It's been over a year since Roby Duke passed on to the other side...found a neat video of him tonight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Mw8A5B-gs
Rest easy in Jesus' arms brother.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
150 Dots - Higher Definition
Today I came across this fabulous quote from painter Chuck Close -
"I discovered about 150 dots is the minimum number of dots to make a specific recognizable person. You can make something that looks like a head, with fewer dots, but you won't be able to give much information about who it is. " - Chuck Close
If you've ever seen Chuck's work in real life you know how truly stunning it can be. To stand 20 meters from a Chuck Close painting will amaze you, but to stand 6 inches from it will drive you to truly ponder the astounding depth of his gifting and how he translates it onto canvas. His work is largely composed of smaller "dots" or other types of minor markings, that at a distance blend into a tapestry of amazing detail and accuracy in representation of his subjects. If you've never stood before one, stop what you are doing immediately and drive to the closest museum that features one to check it out. (and trust me, pictures of his work online just cannot compare to standing before the real deal!)
Anyways, this quote made me immediately ponder each of us and those we encounter in life. How many times we think we truly know someone and yet we don't really know much about them at all. Or vice versa. Sometimes we can grow up in a parent/child relationship and still not know one another, or maybe we do or have lived with a spouse that we don't really intimately know. Sometimes folks we feel are friends are really not as close as we might think. Or others may be far more devoted than we even imagine. Sometimes we can realize that our impressions of people are completely wrong, built on assumptions, past experiences, hopes, fears, expectations (realistic or unrealistic), ignorance, guilt, shame, love, lust, desperation, you name it. We sometimes see each other in less than the 150 dots. Vague, blurry images of one another that we tell ourselves are accurate. Sometimes we choose to distance ourselves from others. The safety in not really being intimately known keeps us from possibly experiencing pain or risking vulnerability. Like a Chuck Close painting, when seen from up close we may not be as attractive as from far away. We may be far rougher and less polished. Less the perfect tapestry that others perceive when they don't know us well.
I have high-definition television at home. It's interesting because I get many of the same channels in both regular television and high-definition. I sometimes like to flip between the two. It's interesting to see the same news anchor in the soft blurry halo of regular TV and then in the crispness of high-def, where every wrinkle, freckle, scar and beauty mark shows. I imagine some of these anchors wish they weren't seen in such detail. We are after all, most of us, interested in some respect as to how others see us. But you know what? I still prefer the high-definition. I prefer seeing the real and the true nature of things, warts and all. I think we all do. Because that's what we relate to.
I think of the "higher-definition" that God must see us in. The omnipotent, omnipresent God, who knows every thought, every heartbeat, every hair on our head. Every tear that we cry. Every wrong we have done. Every good deed we have endeavored to do. He reads our mind, knows our heart, witnesses our deeds and foresees our future. The depth of His knowledge of us is incomprehensible to me. And most amazing of all, yet He chose us before we chose Him.
Have you ever seen the difference in quality of early photographs of the universe from the ones we are capable of taking now? We can now take bright, vibrant, sharp pictures of planets at the edge of our galazy, and we've even recently had our first glimpses of planets in a galaxy outside our own. Compare that to the grainy black and white images of the late fifties in which planets are hardly decipherable. My how far we have come in such a short time! And the more we discover, the more we realize that we do not know.
Now imagine the depths of the one that formed the Universe. How amazing that we understand virtually nothing of His creation, let alone Himself. And to think that one day we will see Him and know Him so much more clearly. How stunning that will be!
Scripture says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. " I Corinthians 13:12
I'm not sure about you, but I'm waiting for a Higher-Definition experience!
"I discovered about 150 dots is the minimum number of dots to make a specific recognizable person. You can make something that looks like a head, with fewer dots, but you won't be able to give much information about who it is. " - Chuck Close
If you've ever seen Chuck's work in real life you know how truly stunning it can be. To stand 20 meters from a Chuck Close painting will amaze you, but to stand 6 inches from it will drive you to truly ponder the astounding depth of his gifting and how he translates it onto canvas. His work is largely composed of smaller "dots" or other types of minor markings, that at a distance blend into a tapestry of amazing detail and accuracy in representation of his subjects. If you've never stood before one, stop what you are doing immediately and drive to the closest museum that features one to check it out. (and trust me, pictures of his work online just cannot compare to standing before the real deal!)
Anyways, this quote made me immediately ponder each of us and those we encounter in life. How many times we think we truly know someone and yet we don't really know much about them at all. Or vice versa. Sometimes we can grow up in a parent/child relationship and still not know one another, or maybe we do or have lived with a spouse that we don't really intimately know. Sometimes folks we feel are friends are really not as close as we might think. Or others may be far more devoted than we even imagine. Sometimes we can realize that our impressions of people are completely wrong, built on assumptions, past experiences, hopes, fears, expectations (realistic or unrealistic), ignorance, guilt, shame, love, lust, desperation, you name it. We sometimes see each other in less than the 150 dots. Vague, blurry images of one another that we tell ourselves are accurate. Sometimes we choose to distance ourselves from others. The safety in not really being intimately known keeps us from possibly experiencing pain or risking vulnerability. Like a Chuck Close painting, when seen from up close we may not be as attractive as from far away. We may be far rougher and less polished. Less the perfect tapestry that others perceive when they don't know us well.
