transformation

What a transforming time has been the season of Lent and Easter for St. Andrew.  Donna Papenhausen’s art (& her words) have enabled us to see familiar texts differently.  Jim Cox’s gift of music has empowered us hear the notes of those familiar texts with fresh ears.

During my lenten trip to Portland, Oregon for a visit with my daughter and her family, we had dinner at the home of a family who are dear friends of theirs.  Propped on the friends’ front porch was the pottery face in the image above.  It was leaned up against the blue siding of their home.  The face intrigued me, so I took a picture.  Imagine that!

Later that night my son-in-law, Jeff, was showing me a photo which won him first place in a photography exhibit.  He showed me a few of the steps he had taken with the image to transform it from the original picture to the final framed art he submitted for the show. It is a magically whimsical view of a high flying carousel.

That got me a bit curious about the picture I had taken which was, by now, named “the porch watcher.”

So, I played with the image a wee bit.  My play was not anything as magnificent as Jeff’s, but I created three versions of the porch watcher which each elicit a different set of feelings within me.

The third one exudes radiant welcoming love.

Jeff liked it too.

Which one speaks to you?

The Thursday Study group is reading, Marcus Borg’s book, Speaking Christian.  In one chapter he says that prior to 1600 the word “believe” comes from the Old English be loef which means “to hold dear.”

I do wonder what would happen to us if we began to see differently enough to know “believe” as “belove.”

Borg says “To believe in God does not mean believing that a set of statements about God are true, but to belove God.  To believe in Jesus does not mean to believe that a set of statements about him are true, but to belove Jesus.”

Thank you Marcus.  Thank you Jeff.  Thank you porch watcher.  Thank you Jim.  Thank you Donna.

with great hope, phil garrison