Church
I was afraid the church hunt would be lonely, daunting and scary. I imagined looking around with the newcomer "where am I" look, only to stumble around and sit alone. Maybe nobody would want to talk to me. But being the proactive I am, I wouldn't wait too long to take initiative and introduce myself. But maybe I would be too intense or awkward and the conversations would be short lived. Maybe people would be nice enough to introduce themselves, but too busy to really get to know me. And when I reached the 10 minute limit of awkwardly standing alone, I would leave without making a real connection.
But God provides and I'm surprised at what a small world it is. Over this past month, I was blessed to have Eurie welcome me in every way as I checked out Wellspring. And I was surprised and delighted to see many familiar faces at Living Word as well.
The plan is to check out three or four churches, each for a month, and then make a decision. Wellspring was my August, Living Word is my September, and SF Bible will be my October.
I want to take my time in this search. I rushed in college. I got stars in my eyes and immersed myself. It was really good, but now that I know more about Christianity I want to see how it is applied and actualized at different churches. I want a good grasp of the doctrine, the philosophy of ministry, and how the body fellowships and serves. I want to think of this as a long term decision. At the same time, not having a home church feels a little homeless and I'd rather settle sooner than later.
Work
I finished my first week of work last week. I've been working throughout this year, but this position feels like my first real job. I'm also more committed to it than I was for the other jobs. It's a small company and I have a lot of opportunity to grow and take on responsibility, which is exciting because it would be a slower, more limiting process at big companies. It's nice that there's no bureaucracy. Interesting tidbit - a lot of my coworkers are Mormon, my boss is in fact. hMm courage and discernment please.
All in all, I feel like life is steady. Last year was a pruning year and I feel like this year is smoothing out and I am ready and excited to bear fruit! I hope I bear figs, because they're my favorite. Small, and sweet, and rare (because they have a short season)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Museums and Impressionism
I don't like museums. Sure, the first artifact is exciting. But then you move on to the next, and it's nice, but it looks too familiar. After the fifth, the novelty is gone and I'm ready to go home.
On Saturday I went to the Birth of Impressionism exhibit at de Young Museum. First time using an audio tour and I have to say, it made all the difference. I'm usually too lazy to scramble to the front, only to get a half view of a small description, blocked by a tall head. But with the audio tour, the history was made accessible by the push of a few buttons. :)
I always thought impressionism was cool, but not a standout amongst other styles. This exhibit made me appreciate the thinking behind the movement. Before impressionism, the French Salon was the key holder to what was considered good art. This manifested in realism, which typically depicted mythology and archetypal beauty. Impressionists broke away from the European canon of idealized realism and painted what was truly realistic - unglamorous, mundane life. They depicted hardship, labor and war, and expressed their point of view even if it undermined their talent or meant they would earn a meager living.
They went against convention and thought for themselves! They met at cafes and talked about politics and art. Gaahhhh! I love passionate thinkers who are insightful and take time to talk about things. These days we do too much and don't think enough. We have too much TV to pass our time. I want passion and conviction to course through everything I do! But I also want those things to be tapered with the truth of the gospel. No blind passion, please.
I've slowly been learning to grow out of my idealized reality too. God has been gracious and life has come pretty easy. So I've been able to live in my lala land of dreams and fantasies. But I am ready to let go. I am ready to let them crash for glimpses of reality, because how can you be light and salt if you are ignorant to the hardships around you?
On Saturday I went to the Birth of Impressionism exhibit at de Young Museum. First time using an audio tour and I have to say, it made all the difference. I'm usually too lazy to scramble to the front, only to get a half view of a small description, blocked by a tall head. But with the audio tour, the history was made accessible by the push of a few buttons. :)
I always thought impressionism was cool, but not a standout amongst other styles. This exhibit made me appreciate the thinking behind the movement. Before impressionism, the French Salon was the key holder to what was considered good art. This manifested in realism, which typically depicted mythology and archetypal beauty. Impressionists broke away from the European canon of idealized realism and painted what was truly realistic - unglamorous, mundane life. They depicted hardship, labor and war, and expressed their point of view even if it undermined their talent or meant they would earn a meager living.
They went against convention and thought for themselves! They met at cafes and talked about politics and art. Gaahhhh! I love passionate thinkers who are insightful and take time to talk about things. These days we do too much and don't think enough. We have too much TV to pass our time. I want passion and conviction to course through everything I do! But I also want those things to be tapered with the truth of the gospel. No blind passion, please.
I've slowly been learning to grow out of my idealized reality too. God has been gracious and life has come pretty easy. So I've been able to live in my lala land of dreams and fantasies. But I am ready to let go. I am ready to let them crash for glimpses of reality, because how can you be light and salt if you are ignorant to the hardships around you?
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