ehrman's New Testament DVD series would be great for that, but I'll have to do a quick review to see how complicated it is.

Now, off to check out a coffee shop that my predecessor haunted.

Read More

No More Anonymous Comments

I got tired of the "anonymous" comments that were actually spam postings (or whatever they're officially called). Therefore, I've turned off the option to post anonymously. If anyone out there wants to post on here, sorry, but you've got to get a blogger account. That doesn't mean that it ever has to be updated, but you'll have to at least set something up.

Tomorrow, I'm going back to Spring Valley. I think I've found a temporary appt up here, so I think I can bring some stuff back. The new place would start at about mid-month. After (if?) I take it, I can rent and load a truck and finish this transition.

Read More

And She's Off

Mission Bound is off to Japan tomorrow. Tim, her, and I were going to go to the India House (she's a big fan of anything Indian), but apparently they saw us coming and decided to be closed on Tuesdays. So, off to get Giordano's pizza. I'm very sad to see her leave, but I'm sure she will have a ball over there.

The car is back in my possession. In fact, now it works much better than it has in a long time. Woo hoo! I can finally go down to Spring Valley and continue dismantling my appt for the move.

I should be working rather than blogging right now. About 1/2hr before I left work today, the Senior Pastor and I had a discussion about doing some sort of "alternative worship" on Wed nights. Theoretically, I should be able to go back in tomorrow with something tangible on paper. Part of the problem is that I have too many ideas. The question is: "What approach will enable new people to give voice to their own sense of spiritual connection?" The next question is: "How do we advertise this effectively when the start date is 28 Sept?" So much to do; so little time.

Quite exciting though.

Read More

Where's the Dunce Cap?

I just got the call from the mechanic. He has figured out what is wrong with my car. Apparently, in my mad dash to make it to the softball game, I topped off the tank with diesel. He'll get it fixed up and back to me some time during the beginning of next week.

I feel like such a bonehead.

Read More

Losing Internet Access

While in transition, I will be losing some of my internet access. I can connect where I'm staying with friends, but I don't want to monopolize their computer. Obviously, at work I'm limited by...well, work. And in Spring Valley I'll be canceling my service since I'm not there.

This isn't as big a deal for my blog as it is my podcast. (Though it does mean I won't be surfing many other people's blogs much.) I'm glad to say that I've got at least 20 subscribers now with about 40-50 hits a day. I need to update. It has been too long. I'll try to get another spot out there as soon as I can, but it might be a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to connect enough in the near future to at least get an explanation out there.

I finished watching the movie Alexander tonight with friends. Not good. In fact, very bad. Okay, atrocious is really more like it. I might have to watch The Incredibles again just to cleanse my memory of all the bad acting.

Oh, and for all those interested, Second Congregational will be renting parking spaces for $5 for Waterfront. If I remember correctly, the $$$ goes to our gym and youth group activities. I'll be out there off and on with the youth group if anyone wants to drop in and say "hi."

Read More

Not Good

My car is smoking. I started it this morning (or at least tried to). It made funny sounds and almost got going. I turned it off, looked in the rear-view mirror, and there was the cloud.

Shit.

I guess I'm not going into work today. Unfortunately, I don't know where to take it here in Belvidere. I'll have to wait till Ang gets back. Then she can take me to wherever it is that I need to go.

Hopefully, whoever is going to fix it can do it soon, because I have to move my stuff up here. Finances are limited, so it better not cost too much.

Read More

Natural Disasters and God

Downtown New Orleans, 30 Aug 2005
“Why?”

One minute the world seems to make sense, and then something terrible happens. This time it is Hurricane Katrina. When the power of nature rises up and brings such destruction, we humans (yes, we who have conquered the skies and landed on the moon) find that we are powerless to stop it. We who were once masters of our world, suddenly find ourselves feeling very tiny and vulnerable. Our world has not only lost the meaning it once had, but has become dangerous as well.

“Why?”

Some people believe that when natural disasters strike, they do so because somehow they are the will of God. While the disasters bring death and destruction, they are seen as divine tools to fashion a greater good. So, in the end, it all balances out, with a little more weight landing on the “good” that comes out of the disaster. There is a sense that somehow, it was all “worth it.”

I am not one of those who believes that.

I do not believe that natural disasters are God’s tools for bringing about the death and destruction necessary for a greater good. I do not pretend to know “why” natural disasters happen. But regardless of what I or anyone else believes about the “why” of natural disasters, they happen nonetheless.

God is love. That’s what I believe. That influences how I see such things in the world. It also influences how I respond to the world around me.

God is love. It is a central Christian emphasis. It is what we’re called to proclaim. But, surrounded by the howl of tsunamis and hurricanes, our voice is often drowned out and we feel stifled. How can we be heard? How can we declare that the God who is love is not silent, but still speaking?

St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Proclaim the Gospel, and, if necessary, use words.”

To all who suffer, to all who mourn, to all who weep in the meaninglessness of it all, to all who will listen, we declare God is Love.

I have snagged the following news article from the UCC website. It is important to know how at least one church is declaring God’s love in the darkness, as well as a few ways that we can do our part.

***************
“UCC begins disaster response to Hurricane Katrina”
Aug. 29, 2005

Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane, stormed ashore the U.S. Gulf Coast this morning with extraordinarily strong winds and heavy rains. Extensive wind damage and flooding is anticipated along the projected track of the storm from the Gulf Coast to the Ohio River Valley. Katrina crossed southern Florida on Friday resulting in 9 deaths and extensive flooding.

One Great Hour of Sharing is rushing $25,000 to Church World Service for the initial response to Hurricane Katrina.

"At this point we pray and wait. We are grateful to have One Great Hour of Sharing offering funds and UCC Disaster Network in place so we are able to respond as soon as it becomes safe to do so," said Susan Sanders, Minister for Global Sharing of Resources.

UCC National Disaster Ministries' staff have been in contact with Conference Disaster Coordinators, Alan Coe from South Central Conference; Will Rabert from Southeast Conference; Bill Wealand from Florida Conference and Shari Prestemon, Executive Director of Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, Mississippi to express concern and offer One Great Hour of Sharing financial support for clean up and recovery in aftermath of this storm. Contact has not yet been made with staff of Dillard University in New Orleans.

Back Bay Mission staff have evacuated to safety away from the coast and will return to Biloxi as soon as it is safe to do so.

Will Rabert and Alan Coe are prepared to travel to the disaster area as soon as possible to provide assistance to UCC congregations, institutions and local communities as they assess recovery needs.

Church World Service Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons are on call to work with local agencies to organize and to address the unmet needs of those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

How you can help:

1. Pray for people who live in communities affected by hurricanes.

2. To help those affected by disasters you may send gifts payable to your congregation marked for "Emergency USA " with the request they be sent through your Conference office on to Wider Church Ministries.

OR

3. Send gifts payable to Wider Church Ministries and marked in the memo portion "Emergency USA" to the Office for Global Sharing of Resources; Wider Church Ministries; 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.

OR

4. Make a secure on-line donation now by clicking on the Emergency USA button on [the UCC homepage].

Read More

For All the Cubs Fans Out There

While cleaning and packing, I rediscovered a book by Robert J. Morgan entitled Real Stories for the Soul. Please note that this is in no way a plug for this book; it's terrible. Generally speaking it's shallow and the veracity of the stories is questionable. But, there is this really cool one that I would like to share (most of it anyway).

***************
The 1908 World Series (p 135-36)

The 1908 National League season saw a fierce struggle between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants. When they met with thet Pennant on the line, there was a last minute change in the Giant lineup. The Giant's first basemen had a sprained back, and substituting for him was an eager nineteen-year-old named Fred Merkle who was thought to be a rising star in baseball.

