Infographic with a difference

Something a little different. An infographic with an interactive element. As a result, this is definitely a place I'd like to visit if ever I find myself in the "Big Apple". Brooklyn Bowl

Inspiration & a whole lot of faith

I've been inspired!! Or have I simply had a revelation? Either way, it's a great thing because I have learnt something today. Inspiration cannot be created, we're either inspired or we're not. The freedom in my revelation today is that I no longer have to feel "uninspired" when I have little inspiration, if that makes any sense at all. I simply wait until I am inspired again and don't try to force anything.

Of course, there are those environments, people, places and songs that "inspire" me and I am aware of that and should as a result be placing myself within those environments and amongst those people but at the end of the day inspiration is something I don't have too much control over.

This is why I believe that inspiration and faith go hand in hand. By definition, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and being certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1 I have Faith because I recognise my lack of control on this planet we call home. Inspiration is naturally one of those things most people hope for and most definitely something we cannot see, and so, our hope for inspiration is dependent on God from where all inspiration flows. From natural beauty, to kind people, beautiful art to soulful music, it is from God that all these things originated and so it follows naturally, that when we are inspired, we give glory to God. Call it Worship if you will.

I'd like to take this one step further, in Ecclesiastes we understand that our purpose in this life is to bring glory to our Lord and Saviour and obey His commandments. If "being inspired" is brining glory to God, it follows that, that which inspires us is that which gives us purpose. If something inspires us, we should therefore pursue it with unwavering passion. We plead of the Lord incessantly to show us what our purpose in life is, we seek our purpose and we even go so far as to conjure up our purpose to feel the sense of "purpose" when the simple truth is, "wait to be inspired" and then, grab whatever it is that has inspired you with both hands and allow the inspiration to drive you to do things you never thought possible.

Part of my revelation today was brought on by a TED talk by author of "Eat, Pray, Love", Elizabeth Gilbert. I have not read the book, I have not watched the movie and I do not know what it is about and therefore offer no commentary on the movie (because I know that some Christ followers have a fairly opinionated view of the movie). I also, do not subscribe to a pluralistic society and categorically state that I believe the one and only living God is Jesus Christ. However, I do urge "creative minds" out there to watch her presentation on TED simply because I believe many of us have fallen into that trap of believing that our best is past and not that our best is still to come. We live in perpetual fear of not making as much of our lives as we have already made. Many of us live in constant pursuit of "our purpose", seeking that inspiration and I believe that Gilbert's simple philosophy, "For just having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up" is how many of us will eventually attain those dreams we dream and finding the purpose we have been searching for.

If you know your work is your work but have not yet recognized exactly why, motivated by love for those around you on a day to day basis and by sheer tenacity, continue doing what you're doing, keep "showing up", be open to new experiences and new people, travel to new places and never say no to the opportunity to serve and you will be inspired and you will "find" purpose.

Just Because...

I tried posting this over a week ago and it failed but it's worth trying again and for no other reason than just because it's beautiful!

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Be Thankful

I never dream! Maybe I should clarify, I never dream while I sleep. You can therefore understand my surprise when the other night I had a frighteningly vivid dream. More surprising was the fact that I actually remembered it in fairly comprehensive detail. Vivid doesn't mean understandable or sensible mind you. As always, for me, people and places are vague, nonetheless, in this instance, there are some images that will be etched into my mind for a while still.

I knew my turn was coming as I watched a woman and child gunned down in cold blood, execution style. The perpetrators appeared from nowhere, we had obviously seriously ticked someone off. As the stone cold gunman approached one colleague at a time, he'd hardly listen for an answer to the aggressive interrogation, "Who are you? Who do you work for?" before raising his pistol and pumping several bullets into each person's head. For some bizarre reason, I didn't run, perhaps in fear of being caught, perhaps because there was nowhere to run. I considered making a run for the single piston Cherokee parked less than 100m away, but knew that my chances of getting it started and in the air before having a couple of lead rounds in my chest was unlikely. All I could do was prepare to die... what were my last words going to be? I'd resolved very clearly that I would ask out aloud as a final witness and testimony, "Jesus, please forgive this man for what he is about to do!" Selfishly, perhaps there was a hope that this statement would touch some recessed sense of morality in him and soften his heart but to be honest, I do remember considering Christ's words on the cross as He gave up His last breath, "Father, forgive them as they know not what they do". Split seconds in a dream I'm sure, but it seemed like an eternity before he stood in front of me, a steel glare into my eyes... "Who are you?" I don't even recall answering, all I know is that the fateful raising of the hand didn't happen, I felt guilty, like I was the one to blame for all the bodies lying around me, like I was the one that most deserved to die, yet for some reason, as comical as it is (because it's a dream), the man turned away and quipped as he walked across a field towards another "lodge" type structure, "I'm going to miss the rugby."