I have high-definition television at home. It's interesting because I get many of the same channels in both regular television and high-definition. I sometimes like to flip between the two. It's interesting to see the same news anchor in the soft blurry halo of regular TV and then in the crispness of high-def, where every wrinkle, freckle, scar and beauty mark shows. I imagine some of these anchors wish they weren't seen in such detail. We are after all, most of us, interested in some respect as to how others see us. But you know what? I still prefer the high-definition. I prefer seeing the real and the true nature of things, warts and all. I think we all do. Because that's what we relate to.
I think of the "higher-definition" that God must see us in. The omnipotent, omnipresent God, who knows every thought, every heartbeat, every hair on our head. Every tear that we cry. Every wrong we have done. Every good deed we have endeavored to do. He reads our mind, knows our heart, witnesses our deeds and foresees our future. The depth of His knowledge of us is incomprehensible to me. And most amazing of all, yet He chose us before we chose Him.
Have you ever seen the difference in quality of early photographs of the universe from the ones we are capable of taking now? We can now take bright, vibrant, sharp pictures of planets at the edge of our galazy, and we've even recently had our first glimpses of planets in a galaxy outside our own. Compare that to the grainy black and white images of the late fifties in which planets are hardly decipherable. My how far we have come in such a short time! And the more we discover, the more we realize that we do not know.
Now imagine the depths of the one that formed the Universe. How amazing that we understand virtually nothing of His creation, let alone Himself. And to think that one day we will see Him and know Him so much more clearly. How stunning that will be!
Scripture says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. " I Corinthians 13:12
I'm not sure about you, but I'm waiting for a Higher-Definition experience!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Change
Here we are post our recent historic election of the first African-American President in our nation's history. My intention in this post is not to indicate which way I voted, due to the fact that I think each candidate and their respective running mates had pros and cons, and that most intelligent and experienced voters are usually selecting the lesser of two evils in whomever they select. However I think one thing is clear, the public is craving change. Voters that I talk to are largely apathetic. They have heard it all before, they have seen politicians talk one way to get their vote and then do their best to forget whom they are representing once in office. Many people told me that they were not going to vote at all. And although most Americans are in dire financial straits and media projections anticipated one of the highest voter turnouts in modern history, it turned out to really just be a typical election in terms of turnout. And although the numbers appear greatly stacked in the victor's favor due to the electoral college system, in the popular vote it was actually far closer than I think many expected.
I'm sure that you are as concerned as me. Every day the news appears to be getting worse and worse. They are talking about possibly bailing out the car companies now (who have been in trouble for years). Just another casualty in a long line of troubled industries (banks, housing, airline, trucking, fuel, etc.). Every day I hear of another large company closing or greatly reducing it's workforce. I live in California where Arnold Schwarzenegger is raising taxes through the roof on us, and the astonishing thing is people are voting for many of these increases. Unemployment is nearly 10% in my county and home prices have fallen in half over the last few years. We are in the epicenter of the home mortgage crisis with a massive number of foreclosures, which are projected to continue for at least another year. Our country now has a high school dropout rate of approx. 25%. Staggering. We spend more money on education than anyone else and our students are failing at appalling rates. Personal freedoms and privacy's are being removed, restricted or are in jeopardy. Religious freedom may someday become a thing of the past, with Churches relegated to glorified community organizations. I keep hearing how crime is supposedly going down, but it seems like every week now I hear horrific stories that we have now become so accustomed to hearing that nothing shocks us anymore. This great nation is a shadow of it's former self.
So I look to my television screen and see a man who appears to be interested in bringing us all change. I see throngs of people crying their eyes out and believing that he will surely save us from ourselves. I hope they are right. However I know the problems that we are entrenched in are far too deep for a great orator to rescue us from. Will there be substance to the change he promises? Will he bring us more than simply inspiring speeches? Lord knows we have had far too many years of politicians that could sweet talk us. Like the thrice-divorced woman who has repeatedly picked lousy men to wed, we have matured and know what we need in a President (man). We need real change. Regardless of political affiliation, please join me in prayer that it will come.
I'm sure that you are as concerned as me. Every day the news appears to be getting worse and worse. They are talking about possibly bailing out the car companies now (who have been in trouble for years). Just another casualty in a long line of troubled industries (banks, housing, airline, trucking, fuel, etc.). Every day I hear of another large company closing or greatly reducing it's workforce. I live in California where Arnold Schwarzenegger is raising taxes through the roof on us, and the astonishing thing is people are voting for many of these increases. Unemployment is nearly 10% in my county and home prices have fallen in half over the last few years. We are in the epicenter of the home mortgage crisis with a massive number of foreclosures, which are projected to continue for at least another year. Our country now has a high school dropout rate of approx. 25%. Staggering. We spend more money on education than anyone else and our students are failing at appalling rates. Personal freedoms and privacy's are being removed, restricted or are in jeopardy. Religious freedom may someday become a thing of the past, with Churches relegated to glorified community organizations. I keep hearing how crime is supposedly going down, but it seems like every week now I hear horrific stories that we have now become so accustomed to hearing that nothing shocks us anymore. This great nation is a shadow of it's former self.
So I look to my television screen and see a man who appears to be interested in bringing us all change. I see throngs of people crying their eyes out and believing that he will surely save us from ourselves. I hope they are right. However I know the problems that we are entrenched in are far too deep for a great orator to rescue us from. Will there be substance to the change he promises? Will he bring us more than simply inspiring speeches? Lord knows we have had far too many years of politicians that could sweet talk us. Like the thrice-divorced woman who has repeatedly picked lousy men to wed, we have matured and know what we need in a President (man). We need real change. Regardless of political affiliation, please join me in prayer that it will come.
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