Forgiveness

Yep. That is exactly what the Lord has brought back into my heart.
Forgiveness. It's such a deep word. And something that is so hard to do.
I honestly think forgiveness is something that no human being can ever master.
Not only are the words,  I forgive you  hard to say to someone, its more than just a saying.
If you just throw it around like a stinky sock it doesn't mean anything. Because really, in all honesty, do we really forgive them? Or are we just saying it to make them feel better and so we can just continue on?
A lovely wise red-headed women taught me that forgiveness isn't something you can take lightly. its some serious stuff. and its a choice you choose to make. Just like Jesus chose to forgive us. He really didn't have to.  I mean really come on, us filthy human beings who on a regular basis spit in His face by continually living in sin, when in fact He made us for His own pleasure. It's because of His unconditional love for us that gave Him the desire to forgive us. And that is exactly how we should be.

Colossians 3:13 - " Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

1 Corinthians 16:14 - " Do everything in Love."

Ephesians 5: 1-2 - " Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

♥L

Shadows Part 2

Alright, those of you who I left hanging from a cliff, I am sorry. Before I share with you what I promised in the previous post I just want to say, If you haven't heard the song I am referring to you should give it a listen. Personally, I think it is a great song. so, here you go. I have provided the song for you! Now, click the play button and listen to the song before you continue reading. That way if you are one who hasn't heard the song yet you will get to have your own opinion and maybe God will speak to you differently. yes? yes. now go on. press play.

       

Is it not a great song? I love it.

Okay, so although I love the song in its entirety for it speaks to me in many ways, I still want to just focus on the Chorus I posted earlier. here it is again:

When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We'll remember the cost
We're resting in the
Shadow of the cross

This past Sunday morning I had the privilege to co-host our church service. When I was asked if I wanted to do that and I agreed, my pastor had told me that when I introduce myself to the congregation to tell them a little about myself. something personal. something about my walk with the Lord. My mind went blank. Saturday night I still had no idea what I was going to say. Until I thought, what is more personal then telling someone your struggles or past struggles?

I accepted Christ as my Savior while I was in Junior High. It wasn't until the end of my senior year of High School that my Faith was really put to test. and I mean really put to test. My grandmother died of cancer and I was devastated. it was the first death close in my family that i had experienced. It was at that point that my walk with the Lord was put on pause. I didn't want to communicate with Him. I didn't even want to acknowledge Him.  In exactly 1 week, my grandfather from my dads side passed away. yeah i know. ridiculous right? Oh, but that wasn't the end of it. two months later, at the start of August, my Aunt passed away, also from cancer. At this point I was almost numb to it all. when my aunt passed away I was out on a mission tip in northern California. so, having been doing work for the Lord and Glorifying Him in all I do for a whole week straight with no distractions was great. but getting this news popped that bubble. But it made it that much harder to be upset and angry about it. or at least not at the surface.  It took a while for me to wrap my mind and heart around it all. But, I got through it.

I am sharing this with you because as I was going through that storm,being thrown and tossed and feeling lost I couldn't help but to remember that I am not going through it all alone. I was able to rest in the shadow of the cross. sure it was hard to get myself to remember that, but it was there. and in the end it got me through it and continues to get me through it.

Living your life for Christ isn't an easy thing to do. You want to believe that just by being saved your life will be cake. but its quite the opposite.  and if you haven't figured it out already, life seems almost impossible without the help of our God. His love, strength, mercy and grace is more sufficient than anything else.

When you feel like your in the shadows just remember and do not fear. He will guide you through it all.

This is what God has been reminding me of recently. And I am glad I can share it with you.

♥L

Shadows

I have less than 10 minutes to get to my Math class. But I can't help but share a few words with you. As I am listening to Shadows by David Crowder Band  the lyrics got me thinking. Which kind of caught me off gaurd. Not the fact that I was thinking but the fact that something sparked or clicked when hearing the chorus of the song. why? well it definatly wasn't the first time I had heard the song. So, maybe God is trying to speak to me? Or, maybe you. Here are the lyrics I have been pondering on:

When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We'll remember the cost
We're resting in the
Shadow of the cross

Now, I have precisely 2 minutes to walk my self to class, more like speed walk, I will leave you to meditate on these lyrics and I will be back after my horribly long 3 hour math class and share with you what I feel the Lord has been continually speaking to me.

♥L

Journal Entry # 4 - Art Show Review

Alright, so I have to be honest. A part of me was not that excited about doing this assignment.  Why? well, I felt as if I was not going to be able to fully enjoy all the art work I will be looking at because I would have to keep in mind all these proper art terms and take notes and what not. But, I proved myself wrong. I finally picked a museum, which was, Long Beach Museum of Art.