So why "Be Thankful", you may ask. Anyone who has dreamed before knows what bizarre situations our sub conscious can create. I found myself towards the end of the dream, (probably before I was rudely woken by my alarm), washing dishes, just two dirty plates to my recollection, but what stood out above everything else was the dominant thought in my mind as my heart still raced in my chest, "Thank you Lord that I get to wash more than one plate", I guessed there must have been at least one other person, probably someone I loved who also survived the massacre.

Next time you find yourself complaining & irritable at having to perform menial tasks, thank the Lord for the house you must clean, the dishes to be washed, the clothes to be ironed, the food to be cooked or the car you're stuck in traffic in! Learn to be grateful for your life. Philippians 4:6 says, "With Thanksgiving, present your requests to God". Lets remember before asking for more to be thankful for what we have!

"Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,"
(Hebrews 12:28)

Time stands still

So now that we've seen magnificent time lapses of natural wonders, it's one thing fitting 24 hours into four seconds but quite another to freeze time so that 1/100th of a second is stretched into 1 second. This is the work of the Phantom Flex shooting in full HD at 2564 frames per second... insane!!

Locked in a Vegas Hotel Room with a Phantom Flex from Tom Guilmette on Vimeo.

In the blink of an eye

The wonder of photography once again allows us to see our ever changing yet completely ordered universe.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Vision...

"Vision involves our ability to understand space." This clip is an incredible testimony to God's genius!! Science is a undeniably a passion of mine, but science without God is not science at all and unfortunately for those science purists out there, God can blow any hypothesis clear out of the water. Once again I have realised the fallibility of "conclusive evidence" and the magnitude of our Creator's variables!

For me as a pilot and a photographer, this concept of spacial awareness is a deep cavern yearning to be explored. One would probably find that it relates to people's awareness and sensitivity of those others within their "personal space" too but that's an entirely new discussion on it's own.

Please review my blog "blurb" before watching the clip, this clip epitomises "seeing without sight". I found this clip on a friends blog, I encourage you to take a look and be amazed at how God has revealed "Vision" to them through their son Cameron. http://reyburnboys.blogspot.com

Natural Light Show

This is a video I found while simply checking the weather. It had me transfixed and just in awe of the dynamic creativity within this universe. It's all very well looking at beautiful pictures of mountain landscapes and capturing animal behaviour as an illustration of what our Creator has done and not to belittle every detail of creation, but this is mind blowing... don't only ask yourself how, but why??

Why did the Creator of the universe create the Northern Lights? Sure, I understand it may be a result of the collision of charged particles directed by the Earth's magnetic field but what functional purpose does it serve? All science aside, after watching this brief spectacle, I choose to believe that our very own creator is the "producer" of His own natural light show, purely for our enjoyment...

And so... ENJOY!

Aurora Borealis timelapse HD - Tromsø 2010 from Tor Even Mathisen on Vimeo.

Weeping with Joy

Late last night, an sms from a friend inspired me to once again, look with more than my eyes alone at something so magnificent in it's simplicity. Salix babylonica... Say what?? Salix babylonica, more commonly known as The Weeping Willow.



There are some things in life that we have a natural affinity for, those things that please the senses without a conscious recognition of why? The smell of cut grass, the sound of running water, and the cool beckoning of deep shade on a warm day. The Weeping Willow's association with the tranquility of running water, it's forlorn appearance, drooping branches and wispy, light foliage is symbolic in so many ways of mourning and grief and has in the past, frequently been referred to in such context. Even the name itself, eludes to the River's of Babylon in the biblical context, where the exiled Hebrews sang "By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres." (My apologies for eliciting spontaneous outbreaks of Boney M impersonations)

There are numerous poetic references but one such reference echoed the thoughts of a friend who called herself a Weeping Willow in a moment of grief. It contrasts the gloomy dark shade of the Cypress with with the light elegance of the Willow and in essence highlights the paradox of joy in our loss.

