coloring

Growing Pains

Okay, I seriously stepped out of my comfort zone last night.  I need that in order to grow.  I started a writing class.  It's an 8-week workshop with only 8 participants allowed.  We meet in a room so tiny that once everyone is seated, going to the bathroom means asking people to move.  (Yes, I was the one who had to leave class to use the restroom.) 

Our teacher currently has a book on the NY Times Bestseller List entitled If I am Missing or Dead, so I thought this was an incredible opportunity for me to learn about writing.  Here is the really scary part involving heart palpitations and sweaty palms.  She gives us a prompt.  It can be a word or a phrase to inspire or begin our writing; then we write for 20 minutes.  The pressure of knowing that I have to write something and it needs to be pretty good because I have to read it to the class in twenty minutes is definitely in the forefront of my mind.  She believes this exercise to be quite freeing, and it might be if I can push myself and my expectations out of the way and just allow the words to flow from my pen.  That's the other thing.  We write with pen and paper.  No laptops. 

After we read aloud, we positively critique each other's work.  I must say I feel a little naked reading my work aloud when I haven't had time to polish it.  I have started writing a book, and I am genuinely interested in the feedback from the other writers.  I don't think I can finish the project without this workshop. 

By the way, there are some excellent writers there.  I will definitely stay humble in this class.  I don't throw praise around lightly, but my teacher awes me.  She can spin an incredible yarn in just twenty minutes (she works alongside us and allows us to give her feedback).  I think my mouth dropped open when she read her work because she produced publisher-ready material...in twenty minutes.  It seemed so easy for her - like watching Martha Stewart whip up pancakes from Bisquick.

I have so much to learn.

Reverse the Funnel

When Robb and Ron get together, their conversations seem to build on each other's statements, so that they end up with ideas that are not completely Robb's or completely Ron's.  That leaves me unable to know who I am quoting.  It's in this vein, that I relate the following.

People often take issues that they hold dear (love, social justice, mercy, judgment, etc.) and look through these issues in order to see Jesus.  The issues then shape and color the way they see Jesus.  They need to turn their funnel upside down and look through Jesus to see how these issues are colored and shaped by Jesus.

Guerrillas (no monkey suits), Feeling Sleep-Deprived, and a New Blog

• I was a little surprised that we had such a huge response to our guerrilla gardening meeting on Sunday.  It obviously connected to many people's passions.  We are getting back together on October 7th to discuss our next step.
• I get really invigorated by our art show meetings.  I know a lot of people hate meetings, but these get-togethers are fun.  I am inspired by talking to people who are big picture, creative, can-do, positive thinkers.  My mind is always racing with ideas when I come home, and I can't get to sleep.  I'm a little foggy today.
• This week we are starting a new blog for the Symphonic community.  Jon Clark is working up a graphic for the banner.  I hope to have most of the articles written by someone other than me; we have some talented writers that I know will blossom in this forum.  If you have an idea or want to contribute, please e-mail me.  I'll post the link here very soon.

Conundrum

Let's be honest.  Every one of us who blogs wants to be read; otherwise, we would just keep a journal.  A journal is a safe place to write our thoughts, allows us the opportunity to grow through our writing, and serves as a marker of spiritual milestones along our journey.  A blog, however, adds the possibility for criticism and misunderstandings.  We chance all that with the thought that somebody will read our blog, connect in some way, and be changed as a result.  It's that possibility that prompts us to blog.  To positively impact, to make someone feel, to challenge somebody's thoughts, to inspire.  That is the fuel of blogging.  (And of course, we love the comments.)

Having said that, I cannot stand the idea of doing things just to improve my blog statistics and gain more readers.  Maybe I am unrealistic, but it feels very inauthentic to me. 

Does anyone else struggle with this?

Disconnected

The balloon slips out of the child’s hand

slowly floating into the air, hovering.

There is a brief moment when the child

could reach out and grab the balloon

before it is whisked away by the wind.

That is the moment where I find myself,

disconnected and hovering, feeling out of reach.

Anxious yet hopeful that someone will notice me

and yank me back to a place of refuge,

linking me to humanity once again.

Friday Afternoon Humor

I've mentioned that I get a lot of people stopping by my blog (briefly) as a result of searching for coloring sheets.  I just have to share the weirdest search that ended up finding my blog:  casket coloring pages.  Even stranger:  the person was searching on a school computer.  Who gives children a coloring sheet with caskets?  How do you introduce that?  Today we are going to color caskets.  That's where we put dead people.  Have a great time, children, and remember to color inside the lines.  It feels like an SNL skit.

Serving before Style

It's interesting to me that there is so much dissension in the American church about worship styles.  Churches create different services for different musical preferences and many people choose their church based on the genre and quality of music.  All this for something that amounts to 15 -30 minutes of our week. 

Drawing Speaks Volumes

My daughter received this drawing along with a letter from the little girl that she sponsors in Africa via Compassion International.

Trying to Be Like a Nine Year Old

My daughter amazes me with her openness and transparency.  She will tell me anything and everything that she does or thinks.  I was raised with the mindset of concealing flaws, revealing only strengths, and hiding as much as possible under the rug.  I feel like I am being vulnerable when I pick up a corner of the rug and allow people to peek at a small portion of my junk.  My daughter just pulls up the entire rug and exposes all the debris without fear of embarrassment or judgment.  She comes to me with a contrite heart, confesses, and earnestly desires to become closer to God.

Off the Radar

I am not a big fan of videos being posted on blogs, yet I am posting one anyway.  There is some amazing talent at Symphonic, and the following is a short documentary (only a few minutes) by Patrick Pelham about christians in the arts.  It is the intro piece to a series called Off the Radar.  You can see part 2, part 3, and part 4  too as each contains its own unique story.

www.reelgood.tv

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