Their main exhibition they had during the time that I went was the Art Auction XIV: Where Imagination Takes Flight. The exhibition featured over 150 artworks done by some of California's most desirable artists. Within the exhibition there was a variety of forms and genres within the pieces shown. It was quite interesting.

The first couple of pieces that I saw fit perfectly to the title of the exhibition. They really did allow my imagination to take flight. and what really helped was most of the art pieces had titles to them. The first painting I saw was the main painting of the event that was advertising the exhibition. It was called Birds Fly by Flapping their wings. by Jeff McMillan. I loved it. The material used was Acrylic and it looked so real. the composition was so random but organized at the same time. The second one I saw really got my mind thinking. Motel Cadillac by Simon Harling materials oil on canvas. very nonobjective. you could have seen it in your life today but something about it was very mysterious.

Throughout the exhibition their were a hand full of paintings that had a sense of idealism in it.
One for example, which was one of my favorites, Giraffe by Lori LaMont. composed with watercolors on paper.  now this was super realistic and popped out at you. very detailed for water color. and not to mention the size of the painting was huuuge. i really did feel like a read giraffe was sticking its head through a picture frame. so awesome.This had to have been thee perfect giraffe i have seen.

Another painting called After the Recital by Pat Roberts was another painting I would categorize with idealism. it was made with oil on canvas and it was so perfect. there were 5 little girls in their ballerina costumes looking restless after a recital. their skin looked so soft and perfect as their hair and facial features. the strokes of the painting were so clean and detailed.

finally, some of my most favorite pieces of artwork were the paintings that were landscape paintings. The exhibition had quite a few. some watercolor, oil on canvas, and acrylic. these were very realistic. and also very detailed. there were a few of them that looked just like actual photos.

This museum trip was a success. I was able to see various amounts of representational art that included abstract, landscapes,idealism and even sculptures. going to the museum did give me a sense of appreciation to artwork. more than i had before. especially after knowing a lot more about art and its culture from class. It was also very cool to be able to point out what type of art work it was.   

Journal Entry #3

1. Why does understanding the context of a work of art add to our understanding of it?

→ I think it allows you to be able to pick the artists mind. and you can see more clearly of what he or she was getting at.  

2. In what ways does the written word add to the public's experience of art?

→ Written words seem to be more dramatic to me. It gives it a stronger appearance and very straight forward.

Journal Entry #2

1. What do we gain from studying art?
     → I think when we study art we get this sense of understanding of the world. Everyone sees things differently. Everyone experiences different things. Everyone grows up in a different background. And when you study art you get to see bits and pieces of "the world". You get a sense of appreciation.  There are different types of art. One person could think lick and lather by janine antoni is art. and the next person could think other wise.

2. What are some of the virtues and pitfalls of categorizing art?

    → When categorizing art I feel you kind of limit what art is and can be.

3. How do the elements of the selected art work together?

Emperor's Army, terra cotta, Qin Dynasty, ca. 221-207 BCE,

Mausoleum of the Emperor Qin, Shaanxi Province.

    → I think they work together by the material used. and the space and size of it all. such detailed work.

4. Consider the work "lick and lather" by Janine Antoni: How does the medium influence the way we perceive art, and the value we may give to a particular piece?

    → I think once knowing how much work went into it. And what exactly she ment by it and what she really wanted it to get across give it much more meaning and value.

I mean just looking at the art piece before knowing anything about it and the artist it still is amazing. and you do get a sense of appreciation.  But like i said, once i knew how Janine felt and what her purpose and hope of what she would protray throughout her piece was alot more meaningful and i found it easier to relate to.

Journal Entry #1 Baraka

1. Early on in the film there is a series of slow motion scenes at temples and sacred sites around the world. The religious rituals are complex and dramatic. What does this have to do with the visual arts and its relation to nature?

• I think when the film slowed down when showing  temples and sacred sites it wanted to show some type of respect. where as if they showed it at a faster pace i would relate it to something loud. When usually you are quite and slow when at a temple or sacred site. Taking it all in.

I also think the relation to the visual arts and nature kind of reflects off one another. Sometimes nature can act as an inspiration.

2. Fast motion street scenes seem dehumanizing since individual people are lost within the larger patterns of car and pedestrian movement. Suppose, though, that religious rituals were filmed in fast motion; they’d appear the same way. What’s the difference?

• I think if you were to speed up a religious ritual it would take away that personal experiance from being involved in the actual ritual.  You might miss something. It is a bit more personal where as individual people being lost within a fast motion street scene wouldnt be a major effect. You still get a sense of how the world is moving and what is happening even though its at a much faster pace and individuals are blurred.

3. The movie has recurring images of ritual body art: stretched ear lobes, tattoos, face paintings, head dresses. What’s the message?

• Every culture has different standards on what is Beauty. What is acceptable. What is normal.