The Greatest Commandment[s]

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

Do we love in a way that makes it obvious that it is the greatest commandment we have been given? Do I? Do I work hard enough at loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind? What does that even look like?

Blog Overhaul

So, I’m currently working on changing the layout and stuff of my blog. I think I’ve at least settled on a theme and header. Probably will only tweak things from here on out. What do you think? I decided to go back to the “Colors & Shapes” theme/title that I had a long time ago. I decided it kind of fit with my graphic designer-ness and stuff. And I like the theme-ability of it.

Let’s see. I’m going to be in Houston this weekend and next weekend. This weekend because some friends are in town and next weekend because my parents are out of town (so I’ll be watching Nick.) Also, this weekend because my parents will be out of town next weekend and I kind of want to see them. So yeah.

I’m working on some pretty cool projects right now. My favorites are in my class that I have today. We have to design a T-shirt that gets across a statement (how broad, I know), and I think I’m going to design a blue shirt with a large heart on the front, and in the heart will be a tumultuous ocean and storm clouds and lightning, and in the ocean will be a boat that obviously isn’t faring very well. On the back, the shirt will say something along the lines of “Love is a Storm Worth Weathering.” The other project I’m working on in that class is a semi-abstract self-portrait. What I am doing for that project is carving a large book (a NY Times cover page anthology I found at Half-Price Books for 3 dollars) into looking like the body of a grand piano. When I’m done carving it out, it will open with the cover as the top of the piano and will be hollow inside. I think I want it to hang on a wall so that when it is open, there will me a model of myself sitting along the inside like it’s a window ledge. Then I’m going to do something with wires and paint inside it also. I’m really excited about that one.

Anyway, that’s just a little bit of what’s going on with me right now.

Working On…

Click for larger versions ^

A project for my ‘Digital Photography for Designers’ class. Melanie and Nathan let me tie them together with fishing wire haha. I set up a cafe-type setting in the corner of my kitchen and then wrapped them in fishing wire after they sat down. haha. I’m trying to make the string seem like the emotional connection they have. The assignment is to tell a story with pictures. I know, real specific.

Comments? Suggestions? Thanks

Oklahoma Trip #2 Was A Great Success.

What a great trip! This weekend has found me more content and worry-free than I’ve been in a long while.

I drove up to Norman, OK with Taylor’s mom on Friday. We got in around 8 and had dinner, then watched the opening ceremonies of the olympics which were interesting, but odd. That whole thing with the boy flying around the stadium making wheat appear everywhere was really cool. And by ‘cool’ I mean ‘I wish I could fly around on a harness like that all the time.’

Saturday we went to look at what will be Taylor’s apartment complex next year so she could take a tour and sign a lease, which was interesting, and did some other stuff before the Jenny & Tyler concert. We had dinner at The Hideaway (pizza place, really good) and then walked over to Cafe Plaid to see the concert. When we walked in John Calvin and Dave Leach were playing (more on them later) and we walked over to talk to Tyler and Jenny in the back. They were glad to see us and surprised because Taylor didn’t tell them I was coming up for the concert again, which was funny, because they said they were wondering if I was coming again, and I was like “Yeah, you were probably like, ‘I wonder if that freaky kid from Houston is going to drive wayy too far to see us again?…’” but of course they denied it. haha.

Anyway, so the concert was set up so John Calvin and J&T alternated between playing two 30 minute sets. When we walked in John Calvin was playing guitar and his friend (I think his name was Dave Leach) was playing the acoustic upright bass. It was extremely legit. I’m fairly certain that they were both improvising about half of what they were playing. John had this rig of pedals set up where he would play a beat or basic melody or something on his guitar then loop it and play something else on top of it. He also ran it through something that would change the guitar’s timber sometimes to something flute sounding. It was really awesome. He was very good.

