Since High School, there is one drawing that I have done time and again in various ways. In many ways it’s been my trademark drawing most of my adult life. I don’t think I ever really gave it justice though in a digital format till now. A hand holding a cross recently used. Quite literally a symbol of suffering and pain and death, Jesus calls us to “Take up our cross and follow Him”.
Today we wear them around our necks, gilded, gold, glistening remnants of a faith that has been mashed down into a sugar-coated lump of poisonous gelatin. It goes down easy and destroys eventually.
Living a life that Christ calls us to is dirty business. It requires us to grab hold of a cross, laden with the splinters of scorn and ridicule and confront the facade that entraps so many.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
When we embrace the cross we declare that our life is not our own and that it is forfeit to Christ, and in doing so are given life running over. Sure, it’s hard. Jesus didn’t say it would be easy.
I was wondering this evening a little about what Jesus might have really looked like. Remembering the Shroud of Turin, I googled it, and found a pretty nice size image of it. Problem with the shroud is that no one knows for sure if it is the actual burial cloth of Christ or if it is a huge hoax. Most lean toward the hoax.
I began playing with the image to only try to bring out the minuscule details I saw in this cloth. Jesus with a black eye, some of his beard pulled out and hair matted with blood was the image that appeared. Original image below for comparison.
But if it is real, might Jesus have looked like this?
Lately, I’ve been wondering about a lot of the Christian men who have influenced me over the years. They have been wild, reckless, and otherwise outcasts in their Christian walk.
I want to be more like them. It’s going to mean doing things differently than I have. Taking a few more chances.
After all, Christ in John chapter 7 seems to mislead his own brothers, go to the feast of Tabernacles and then almost cause a riot in the temple.
Sometimes wanting what God wants for your family is hard to see through the fog of wanting what you think is best for your family.
Sometimes doing what God wants for your family is different than doing what the rest of your family thinks is best for your family.
The harder part still is determining what God wants when everyone thinks they know already.
Christians need to wake up! I’ve been reading news reports today of a man walking into a church, killing the senior pastor and injuring himself and two others with a knife when the gun jammed. What is more interesting and saddening is the outcry in comment sections of websites reporting the story is the fingerpointing, the anger and hatred that is being poured out (mostly by so-called “Christians”).
I’m not going to go on a rant how they need to be more loving, more compassionate or less hate filled. I’m just saying that mainline Christianity has failed as Christians to present Christ.
The Amish community has done a much better job at this than we have.
The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the response of the Amish community was widely discussed in the national media. The West Nickel Mines School was torn down, and a new one-room schoolhouse, the New Hope School, was built at another location. - from wikipedia
How can we reconcile? How can we forgive?
The truth of the matter is that we must do so. This is one of the basic principles of Christianity, to be Christlike, to forgive as Christ forgave us.
Let me put it another way. Jesus Christ loves the gunman who did this and the name “Christian” literally means “little Christ”, to be like Christ. Now, we don’t have the whole story or even a good description of the events that might have served as motive for this crime. But does it really matter?
Who will reach out to this man with love in their heart? Who will reach out to his family and love them? Who will write this man a letter in prison forgiving him, getting to know him, maybe even visiting him? Who will be Jesus to him now?
Do you love the gunman?
I am working on putting together a non-profit photography studio in a church setting. I am wanting some feedback about questions or concerns you might have regarding a free photography studio.
SOME BACKGROUND:
My wife and I have both worked with Olan Mills & Sears Portrait Studios over the last few years as portrait photographers. My background is in Ministry as a full-time pastor and youth pastor. Photography was something we both fell into and loved once we began doing it.
HOW IT WOULD WORK:
Basically the arrangement would be as follows.
We would schedule and perform the sitting like we have in the past with Olan Mills or Sears Portrait Studios. Once we take the images, sit down and go through them with you and edit the images. Once you are happy with the images, we burn these to a cd with a letter of copyright (walmart is notorious for not letting people print anything they don’t have a letter of copyright for).
A tip jar would also be provided to help us continue providing the ministry (ie. buying cd’s, upgrading equipment, replacing flash bulbs, and pocket money for the photographer). Giving is completely optional and at your own discretion.
At this point we would also give you some information about the church and invite you to try us out if you do not already have a church home.
QUESTIONS:
- How likely would you be to go to a photography studio in a church for free portraits?
- Would you be willing to return regularly and tell friends about it if the photographer does a great job?
- How often would you take advantage of free studio portraits on a cd?
- If you did not feel pressured about attending on a Sunday morning, would you still think about at least trying out the church on a Sunday morning?
- Does a non-profit photography studio convey that we care about you as a person/as a family? If not, how could we make this idea better?
I am working in collaboration with another designer at church, but here are a few logo designs I’ve come up with lately.
Since High School, there is one drawing that I have done time and again in various ways. In many ways it’s been my trademark drawing most of my adult life. I don’t think I ever really gave it justice though in a digital format till now. A hand holding a cross recently used. Quite literally a symbol of suffering and pain and death, Jesus calls us to “Take up our cross and follow Him”.
