Beyond Day SixMy sometimes-daily blog of a photograph or two with a few words, celebrating all the days of life that flow through creation into perspiration, inspiration, reflection, sabbath, and resurrection. Are You the Only OneToday is the Third Sunday of Easter, and we are worshipping at home. Our last Sunday to be physically in our church (Belmont UMC, Nashville) was March 1, eight weeks ago. We have still been able to worship through the Facebook Live broadcast of our service, which has provided a significant way for us to remain part of our congregation. Today's gospel lesson is Luke 24:13-35, commonly referred to as "The Walk to Emmaus". Two travelers encounter a stranger on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus, about 7 miles away. When the strangers asks about their conversation, one responds with "are you the only one" who doesn't know what has happened with the crucifixion of Jesus, and the emerging account of his resurrection. Even without the internet, and news media of every kind, the travelers are astonished that the stranger is ignorant of current events. But then the story flips with the stranger sharing the long view of the Biblical story and how the current event is part of God's actions. And then he pauses to share a meal with them, and they recognize the stranger is the risen Jesus. The kernel here for me, among other matters and insights, is that the study of scriptures is not just about the past, but is also critical for us to see God's actions now and in the future. In the midst of this pandemic, we need the long view about truth and God's care for all of humanity. And, oh how we need to break bread together! This image is from Acadia National Park in Maine, September 2018, just outside of Bar Harbor.
Teach Me about ArtIt's a long story that I won't go into here, but I had to take Art Appreciation more than once in college. And I don't think I did much better the second time. But I found photography, or photography found me, in my senior year. So I have tried to work hard over the years to develop any skill, any understanding, about the basics of art. I am still lacking, and I have such admiration for some of my friends and how truly gifted they are. All of that is to say that I am thrilled to live in a community with an exceptional art center and the dedicated people who share their love of art to all of us who want to know more.
Inside
Earth DayToday is earth day and I celebrate it with the detail of a painting I saw in the Parthenon last year. I am embarrassed to say that I did not note the artist but I was so taken by the bold strokes of the painter and how he/she was depicting the landscape. I love being outdoors and hope that we are doing our part to save the environment so there will be generations of artists who are captured by the beauty of the earth.
Gotta Pay My DuesToday I share an image from last year during the tulip bloom at Cheekwood. We belong to the Frist Art Museum and Cheekwood Garden, both here in Nashville. Not only are they world class facilities, but membership in each provide free entrance to other museums and gardens. Although we are looking forward to their re-opening when the coronavirus is less of a danger, we have enjoyed virtual tours at the Missouri Botanical Garden and Cheekwood recently. I would have paused and taken photos in lots of places, which is why I am no fun to be with if you are not a photographer. My motto is that you can never have too many photos, especially now when you just buy more digital storage. The time is approaching to renew our membership in both The Frist and Cheekwood. We love taking our guests to these places, and we will be there again.
WaitingWaiting. When will it be the right time? Waiting. At home. Keeping my distance. Eating ice cream. Because. I watched him along time, standing in the dark. He kept checking his phone. He would shift from side to side, but always leaning against the same post. Was he waiting for a call? Or someone to meet him? Was he wasting time? In a little more than a week, we would be back home. Waiting.
This photo is from Beaufort, South Carolina. Before the waiting began. ProtectionThe Psalm reading for the Second Sunday of Easter in this lectionary cycle is Psalm 16, a petition for God's protection. I doubt that I have preached from this passage on this particular Sunday because the more familiar passage is about the encounter of the risen Christ on the Emmaus Road, an immensely preachable narrative. But during this pandemic Psalm 16 speaks words of relevance in the first verse: "Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge." The photo below is from Penn School on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Penn Center was a school started in 1862 to educate freed black slaves. The prayer of the school is especially resonant with current events: "O God, give me clean hands, clean words and clean thoughts. Help me to stand for the right against the easy wrong. Save me from habits that harm. Teach me to work as hard and play as fair in thy sight alone as if all the world saw. Forgive me when I am unkind and help me to forgive those who are unkind to me. Keep me ready to help others at some cost to myself. Send me chances to do a little good every day, and grow more like Christ. Amen."
Backyard CompanionsMaybe you can see from this image why I find it so challenging to capture this group. And why I find it so enthralling. I'm not sure this image works. It's almost an HDR, but it's not really. May I have many springs to perfect this view. And every year the trees grow!
Dogwood WatercolorMy Sony cameras have an option to take photos with an effect, although I usually take RAW photos and do the processing of the images in the computer. But it's fun, every once in a while, to use the applications in the cameras. This image was taken with the watercolor effect. The f/stop or the opening of the diaphragm within the lens appears to alter the affect. In this case, I used a wide angle zoom at 16mm and f/4 to accentuate the watercolor appearance and remove nearly all details. What I enjoy about using this setting is that it encourages me to more carefully examine the composition with less attention to the details. You may notice that it also changes the original proportions of the image which is generally 2:3 but is 9:16 which some artists say is a more appealing proportion.
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