Jesu- #231

I have laborede sore and suffered deth,

And now I rest and draw my breth.

But I schall come and call right sone

Hevene and erth and hell to doom;

And thane schall know both devil and man

What I was and what I am.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Seasons

It was not all that long ago I chided my friend for not updating her blog. It's been well over a month now for me. Not that I have anything all that interesting to say, I have just been lazy. My mind has been going a thousand different directions at once while my fingers have left the keypad alone. Sound and fury signifying nothing.
What have I been thinking about? I've had questions- more than I care to answer
, not that I can answer them to begin with. Yet not knowing what lies ahead and walking there by faith is one of those things that is easy to tell others to do. So, be it declared to all and singular, I am waking up tomorrow to do what needs to be done for that day and for all the days to come.
Artistically a statement by Jack White (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather) has been floating around in my head and I can't get rid of it. What's more- I think he's right! His statement was that when we have all the colors of the rainbow to work with, our creativity is stifled. Of course his application of this statement comes in his own medium, the guitar. His typical guitar is less than perfect, hard to keep in tune, bent neck, or some other defect. He doesn't toss it in the dumpster and pick up a made to order Whatever Ltd. brand guitar, he just picks up his old favorite and wails on it. This idea has caused me to question how I pursue my hobby/profession of photography. What parameters am I going to limit myself to so that the creativity will turn on instead of stagnate?
So that is what I've been thinking about. Well, not all of it. Nearly a year ago I found out that the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith was bring both Jesus Christ, Superstar and Garrison Keillor to town as part of their twenty-ninth Season of Entertainment. Without a great deal of consideration I picked up the phone and orded two pairs of ticket for each event. Finally the time has come for those events. In fact, Jesus Christ, Superstar played on April 15th to a packed house. We are awaiting An Afternoon with Garrison Keillor. We won't have to wait too long- it is this Sunday!
Superstar was and is an amazing story. For those who want to see blasphemy and heresy and decry its production and lambaste those who enjoy it as unsanctified godless heathens- knock yourself out! Savor every moment of your bundage to your grave. Rice and Webber simultainiously had their fingers on the pulse of modern day religion, present time angst and interpretations of the times, and history without the benefit of hindsight.
Modern day religion wants to see the show and know "when do we ride to Jerusalem" without taking into account the price that was paid for our ticket. Is the world troubled now? Oh, is it ever. Just like it was when Jesus ate, drank, sweated, and defecated with humanity. Some folks then and now are listening to the voice of the Shepherd. Most are blissfully unaware that we are really sheep and indeed we do need a shepherd. And some of us get so caught up in living for heaven that we forget that we are here on earth. Let us all not forget that Christian living is a direction, not a destination! Jesus in his time on earth did not have the luxury of two-thousand years in which man could contemplate his divinity and create doctrines by which He would be interpreted through. No, he walked and talked with people just like you and me, especially like you and me. Remember, the organized church kicked his butt out! With this in mind, is it really heretical to think that people didn't quite have a grasp on who He was? Hind sight is 20/20. We really do dumb things when we don't know how they will turn out. (So Peter told Jesus the one about the two rabbis and the priest that went into the bar...) Count yourself fortunate to seek and find beauty and art.