A cool, hopeful interview with Bono. This man has a much bigger vision than wondering where his next Benz is coming from.
The work that I’m doing now, as we say, we’re working like a dog, living like a shih tzu. We’re spoiled people. We travel well, but we work. On these issues, because you’re working for the world’s poor, we work like dogs. But I find myself at times, sometimes I just wake up in the morning, and I just want to be back with my band in a rehearsal room.
I find myself quite heartened by the strong movement I sense in my brothers and sisters in Jesus away from the eschatology that Dr. McKnight describes; a heartening that is tempered by the sadness I feel when I hear lazily state that they are a ‘one issue voter’.
I don’t think it matters who you vote for as much as it matters that you cast a vote based on prayer and thought rather than a bodily reflex of some sort.
Five years ago today I created this, my first digital photograph. I used a 3.1mpx Canon A70. This and many other photographs created with this camera were displayed in exhibits in and around Otter Tail County. I graduated to a Nikon D70 after about 1-1/2 years and then sidestepped to a Canon G9; but I don’t want to turn this into a camera post, I want it to be more about creativity and creative growth.
I really don’t spend much time on photography anymore, my current career involvement is intense and fatiguing – and requires much creativity. I must also admit that over five years my subject matter is changing, I’m more interesting in photographing my clients. I’d always said that I’m no good with people (photographically), which is a sort of personal irony as my profession requires being good with people.
Five years from today I’ll be 53 years old. I wonder where my photographic interests will be then? I do so love the story and believe that we, professionally, as caregivers for the disabled need to be the story tellers for our clients. So much is not written down, so much is forgotten. My prayer is to become a better story teller and to form a team at work that is devoted to telling our client’s stories in a therapeutic, candid, careful, confidential and loving manner.
But as my professional duties seems to be distancing me from a closeness with photography; my professional direction and growth has caused me to become distanced from direct client contact. Instead I’ve become a teacher, a counselor, and a disciplinarian. My client care is not directly to the client but rather through our workers.
So regardless of the technology, either that of photography or that of social work; both are about the relationship with the subject of concern. There is deep beauty in need – the need of a human being; and there is deep need in beauty – the beauty of an artistic subject that must be expressed.
As heard on The Kindlings Muse, live at Hale’s Ales:
Why stand in the cul-de-sac of irrelevancy in the church and tell everyone (outside the church that) they’re in the dark in a variety of different ways? They won’t understand until you go to them and strike a match – and God’s very economical – He works with matches and candles in our lives, He doesn’t rape us with a headlamp. So go, sit in the dark…
It’s interesting to me that capitalists, socialists and communists all believe that a person’s life-status can best be determined by their wealth. Basically they are all varying approaches to materialism. Christians are (called to be) different.
I have a comma, problem I am addicted to semicolons; not to mention ellipses…and dashes – I also put two spaces after each sentence (and don’t forget parenthetic comments).
But this is how I think. My economy is “One Sentence = One Thought”. I can’t let go of the sentence before I let go of the thought. Commas, semicolons, ellipses, dashes and parentheses are all means of hanging onto the sentence until I’m done with the thought; two spaces at the end of the sentence are a staccato statement “Take! That!”.
My love for the sentence is second only to my love for words and barely precedes my devotion to paragraphs. These three are the framework of thoughts; chapters are the containers of concepts and books the repository of ideas…which are to us as we are to God.
We are His books; and in our lives he assembles our chapters of growth from His words, sentences and paragraphs of Love.
I’m struggling with developing a shorthand term to use to specifically denote the Politically Correct language we use in our church contexts. The term “Politically Correct” remains technically correct, but in common usage it means “the language that liberals make us use”.
I’m striving to return to the root meaning of “Politically Correct”, which is really a reflection of Orwellian ‘right speak’; the understanding that you need to disengage your mind and ‘toe the party line’ or submit to the mind of the masses lest you be judged.
My first foray into this struggle coined “Churchianity Correct”, or “CC”. I’m not sure I like it, but when I wrote it my mental alternative was “Spiritually Correct” or “SC”. This flows better but seems mentally fuzzy as “Spiritual” is such a broad term. I thought of using “Christianity” instead but that’s also a very broad term that didn’t flow; now I’m wondering if “Christian” would work…
Thoughts?
I went off on a Christianity Today survey this afternoon. It’s here (look in “all user reviews”). Basically the test seemed to assess how well one is able to navigate Churchianity Correct (CC) language.
I returned to the cult of Mac back in February and every now and then – often at work as there I’m using an XP machine – I receive yet another confirmation that I made the right choice.
Below is a recent confirmation; the second dialog box (below) is what popped up after clicking the “Help” button on the first (above).
Whenever I work with self-injurious clients I think of the line from Pink Floyd: “I have become, comfortably numb”. Coworkers ask me (generally expressing disdain and/or revulsion) why people ‘cut’ and/or self-injure. I tell my coworkers that it is because they want to feel something – anything. Today during a discussion with a wonderfully skilled and compassionate caregiver and coworker I googled the lyrics to the song and read it to my colleague as if it were a poem – which it is. Please read it for your own understanding and edification…
Hello.
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?Come on, now.
I hear youre feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts:
Can you show me where it hurts?There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I cant explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.Ok.
Just a little pinprick. [ping]
Therell be no more –aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.Can you stand up?
I do believe its working. good.
Thatll keep you going for the show.
Come on its time to go.There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.