Then J&T got up there and played beautifully like always. They started with American Dream, which was great because I don’t think they played it last time and it’s one of my favorites. I had to rush in at this point because I was in the back getting some (amazing) coffee. I think I zoned out for like a good 20 or 30 minutes in there because of the combination of such great music, coffee, and the cool setup of the cafe. It was a really wonderful concert. It made me really want to move to a college town where there are musicians playing at random places most nights. ahhh… anyway. J&T ended with Love’s Gonna Last and got the whole room singing part of the chorus which was cool. Also, I recorded most of the concert on my iPhone, but I think that the quality is really bad. I’ll try to wade through it and see if there’s anything worth salvaging or if I can edit it into something worth listening to. Anyway, all in all, it was wonderful.

After that Jon took us all to see the National Weather Center, which was interesting, haha. In the morning it was snowing! We went and had breakfast at La Baguette, which was good, then went home.

In other news, I think this is the most apathetic I’ve ever felt towards a Valentines Day. It really didn’t even matter to me this year, which I think I liked.

It’s So Simple!

It’s so simple! It’s so beautiful! It’s so unfathomably gracious!

So loving, undeserved, and the largest, most Amazing process we can/will ever be blessed to be a part of!

It makes perfect sense!

God provided for us a way that we can escape from the dismal failures that our lives are without Him!

We, though our fleshly selves are broken, messed up failures, have been given the opportunity to become perfect saints of God who are no longer slaves to our terrible intrinsic nature!

We can be made new people, NEW PEOPLE!

We still mess up, we still make mistakes, but the mistakes aren’t our own mistakes, but the mistakes of our old natures that we will one day be purged of completely!

Yes, you read that correctly! We aren’t judged based on our old natures, but on the NEW natures that God has created us by. Natures that know no sin!

Not only did you do this when nothing was making you, Lord, you laid your own life down to complete the process! Your love is Strong! Stronger than the anything else the universe will even know.

So.

Yes, so.

So then I should be SO THANKFUL for this completely undeserved grace God has given that I should love nothing less than to, and be completely unsatisfied unless I use ALL of my resources, time, money, love, life, opportunities, and everything else that I have been given (that pales in comparison to this awe-inspiring amount of grace that I have been granted), for the continual worship and adoration and thanksgiving to the One who allowed me to be part of such a beautiful process!

Because how could I not be THAT thankful for such an undeserved, unearned gift?

It is all so perfect.

It all makes so much sense.

May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the Cross!

May I see it like the first time, standing as a sinner lost!

Undone by mercy and left speechless, Watching wide-eyed at the cost.

May I never lose the wonder, the wonder of the cross!

May I always be in wonder at the amazing, awesome things you done for Your undeserving Church, Lord.

Amen.

“I will not let go ’til you are.”

I’m fairly certain that after this week everything will officially have changed.

This weekend has been a much needed chill-out time with my family and favorite cousin, Melody We’re staying in a condo/hotel thing on the beach in Port Aransas (by Corpus). Our room is on the 8th floor and has a fantastic view of the shore:

I haven’t taken a ton of pictures, but I plan on going on a walk a little later and photographing a bit of the town and beach and stuff.

Tomorrow we get back.

I feel like this week is going to be ridiculous.

Monday I’ve accidentally half-committed to do a whole bunch of different things with different people. I told some friends from school that I would have dinner with them at the Crepe Paris Cafe on Louetta and Steubner Airline, but I don’t think that’s going to happen because they haven’t said anything more about it and I’d rather do the other things I have planned. I planned to do a photo shoot with Taylor so I can get some color stuff done with my new cameras (which I am excited about), also I’m playing volleyball with some people tomorrow (which I’m also excited about!). But it’s also Melody’s last night here

So yeah. Lots planned for tomorrow! Hopefully we’ll get back early…haha.

I’m already looking forward to J&T in November!

Lomography? Yes.

35mm Fisheye Camera

This camera basically takes a picture in a circle format

instead of a rectangle.

Examples:

So tight!

35mm Action Sampler Camera

Basically what this camera does is take four pictures

on one negative over the course of 1 second.

Here are some interesting (albeit cute) examples:

Okay, so only one of them is cute, but still. haha.

I bought these two cameras yesterday from amazon and I’m really excited to get them in! These will be great to have for future experiments with Eric on Intentional Accidents!