"The Cypress was long considered as the appropriate ornament of the cemetery; but its gloomy shade among the tombs, and its thick, heavy foliage of the darkest green, inspire only depressing thoughts, and present death under its most appalling image, whilst the Weeping Willow, on the contrary, rather conveys a picture of the grief felt for the loss of the departed than of the darkness of the grave. Its light and elegant foliage flows like the disheveled hair and graceful drapery of a sculptured mourner over a sepulchral urn, and conveys those soothing, though melancholy reflections that made the poet write--

"'Tis better to have lov'd and lost,
Than never to have lov'd at all.'"

Copyright © 2009-2010 LoveToKnow Corp

As much as the tree has been likened to forsaken love, the irony is that with the exception of the above mentioned biblical reference, all other references to the Weeping Willow in the bible are indicative of joy, abundance & fertility.

"Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig,"
(Ezekiel 17:5)

"Therefore the abundance they have gained and what they have laid up they carry away over the Brook of the Willows."
(Isaiah 15:7)

"They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams."
(Isaiah 44:4)

For those familiar with JK Rowling, her character in Harry Potter, the Whomping Willow even introduces a little attitude into our stereotypical view of the hunched, somber demeanor of the Willow, possibly offering us a glimpse into the strength that lies within.

For me the Weeping Willow is a symbol of humility, there is immense strength in apparent weakness. It has never been used for supporting structures or for railway sleepers, it is not an obnoxious tree that towers over the rest, in the words of an unknown author, "The weeping willow seeks a humble scene--some romantic footpath bridge, some quiet grave, which it half conceals, or some glassy pond, over which it hangs its streaming foliage."

However, the Willow has been used in more subtle yet equally, if not more important roles, from fish traps sustaining a families humble subsistence, to broom handles in service within the home to the source of so many people's hope and joy, musical instruments like the flute, not without it's own small amount of pride, cricketers have used it to the delight of thousands of spectators as they've slammed sixes out of the stadium in the final over of a cricket match. Few know that one of it's most humble testimonies is one of healing, as the first discovered source of salicylic acid, more commonly known as aspirin, it has brought relief to millions.

All this aside, to quote my friend "Tonight my heart feels like a weeping willow beside a cool humming stream. Weeping but so alive". Salix babylonica represents all that is alive, in despair and grieving, we recognise just how alive we are, just how strong we are yet just how fragile life is, and we are humbled like the Weeping Willow beside the cool waters, to know that without those streams of living waters, we are nothing. Like the Weeping Willow, we should bow down, stooping to dip our entire being into the life giving waters, seeking sustenance. Like the Weeping Willow, we should point to the living waters and provide protection to all who seek our shade, as they themselves begin to quench their thirst in the streams of living waters.

Other references:
http://redslipperdiary.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/under-the-weeping-willow-tree/
The Willow Song
Weeping Willow Tree Facts
Willow Bark

Fame for resentment

We've all resented work we've done in the past... This subject of toil and labour is one that I have discussed in past blog entries. My interest, (bordering on passion) for why we work and our attitude towards our work has once again found expression through an interesting source.

I stumbled across this incredible site which has used 360 degree panoramic technology with high res photographs (not unlike gigipan technology) and at first I was just amazed at the site. The spectacle that lies before me on a computer screen is the Sistine Chapel and I am not for one moment claiming that this site in any way simulates the grandeur and pure ambiance that an observer in the Sistine Chapel would encounter, but having never witnessed it first hand, the site tweaked my interest.

Sistine Chapel


If ever someone has mentioned Sistine Chapel in the past, my poor performance in Std. 4 history does conjure up one image, and that is of a painter named Michelangelo lying on his back to paint narratives covering 1100 square meters of ceiling with the most intricate detail possible. What I didn't realise is that Michelangelo resented his commission, he believed his work only served the Pope's need for grandeur, (which in reality probably holds true, but that's a debate for another day). The point being, that something a man literally despised for it's motive, even while involved in conducting a passion, literally became his "crowning glory", one of the most defining accolades of who he is or should I say was, today.

It is not for us to question why we do what we do, so long as our passion is in it, so long as we acknowledge there is a purpose in it, perceived or not. Once again, I encourage everyone to work with all their hearts and remember that "it is good for a man to enjoy his toil under the sun". You never know what may become in the future, of what you think is trivial today.