The game was tied, adn in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants were at bat. There were two outs, and two men on base. The winning run was on third, and Fred Merkle was on first. The batter hit a single, and the runner on third lumbered home. The Giants had apparently won the game and the pennant. Jubilant Giant fans poured onto the field while Fred Merkle was still on his way to second. Alarmed by the crowd suddenly bearing down on him and convinced the game was over, he ran straight for the clubhouse.

He didn't go all teh way to second base. The Chicago second baseman noticed the [sic.] Merkle hadn't bothered to touch second. If he could get the ball and touch second himself, the winning run would be cancelled by the force-out. First, he had to find the ball.

One of the New York coaches saw what was happening, and he ran for the ball and threw it into the stands. A fan in a brown bowler caught it and started home with his trophy. Two Cubs players chased the man through the mob and tried to take the ball away from him. When he resisted, they knocked him down, grabbed the ball, ran back to the field, and threw it to their second baseman, who, holding the ball, jumped up and down on the bag to make sure the umpire saw what he had done.

As a result, New Yorkd lost the game--and the Pennant--and although Fred Merkle stuck it out for fourteen more years in baseball, he never got over the reputation of being the man responsible for what is still to this day called "Merkle's Boner."

***************

For all those Cardinal fans out there, it has to make us wonder, did they really win that year? Hmmm. Do ya think we should we tell 'em?

Read More

Long Day

My first day alone on the job. I already have sooo much to do. Of course, since it is only the begining of my solo week, I don't really know if it is a lot or a little. I'll have to see how much I get through by Thurs.

Didn't leave the office till 7pm. That's okay though, I really enjoyed today. Something I really like about the pastor position is the diversity of things to do. I could have left earlier if I wanted, but I chose to stay. Yeah, I know, it's odd. But I like what I do that much.

Read More

Big Day

Tomorrow (Sunday) will be a big day. I'll be in worship for the first time at my new church. Then, after the service, there is a picnic. What are the odds of me getting lost on the way there?

Hopefully, I will be looking at a house tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunatly, due to this I will not be able to make it to the Gorilla Art Thing (which will meet outside the Octane from 1ish to 5ish). Sorry all, but I need to find a roof. It makes living a lot easier when you have one, ya know.

I'm not quite sure how much I'll be in and out of my appt in Spring Valley this coming week. It depends on how soon I can find a place up here. So, for all those calling my home phone, you might not hear back from me for a while. E-mail will work much better till I get settled.

Time for beddy-bye. After all, I have a job to get to in the morning. (Hooray)

Read More

First Week

So far, not a bad first week. I started Monday, and while there have been some interesting twists, nothing disasterous has happened. I've been really busy, so I haven't had a chance to contact Tim or anybody else (imagine links here to various MySpace pages that I don't have the addresses to right off hand) and say "hi." I'll have to give everybody a tour. The outside of the building is like a castle, and there's this awesome tower. I made sure to go up there on the first day.

I'm off on Fri and Sat, so I'll be hitting the housing ads pretty hard. I've settled on getting a small house. It's a lot more expensive, but I've been living out of boxes for the last 6 yrs and really need to feel spread out. The rental cost difference between Belvidere and Rockford is amazing! I figure living in Belvidere would increase my drive time from about 15 mins to 1/2 hr, but even with the cost of gas it might be well worth it.

The last couple of nights I've spent with my friends Eric and Ang and their kids. Tonight, I took the kids (ages 6 and 4) shopping for the stuff to make chili dogs. We had a lot of fun.

The current Associate Pastor's last day for the church is Sunday. After that, I will be the only pastor there for a week until the Senior Pastor returns from the mission trip to Angola. This could make for a very interesting second week on the job.

As I sit here, I'm working on Eric's computer. I'm jealous of his really cool cordless mouse that is overly-decorated with fully functional and useful buttons. I must get one of these things. Also, I forgot how awesome ergonomic keyboards were. Now, I can't remember why mine isn't hooked up to my computer. Was it because I needed an adapter? Maybe limited desk space? I'll have to check when I get home.

Read More

The Word is In

I've got the position! I will be the New Interim Associate Pastor at Second Congregational. From what I understand, I will be filling some really big shoes, so it's a bit intimidating. I received notice yesterday and will start tomorrow. The plan is to be in the Rockford area early and begin looking for appts. Then, I will meet the current Associate Pastor in the afternoon.

Employment: here I come!

Elsewhere in life...

This weekend I went to see Christina. It was good to get away and relax. Since her 9-yr old son wasn't there, we talked about painting his bathroom as a surprise. The theme would be "pirates." On wall #1: a skeleton with a pirate hat by a palm tree on a desert isle (I would point out at this point that skeletons are hard for me to do). On wall #2: a pirate ship on the ocean. On wall #3: a treasure chest peeking out from behind the toilet (part of the fun for this one would be seeing how long it took him to notice it was there). After a bit of planning, we decided that it might take too long to get it all together. We didn't want to take any chances on me having to leave before it was done. So, we decided to put it off until later. (I still really want to do it, though.)

We also went to Alladin's Castle in the mall. I haven't been in one of those in years. She beat me in air hockey, and for the record I didn't let her win. Also for the record, she only won by one point so I intend to get a rematch.

And, we watched The Bourne Identity. Great movie, but was it ever hard to stay awake. I was exhausted! A long day plus a really big meal at the Olive Garden (compliments of her dad, who gave us cash to go celebrate my new job...thank you!!) about put me to sleep half way through.

The big finale: We bought a lottery ticket. It better hit big, because we have already figured out how we are going to split our respective halves.

Read More

For Those Who Didn't Already Know This...

...the only thing worse than moving is moving when you don't know whether you're actually moving. Boxes, boxes everywhere.

Tonight, I'm trying to get the group up to go to the labyrinth. So far, it has rained every time we've tried. Today, it looks dark, but if it isn't too bad, I'm still going (I don't know about the rest of 'em).

Aegis Studios is putting out their Contagion Anthology soon enough. The release should be around Halloween. I have a written piece in there. Come to think of it, I need to finish a pic for it. Shh...don't tell Travis I've been procrastinating.

Read More

Still Waiting

The word is that the results on the interview are still "inconclusive." It has been a bit of a strange drama thusfar, but I hope to hear something back in the next couple of days. But, the job still starts on Monday, so my appt is a wreck as it is filled with boxes.

Ugh!

Meanwhile, If I don't hear something by mid-afternoon, I'll be setting up another interview elsewhere. If the Rockford possibility doesn't come through, here's hoping that this new one will move quickly.

Yes, the employment roller coaster takes yet another sharp turn.

Read More

Stomach...Churning...

Okay, I'm nervous now. Oddly enough, when I went into the first meeting regarding this new call opportunity, I was barely nervous. Now, it's hitting pretty hard.

I went to Open Prarie NCD (UCC) in Princeton today for worship. Oddly enough, I've been there three times and have yet to hear the pastors preach. I hear they're awesome, but every day I've been there they've had a guest preacher.

Today, that was a real blessing. The college student (I believe her name is Dawn, but I forgot to bring home a bulletin) who preached gave a kick-ass sermon. I talked with her afterward about recording it and putting it on my Eclectic Podcasting Mass. I hope she decides to do that. I'd love to host it for her. It's her story, which is something that I think more people should hear.

Come to think of it, I should probably ask Open Prarie's pastors, Curran and Katie, if they would like me to host their sermons.

Well, I'm off to the big meeting.

Read More

The News

Tonight, the church called me regarding their open position and offered me the job. I very quickly said "yes," of course. The start date: Aug. 15th. That's pretty quick. Now, I have to find an appt that will rent month to month. The hiring is not yet official. The committee that presented the call to me is not the group that hires. I have to go before their Provincial Council for that. We will meet Sunday evening. But still, this is all quite the relief. Woo hooo!

