Blessed Nostalgia? Look, See, Pray

Indulge me in a spot of nostalgia! Today’s delectable weather included high winds and heavy showers, so I decided to look for some sunshine & warmth. Bees on sunny-scented warm lavender did the trick! Imagining the gentle droning of happy bees is a lovely way to spend some indoors time.

Can nostalgia be a spiritual practice or discipline?

It depends on what we are hankering after. To live in the past is not ideal, especially if it causes us to devalue the present or future.

On the other hand, we are shaped by our personal experiences and social history, and we need the perspective that can be gained. Someone I know who regularly makes the same mistake, time after time, is both annoying and pitiful. Another acquaintance has gained wisdom and reputation by taking the time to learn from a range of experience AND apply that wisdom to support and guide others.

Looking back can be helpful- or dangerous. Lot’s wife “looked back” at her old life and was turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19). There is a salt-rock feature near the Dead Sea named “The Pillar of Lot’s Wife.”

More positively, there are several instances where Israelites erected altars or stone monuments, dug wells, and planted trees where a significant God-encounter happened. These reminded them of the nature and power of God, and inspired Israel to put the Lord first. These became symbols of faith and obedience.

Now, I am a “visual” person. I respond to what I see, and find inspiration in observing and photographing the handiwork of our Creator. So my collection of photos is like a Book of Psalms- I use them to remember, to praise God, to be thankful, and to learn from the actions and interactions I have seen. Which is why this ‘Look, See, Pray’ page exists. Bees and plants (etc) can be keys to unlock the soul.

If you respond in similar ways, your own photos or paintings may serve you well. Or perhaps for you it is sound, smell, taste or touch that can unlock good spiritual nostalgia. Try them out: see what helps you enter the Presence of Christ. Used alongside Word & Spirit, nostalgia can be a blessing to lead you onward with God.

And if you find ‘Look, See, Pray’ stimulating, please recommend or forward posts to others. Thanks and bless you!

Frosted Clarity- Look, See, Pray

Frost has outlined these little beauties. Rims and veins have attracted icy crystals which accentuate the shapes and forms of flower, berry and leaf. It makes for a nice picture!

You may be surprised to know it can help us do theology too.

Theology is “God Knowledge/Thinking.” The information we have, the principles we hold to, and the interpretation of God’s revelation enable us to begin to comprehend God. We debate, discuss, argue, theorise, and write BIG books! (Wouldn’t it be helpful sometimes to have a simpler explanation, a short book or cartoon instead? If so, read on about the frosty rose!)

Christians have prepared summaries of what we believe: we call them Creeds. “I believe in God the Father…” is the beginning of the Apostles’ Creed (one of the mainstream standards). These Creeds have been agreed by many believers over many years, and are often familiar to most churchgoers.

Each Creed sets out statements of faith; the things we agree on as “standard” for Christianity. They set out a “map” of faith, rather like the frost on the rose petals. We see where each one fits, what’s “in” as a part of normal faith. (There are, of course, differences of emphasis and nuance between the churches! But bear with me on the main principle.)

We cannot fully comprehend God- but one central Christian belief is that God has been and is self-revealing. We can see the Divine in Creation itself- through beauty and awe. The Bible is a written collection of the history of God’s interaction with humanity, inspired by God and amazingly effective at teaching us about God and His Ways.

I suppose we could write different doctrines on every petal to make it even clearer. For example: the nature of God; Creation; Salvation; Bible; Ethics, etc., etc.

Theology is the whole rose- but the parts can be looked at separately. We can always discover and experience more of God; so our study is open-ended, and there are “mysteries” as well as plain and obvious truths. But even if the rose is a symbol for theology, God is above and beyond it- the Gardener who is greater than the rose (or the whole garden).

Do you get the idea? Just as the frost has highlighted nature’s beauty, so choosing particular aspects of faith to study helps to make sense of the bigger picture.

The best starting place?

The life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. As set out in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we are introduced to the best self-revelation of God.

As Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14 v9)

Start here: GO.

Viennese Whirl? Look, See, Pray

The iconic Ferris Wheel in Vienna should have been demolished in 1916- but the Empire couldn’t afford it. Since then it has become a famous landmark, and appeared in the film “The Third Man” and also in a Bond film, “The Living Daylights.”

A local saying is that if you ride the wheel and see the whole of Vienna from there, you will love the city forever.

On our visit to Vienna, we didn’t have time to queue for tickets, so we only saw the Ferris Wheel from the tour bus. The effect worked at least partially- I’d love to go back and spend more time in Vienna- a city of beautiful architecture and great culture.

But apart from the classic engineering and the stunning view, the wheel has little value. It goes round, the cars rise, crest, and descend- and that’s it.

Is that how most of us see life? A treadmill with a good view?

Repetitive behaviour is part of life. We sleep, wake, eat, work, eat, and sleep. Assuming we are fortunate enough to get more than meal a day.

A Ferris wheel is essentially an entertainment. Life is a journey with purpose- or should be. Western society is in danger of being entertained to death! There must be more to life than this.

I am reminded of the experience of Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10. He was a tax officer of dubious ethics- the basic way of tax collecting for the Roman provinces was to raise whatever the Governor told you to collect: and anything else you could extort was yours to keep. To say they were unpopular is a major understatement.

Yet Zaccheus realised his life was a failure. Having heard that Jesus was nearby, Zaccheus (a short bloke) climbed into a tree to listen. Imagine his shock when Jesus (against all custom and religious purity) invited himself to Zac’s place for a meal and chat! Everyone else was horrified- didn’t Jesus realise this was a SINNER, traitor, collaborator, tax collector!!!

Of course Jesus did. Upshot- Jesus was unpopular with the self-righteous snobs, Zac’s life was turned around, and the people who’d been ripped off were generously compensated. The Kingdom of God moved in, and turned the world upside down.

Jesus said that He was here to do what the Heavenly Father required. His call to Zaccheus (and us today) is to follow that way- to walk alongside Jesus, and do what God wants done.

It’s riskier, but it sure beats a Ferris wheel ride!

Becoming Aware- Look, See, Pray

Cooler moist air, early angled sunshine, and a spider’s web becomes an artwork: its fragility set off beautifully by the smooth solid rose-hips adding hints of colourful, warm, apricot.

Eureka! The kind of web that when not lit up can be walked into by us as well as bugs which then enlivens mornings with an impromptu outburst of spluttering interpretative dance.

Suddenly all the delicate structure of the engineering of a web is plain to see. How did spiders ever learn to do that?

The complexity of a garden eco-system is astonishing. So many creatures taking part in the interweaving dynamic of Life. Then the plants that provide beauty, food, cover and more. From ant to tree, there is a place for everything. Most of the events in our gardens happen without our awareness. Life and death conflicts go on in the grasses, the soil, and the air. Hidden birds burst into song (which we sometimes fail to notice- that is surely a crime!).

Becoming aware of the life around us is important. It sets us in the proper context as part of our home, our community, our world.

We will see, hear and smell things that lift our consciousness, and even open us on a spiritual level. Respect for creation often leads to a deeper respect, a reverence, towards God. Theologians talk about God being “immanent” – being present in and sustaining life- and this means God can be encountered in and through the stream of life we are part of. Grace roosts in our treetop, waiting to fly down to our shoulder.

As we step into our home, into our garden, onto our day’s journey, we are on holy ground. God is present, and through encountering His Presence we participate in holiness. We are “set aside” for a holy purpose which can be worked out wherever our day takes us.

My day started with a spider’s web. And I sensed the pleasure of Jesus as I photographed it, and as I started to write about the experience. God is here, as He always has been. Now, I am aware.

Psalm 113:4-6

The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

Beauty as a Key- Look, See, Pray.

