Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Yucca Moth
Yesterday afternoon, Susan, one of the owners of The Grind, a coffeeshop in Carolina Beach with great coffee and free wifi saw this beautiful moth and pointed it out to me.
This photo doesn't quite do justice to the delicate nature emanated from this little creature. I tried to identify it online, and the closest I could come was to say that it was a yucca moth.
It looked like something spiritual and pure in contrast to the landscape of the tourist filled beach community. It appeared clean and light, not damaged or burdened a bit by the cares of this world.
Of course it is a moth and probably is quite destructive to the yucca seeds on which it feeds. But there's something about it that seems other-worldly and out of place when seeing it. It drew me kind of like a moth to the flame (forgive me for that one).
I wonder if that's what we look like when we live for Christ? A familiar form, but something about us is different, intriguing, engaging. Just a little early morning thought as we each strive to reflect the glory of the risen Son in a world looking for something of lasting beauty.
This photo doesn't quite do justice to the delicate nature emanated from this little creature. I tried to identify it online, and the closest I could come was to say that it was a yucca moth.
It looked like something spiritual and pure in contrast to the landscape of the tourist filled beach community. It appeared clean and light, not damaged or burdened a bit by the cares of this world.
Of course it is a moth and probably is quite destructive to the yucca seeds on which it feeds. But there's something about it that seems other-worldly and out of place when seeing it. It drew me kind of like a moth to the flame (forgive me for that one).
I wonder if that's what we look like when we live for Christ? A familiar form, but something about us is different, intriguing, engaging. Just a little early morning thought as we each strive to reflect the glory of the risen Son in a world looking for something of lasting beauty.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Southport Pier
I took this photo while sitting in a swing overlooking the mouth of the Cape Fear River near where it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Southport is a sixty mile commute from the Island where I have been living, or a four mile ferry ride. Needless to say, with elevating gas prices and time constraints the ferry makes the most sense. North Carolina has a whole series of ferries that help island communities stay connected with the mainland.
Southport is another quaint little seaside town that has a rich small-town feel, and not so much of a touristy feel. I think the Southport area is also home to a variety of actors and film sites on the East Coast. The locals at Carolina Beach recommended that I make at least one trip across the river to Southport, and I would have to say that it is well worth it. Just for the ferry ride, it’s worth it. In terms of things to do once you get there, well, life is a little more simple. Like I said, it’s not a touristy town so much, so it is geared toward a slower pace of life. Enjoying the water, enjoying a cup of coffee, or a nice bite to eat were the prime ways I spent my time there.
I think that is one of the most difficult challenges for people in our area of the world. We are hungry for an experience, but once you’ve been anywhere for any length of time, the newness of the experience wears off. Then it is a matter of what you are going to do, how you will form your habits, and how you may find enjoyment in the daily routine.
The pier and the river walk along Southport point again to taking time to relax, and enjoying the moments. One of the things I guess I have been learning down here is how to relax and enjoy the moments. Not an easy task for someone like me, but one that I’ve been willing to try. Sure my days are pretty full (all of our days are), but learning to take that time to step aside is so key and so fundamental. Southport reminds me of that need.
Perhaps there is a place you go where you feel content to just be, or to just watch the water, or to just sit on the edge of something. Make sure you find space amid the hurried rush of life to take the time for bench swings, piers, and soaking it all in.
Southport is another quaint little seaside town that has a rich small-town feel, and not so much of a touristy feel. I think the Southport area is also home to a variety of actors and film sites on the East Coast. The locals at Carolina Beach recommended that I make at least one trip across the river to Southport, and I would have to say that it is well worth it. Just for the ferry ride, it’s worth it. In terms of things to do once you get there, well, life is a little more simple. Like I said, it’s not a touristy town so much, so it is geared toward a slower pace of life. Enjoying the water, enjoying a cup of coffee, or a nice bite to eat were the prime ways I spent my time there.
I think that is one of the most difficult challenges for people in our area of the world. We are hungry for an experience, but once you’ve been anywhere for any length of time, the newness of the experience wears off. Then it is a matter of what you are going to do, how you will form your habits, and how you may find enjoyment in the daily routine.
The pier and the river walk along Southport point again to taking time to relax, and enjoying the moments. One of the things I guess I have been learning down here is how to relax and enjoy the moments. Not an easy task for someone like me, but one that I’ve been willing to try. Sure my days are pretty full (all of our days are), but learning to take that time to step aside is so key and so fundamental. Southport reminds me of that need.
Perhaps there is a place you go where you feel content to just be, or to just watch the water, or to just sit on the edge of something. Make sure you find space amid the hurried rush of life to take the time for bench swings, piers, and soaking it all in.
Provision Company
Last Friday, in order to make a space for grieving my mom, I pulled away from my LT responsibilities for most of the day. I rode my bike between 30 and 40 miles, and I took a ferry ride across the Cape Fear River to a small town on the mainland in North Carolina called Southport. On my journey I started a conversation with a lady who was taking her autistic sun on the ferry for a ride. I asked her about places where I could go in Southport that would allow for a decent meal, and a place for reflection. She recommended the Provision Company.
I took her up on her suggestion, and I didn’t regret it. The photo above was taken from my table at the restaurant. I enjoyed a quarter pound of shrimp and a crab cake for lunch (only $7.95—it was the special!), and then I just sat, and wrote, and prayed, and reflected. It was nice to make a space for that. I don’t know about you, sometimes I feel like I am moving through this life super fast with little margin for rest, for reflection, and for simply being. Sitting along the marina in Southport, I was able to do just that. I had an unhurried meal, and an unhurried time of sitting and reflecting. You know, it’s kind of wild. As I sat there, it was as if I was being guided through memories, and it was as if I was being guided as to when the proper time to leave was too.