MissionBound dropped in last night and left today. She had training in Chicago. Sounds like it was exhausting. It was good to see her again. Lots to catch up on. Way too much fun.

I cooked meat pie for us for lunch. The receipe:

~1 lb gr. beef
~1 standard can condensed tomato sauce
~1 standard can gr. beans
~1 sm. can mushrooms
~1 sm. can corn
~salt and pepper
~4 cheese instant potatoes
~1 egg
~shredded cheese

Cook beef, add tomato sauce, add beans and corn. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make mashed potatoes. When done, stir in egg (beaten), which will help the potatoes to keep their shape in the over.

Put meat, etc., into cassarole dish, and cover the meat with the potatoes. Then sprinkle cheese over the top.

Put in over (375) for about 40 minutes, until done (the cheese will start to brown slightly). Pull out carefully. It will be very, very hot for a long time.

Yum!

Read More

Fortune: "Happy News is on the Way"

That's what my fortune cookie said today. So, here's hoping.

Anyway, I did hear back about that job, but I haven't had time to post much here until now. They are now in the reference-check mode. When I applied, I put "references available upon request." I guess I wasn't thinking. I should have given them some names up front. I have good references, though, so this is a good thing.

Also, they needed a Statement of Faith. This is another thing typical of pastoral candidates. (Again, I should have got this to them earlier on.) I didn't send it with my ref's, because I wanted to look it over to see if I wanted to revise it. They were very cool with that. Funny thing is that I forgot that I sent it off to someone else earlier this year, so I had already touched it up. A couple of more final tweaks, and it was good to go.

So, now they should have everything. Hopefully, I will hear back from them mid-week. Till then, I'll just sweat it out some more.

This was a really good weekend. A friend of mine wanted me to come down and visit in the Springfield area. I had a decision to make: go to show off my art at the Ottawa River Days or go visit. I chose to go visit. It was a blast. I suspect her 9-year old had way too much fun shooting me...repeatedly...in an X-Box game called Timesplitters. That's an awesome game. I must remember never to get anything like that for my computer, lest I never get anything done ever again.

Alas, the result of being out of town was that I missed Battlestar Galactica. Now, I desparately have to find out when SciFi airs the rerun, or else I don't know how I will get through the week.

I didn't go to the Go/ue/rilla Art Thing today. I was intending to, but my nap lasted longer than intended. I hit the pillow some time after 1pm, closed my eyes, opened them again, and lo and behold it was 5pm. Yikes! It felt good though. Apparently, I really needed it.

Today was the last of my two-Sunday pulpit supply gig at the church down the road. That means that the second installment of the two-parter is finally done. I tried to put it together on Friday, but it just didn't come together. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday on it, and didn't really finish it until late last night. Of course, yaking constantly on the phone doesn't help time management any. (Hmm, maybe this has something to do with the long nap?) I should be able to get it up on my podcast soon. Tonight, though, I have phone calls out the wazoo to make, so I probably won't be able put it online until (maybe) late tonight or tomorrow.

Btw, I'm really excited about the stats that I'm getting on my podcast. It appears that I have somewhere between 11-20 subscribers. Unfortunately, I don't know whether I'm reading them right (which odds are good that I'm not.) So, if anyone out there has significant familiarity with the feedburner stats, please leave some suggestions for interpreting them.

Read More

Egad, It's Hot!

Since I've been working on getting the podcast up and running, I've largely neglected Eclectic Mass. So, I want to hit on a few highlight from the last couple of weeks.

Megalomaniac dropped in for a week. We went to see the The Fantastic Four. I liked it better than he did. The effects were great, except for the Thing. When you see creasing in the stone skin, the illusion that it isn't foam starts to fade.

I had an interview last Thursday. I don't want to say too much, but I think it went well. I won't hear anything until after mid-week. Till then, I'll just have to sweat it out.

Speaking of sweating, it's hotter than hell out there! It says that it's a whopping 89 degrees, but add all that humidity and you might as well be standing on the sun. Let's hope that thunder I've heard all day means something later.

After my interview, I dropped in on a couple of friends. Their children hung on my, which was fun. They're just adorable. While there, we watched Catwoman. The movie was good, but the CGI looked too "fake." I don't know, maybe it was too crisp or something.

Since I've been working again on Nutshell Christianity I've remembered why I stopped. Writing about evil is hard. Really hard. And then putting it on paper in such a way that it is concise and easy to "get" is even harder. Part of my problem is my growing impatience. I want it done, and I want it done now. I need to relax, not think about self-imposed schedules, and let it flow. I need to take the time to do it right.

Today I was reading an article in The Myth of Christian Uniqueness (eds. John Hick and Paul Knitter). I was supposed to have read it all during seminary. Apparently I didn't, because I just discovered a wonderful text by Japanese theologian Seiichi Yagi. A great quote: "For all human beings are so constituted, in their very natures, that the divine and the human are at the same time one and two. It is just that most persons have not yet awakened to this reality." (p. 122-23) Now, time for me to go away and finish reading the article.

Read More

Getting Back in the Saddle

Now that I've got some time on my hands, I need to get back to work on Nutshell Christianity. It has been about 4 mo's since I last worked on it, and it's high time I got back in the saddle.

This is what I said about it back in March:

It doesn't exist yet. I've been working on it in my spare time. It's an intro book to Christianity as a religious option in America. The BIG plan is to turn it into a supplement book for a video series. It would be a way to present a Christian alternative to both those already in the pews and to those who are on the outside of the church. It is all about a Christian option for postmoderns who are both experiential and thinking people.

Since then, I have a basic outline:
1. What is Christianity?
2. Christianity's Origins
3. Christianity's Central Symbols and Beliefs
4. Christianity's Aim
5. Being/Becoming Christian
6. The Problem of Evil

And possibly...
7. Major Issues in Christianity Today

The title is a working title. I will still need something better. Maybe, A Christian Alternative, or Christian Evolution. Not sure yet. What I do know is that I have a lot of work to do.

Read More

I'm Listed

The podcast is now in real live directories. (However, it may take a while for them to appear there.)

~~Digitalpodcast.com
~~itunes

Unfortunately, itunes looks pretty cool. The plan is not to buy anything from them until I get the income to justify it. Once I start buying, things will probably go downhill from there.

I was looking at the audio books, and then realized how difficult it is for me to sit thorugh them. A few years ago, I tried to listen to one that a friend loaned me. It was really interesting. However, I kept spacing out. That meant rewinding. That meant more spacing and rewinding. Maybe audio books are wasted on me unless I'm in the car.

Read More

The Podcast is Ready

The podcast is now fully functioning. If you go over there, you will see that I have a reflection and 3 sermons. That should be enough to start with.

Isn't the animated gif neat? Unfortunately, I can't put it in my sidebars because it is too big. The only size it works at is too small to read, which of course defeats the purpose. So, this is probably the last you'll see it unless I can find a way to use it.

For those who don't have an aggregator yet, I use Doppler Radio.

For those who do have an aggregator, hurry up and subscribe! The feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/eclecticpodcastingmass.

Please either post comments on the podcast page or send e-mails to vmcguffee@yahoo.com.

Read More

Podcast Update...and Much, Much More!

Some time in the near future, my podcast location will be moving. I am using podblaze as a temporary trial run until I can get the real deal up and running. Tim has been talking with me about what I will need to set it all up. Here's hoping it goes smoothly.

Interestingly, when I was talking with him, he said he only had one show listed. Actually, there are two. I suspect that because podblaze only allows 15MB, the second one will not show up. So, to find it, people will have to go to the podblaze site...at least until I get the new one up.

