Autumn Beauty

It's amazing that autumn seemed to wait for a bit this year. I woke up this morning, and saw what I believe is one of the first frosts of the fall. It's November, and the leaves are in full peak color here in West Virginia.

I've been on the road for a couple of weeks, and to be honest, I had felt that I would miss the emergence of fall color in the state of West Virginia. As I pulled into my driveway last Wednesday, I was greeted by all of the trees in my yard, and they were peaking in yellow and red. The trees along the highways were also looking as if set ablaze with intense yellows and reds glowing amid a sea of brown leaves.

While the sun may not be seen nearly as much in the coming months, I can't help but feel these fall colors are a gift from the Creator of the Universe. What a wonderful treasure! Where there was once bright green, a series of gold and crimson hues have emerged. Soon the forests of Appalachia will be filled with the evergreen and grey that tell us that it is deer season, and winter is fast approaching, but for now, there is color, and I am filled with gratitude that the leaves lingered for a little while longer this year and I could enjoy their beauty.

What's even more beautiful about this gift is that this masterpiece of artistry that is created before our eyes each and every year. It costs us nothing, but the moments that we take in the fullness of this wonderful treasure seem restorative to one's soul.

May you also take a moment of gratitude today for the wonderful and free art exhibit on display in the cathedral of the wilderness, and may it's momentary beauty bring healing and refreshment to your life.

Listener Releases New Album: Wooden Heart

In Spring 2008, my friend Cameron had a very interesting musical artist named Listener perform at Sozo, the coffee house some friends and I got started in downtown Morgantown back in 2007. The video above is one of his. Oh, and the washing machine that the guy is beating for percussion in the video is actually used for percussion when the artist performs live. It's a very unique and unnerving and unforgettable sound to hear a washing machine getting beat with a baseball bat or sledgehammer handle.

Anyway, Listener has a new album that's getting released on July 6th. It's called Wooden Heart, and it's an album that demands that you listen to it in an undistracted place (as are all of listener's albums). He allowed me to listen to an advance copy so I could write a review of it. Listener has created his own unique genre and calls it "talk music." It's an eclectic mix of elements of rap, spoken word, and poetry. In the background of his songs is an array of instruments that serve to accent the mood of each song.

The album is really a bargain. The album is over one hour long, and consists of each song being performed as a poem as well as a "song." Listener is a brilliant poet and writer, and I appreciate his wit and way with using words to create images and mixed metaphors that leave me as a fellow "listener" contemplating the hurts and hopes we all seem to carry in this world. One of the things I like the most about the album is that each song seems to tell a story from Listener's own life experience. He tells stories of people with broken lives whose paths have crossed his and as I listened, I found myself growing in my own empathy and care for the hurts of others...and myself. I feel like Listener's songs remind us that everyone has a story that needs to be told, and that everyone needs to learn to listen better, and tell better stories. And one of the greatest stories we could tell is one of love.

Listener's music is for everyone, though not everyone will enjoy it. I wish there were an artist I could compare him to, but he is truly one of a kind. If you ever get a chance to hear him perform in concert, definitely take advantage of the opportunity. He's touring the country and playing at cornerstone this summer--if you will be there, check out his music and say hello!

If you follow the links and visit his site, you can listen to his album online and make a decision on making a purchase. If you like music that is a little off the well trodden path of sappy metaphors and overused clichés, I think you will enjoy listener's latest album. And you are already a Listener fan, leave a comment and let others know what you like about his music.

Sunset Same Day

Sunset Same Day, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I had a rare privilege yesterday. I had the benefit of being around my house with a camera to capture the early morning view, and then, as we had our canvas group come over for creative expression, I had the privilege of being on my back porch to see this view last night.

The hill in the photo is the town of westover. It's funny because the view never gets old to me. Every time I am around my house at this time of day, and I think to grab my camera, I snap a photo like this. It doesn't matter the season of the year, although each season produces its own set of interesting colors.

Lately it feels like the world is traveling faster than the speed of thought. And then I see images like this that compel me to slow down, to savor the moments, to enjoy the journey.

We are a culture that values the destination over the journey. Last night we had a creative expression time at my house, and a group of us were given paint and a canvas and encouraged to work together to create something unique. After about 15 minutes of splashing vivid colors on a canvas, people felt like they were done and wanted to quit. A friend of mine told me that might happen, and so I encouraged everyone to stick with it for a bit longer.

And then something really cool happened. People really started to engage in the process in a deeper way. A couple of people said, "I want to try to do something like this at home in the future."

It takes time, effort, and concentration to engage in the process. It takes all of this and more to slow down from a blurring pace of life. And yet, when we make some small gesture toward slowing down, we experience change deep within our souls.

Our souls were made for moments like this sunset. Our souls were made for the moments beyond 15 minutes of splashing paint on a canvas. We were made to be fully engaged in our world. It's rare that we are able to do that. And when we meet people who have learned how to do that with regularity, our lives are impacted.

As this week comes to an end, may you experience that kind of nourishment for your soul. Get out and go for a walk through your neighborhood, or through some woods. Enjoy a sunrise or a sunset. Paint, write, draw. Slow down a little bit and savor the freshness that the Creator has placed all around you. Pennies and sunsets, and all.

Three Dimensional Life

The Cross, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

My friend Ryan Huffman did this awesome sculpture and it was on display temporarily at the creative arts center in Morgantown. He's a very talented artist, and I truly appreciate his gift for bringing new insights to faith through his art.

Unfortunately, this photo doesn't really capture the intricacy with which he has composed this sculpture. This sculpture is uniquely shaped, it's heavy, and it has a lot of depth to it.

But then isn't that true about the Messiah and His cross as well? I mean, even when someone tries to capture some aspect of this central element of our faith, it doesn't seem to fully articulate it.

The more I think about this truth, the more I realize the intricacy and intimacy with which God intervenes in our lives. The Cross seems to be the ultimate way in which God connects with our lives.

Even when we don't comprehend the details of the cross, we know our own lives. We know our own lives are extremely complex. We know that there are very difficult times and extremely joyous times in life.

And we know that God has promised never to leave or forsake us. God walks with us in those challenging circumstances and in those joy filled events.

Tomorrow I am going to a wedding. The father of the groom is in a terminal stage of cancer. His goal is to see his son's wedding and be present for it. I guess our life is never two dimensional like a photo, is it? It's more like a sculpture with both smooth and rough edges.

In the middle of that intricate sculpture, the divine Artist, reminds us that He understands both celebration and suffering, weddings and laments. He has entered into the midst of our suffering and hurting, and reminds us that we aren't alone, and that we are not without hope.

Will you take a minute and reflect on this truth? The God of all creation is intimately familiar with every aspect of your life, and He walks with you through it all, good and bad. I don't know about you, but lately I've been really encouraged by this Good News.

Interesting Art

Interesting Art, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This photo doesn't have the crispness I had hoped. I photographed a piece of art on display in a gallery in amsterdam Saturday night. At first I didn't see the skull, all I saw were the four quare images that made up the picture.

Of particular notice are the top two images that portray the september 11th world trade center attacks. In the lower right hand corner is the murder of Theo van Gogh (descendant of vincent van gogh). He made a film that gave a negative view of Islam, and he was murdered in broad daylight in the Dam square. He was stabbed in the chest with a note.

The lower left corner, I am not sure about. but I felt like it was a very intriguing piece of art that you might reflect on as our group did.

Let me know what you think.