It won’t be long until the Weather Clears and the Sun Shines Bright! We’ll see it all then…

Eric and I have started a photography blog! Check it out at www.intentionalaccidents.blogspot.com

In other news, I’ve been really busy.

Kids camp was last week, Thursday through Sunday, and it was wonderful. I was sad that Taylor, Riley, Nathan, and Ryan didn’t get to go this time, but it was still really cool because Molly and I got to switch off playing piano and both sung harmonies with Robby. Also, we did Days Of Elijah, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Of course Nick said his favorite song was the one time we did Superhero, but what can I say, that song is a Grade A classic. Also, Danielle was there! Which was exciting because I don’t hang out with DG that often. The 5th Grade party was epic! 80s Prom themed, Molly looked even more like Elaine from Seinfeld than she usually does

One of the days Molly, DG, AJ and I climbed the huge hill that the cabins are at the base of which is something I’ve always wanted to do. It was really tight because we basically started at the base of one side, climbed diagonally up to the top, the went diagonally down the other side. We passed behind all the cabins and ended up at the archery range, while we started at the ropes trail.

College is going well! I’ve decided my favorite classes are Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 to 5. They’re with the same teacher (professor?) who I really like. They are Rapid Visualization and Observational Drawing. I’m liking OD the most I think because it’s more of a drawing from still lives and stuff kind of thing. It’s very relaxing. Today after the teacher was done lecturing and we got to drawing these four smaller compositions from the still life she had set up I hooked up my headphones and sketched for about an hour while listening to Brooke Fraiser, who I’ve found is really amazing. I love the combination of the fluid piano and the earthy sound the snare in the drum kit makes in most of her songs. In the Rapid Viz. class we’re doing this project where we draw a specific thing in a whole bunch of different styles. I’m drawing birds and I think it’s turning out well. I think birds are so interesting to draw because their bodies are very streamlined. All the lines are kind of congruent. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it does in my mind. haha.

I was talking to Melanie tonight about the new bands and it was very bittersweet. :/ I think that they are going to be SO GOOD this year! I’m just a little sad to not be a part of them. I hope that if they ever need a fill in keyboard player or vocalist they will give me a call. But yeah, I’m really excited to hear them this Sunday!

I have Color Theory tomorrow…which I skipped last week to go to Kids Camp…hmmm.

Tubing Friday

I’m in the Right Place.

Today in my Observational Drawing Class we were talking about why you lose track of time sometimes when you’re drawing and I asked everyone if they are also annoyed by the question “How long did that take you?” And they all said something along the lines of “YES! I know EXACTLY what you mean! I don’t know how long it took me! Do you think I time myself or something?”

They understand me!

haha. I thought it was funny.

What I’ve Been Learning/Considering Lately

At camp Luke talked about offering God yourself daily, and that is something that has really stuck with me since he said it. In the morning it is refreshing and helps my confidence in dealing with sin in my life to offer myself to God.

I’ve been genuinely afraid that I’m going to fall into the same sinful routine that I was in before camp that I was convicted of. I’ve failed so many times before. Please pray for me.

I need to be content. I worry too much about the future and social things and other pointless human problems like that. I should be focusing on loving like I’m called to do, worshiping like I’m called to do, and sharing like I’m called to do.

Life can and probably should be so much simpler.

Just because I reach a conclusion on everything doesn’t mean that it’s the correct one. I make so many mistakes!

Things I’m guilty of knocking before I’ve tried them: Christian rap. The Shack.

Random Tangent: We we’re talking tonight at the TNT afterparty about how The Chronicles of Narnia are okay allegorically while The Shack isn’t. I was just thinking about all the things that are sketchy in Narnia (but I still love it). Lucy and Susan definitely party with Aslan and Baccus (basically the god of drunken partying), at the end of The Last Battle, a Calormene soldier goes to ‘Heaven’ because he lived like a follower of Aslan would live, even though he did all of those things in the name of Tash (basically the Narnian version of satan). Basically: There’s a reason it’s called fiction.

Thoughts on any of this?