I have pulpit supply set up for the next two Sundays. Hooray! And they're right down the road in Waltham Presbyterian Church. I was there for a Presbytery meeting a few months ago. They have this HUGE window behind the pulpit that allow everybody to see the corn in the background. Perhaps that's something only a midwesterner can truly appreciate.

I've finished the first draft of a short story that I'm turning into Travis of Aegis Studios. It will be a horror anthology set in the Contagion universe.

I had a friend over last week, so I didn't get to go to the Gorilla Art Thing yesterday. I heard it was hot. Very hot. Tim said he is going to start bringing drinks in mass quantities. So far, the forums are pretty dead, but we need to get people there first before we really start focusing on the forums. (However, if there are any artists out there who want to display their work with us, go right ahead. I'd love to see it and check them regularly since it is an admin requirment.) I'm toying with putting things on there myself.

Anyway, as I was saying about my friend who visited (Megalomaniac), he stayed for about a week. It was a really good week. We had talked about the idea of a "graphic novel." (This is what "Master of Shadows" posted earlier was about.) My experience with graphic novels is that they are kind of like big comic books design-wise. He was talking about full-page pics on one side with text (bubbles/boxes?) on the other. Apparently, they used to do this with Conan graphic novels. Sounds like fun. And a LOT less work for the artist, while also allowing for higher quality art.

Read More

Keys to Power

A while back I picked up a book entitled The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. It's a great book, and I'm now only rediscovering it. Basically, it is his answer to the question, "how do I acquire power?" Greene uses historical illustrations to convey the spirit of the law. He's quite witty too.

Each chapter begins with a "judgment." Here's my fav, cause I think it's funny:

Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timit.

See how funny that is? Okay, well maybe I'm the only one that will bust a gut at that one.

How about this then:

Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attnetion by appearing larger, more colorful, mor mysterious than the bland and timid.

Well, not so funny, but I like it.

So there you have it, two of the 48 Laws of Power. Use them wisely and you too can subtly take over your own little hamlet in rural America without anybody noticing.

Read More

Medium: Charcoal

Title: Niedius, Master of Shadows
Charcoal is something that I haven't touched in over 15 years. It was fun back then, but messy. And since I like to draw inside, messy is a bit of a concern. It's a character for an idea for a graphic novel. I'm trying to figure out how to do quality b/w for comics. This pic was done with charcoal, but touched up in on the computer. So far, they see to work well together. I definitely want to use charcoal more.

The inspiration for the look came from the movie King Arthur. It wasn't a great movie by far, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I really appreciated their trying to make it more "historical" as opposed to "romantic." But you can't keep from coming to a movie like that without certain expectations, and when they're not met the overall evaluation is naturally less positive.

Read More

I'm a Podcasting Maniac Too!

Why would I want to podcast sermons, you ask? Well, it's pretty simple really...

I like writing sermons.
I like my computer.
I like being everywhere at once.

It's not like you all couldn't see this coming eventually.

Check out the Eclectic Podcasting Mass. Right now there's only one entry, but give me time.

Edit: Okay, I just discovered the downside of podblaze. They only allow 15MB of storage for free. That means that I can only have one or two sermons available at a time until I break down and buy space. Mind you, I will not be working with podblaze. They are very expensive.

Read More

How Incredibly Disappointing

Today was (and yesterday and tomorrow) was Utica Days. I was invited to be in the art tent, which was flattering because they did have a bit of "quality control." But, did it ever suck.

First, the art tent was supposed to be on a main street where all the action was. However, that meant closing off the highway, which meant getting permission from the state first. But, someone apparently forgot to apply for the permission, which meant not being able to close off the highway, which meant that we were a couple of blocks out of the way. Most people didn't even know that we existed.

Second, they expected to have 20,000 people attending. Where they got that number I'll never know. There weren't very many people out our way, and some artists who had gone up to the main area said that it wasn't overly populated either. Let me put it this way: I went away for lunch, and when I came back I pulled right into a parking spot. Utica's pretty small. It was a very low turnout.

On the bright side, they did refund the fees that we paid to set up. So the only cost was time and getting there. Since I've only sold 2 mugs so far, that pretty much still puts me in the hole. If I'm in the area next year, there is no way I will pay $50 for two days (which is an outrageous price anyway). I might consider $10/day, but certainly not any higher.

Two good things happened.

One, I met another portrait artist. He's better than I am, and he gave me some suggestions on pricing. That really helped. I told him about deviantArt. He really should get on there and get prints set to sell.

And two, I've been invited to participate in the art show for the Ottawa River Fest on 29-30 July. It sounds like that will be a better situation.

I guess that means that the day wasn't a total wash.

Read More

To Podcast or Not to Podcast...

Yesterday, MissionBound and I went to the birthday party for "ssg". Quite the bash, I assure you. It was good to see my friends there as well as several new faces. (How was I supposed to know that "ssg" had a sister. Well, if he will not turn to the darkside, then perhaps she will!)

Anyway, while there, I was talking with InvaderTim and discussed the idea of me doing a podcast of my own. (FYI: He was in the Rockford Register Star. Go look it up people. But be forewarned, he did not say that podcasting was "all things.") I was thinking about putting sermons out there. He told me he would help me get me off the ground, which hopefully wouldn't be toooooo hard.

So, even though I am now not in a church, I might be doing weekly (or bi-weekly?) sermons. I'm considering it. I'm even recording a couple to see how they sound. We have yet to see the extend to which I'll go down this path. Regardless, I want to find out more about this whole podcasting thing.

Read More

An Interview with Your's Truly

The most recent installment of Tim's Podcast is out. It starts with an interview with none other than me. Get over there and listen to that thing.

Which leads me to a little story. When I went to Tim's podcast page, I also checked out his Podcast Extras page. As I was reading, I noticed that he misspelled "ecclectic" wrong, not once but twice. Silly boy spelled it with only one "c". Then I thought about it and...wait a minute...I'm the one who's been misspelling it! Egad! I don't even know how to spell the title of my own site!

Okay, so spelling isn't my greatest strength. Now, the question is: Do I correct it or leave it? That means redoing the whole logo. That means people changing their bookmarks. That means me going through and changing links on other pages. I may just leave it. (Besides, it looks better with two "c"s.)

Maybe I should set up a poll: How many think I should change it after all this time? Or, maybe not since that, too, would be more work.

Read More

B/W Rendering

I wanted to practice black and white rendering on the computer. The sketch took about 1/2 hour. The redrawing and filling with 50% gray took about an hour. And the dodge and burn took about an hour. That totals a little over 2-1/2 hours. The original intent was a 4x2" comic panel.

I think the biggest time consumer is the redrawing. This has given me even more incentive geta drawing tablet (or whatever the hell they're actually called). Then, I could use a stylus rather than a mouse. That would be soooo nice.

My thoughts on the pic: I'm not happy with it. It looks too much like a chalk drawing. I like the look of chalk drawings, mind you, but not when I'm trying for something else. This is not the look I had in mind. I tried the watercolor filter, and then remembered how fake that thing looks. I may need to find an entirely different approach.

I've saved the basic gray pic to play with. You may see this pop up differently rendered in a later post.

And an important note: On Wednesday, 6 July 2005, the Sci-Fi channel will host a Battlestar Galactica marathon. That means every episode of the new series for 12 staight hours starting at 9:00 am. I know what I'm doing on that day.

Read More

Blues Traveller...Here?

Yes, you heard right. Blues Traveller will be in Peru, IL at Lou's LaGrotto Pizza House on August 6th. It's there 30th anniversary and they want to celebrate big. Tickets are $5 (which goes to charity, but I can't remember which one).