I sat there, and I thought about my mom’s love for the water. We as a family are water people. We have made our homes near rivers and oceans for generations. There’s something about sitting by the water that calms us, restores us, and refreshes us. As I sat there, I couldn’t help but think how much every member of my family would have enjoyed that restaurant. Especially my mom. There wasn’t any particular flair to it—in fact, to look at it you might find it entirely unimpressive like many other great places along the coast and in towns across this country. But it was a beautiful place. It was a perfect mixture of noisy bustling conversations, radio, and the calm still solemn quiet of the sea.
I wasn’t long sitting there when the entirety disappeared. Not literally, but it became as though I was the only one there, or maybe I was the only one not there. Maybe I was carried away to another place to enjoy my God and remember my mom. Moments like that are sacred. They can’t be orchestrated through an environment. They can’t be manipulated through an emotional ploy. They simply are.
Problem is, we are challenged to create a space for them in our world. In our world that is full of busy-ness and meetings and appointments and special events, we are challenged to create margins for thinking, for processing, for remembering.
My hope is that you would find space for sacred moments for God to pour into your heart and that in the middle of the mundane, the everyday, the noisy, and the bustling, you would hear freshly from the Creator of the universe.
I took her up on her suggestion, and I didn’t regret it. The photo above was taken from my table at the restaurant. I enjoyed a quarter pound of shrimp and a crab cake for lunch (only $7.95—it was the special!), and then I just sat, and wrote, and prayed, and reflected. It was nice to make a space for that. I don’t know about you, sometimes I feel like I am moving through this life super fast with little margin for rest, for reflection, and for simply being. Sitting along the marina in Southport, I was able to do just that. I had an unhurried meal, and an unhurried time of sitting and reflecting. You know, it’s kind of wild. As I sat there, it was as if I was being guided through memories, and it was as if I was being guided as to when the proper time to leave was too.
I sat there, and I thought about my mom’s love for the water. We as a family are water people. We have made our homes near rivers and oceans for generations. There’s something about sitting by the water that calms us, restores us, and refreshes us. As I sat there, I couldn’t help but think how much every member of my family would have enjoyed that restaurant. Especially my mom. There wasn’t any particular flair to it—in fact, to look at it you might find it entirely unimpressive like many other great places along the coast and in towns across this country. But it was a beautiful place. It was a perfect mixture of noisy bustling conversations, radio, and the calm still solemn quiet of the sea.
I wasn’t long sitting there when the entirety disappeared. Not literally, but it became as though I was the only one there, or maybe I was the only one not there. Maybe I was carried away to another place to enjoy my God and remember my mom. Moments like that are sacred. They can’t be orchestrated through an environment. They can’t be manipulated through an emotional ploy. They simply are.
Problem is, we are challenged to create a space for them in our world. In our world that is full of busy-ness and meetings and appointments and special events, we are challenged to create margins for thinking, for processing, for remembering.
My hope is that you would find space for sacred moments for God to pour into your heart and that in the middle of the mundane, the everyday, the noisy, and the bustling, you would hear freshly from the Creator of the universe.
Monday, July 24, 2006
For All You Smokers
Every time I drive by this sign, I crack up. King and Tobaccoville are actually two different towns, but it looks like one place.
For a long time Tobacco was king in America. Particularly in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina and regions of Southwestern Virginia, the crop was grown.
Tobacco has lost its royal standing in America, but the sign still remains.
For a long time Tobacco was king in America. Particularly in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina and regions of Southwestern Virginia, the crop was grown.
Tobacco has lost its royal standing in America, but the sign still remains.
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Yesterday evening, I made the drive back to North Carolina, and had arrived at LT at about 2AM. Last time, it was because I left really late. This time it was because I included a couple of stops along the way, like going to see my friend Ricky Beamer who is keeping a blog here, and is quite a photographer. One other stop was at Pilot Mountain in North Carolina. If you've ever made the journey from Morgantown to WInston-Salem, you've seen this mountain.
Well, last night, after many trips past it, and with additional encouragement from my friend Brittani Kokot, I finally made the stop. It was AWESOME. It's right next to the highway, so it really doesn't take you out of the way on a trip--beyond that, it provided a great opportunity to stretch my legs, and take in some wonderful scenery. Although slightly hazy from the top, it really was breathtaking to look down upon the piedmont and the atlantic Coastal basin from this vista that sits 1400 feet above the rest of the plateau.
Today I am back at The Grind, not so much figuratively, but literally. I'm trying to take it easy today, and get re-oriented to LT, but I did stop by my favorite spot to hang out, grab a coffee, work, and just connect with people--The Grind at Carolina Beach. These folks are just getting their business started, and it's a phenomenal place. If you are in the area, you need to make a stop here! As I stepped into the space it felt like a reunion and an opportunity to catch up. What a great group of people!
Anyhoo, ironically, I feel like these next two weeks promise a degree of "normalcy" for my life. I may be living in a tent along the north end of the island for a few days while a family is using the place where I typically stay. It's a different world down here at LT, and there is a wonderful familiarity to the whole experience. I'm looking forward to savoring every moment to serve and to grow with students, staff, and community before I head back into Almost Heaven.