Exposure: Week Twenty-eight

A picture of something you're afraid of.

For starters . . .

But, that's not the only thing that makes me afraid. In recent days I have found myself repulsed at the idea of becoming "gross" if I live to old age. It may not be an outright fear, but it is definitely a passionate resistance, a refusal that borders on denial. The thought of such a change has crossed my mind many times without my dwelling upon it -- until now. Oh, me. 

I don't like spiders and snakes 

. . . or smells.

Concerning fear, some have said:

We are afraid to care too much,
for fear that the other person does not care at all.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.
~C. S. Lewis

My only fear is that I may live too long.
This would be a subject of dread to me.
~Thomas Jefferson

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear -
fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable.
What he wants above everything else is safety.
~H. L. Mencken

Concerning fear, it is written:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
~Psalm 23:4

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
~Isaiah 41:10

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
~Joshua 1:9

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore;
you are of more value than many sparrows.
~Luke 12:7

There is a light
It burns brighter than the sun
He steals the night
And casts no shadow
There is hope
Should oceans rise and mountains fall
He never fails

So take heart
Let His love lead us through the night
Hold on to hope
And take courage again

In death by love
The fallen world was overcome
He wears the scars of our freedom
In His Name
All our fears are swept away
He never fails

All our troubles • And all our tears • God our hope • He has overcome
All our failure • And all our fear • God our love • He has overcome
All our heartache • And all our pain • God our healer • He has overcome
All our burdens • And all our shame • God our freedom • He has overcome

All our troubles • And all our tears • God our hope • He has overcome
All our failures  • And all our fear • God our love • He has overcome
God our justice • God our grace • God our freedom • He has overcome
God our refuge • God our strength • God is with us • He has overcome

~ End Quote

Pressing On

When the valley is deep

When the mountain is steep

When the body is weary

When we stumble and fall

When the choices are hard

When we're battered and scarred

When we've spent our resources

When we've given our all

In Jesus' name, we press on

In Jesus' name, we press on

Dear Lord, with the prize

Clear before our eyes

We find the strength to press on.

~Selah

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ♬

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected;

but I press on,

that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended;

but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and

reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind;

and if in anything you think otherwise,

God will reveal even this to you.

Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained,

let us walk by the same rule,

let us be of the same mind.

~Philippians 3:12-15

♬ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 

Believers make Christ all in all, and set their hearts upon another world.

If they differ from one another,

and are not of the same judgment in lesser matters,

yet they must not judge one another;

while they all meet now in Christ,

and hope to meet shortly in heaven.

Let them join in all the great things in which they are agreed,

and wait for further light as to lesser things wherein they differ.

~Matthew Henry on Philippians 3:12-15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ♬

~ End Quote 

Crucible

It is in the quiet crucible of your personal private sufferings 

that your noblest dreams are born 

and God's greatest gifts are given, 

in compensation for what you've been through.

~Wintley Phipps

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

Horatio Spafford's story:

"This hymn was written after several traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of his only son in 1871 at the age of four, shortly followed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer). Then in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre, but sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, 'Saved alone.' Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died." ~Wiki

Horatio Spafford's words:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

~ End Quote

Steps to Successful Self-stalking

Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. ~ Ernest Holmes



1. Create a blog. Subscribe to that blog. Subscribe again from another site.

2. Create hit counter for blog. Do not limit it to unique hits. Refresh page regularly to inflate hit count total.

3. Create an account and a profile on MySpace. Comment on own status.

4. Create an account on Facebook using your real name. Create a second account using a pseudonym*. Become friends with yourself.

5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with other social utilities.

6. Call your home phone from your cell phone. Answer the call.

7. Watch following video. (Begin at 00:30 and watch for about 40 seconds.) Emulate.



8. Take photos of self. Take them in quantity. Post photos on MySpace. “Rip” photos from MySpace and post on Facebook. Write article condemning the practice of “ripping” on blog. Comment in defense of self.

9. Buy self-stalking t-shirt. Yes, they do exist.


Enjoy yourself!!! Really!

*Note: Be careful to choose a name that rings legitimate. Names such as “Terry Cloth” are a little risky, though they exist in quantity – trust me.

~ End Quote

Enjoying the Unexpected

If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. ~ Thoreau


Susan Boyle. Does that name ring a bell? For most of the world, that name rang no bells until less than a week ago. Now, the YouTube video of her audition on Britain’s Got Talent has played over eleven million times – I confess I have watched probably a dozen times myself. The expressions on her judges’ faces alone are worth the watch. Simply priceless.