Who'd have thought that anyone that big would come to this area?

Read More

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm officially 36 years of age. Yes, boys and girls, that means that I am now closer to 40 than 30. Not that I feel it or demonstrate it in my behavior, mind you.

So, "How did your birthday go?" you may be wondering.

Well, I'm glad you asked. It was an emotional roller coaster. At the church, we had a congregational meeting to discuss the future of the church. (Unfortunatly, this was the only day we had available to do this.) At this meeting, session members presented our situation to the congregation. Then they presented the recommendation that we vote to close, with the last day being Reformation Sunday (last Sunday in October). This allows for four months of celebrating the congregation's heritage as well as grieving its loss.

It was a very difficult meeting for me. I've thoroughly enjoyed being a pastor to these wonderful people. I'm sure I'll see them here and there, but it won't be the same.

Enter, MissionBound to the rescue. She is in the area for a couple of weeks, so she took me to see Batman Begins. I really enjoyed this movie. And my favorite line: "It's not what is within, but what you do that defines you." Three cheers for postmodern psychology! Rah Rah Rah! (I should write more, but I'll leave it to that for now.)

Anyway, I felt much better after the movie and a couple of beers. Today is the final day here as Student Pastor. What's next is still up in the air. Hopefully, we will find out soon.

Read More

Sweet Stick People

A friend of mine sent me this. I was tremendously amused.

I've scanned in my pic that I drew at the Gorilla Art Thing. I'm not posting it here though. To see it, you have to go to the forums and check out the "Visuals."

We have another user on the forums, who is way out of the area. I think we need a e-mailing list so we can send out invites. I'm thinking send out a few, and have those few send out to those they think might be interested, and so on. That's going to have to be the way this thing picks up: word of mouth.

Read More

Boomer: W.I.P. #1

Title: Boomer: W.I.P. #1
In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge fan of the new Battlestar Galactica series. I decided to practice my drawing skills on a bit of fan art.

I saw someone do a few "work in progress" series. It was great getting to see how the artist's picture developed. So, I thought I'd do the same.

Time investment so far: 2 hrs. As you can see, I'm not very far into it. The final will be about twice as tall.

Read More

Sunday

Sunday was an emotionally confusing day for me. The first part was really hard: my last Sunday in th pulpit in Ladd. On Wednesday (my birthday nonetheless) we will have a congregational meeting to determine the direction of the small country church. The options are severely limited. Thursday is my last day here. Then...who knows. Maybe I will have a minor part time position in a church with pizza delivery on the side until I can get something. Maybe I will do only pizza delivery. We'll see.

On the bright side, after a nap I went up to the Guerilla Art Thing in Rockford. That was a lot of fun. We had a couple of new people. Very cool. Travis Legge from Aegis Studios dropped in for a while. (Artsy-type FYI: I think Aegis is looking for artists, so check out the website and contact them.)

Afterward, I dropped off a mug to a friend of mine, and spent some time with InvaderTim. Didn't get out of Rockford until late.

So, the plan was to have the A-C fixed today. Turns out that they thought the problem was "X", but it turned out to be "Y". Meanwhile, I'm cooking in here. Actually, I'm more worried about my computer than myself. I can always hop in the tub to cool down if need be; the computer...not such a good idea.

Reminder: We now have the Gorilla Art Thing Forums up and running. So far, it's only myself (Acumenical Goliard) and timmy on there. We're trying to get every artist in Rockford to sign up (they just don't know it yet...which would be the temporary speed bump). It doesn't matter how good or...well...not so good you are, use the space to showcase your work and to connect with other artists.

Hmmm... Maybe flyers.

Read More

"Gorilla" or "Guerilla"?

Last night I spent a bit of time putting together forums for the Gorilla Art Thing. Sure, I know that it's supposed to be "guerilla," but I was putting them together and liked "gorilla" at that moment. Ergo, the name.

Why? Well, I was looking at different free forums sites and wanted to put something together, but didn't know what to go with. Then I thought that they would really help with the gorilla gig.

It really didn't take very long. They have several skins to chose from. After picking a few (and yes, members have a choice of which one they use), it was just a matter of throwing in a few categories and boards. Voilla! Ready-made virtual community.

Now all I have to do is find out whether this is something they want. If not, I'll just delete them (no biggie). For me, I got what I wanted: a bit of experience setting up forums. Now, I am thinking of redesigning and customizing a skin.

The only downfall with these things is the banner ads. They stay until you pay. I don't feel like pumping $4 a month into cleaning up the board yet. Maybe in the future when I get more settled financially.

Read More

We Were Outside

Tonight, we had our Historical Jesus DVD Discussion Group meeting at the Common Grounds BookCafe in Utica (they are no longer in LaSalle). We decided to take the TV outside and watched it in the garden area. That was awesome. It was a great discussion, too. Admittedly it was more geared toward "spirituality" than "historical Jesus," but great nonetheless.

Okay all, don't forget...


Poster by InvaderTim
Next Sunday, outside the Octane in Rockford, IL. Bring your gear. Let's get it on...the page that is.

Also, I mentioned "ssg" in a previous post. However, I thought it best if I showed a photo of him (which I stole from InvaderTim) sitting with InvaderTim(who now has a podcast. Go vote for him here, here, and here now).


Photo not by InvaderTim,
which should be obvious
since he is in the pic.
I hope that helps.

Read More

Moving Down the Page

When I put together "Daddy's Home" I had a page layout in mind. I'm continuing with it. This leaves only two more panels to go. One is already sketched. The other, which is more complicated, is still blank.

Since I'm keeping track of time...

The sketch of the remaining panels (minus the one yet to be done) is 1 hour. Each of these panel colorings took short of 2 hours each. That means the 6 (for the first pic) +1 (for the sketch) +4 (for the renderings)= 11 hours so far. My guess is that I will need another 5 hours till finished. That will be a whopping 16 hours to complete the entire page. If that holds, then working full time, I can finish a page every two days.

Since a comic typically has a penciler and a colorer, I don't know whether that is a good speed or not.

Read More

Going Ape at the Guerilla Art Gig

Title: "Daddy's Home"
Sunday evening was the Guerilla Art Gig (G.A.G.) in Rockford, IL. I already knew InvaderTim and "ssg". New to me were Jesus (the one who called us all together), Marika, and Brandon. We did more talking than anything. InvaderTim should have the podcast up soon enough. (I hope I didn't say anything too embarassing.)

I was torn between whether I should draw a tree or work on comic book art. I chose the latter. I sketched the above pic out while I was there, and brought it home to finish it. It would be approximately a 6x3 panel (about a third of a comic page). That thing took two hours to sketch and four hours on the computer. Crimeney, Danger Mouse! I'm definitely not happy with the time involvement on this one.

I think I've figured out one of my major problems. Even though I knew it would only be a 6x3 product, I worked in detail as if it were one of my normally sized works. There's a point at which detail isn't detail anymore, and the big learning curve is going to be in that area.

The coloring took about 3 hours, and was the most fun. I'm really enjoying this whole taking a half-assed sketch and rendering it into something pretty cool. It's amazing what a difference the colors make.

Anyway, back to the G.A.G.

They are planning on meeting every week...at least for a while. So, if anyone is interested, just bring your art supplies on Sundays around 1:00 pm-ish and join it. We don't bite...honest. (Can't vouch for the plastic sock monkeys though.)

Read More

FPC-Ladd

The First Presbyterian Church
of Ladd, IL
This is the church that I'm currently serving as Student Pastor. Since I will be leaving at the end of the month, I wanted to give each of them a drawing of the building as my parting gift to them. Many parishioners have given me things that they made, and I wanted to give them something that I made.

It also served as good practice.

