We just had a tree loose all it's leaves on one side. It was a double tree. One side seemed fine and healthy while the second side became more bare as the weeks progressed. We knew we
had to remove the sick half so that the well half could survive. When we were finally able to have the tree work done, I watched and spoke as time allowed to the two young men who did the work. One of the young men was a forestry worker and was trained in the art of safely cutting trees down. The other was an arborist. When he spoke, he spoke almost as if the tree was human and he was a gifted surgeon. He spoke of the tree and it's outer skin and how all of the life of this great tree hung in the balance of the life fluids being able to travel from the root system to the leaves and back. I began to feel the pain of this tree and was glad that we had been gifted by God to live with this tree and enjoy it's shade. And gifted with these fine young men.
When they finally began to climb the tree to begin the cutting, they climbed with great care, for their own safety and so that they could plan all the cuts that would be needed to cut but not harm the tree, or themselves. Each cut was done with great care and each part as it fell
came down just as planned. A very gifted process that required thought and skill. An art.
When the job was done the young men and I spoke more about the process and about how they had enjoyed the work. The joy came because they had been able to use all the skills that they had learned in school, and because of the trust that I had given to them to be free and do the right thing. They did not have tough bosses yelling orders at them. They felt our trust.
Often we feel more joy in life when we are living in trust and living truth.
To live in relationship when there is no trust brings with it pain and emptiness, and a lack of joy.
As I grow older and see my children move
into adulthood, I am blessed for the prayers that I have prayed for them. I have also learned that we need to be patient with God. He knows what he is doing, and if we will only trust in his love for each of us, he will bless us and our loved ones. What we never seem to understand is that God's clock is not our clock and we have to just let him do his work. We have grown to expect results instantly. The world around us (Gods world), is like a fine musical instrument, and has to be fine tuned to get the right note to play. This takes time.
He Loves you all. Slow down, enjoy the ride. God is driving the bus.
Bob.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
So we made it to Labor Day week-end again. We have had the joy of people in and out of our house since early June. We are both tired and blessed by these visits. God has provided for us all.
He has opened our hearts so that we may know how blessed we are in all that we do. This has been an awful summer all over the world and many disasters continue to erupt all around us.
May we never tire so much that we are unable to reach out and touch the lives who so need the love of Christ in their lives. And may we never forget that WE could possibly be the gift that
God desires to bless a life today. So with open hands we go into the world each day, doing small things in great ways.
He has opened our hearts so that we may know how blessed we are in all that we do. This has been an awful summer all over the world and many disasters continue to erupt all around us.
May we never tire so much that we are unable to reach out and touch the lives who so need the love of Christ in their lives. And may we never forget that WE could possibly be the gift that
God desires to bless a life today. So with open hands we go into the world each day, doing small things in great ways.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Have you heard the one about the sheep?
There was this sheep by the name of ba . He does not remember far enough back to know how he got there, but he was usually never alone. He was surrounded by a bunch of other sheep,
and because he was so young his mom kept an eye on him and gave him a drink of milk even though he was beginning to get a taste for sweet grass. His Dad was a roamer so he was really not a part of his life, but there was this weird kid who had a stick and seemed to like being alone and carried this stick with him all the time, even at night when he would sort of try to sleep.
Ba was a part of a group of sheep, he over heard the word flock one time so he guessed that was the name of his group. They were a pretty dusty and smelly bunch to be around but it did not seem to bother the boy much. Most of their days were spent on the move going from one field to another eating as they went. And of course in the world of sheep what goes in one end comes out at the other end at the same rate. This was expected and part of the life of sheep. Ba found life to be pretty easy because the boy watched them day and night. And helped to keep them together . He watched over them so they would be safe from all harm.
One day he noticed that one of the other sheep ate too much and his belly began to swell with gas and he fell over. Well the boy with his special stick came over and put a hole in his side and saved his life. The boy loved his sheep and wanted no harm to come to them. He had a master
who expected him to care for them with his life.
Now some times sheep tend to wander from the group and then the boy has to go looking for the lost ones. Sometimes they are just a little out of sight but sometimes if they get out at night they can go far away. The boy knows that there are things in the dark that want to hurt his sheep. Once Ba saw the boy kill a wild dog with his stick in order to save the life of his sheep.
The boy also had a throwing stone that he could use with great accuracy to keep his sheep safe.
Bugs and flies are a problem for sheep also and to help his sheep , he would use his stick to groom the matted wool, and he would rub oils on our faces to keep the bugs off. The flies and bugs could drive us mad and crazy and we might hurt ourselves. We are greatly loved.
We were a safe flock because we trusted in the boy who cared for us. And his master was well pleased because of the boy who knew best what was good for us, and HE knew how much his master desired for us to be safe from the many things in the world that would hurt us. The boy had chosen a simple life but his master knew how important his love and care for us meant. A loving master, a healthy flock , the stars above, and food on the open flame is all that our shepherd boy needed for a good life.
and because he was so young his mom kept an eye on him and gave him a drink of milk even though he was beginning to get a taste for sweet grass. His Dad was a roamer so he was really not a part of his life, but there was this weird kid who had a stick and seemed to like being alone and carried this stick with him all the time, even at night when he would sort of try to sleep.