Beauty in Nature is evident to most people, whether the colours of a flower or the song of a blackbird. A raspberry picked and eaten fresh is an exquisite experience; the gentleness of new beech leaves is like stroking satin. To be deprived of one or more of our five senses is rightly considered to be a great loss.

I have discovered that enjoying beauty in nature is a key that unlocks my spiritual senses. Finding the “fingerprint” of the Creator excites my spirit as well as emotions. So I use photography as a means to “record” God’s creative thought; it allows me to use Nature as a staircase to climb nearer to God.

Beauty is, for me at least, part of a three-pronged strategy for worshipping and knowing God. Becoming sensitive to the Presence and action of the Holy Spirit is the second “prong” – this is the hardest to explain as it is a “knowing” that is partly revelation of God and partly my attuned intuition. Third, but by no means least, is the role of Scripture. This is the written form of the Lord’s revealing grace through history, poetry, narrative, and prophecy- it is VITAL.

Bible “reading” by itself is good: then the effort that goes into truly comprehending the Books so they can inform and guide is considerable. Four years at Bible College was only the beginning of the beginning of me discovering Truth, paradox, mystery, and divine grace.

Learning to “do the Bible” is truly praiseworthy; the reading must affect our hearts as well as our mind. If not, we may become well-educated pieces of dead wood! Knowledge about God cannot take the place of KNOWING God.

Sometimes we struggle for closeness to God, and beat ourselves up about not reading the Bible enough (and/or not praying enough).

So if you find yourself “running rough” (or failing to connect through what we might call “religious acts”), try this approach route:

Go and FIND something absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Contemplate your “find” and ask questions of yourself (and of God).

1. Why does this move me?
2. How have I experienced God through beauty in the past?
3. What is it about this particular “beauty” that impacts my spirit?
4. Lord God, what are YOU saying to me in this?
5. Lord, please will you help me to draw closer through this beauty, and remind me of Scriptures that speak further of Your Love; then allow Your Spirit to breathe life, fire or living water in to my soul.

By the way, aren’t Foxgloves pretty?
Enjoy the photo- and seek Jesus through it!

Splintered Light- Look, See, Pray

“Stand with the Sun behind you and you’ll get a nice photograph.” Safe advice, often given to new photographers… I think that film manufacturers wrote something similar in with the rolls of film (I’m assuming some of you remember “film” for prints or slides). It was not cheap, and developing costs for prints were quite high. In the Era B.D. (Before Digital) poor hobbyists had to work hard, and not take too many chances. Playing safe saved money! Quite often the results were predictable, and frankly often boring.

Taking a photo like the one above was a big “no-no”. Risky! Measuring the light (or guessing the exposure) was an arcane exercise. Although, from the 1970s onwards technology was progressing and in-camera light meters reduced the odds of failure.

Experience gained (often from making mistakes) helped; and whole books were penned about “correct exposure” and effective composition. A steep learning curve and an expensive hobby!

Today’s photo is of frosted grasses and weeds, just beginning to thaw in early morning sunshine. The sunlight was at 45⁰towards the lens, backlighting the droplets and splintering the light. I used a low crouching position to shield the lens from direct sunlight, preventing flare and sunspots. Clever stuff! (I won’t spoil the effect by telling you how many other attempts of scenes like this were failures.)

Taking risks and seeking out “learning moments” will shape us into better photographers. Capturing light and interpreting it is the very heart of photography. Funnily enough, the principle is very similar to good theology! Looking at the Light of revelation, and trying understand and apply it to life- what we know about God, and what difference it makes.

We can “play safe” with faith, carefully colouring in between the lines and avoiding tricky questions. Predictable, satisfying, unobjectionable. We can learn “our” party line, listen to “safe” speakers, and hide safely in the crowd. For a while at least, that can be good enough.

But when BIG questions come up, when tragedy rocks our foundations, when moral and theological issues impact “our” small world, we have to go looking for insights from a fresh angle. We look into the Light, squinting and blinking, and discover that splintered Light illuminates in a newly beautiful way. In taking a risk, we are stretching out in our faith- and always seeking to draw closer to God Himself. The essential “Good News” (the Light itself) is unchanged; but moving our viewpoint helps us see MORE.