About 20 minutes ago I noticed how late it was. Normally, this would not be a big deal, but tomorrow I'm going to Rockford for an artist gathering. I'll definitely need a nap before I hop in the car.

I wonder how many are actually going to show up since it is after all Father's Day. I will be very annoyed if I show drive all that way and nobody shows up.

Read More

A Change of Pace

Title: Who's Got Your Back?

Tonight I decided to try something a bit different: comic book art. Thanks to my buddy Tim, I have a few new techniques that helped a lot. (Dodge and burn, baby! Dodge and burn!)

For those who think comic book art is a breeze, think again. This simple picture took me 3-1/2 hours. That's about 1-1/2 hours more than I expected. And this is only one picture. Typically, a comic page has from 4-7 panels (that are smaller, yes, but usually more complicated. And, a comic artist is expected to complete a page a day...every day. That's a lot more than I'm capable of.

So, I'm happy with it. Maybe, I'll play with this style a little more. Who knows, maybe I'll even put out my own comic book some day.

And don't forget: this Sunday is the guerilla art gathering (G.A.G.??) by the Octane in Rockford @ 1:00 p.m.

Read More

My Home Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rockford, IL:
"Embracing Dynamic Traditions for a New World"

The time investment on this one was about 5 hours drawing time, and 3-1/2 hours computer work.

Someone has recently encouraged me to draw buildings and try to market the pictures. Well, I wanted interesting architecture to start with, so I drew my home church. The text is their new vision statement. (And a pretty cool one if you ask me.) They are in the process of erecting a new building closer to the interstate, which means that this beautiful building will eventually be sold. That made me think...might the parishioners want mementos?

Here's the plan: merchendise for a fund-raiser. Maybe done by the youth group. Maybe for another cause. Anyway, I create the wares and get a cut, but the rest of the profit goes to "the cause" (whatever that happens to be, I would suggest Rockford Urban Ministries if I had a say). Moreover, this gets the vision into the houses of the parishioners (maybe even on their morning coffee mugs), which is always helpful for leadership purposes.

Trying to sell this one is going to be a test case. (They are as of yet unawares of my wares.) I wonder whether there will be any other churches out there who might be interested as well. Maybe my friend Mike's church, Second Congregational in Rockford, IL. (And check out the sermons there. Mike and Shannon are really good.)

Here's hoping I have something here.

Read More

Do Not Disturb...Especially if You are a Wasp

Title: Do Not Disturb
This has been in the works for a couple of weeks now. It feels good to have it done. I confess to having rushed the final stretch, but the drawing itself took around 10 hours. Much longer than I wanted to spend on it. Nevertheless, I'm pleased with the outcome. (I'll turn the pic into a link as soon as I get it into my deviantArt gallery. It's a link now!)

Related to that, I want to announce that there is a guerilla art gathering on Sunday, 19 June, just outside the Octane in Rockford, IL. (Yes, that's Father's Day, and don't ask me what they were thinking.) It starts at noon 1:00 p.m. and will continue for quite some time. I'll be late, of course, since I have about 1-1/2 hour drive to get there after our church service finishes around 10am. But I do want to try to make it. The plan is to bring your gear and put it to work in the open air. It ought to be quite fun.

And now, for a rant: Last night there was a wasp in my appartment. (That would be a real flying wasp, not a W.A.S.P. like myself, though I was also in my appartment, which complicated things.) For the record, I do not work and play well with life-threatening creatures. As far as I'm concerned, wasps, bees, hornets, mosquitos, ants, alligators, octopi, and any other creepy-crawling thing fits into that category. In hopes that I might be able to find a more subtle way to slay this wretched thing other than direct violence (which could backfire), I used the appropriate channels: I called mom.

She told me to put out a jar of sugar-water. Then, once it was inside filling its belly, put the lid on and let it die. That fit really well with the old Scrooge McDuck addage, "Work smarter, not harder." She also said I should put on sandals just in case I stepped on it. Ick! So I filled a jar with sugar-water and put on sandals. But the evil being was nowhere to be found.

Finally, I decided to brave the computer once again. Perhaps, if I didn't bother it, it would not suspect that I was plotting its demise as I worked.

The plan did not work as intended.

The wasp never went into the jar with the sugar-water. Instead, as I was working, I apparently accidentally stepped on it with my sandal. Once I realized what had happened (which wasn't immediately), I promptly ground it into the first floor of the appartment building.

See, boys and girls, it just goes to show that a little motherly advice can go a long way...especially for those of us who do not do unnecessary pain and suffering.

Read More

Just a Thought

I was thinking a bit today about the struggles facing today's churches. The little congregation that I'm serving right now is facing some serious difficulties. We are not alone in that. All over the U.S., small rural churches are confused about what to do.

Repeatedly, I come back to wrestling with the same difficulties when it comes to church life. The mainline church has effectively disconnected from the world in which it dwells. If Len Sweet's analysis in Soul Tsunami was correct a few years ago, then the current average age of the Presbyterian Church (USA) should be around 70 years old. And the church's regular pattern serves well for the senior citizen group. But when people throw up their hands and wonder "why aren't we growing," well, maybe it is because the church'es regular pattern serves well for the senior citizen group.

In no way should this be seen as being disrespectful for senior citizen spirituality, as if it is any less "valid" than young adult spirituality. But it is to say that the mainline has a problem adapting to much else. And where there is an unwillingness to adapt, then there will be a declining denomination. They kind of go together.

The church is like a boat being carried by the river of time. If you want your boat to work as it was meant to, then you actually have to pick it up and put it in the water.

The world has changed. To paraphrase Len Sweet, the bottom line is simple: change or die. If we truly value the possibility of making a difference in this world as distinct Christian communities, then we'd better figure out what we need to do to reconnect with the world in which we live...and soon.

Read More

Could It Be? ... No Rain?

Every other Thursday, a group of us meet at the Common Grounds BookCafe to watch the DVD series "The Historical Jesus" and to discuss. On the off-Thursdays, I would like to get a group up to go to the labyrinth at Pilgrim Park (by Princeton, IL).

The labyrinth is a spiritual walk path. (To read about the Grace Cathedral labyrinth, click here.) It's not a hedge maze or a corn maze. It's a series of rocks on the ground in a patter that one walks. The walking time is spent in prayer and meditation. The one at Pilgrim Park is outside. This has been the problem.

The last two (or three?) off-Thursdays have been rain laiden. It's one thing to go out to the labyrinth and remember one's baptism. It is another to go out there and be drowned by waters flooding unrestrainably from the sky. Bummer.

Today, however, looks like it's going to hold out with acceptable weather. I should perhaps add a "maybe" in there somewhere, because it is getting a bit cooler out ther...and slightly darker. If it rains, formal complaints will promptly be filed, and the follow-up may include a sit-in protest...provided it doesn't rain.

EDIT: Yet again, we did not go. "Why?" you ask. Well, two reasons. First, it looked like rain. No, it didn't rain, but I thought it was going to. Second (and more importantly), I remembered at 5pm that if I wanted to use the labyrinth at Pilgrim Park, they want a bit of forewarning. This allows them to reserve it for people paying to go on retreat there if necessary, and lets the groundskeepers know that we don't bite. Maybe next time I'll remember this important bit of info before 3pm.

Read More

Sojo Mail

I received this today in my in my in-box. It's from Sojourner's magazine. Jim Wallis is the author of the recent God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It.

***************
"Bush's Calvin College Surprise"
by Jim Wallis

As I've traveled the country this spring - 82 events, 48 cities, and hundreds of media interviews since January - I've witnessed a new movement of moderate and progressive religious voices challenging the monologue of the Religious Right.