Ba was a part of a group of sheep, he over heard the word flock one time so he guessed that was the name of his group. They were a pretty dusty and smelly bunch to be around but it did not seem to bother the boy much. Most of their days were spent on the move going from one field to another eating as they went. And of course in the world of sheep what goes in one end comes out at the other end at the same rate. This was expected and part of the life of sheep. Ba found life to be pretty easy because the boy watched them day and night. And helped to keep them together . He watched over them so they would be safe from all harm.
One day he noticed that one of the other sheep ate too much and his belly began to swell with gas and he fell over. Well the boy with his special stick came over and put a hole in his side and saved his life. The boy loved his sheep and wanted no harm to come to them. He had a master
who expected him to care for them with his life.
Now some times sheep tend to wander from the group and then the boy has to go looking for the lost ones. Sometimes they are just a little out of sight but sometimes if they get out at night they can go far away. The boy knows that there are things in the dark that want to hurt his sheep. Once Ba saw the boy kill a wild dog with his stick in order to save the life of his sheep.
The boy also had a throwing stone that he could use with great accuracy to keep his sheep safe.
Bugs and flies are a problem for sheep also and to help his sheep , he would use his stick to groom the matted wool, and he would rub oils on our faces to keep the bugs off. The flies and bugs could drive us mad and crazy and we might hurt ourselves. We are greatly loved.
We were a safe flock because we trusted in the boy who cared for us. And his master was well pleased because of the boy who knew best what was good for us, and HE knew how much his master desired for us to be safe from the many things in the world that would hurt us. The boy had chosen a simple life but his master knew how important his love and care for us meant. A loving master, a healthy flock , the stars above, and food on the open flame is all that our shepherd boy needed for a good life.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Flash News
Judith won an award at the Essex Art Assoc. Show. WOOOOOW.
We plan to be there as soon as we can on Friday. Hope to see as many of you as can come.
We WILL get pictures up on the site as soon as things slow done again.
Oh to be 7 again.
Robert
We plan to be there as soon as we can on Friday. Hope to see as many of you as can come.
We WILL get pictures up on the site as soon as things slow done again.
Oh to be 7 again.
Robert
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A new sculpture
A true story on how a creative person sometimes works through the process of creation.
It all began when weeks ago our local art association noted that the next show had a theme of "recycled" art. Whenever we do theme shows, most take a broad view and try to fit the theme into some piece of photography or a painting and place it in the show. Well since in my business I deal with lots odd boxes, I decided to take this project to task and do some sculpturing which is my first love, that is in choice of creative form. I love my wife, I know you know that.
So I began to gather box board materials and took last Saturday ( a day much to hot to be outside ) and started to sculpt something from these found and cut up materials, and white glue. All was well and fine until I discovered that almost five hours had gone by and I had reached a point that I could only at that time call a dead end. Which means stop and give it a rest. Walk away from it and see what you have in the morning.
Mean while, I must regress and tell you that before I started this sculpture I had read Janet's blog about the burial of Jesus.
And at the time I had responded about how moving and powerful this piece of writing had been for me. That her written work had placed strong images in my head. Not a bad thing. But in the world I work in, beauty is the goal.
Then while in church on Sunday without even a second to respond to the thought, it became very clear to me that the sculpture I was working on was meant to be a response to Janet's writing. This of course creates lots of issues which I am prepared to respond to. Like what do you do when the most powerful image that you have just created is just plan not pretty.
This is truly not a piece that you place in your living room and expect all your friends to tell you how beautiful it is. I have to tell you that this is a piece that repels me, just as the images repelled me in Janet's story. But knowing the truth is also freeing and I am at peace knowing that just as a photographer may have images that are not " NICE' to look at, that if we are true to our selves and we are creators, then sometimes we are going to create images that are also not "NICE". The quality of the creation is well executed, and when it is "DONE" it will stand the test of traditional , balance , shape, color , and form.
And I also know that just because I have created a not "NICE" piece. I does not reflect on me as a not "NICE" person. It is part of a longer complex story. A 3d illustration you might say.
Even as I am working on this piece I am remembering from my past that I have often found that I may start a project thinking that it will be beautiful piece, but what usually comes to the surface is a refection of more of the under belly of the world we live in. Which is both humbling and scary at the same time. I guess that at my age I just need to be true to my self and let the holy spirit run the show. I have no doubt he is a part of this piece.
I look forward to bringing it the next time we meet. I can think of nothing more to say, because both my sculpture and I
are in the middle of this creative process.
As a creator we need to allow ourselves the opportunity to get real and struggle with our thoughts, and our work.
It all began when weeks ago our local art association noted that the next show had a theme of "recycled" art. Whenever we do theme shows, most take a broad view and try to fit the theme into some piece of photography or a painting and place it in the show. Well since in my business I deal with lots odd boxes, I decided to take this project to task and do some sculpturing which is my first love, that is in choice of creative form. I love my wife, I know you know that.
