bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

These are a few of my favorite things.

I was thinking about one of my favorite things today, photography, capturing life in one image in a moment in time. Its not just about taking a photo or the right light, but capturing life as I see it. I'm a visual person tried and true. Partly this why I am pants with voicemail.

When Zach was a substitute teacher in San Francisco Unified School District (not an easy task) I would sometimes ask him, "what did you see today?" By this I didn't mean a tree or a truck (but he could say that and it would be fine). What I wanted to know was what did you see, what captured your heart, what life image was imprinted into your heart and mind? What made you think? What made you question?

I love this question and I love photography, because they encourage us to pay attention to the life and lives around us, so rich with untold stories and significant meaning.

~ What did you see today?
Please comment and share, I'd love to hear.

out of the noise.

I think every once in a blue moon it is helpful for me to explain the title of my blog. 

...as we live in the kingdom that is here, but not yet fully here, we're surround by noise. The noise of sound, light, images, voices, icons, tvs, radios, computers, ipods, and more...noise in my life, which can clutter the voice of God. The voice I long to hear and follow. So here I am, escaping the noise, and entering into the place of stillness and expression to be a display of his splendor in word and action (and photo). I know it seems ironic that I would enter cyperspace (a place of noise) to do this, but this is the leverage I have been given, and I want to use it for the glory of the gospel. ~ join me

interesting here is what I wrote in November... (in retrospect, I might not use the word "magical")

...I chose this [title] after watching a documentary on monasticism. It was powerful for both Zach and me. I was reminded of how inundated we are with noise on a daily basis and how hard it is for us to just sit silently and soak up the tunes of life around us. Our senses are becoming desensitized to the wonders (color, sounds, feelings and smells) of our world. So much can happen internally if we were just to sit, silently and be with our self, our thoughts, our dreams and fears - AND the world right in front of us. I fear what will come of our generation and the next due to the ever increasing influence of internet and technology. Our generation gets bored all too easily. Oh my. Please join me by stepping out of the noise and back to relationship with the living world that surrounds us. It truly is a magical place. I leave you with those thoughts for now.  Funny how I am on the internet as I write these thoughts. 

~ oh, the paradox