An extremely narrow and aggressively partisan expression of right-wing Republican religion has controlled the debate on faith and politics in the public square for years. But that is no longer true.

At packed book events around the country these days, I often make an announcement that elicits a tumultuous response: "The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has begun!" Smiles light up the faces of thousands of people as they break out in thunderous applause.

That new dialogue was visible recently at Calvin College. Karl Rove, seeking a friendly venue for a commencement speech in Michigan, approached Calvin and offered President Bush as the speaker. The college, which had already invited Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale to deliver the speech, hastily disinvited him and welcomed the president. But the White House apparently was not counting on the reaction of students and faculty. Rove expected the evangelical Christian college in the dependable "red" area of western Michigan to be a safe place. He was wrong.

The day the president was to speak, an ad featuring a letter signed by one-third of Calvin's faculty and staff ran in The Grand Rapids Press. Noting that "we seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere," the letter said that "we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."

The letter asserted that administration policies have "launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," "taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor, " "harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment," and "fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees." It concluded: "Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy...." One faculty member told a reporter, "We are not Lynchburg. We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."

On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.

The events at Calvin, along with the growing crowds at our events around the country, are visible signs that the Religious Right does not speak for all Christians, even all evangelical Christians. What I hear, from one end of this country to the other, is how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith. The students and faculty at Calvin College are the most recent sign of that hunger.

Read More

Revenge of the Sith

I just got in from seeing this with MissionBound and Scott. I really liked it. As someone noted, it was better than the first two. Personally, I'm satisfied with it as the grand finale. Admittedly, seveal scenes were hokey (and I mean really hokey), even to the point of being unredeemable. But overall it worked.

Something I definitely want to point out, however, is what I uncovered when searching for a pic to post here. During the google search, I came across this. Admittedly I didn't do an extensive search, but from what I've seen, this guy has the best posterwork out there for the movie. Check it out.

Read More

I Had a Dream...

...and it went something like this. Somehow, through an on-line web board, I got connected with this young lass. We started talking about seeing each other, and she was getting ready to take a short trip to New Orleans. She said she would like to meet with me on the weekends. I said "Sure, where would you like to meet?" She said, "How about Boulder, CO?" Stunned, I said, "Boulder? Where do you live?" She said "Toronto." This did not help my confusion since Boulder is not on the way from Toronto to New Orleans, but I chalked it up to being a dream and geography being out of whack (yes, I think things like that in my dreams).

I mention that Boulder is kind of far. She says it's only about 12-14 hours away from me. I thought "'only'?"

Anyway, after a bit of discussion, she decided to drop by on her way through to New Orleans. She arrived, we talked for a few minutes. It turns out she's 23 years old, a bit young for me. We discussed how 12-14 hours is quite a long way, and decide not to take a relationship anywhere. Morever, it turns out that my mom does not like her. Not one bit. (Which is odd, because my mom tries to like everybody.) Then the wee lass leaves to N'awlins.

I hop on-line and meet someone else, by accident (which is much like the first time). I find myself going down the same basic path. I don't continue that on-line conversation, and instead find myself thinking, "Toronto really isn't that far."

So, everyone, any dream analysts there? I'm sure there's plenty in there to have fun with.

Read More

My First Portrait

I'm starting to see a theme here. My blog is turning into an art show. I hope that doesn't bore everyone to death. But it's my blog and I'll post what I want to...post what I want to... (Can't you just hear the music in the background?)

Anyway, this is the first portrait that I've done. It didn't turn out too bad. And, it was a lot of fun to do.

When I went into Valley Photo, I asked, "How much is it to get a portrait done?" The clerk responded, "Well, here's our photo packages..." I interrupted, "No, I mean a portrait done in pencil." With the deer in headlights look, he said, "I don't know of anyone who does that in this area. I wouldn't even know where to point you." Admittedly, not the info I was seeking, but it certainly has an up-side to it.

I've decided to go into the portrait biz.

Read More

Elves Rock!

Ever since I saw an ancient movie entitled Hawk: The Slayer, I have loved elves. So when it comes to fantasy illustrations, they're my favorite subject.

It has been a long time since I tried to draw something from the fantasy (as opposed to sci-fi or horror) genre. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, the last fantasy drawing I did was in 1998. (*Gasp* Has it really been 7 years? Surely, I'm forgetting something I did in the gap.) So, I did the above pic tonight.

Funny thing. After I finished the figure in the tree, I stepped back and realized that I had drawn a similar picture when I was in High School. Talk about deja vu.

Time invested: about 3 hours. Working straight from my imagination takes a bit longer than working with a reference. So, I think I'm speeding up a bit.

Read More

Welcome to "TeamSpeak"

A friend of mine just introduced me to "TeamSpeak." So far, very cool. Basically, it allows you to talk through your computer mic and speakers. You connect with people through a server, so it's great for mass communication. (The link for the free download: the TeamSpeak site)

The problem is that there is a bit of lag time. And if someone speaks while others are speaking, then nothing happens. On the bright side, whenever someone begins to speak, a light turns green so people know when to shut up.

I like it. And since a particular friend of mine is often on-line, it makes it easier to catch up with him than by phone.

Read More

A New Perspective on Anger

Recently, I picked up Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. I can't recommend it enough. This book is self-billed as "a course in discovering and recovering your creative self." Of course, there are those who would argue that I don't need something like this, but I have found it quite useful.

There are many wise things shared in its pages. Something of special note is Cameron's perspective on anger. She writes,

Anger is meant to be listened to. Anger is a voice, a shout, a plea, a demand. Anger is meant to be respected. Why? Because anger is a map. Anger shows us what our boundaries are. Anger shows us where we want to go. It lets us see where we've been and lets us know when we haven't liked it. Anger points the way, not just the finger. In the recovery of a blocked artist, anger is a sign of health.

Anger is meant to be acted upon. It is not meant to be acted out. Anger points the direction. We are meant to use anger as fuel to take the actions we need to move where our anger points us. With a little thought, we can usually translate the message that our anger is sending us. (pp. 61-62)

I like her understanding of anger as a tool for healthy growth. I like the idea that anger points not only what we "don't" like, but it also reveals that for which we long and yet feel denied. Too often we think of acting as a result of anger as a "bad" thing. It's nice to think of it as a possible springboard into something good.

Certainly something to think about.

Read More

It's Blog-Worthy

Yesterday I received great news. My friend Won is doing a new church development in Dekalb, IL, currently called Emmaus Road. The grant that he requested to fund this has just passed through the last hoop: General Assembly.

Won is doing great work up there. He is not using a "traditional" church model, but an "organic" one. Neat stuff. Look for the web page soon. When it appears, I'll put a link to it somewhere in the left sidebar.

Read More

From a Forward

Personal favorite is #36...
***************
Things You'd Love to Say Out Loud at Work
1. I can see your point, but I still think you're full of *&^# .
2. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
3. How about never? Is never good for you?
4. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
5. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way.
6. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter.
7. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.
8. I don't work here. I'm a consultant.
9. It sounds like English, but I can't understand a damn word you're saying.
10. Ahhh. I see the screw-up fairy has visited us again..
11. I like you. You remind me of myself when I was young and stupid.
12. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.
13. I have plenty of talent and vision; I just don't give a damn.
14. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
15. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
16. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
17. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.
18. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
19. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!
20. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
21. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off.
22. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
23. And your crybaby whiny-assed opinion would be...?
24. Do I look like a people person?
25. This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting.
26. I started out with nothing & still have most of it left
27. Sarcasm is just one more service ! we offer.
28. If I throw a stick, will you leave?
29. Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
30. Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.
31. I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.
32. A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.
33. Can I trade this job for what's behind door #1?
34. Too many freaks, not enough circuses.
35. Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?
36. Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done.
37. How do I set a laser printer to stun?
38. I thought I wanted a career; turns out I just wanted a salary.
39. Who lit the fuse on your tampon?
40. Oh I get it ... like humor... but different.