So I began to gather box board materials and took last Saturday ( a day much to hot to be outside ) and started to sculpt something from these found and cut up materials, and white glue. All was well and fine until I discovered that almost five hours had gone by and I had reached a point that I could only at that time call a dead end. Which means stop and give it a rest. Walk away from it and see what you have in the morning.
Mean while, I must regress and tell you that before I started this sculpture I had read Janet's blog about the burial of Jesus.
And at the time I had responded about how moving and powerful this piece of writing had been for me. That her written work had placed strong images in my head. Not a bad thing. But in the world I work in, beauty is the goal.
Then while in church on Sunday without even a second to respond to the thought, it became very clear to me that the sculpture I was working on was meant to be a response to Janet's writing. This of course creates lots of issues which I am prepared to respond to. Like what do you do when the most powerful image that you have just created is just plan not pretty.
This is truly not a piece that you place in your living room and expect all your friends to tell you how beautiful it is. I have to tell you that this is a piece that repels me, just as the images repelled me in Janet's story. But knowing the truth is also freeing and I am at peace knowing that just as a photographer may have images that are not " NICE' to look at, that if we are true to our selves and we are creators, then sometimes we are going to create images that are also not "NICE". The quality of the creation is well executed, and when it is "DONE" it will stand the test of traditional , balance , shape, color , and form.
And I also know that just because I have created a not "NICE" piece. I does not reflect on me as a not "NICE" person. It is part of a longer complex story. A 3d illustration you might say.
Even as I am working on this piece I am remembering from my past that I have often found that I may start a project thinking that it will be beautiful piece, but what usually comes to the surface is a refection of more of the under belly of the world we live in. Which is both humbling and scary at the same time. I guess that at my age I just need to be true to my self and let the holy spirit run the show. I have no doubt he is a part of this piece.
I look forward to bringing it the next time we meet. I can think of nothing more to say, because both my sculpture and I
are in the middle of this creative process.
As a creator we need to allow ourselves the opportunity to get real and struggle with our thoughts, and our work.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The land as I see it.
I told you there was more to come.
As I see it the land is divided into 3 kinds of dirt. Sand which grows very little and when it does it is for a very short season. Sand does not hold water and does not feed life into plants. The second is clay or mud which is so sticky that when it dries it
forms a crust. This is good for clay pots and water jugs but not for growing things, however it is very useful. And very good for constuction etc.
Then there is soil. Soil is full of life, it contains life and gives life. Because of it's life giving properties I consider it to be one of God's great gifts to man. One of the interesting things about soil to me is that in order for something to become Part of the life giving soil, it must die.
Really good soil is full of things that were once alive but now are dead. But through their death they feed and nourish new life. Good rich soil produces a rich variety of God's great gifts to us. Good soil is full of both large and microscopic living organisms. And the remains of things that were once alive. Good soil is just like life. It works to find balance.
Reading Matthew 13:23 encourages me to continue to live the life that God lays down before me to live. And encourages me to continue to create in my life a rich soil of joy for Jesus, so that those who are near me will know that God is real.
Love you guys.
Robert
As I see it the land is divided into 3 kinds of dirt. Sand which grows very little and when it does it is for a very short season. Sand does not hold water and does not feed life into plants. The second is clay or mud which is so sticky that when it dries it
forms a crust. This is good for clay pots and water jugs but not for growing things, however it is very useful. And very good for constuction etc.
Then there is soil. Soil is full of life, it contains life and gives life. Because of it's life giving properties I consider it to be one of God's great gifts to man. One of the interesting things about soil to me is that in order for something to become Part of the life giving soil, it must die.
Really good soil is full of things that were once alive but now are dead. But through their death they feed and nourish new life. Good rich soil produces a rich variety of God's great gifts to us. Good soil is full of both large and microscopic living organisms. And the remains of things that were once alive. Good soil is just like life. It works to find balance.
Reading Matthew 13:23 encourages me to continue to live the life that God lays down before me to live. And encourages me to continue to create in my life a rich soil of joy for Jesus, so that those who are near me will know that God is real.
Love you guys.
Robert
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Soil in the Garden
Last fall I had begun a large pile of leaves and cut grass with the plans to plant a crop of potatoes this spring. But spring got the better of me and that plan went with a few others. I tend to let go of things that are not a real priority. Relationship is a high priority. The rest is just fluff.
But a few weeks ago I decided to throw a few bean seeds into the over sized compost pile and just see what came up. No my middle name is not " Jack". That was a weekend that we had recieved flower transplants from a family friend so I was deep into the farming and planting mode. From what I am seeing we should have some monster bean plants, if past experience of growing direct into the compost is any indicator.
Stay with me I'm going somewhere with this but I have to go now.
I will follow with my thinking on this subject soon.
Robert
But a few weeks ago I decided to throw a few bean seeds into the over sized compost pile and just see what came up. No my middle name is not " Jack". That was a weekend that we had recieved flower transplants from a family friend so I was deep into the farming and planting mode. From what I am seeing we should have some monster bean plants, if past experience of growing direct into the compost is any indicator.
Stay with me I'm going somewhere with this but I have to go now.
I will follow with my thinking on this subject soon.
Robert
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