Creative Rut

I am sitting in front of a very nice Apple Macbook Pro, Directly above me in our spare room is a equally nice PC. Both computers are loaded with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver. The Mac also has an awesome little suite called iLife that let's me do everything from record the live music I am playing(Badly) on the Harmonica to creating a DVD quality home movie. Next to the Mac is a Digital SLR Camera with a variety of Lenses and next to that an iPod with dozens of podcasts about media and technology and innovation.

My last major creative work was taking pictures of our new kitten Sophie(she says hi) and resizing them to send to the Inlaws, it took me less than 4 minutes of computer time. The point of saying all this is not to earn more geek cred, Weird Al's Based his new song on me ;)(Yes I do own the Starwars Holiday Special). The point is to say I have also these fantastic tools to create and innovate and I've just been sitting here digging stories about other people being creative.

Also this isn't a woe is me post. I know what I need to do. I need to get off my lazy butt and get out into the world and see something creative. I need to hit a few galleries or museums. I need to be challenged by myself, to get out and create. I've decided to take the advice of an artist I know and put the tools away for a while. I'm going to create on the canvas in my head, tug at the gray matter a bit. It's only through stretching our minds to the possibilities that creativity comes.

Great Opportunity

I am really excited about what has been happening with Veritas recently. One thing that has me really exicted is the connection we are making with several students at Elizabethtown College. Next Tuesday the 21st we have the opportunity to put together a worship station-focused worship gathering for the Campus Crusade group at E-Town. We will be setting up 9 stations for the night and will include some musical worship, and communion. We are just praying that Tuesday night will go smoothly, the students that come will be blessed, sense God's presence, and that they are encouraged, challenged, convicted, and deepened in their spiritual journey.

If anyone is interested it will run from 9-10:30 PM on the campus of E-Town College in their newest building near the student center. We could also use the prayers for that night. We are also hoping that some who attend that night might become involved in our faith community.

Community, What's the cost of Admission?

What does it cost to be part of a community?

This is something I was thinking about this morning. Communities are often a place where we go to get something friendship, companionship, knowledge but to truly be a part of a community we have have to put something back. maybe the same thing we get out or maybe some other needed element like finances. I am and have been a part of a myriad of communities and each one has it's own expectatons of it's members. All communities want knowledgeable members able to teach the next "generation" it's just what that knowledge is that makes each community different. I am hoping to start a boardgame group in the area, this will create another community for me to be part of. What are the costs? What are the benefits? is it worth it?

Yeah I think so, because if we lock into one small group or community, if we refuse to broaden our contacts outside of that community we lose something. We lose an opportunity to be challenged and grow often in unexpected ways. We also lose the opportunity to help other grow.