Read More

Angel at the Foot of Heaven

Title: Angel at the Foot of Heaven
This is my most recent work. I just submitted it to deviantART for approval. Soon, it should be displayed properly in my on-line art gallery.

This took me about 7 1/2 hours drawing time (spread out over 3 days), and 2-3 hours of digitizing. Yet again, I had to piece together scanned images, but it was a lot easier this time.

As I step back from the original, I am quite pleased. But I am concerned that something was lost in the digitization (is that a real word?) process. It looks very choppy on my screen. I'll just have to see how the prints turn out.

Today's big news: I made my first sale! Six (count them: six) mugs. Someone had family coming in for the weekend and wanted to give them gifts. By chance I showed up at the right time with a couple of my wares. The next thing I knew, I was cleaned out of mugs. (Okay, I actually have one left.) Woo hoo!

I'm considering doing a "Beauty in the Garden" series. This is a follow up on "A Lass! A Beautiful Lass" and "Angel at the Foot of Heaven" (above). The series will be drawings of people in cemeteries. Thusfar, I've enjoyed working with that theme.

Read More

Response to a Question Regarding My Thoughts on "Hell" and Metaphorical Language

First thing is first: Does anybody know what code I need to add a bit of space around in-line pics? As you can see, my text hugs my graphic. I find it very annoying, but I don't know what to do about it.

Now, on to business.

I was going through old computer files and came across something of interest. Quite some time ago on XianGoth.Net, I mentioned that we needed to retain the concept of "hell," but we need to do so while keeping in mind that all language is metaphoircal. Then someone asked me, "would it be possible to draw out what you mean by 'metaphoric' as opposed to tangible, expressed anger?"

Since I haven't posted anything all that thought provoking recently, here is my response:

First of all, I want to talk about metaphorical language. Human beings must understand God through their own lens of the human condition. Therefore, certain language that is “supra” human (with regards to what is considered to be “virtuous”) becomes the norm for God.

Some examples: Humans experience love, so God is Absolute Love. Human beings are finite, so God is infinite. Human beings have a certain about of potential in their lives, so God is omnipotent.

Metaphorical language helps us to identify with God. Hence, some people are possessive over certain descriptors. Many say they cannot worship a God who is not a “He.” Others say they cannot worship a God who is not a “She.” From what I’ve encountered, the reason for such terms is not a desire to keep other people from connecting with God, but rather a desire to keep people from taking away from them how they identify with God. (So, in that sense, it is an interpretive grid through which we understand and relate to God.)

Metaphorical language also allows us to speak about our understanding of who (or what) God is, and how God relates to our world. By using language that refers to human emotion, we are saying that God is not “disconnected” from what happens in our world. We are saying that God does “care,” or that God has an “interest” in human/creaturely affairs. By saying that God is emotively involved in our world, is to say that God is relational (as opposed to aloof). To say that humanity is meant to be created in the image of God is to say that truth (the measuring stick for that which is just) is relational to the activity of God. To say that we encounter God in the person and work of Jesus Christ is to say that justice /the way of God is encountered through compassionate relationships (as opposed to dogmatics) that mirror those found in his life. Those relationships that do not measure up to what we se in Jesus of Nazareth are then identified as “unjust,” or “sin.” (So, in that sense, it is a projective vision of what our world can or should be like.)

This brings us to the “anger” of God. Let me first state that I do not ascribe to an understanding of the atonement that says that Jesus Christ’s life-blood was drained by God in order to sat the vengeful thirst of an angry God. I believe that such an assertion flies in the face of orthodoxy as established in the council of Nicaea (perhaps another topic). I want to look at the anger of God another way, using human relationships as our lens to articulate that which is ultimately impossible to articulate.

A bit over a year ago, I watched a news blurb about the escalating problem in the Palestine. As the newscaster talked, the accompanying footage was that of a five-year old little girl learning how to use a gas mask. I felt sick in my soul. It was a reminder for me that “justice” always has a name, and that name is the name of all those individuals who suffer the whims of the powerful in their own persons. How does a parent respond to those who would mercilessly slaughter his or her child? Does not that child’s name become the name of justice?

Also, I used to work at a rescue mission as a secretary. This made me one of the first contacts for those who came in off of the street. My office became almost an impromptu pastoral care office for those who knew no hope. If Jesus had his way, these people would not have been robbed of their lives, their “kingdoms” if you will, and been cast out into the cold to die by a “Christian” society that has more money than it knows what to do with (other than build bombs, but that too is perhaps another topic). [Yes, I know, Jesus said that the poor will be with us always, and that does relieve some of my frustrations.] Jesus worked with the poor. Jesus identified with the poor. Jesus did not cast them out to be devoured by the darkness. When I think back to my time there and those people, those individuals remind me that “justice” has a name, and it is the names of all those who have been labeled as “expendable” in one way or another in any society.

And so, I believe that God gets “angry.” But maybe I am only projecting. Maybe this is the way that I make sense of my world and try to figure out “right” from “wrong”. Such things I cannot say for sure. How many people have claimed to know the will and mind of God and then brought new definition to the word “heinous”? I can’t say for sure how much of my language about God is actually about God or to what extent I use my language to conform God to my own image. In humility, I must always be willing to say “I might be wrong.” But I still feel that I must express what seems to be to me. And so I speak of a loving God who is sometimes angry.

But I don’t know that I want to go into a loving/angry dichotomy for God either. Too often that has led to manipulation through guilt. Although feelings of guilt can be healthy, I do not believe that attempts to bring about guilt-ridden “repentance/conformity” is healthy. (Quite the contrary, I would argue that it is “sin,” but that may be for another topic too.)

When I hear people say God becomes “sad,” I like that terminology. It reeks of “degree” in a positive way. To me it says that God had expectations or standards of behavior, but humanity dropped the ball. But at the same time, I also don’t want to abandon the extreme emotion of anger for God because I want to say that some things are downright atrocious and evil. In those cases, for example in the case of an entire region being ethnically cleansed, to say that God is “sad” simply doesn’t hack it for me.

So, according to my understanding, God is a God of Love, but that love can be the foundation of both divine sadness and anger, as well as divine joy and delight. But suffice it to say that for me, to say that the God who is Love sometimes becomes angry is to say that divine justice always has a proper name.

But maybe that’s just me.

Okay, it's a bit long. But hopefully it wasn't too "boring."

Read More

I'm Too Sexy for This Job

Title: I'm Too Sexy For This Job
How often do we want to say this?

This is Invader Tim sporting his crazy backward pants (the original pic can be found in one of his first blog entries). I wanted to draw something from an interesting photo, and this one came to mind. The complex pose was a pleasant challenge.

Yet again, I had to scan it in three sections. Blending them takes quite a bit of time. After scanning, I had to do some touch-ups, and I added his shadow. All in all, it took me about 5 hours drawing time and 2 hours of manipulation. It seems like longer.

Now, the big question is, will he let me make prints of it to sell?

Read More

Sermon Recommendation

My friend Mike Solberg is the senior paster at Second Congregational in Rockford, IL. I just came across his sermon from last Sunday entitled, "Eternal Life Here and Now." I'm recommending it for all those interested in that sort of thing.

Read More

My Package Has Arrived!

It's about time. I've waited a week. And the verdict...

They're phenomenal! I ordered some matte, glossy, and lustre prints of "Cry of the Orphan." But what I'm most impressed with is the coffee mug. All around, the products have far exceeded my expectations. Time to place an order to start selling locally.

Read More