As often happens, watching that footage set me into motion. With my interest piqued, I also ran across other beautiful moments in the brief history of this British television show.

The background music that you are hearing (if you are reading this as a current post), is that of Paul Potts, winner of the 2007 season’s contest. If you have the time, you can trace his unfolding here. I just love watching.

Audition

Semi-finals

Finals



Watching the winner win . . .

Royal Variety Performance



If that has not worn you out, you might also watch young Andrew Johnson perform. What a voice!

Audition



Semi-finals



Finals



Quick links:

Susan Boyle's Audition

Susan Bole's Semi-final

Susan Boyle Final

Julian Smith Audition

Julian Smith Semi-final

Shaun Smith Audition

Shaun Smith Semi-final

Shaheen Jafargholi Audition

Shaheen Jafargholi Semi-final

2 Grand Audition

2 Grand Semi-final

Paul Potts's Audition

Paul Potts's Semi-final

Paul Potts's Final

Paul Potts Announced

Andrew Johnston's Audition

Andrew Johnston's Semi-final

Andrew Johnston's Final

Faryl Smith's Semi-final

Well, I have enjoyed listening. Off to catch up on my responsibilities . . . ;-)

~End Quote

Pears Have Curves, Too

Every curve needed for the practice of drawing the human form can be found in a bowl of fruit.
~ P. Calhoun






~ End Quote

Please, Pass the Popcorn

"If I win...Everybody will say, 'Well, of course he won. He's a top-ranked player.' But if I lose...maybe it's better not to be the best. Then you can lose, and it's O.K. "
~ Josh Waitzkin






It is rare that I recommend a movie. I have a list of favorites, as most do; however, I don't even recommend all of those to others. Searching for Bobby Fischer is a quiet and touching film, in my opinion, and our entire family enjoyed it.

~ End Quote

The Artist's Task

Several years ago my parents invited my daughter, a very young violin student, to hear Itzhak Perlman play with the Baton Rouge Symphony. When my mother learned that he was to perform Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, she insisted that I also attend. In my infancy, as she remembered it, I would listen attentively when she played classical music – this being a favorite.

On the evening of the performance, it was announced that Itzhak Perlman had recently undergone surgery on his shoulder and would be unable to play the concerto. Disappointing, yes, but the rest of his music was so incredible that I certainly didn't miss it. In fact, when he played the theme from Schindler's List, the response was fittingly moving.

He entertained us with humor as well as his beloved music, and my mother pointed out a little detail to us that evening: this master uses a handkerchief in lieu of a chin rest. Interesting. At the end of the performance, she presented two handkerchiefs to my daughter (a simple one for practice and a very lovely one for recitals).

In my efforts to find information about his signature handkerchief, I found this little anecdote:

"In a report in The Houston Chronicle … we are told that . . . the famous violinist Itzhak Perlman was the soloist. Perlman, who was stricken with polio as a child, crossed the stage with difficulty; he wears braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. Since he is dependent on his crutches, he cannot stand while playing. He sat down, slowly, placed his crutches on the floor, unlocked his braces, tucked one foot back and extended the other foot forward, moving his body to and fro to find a comfortable position. Someone brought him his violin; he adjusted his position in the chair and placed a white handkerchief under his chin. Then Perlman placed his Stradivarius violin under his chin, nodded to the conductor, and proceeded to play.

Just as Perlman finished the first few bars of the concerto, a violin string broke. Everyone could hear it snap; they knew what that sound meant. Those in the audience wondered: would Perlman go off the stage to replace the broken string? Would he use another instrument? Would someone come to his aid? The virtuoso waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled to the conductor to begin again. The orchestra started to play, and Perlman resumed the concerto from where he had left off, playing with a passion, power, and purity that most had never heard before.

It is impossible, we all know, to play a violin concerto with just three strings. But, that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that . . . When he finished, the room was completely silent for a long moment. And then people rose and cheered . . . Perlman smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, raised his bow to quiet them. He spoke, not boastfully, but in a pensive, reverent tone:

'You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.'"

-- quoted from Living with an Again Brain by Robert Werman, M.D.

Permit me to broaden the scope beyond that of the artist: what am I doing with what I have left?

~ End Quote