Perhaps learning more about the Bible itself from scholars and mature believers; or opening ourselves to “Go on going on being filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5 v18). The great Reformers and Puritans had a saying “The Lord has yet more Light to break forth from His Word.” When we stop learning, we stop growing.

Jesus took his Twelve disciples on a three-year journey of discovery. They learned about God, about the Scriptures, about themselves- and a whole load of experiences and puzzles that stretched their minds and spirits until they became more and more like Jesus. They took risks, faced impossible odds, saw God at work in unthinkable ways: they wept at the crucifixion and were astounded at Resurrection. They then received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost… and their story journeys through the centuries to join our own.

Faith and photography are simply “learning to see Light.” Then the Light reveals Life, and drives out the darkness. “Faith” and “photo” can both be spelled R-I-S-K.

Outcast- Look, See, Pray

As a young-ish fella my pastor set me a challenge. “I’m preaching about Moses next week. How about writing a song for me?” The folk/gospel revolution of the 70s, a fingerpickin’ guitarist, and a week… Challenge accepted!

Why a wild flower photo? I came across it in the wild flower bed I set up this spring- I’ve never seen one before, it may have been in the seed mix- or a gift from a passing bird. A lone outcast surviving in the wilds. So it seemed appropriate. Anyway, here’s the lyric for “Outcast.”

Sheep are my business, the desert my home
since running from Egypt and dead men's bones.
My people are distant, far from this place-
a moment of passion cuts me off from my race.
The years have crawled onwards, the people are slaves.
The Chosen of Yahweh fall into their graves.
So now I just wander on lonely sand
sing to my sheep and clasp empty hands.

To wander forever could well be my fate
since running away from a murderer's hate.
A passion for justice, desire to be free,
to  count Israel's children as sand by the sea.
But now I'm an outcast, my timing was wrong.
But the children of Yahweh have suffered so long.
They need a new leader with vigour and fire,
to seek after Yahweh and draw people higher.

But what do I see? The bush is on fire!
Yet nothing is burning, my soul is inspired.
Sand on my bare feet, I'm on holy ground
and Yahweh is speaking to the leader He's found.

He called me and chose me, although I fought shy,
Ran out of excuses- and oh, how I tried!
So now I will travel to Pharoah's land
release Yahweh's people from Death's clinging hand.

But what do I see? The bush is on fire!
Yet nothing is burning, my soul is inspired.
Sand on my bare feet, I'm on holy ground
and Yahweh is speaking to the leader He's found.
Yes, Yahweh is speaking to the leader He's found.

^{(c) Richard Starling, 1978}

What’s the Catch? Look, See, Pray

This guy is a serious fisherman: he is passionate about his sport, has invested in the correct equipment, and studied his subject.

On top of that, he has the patience necessary to get results.

I find it fascinating that Jesus chose fishermen to be the first disciples. Used to a tough life, skilled at their trade, and unafraid of patient hard work- and obviously with an open heart, willing to listen. They hoped that God might do a new thing in their day, and encountering Jesus changed their lives forever.

Others listened to Jesus- up to the point where “following” was proving difficult, disappointing, and dangerous. Jesus even asked if his closest followers wanted to leave as well.

Peter answered on their behalf: “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69 The Message Translation)

Having such commitment and determination meant that those disciples would live at great risk- for a great vision, a purpose worthy of life and death. Many of them died violently.

Such obedient faith is much more than believing some facts about Jesus. It is be willing to go to great lengths in the expectation of world-transforming results: putting trust in the words of real eternal life spoken by Christ. Jesus went to a terrible execution so that all things might be reconciled to God. Another of the extraordinary followers of Jesus described Him in these terms:

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1 v17-20)

So, what is there that I will believe in, put into practice, and expect God to do through my life and passionate discipleship? The way I answer that question sums up what I might achieve through the presence and power of Jesus!