One of the highlights of my experience with art happened in March of 1996, when I visited an exhibition of most of Vermeer’s existing paintings at Mauritshuis in The Hague. I wish I could avoid the cliché, but it was quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And not just for me—there were hundreds of other fans by my side. The place was so tightly packed with bodies that we shuffled through the rooms inch by inch, maneuvering slowly through the crowd to get in position in front of another Vermeer. (Most of his paintings are small, so I had to get within a few feet to get a good drink for my eyes.)
I came home with several prints, which now help cover and adorn my walls. But I don’t have a print of one of my favorites: The Geographer, which you can see in miniature to the right. The expression on his face is what intrigues me: I see in his eyes that he’s dreaming of unexplored territory, wondering what’s beyond the edges of his maps, hungering to be there.
And don’t you hope he’ll find his way out of his study someday? I do….
A long time ago, in a land far away—Arkansas—I developed a fancy for the writings of Jonathan Edwards. A kind and generous friend gave me a few of the pricey (and truly valuable) volumes of the Yale edition of his works, and I became enthralled by his thorough treatments of theology and Christian experience.
At that time another friend, who was kind and generous in a different way, saw my interest in Edwards and gave me something invaluable: an original portrait. Darrell Berry (the artist, my friend) worked from the existing portraits of Edwards to create his own perspective. It’s a watercolor masterpiece that I gladly hang on my wall.
Darrell has continued to grow over the years, and you can see by this thumbnail of a portrait of Faulkner done in pencil that he has an extraordinary gift. You can also visit his web page and enjoy some of his other works.
When, God willing, we arrive in Slovakia, perhaps we could tempt you to come and visit us? Exlpore some of the beauty of the country here.
The love of money can mess you up real bad. That’s my paraphrase of 1 Timothy 6:10. Contentment, on the other hand, makes the poor man rich. As a family we’re memorizing Matthew 6:25-34, and praying that God will make us rich—rich in contentment, I mean. (more…)
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:7-8, ESV). I’ve spent most of my life proving that these words are true. Whenever some brother has found it necessary to rebuke me, it has almost always been for my untamed tongue. (more…)
Managers sometimes like to give their employees stretch assignments—projects that are usually much more challenging than anything they’ve done before. The theory, I suppose, is that the employee is capable of more than he typically delivers; and with the right encouragement and motivation, he could deliver a lot more. When the employee is successful, he then moves to a new level of confidence—and presumably a new level of performance. (more…)
I’m haunted by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Wind, Sand, and Stars. I first read it a few years ago, but it won’t leave me alone. In spite of what I would call the short-comings of his philosophy, there are passages in it that draw me back again and again—the way a piece of music sometimes grabs hold of something deep within me and won’t let go. I sit and read those passages over and over (often outloud—to myself), and I ache. Maybe this is what C. S. Lewis called Sehnsucht, or longing—that unanswerable, aching desire in us that points to another world for its fulfillment….
My delightful experience in Omaha this month left its mark on me, and it continues to percolate in my heart. There was something about the fellowship that we shared and the encouragement that I felt—and it was all the more odd because I had never met these brothers before, and may never see them again on this side of the Jordan. Maybe what we shared was a taste of the reality pointed to by this snippet from Saint-Exupéry:
We forget that there is no hope of joy except in human relations. If I summon up those memories that have left me with an enduring savour, if I draw up the balance sheet of the hours in my life that have truly counted, surely I find only those that no wealth could have procured me.
It was certainly a gift from God….
Paula doesn’t seem to have an off switch.
She’s teaching Kristian and Ethan in our home school, making seven (count ‘em) dresses for Karen’s attendants, shuttling Kristian to soccer practice, making dinner, organizing meals for people in need in our parish, taking kids to the dentist or orthodontist – generally making herself useful. We love her, but how can she keep this up?
She’s been keeping it up since I met her 29 years ago, so there’s no telling. But even Paula, being a finite creature, has her limits. She asks you to ask God to give her wisdom as she works, especially in helping Karen prepare for her wedding. She wants to choose to spend her time and energy to the best benefit of her family, God’s church, her friends.
[PS: I don't have the heart to tell her about the three books we have to read before we leave for Brussels the first week of January...]
November 17-19Â we will return to University Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Kris will speak on the topic of our struggle against sin (again). We made many of the best friends of our lives in Las Cruces when we lived there (1989-1997). It’s also where this whole Eastern European thing got started back in 1990, when the late Oscar Black and Kris flew to Prague for two remarkable weeks of ministry.
I’m just finishing Third Culture Kids, by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken. It gives invaluable insight into the hearts and minds of children who spend a significant part of their developmental years outside their parents’ culture. We look forward to the benefits of the next several years—the experiences in Slovakia that will enhance our sons’ lives; but we also know that this will be one of the hardest things we ever do, and this book helps us anticipate and meet some of the challenges peculiar to TCK’s. (more…)