the unlikely orange

"in our image" mixed media collage gregory a. milinovich "and love again" mixed media collage gregory a. milinovich thanks to those of you who checked out my etsy site yesterday.  i sold these two collages, and am always happy when i know that some of my collages are finding a good home.  there are still 50 collages available at my shop , so if you haven't already, take a moment to check them out.  *** in other news, we are having a big yard sale on saturday, so feel free to stop by and say hello.  if you are in need of an antique pepsi bottle, a laptop lock or a vinyl copy of petra's "captured in time and space" then this is the yard sale for you.  disclaimer: if you stop by and find something that you bought us is for sale, it is shannon's fault.  sorry. *** hope you find a way to enjoy this incredibly gorgeous weekend. 

"enmity"                                                                                        "real-o-matic" mixed media assemblage                                                               mixed media collage gregory a. milinovich   ...

you know, religion gets a bad rep these days.  i've said it countless times in my own ministry: following Jesus isn't about religion, it's about relationship.  we know that Jesus often railed against the religious leaders of his day.  and we have all learned that terrible - terrible - things have been done by "religious" people in the name of their religion.  many of us have hummed along with r.e.m. as they so poignantly defined the mood of a whole generation: "that's me in the corner, losing my religion..."  our culture has generally dismissed religion as a product of powerful organiztions, one that often tries to control and use others for the benefit of the few.  and this may not often be far from the truth.  so, the poor reputation isn't necessarily undeserved.  and yet, there is something to be said for being religious, at least in the pure sense of the word.  i'm very religious.  about some things, that is.  take coffee, fo...

happy birthday, casey kasem.  you were born on this day in 1932, and the world just wouldn't be the same without you.  i mean, whole generations of kids would have grown up without the perfect voice for shaggy rogers from scooby doo.  without shaggy's pre-gen x apathy, where would we be?  but more importantly, where would any of us be without america's top 40?  i mean, the sweet vocal stylings of casey kasem saying, "we're counting down to the number one song in america," is something that can't really be described by mere language.  i spent many a sunday night in the mid-90's, next to my boombox, with my index finger poised on the pause button, ready to record "ice ice baby" on cassette, as soon as casey introduced in his signature way.  so happy birthday, casey kasem.  thanks for the memories.  keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. 

so yesterday was cade's birthday and we celebrated on saturday with a small batman-themed party.  he has been on a batman kick for quite some time now, so i busted out the old batman/superman cake kit that my mom made me when i was a kid (it's from 1977, the year after i was born, so basically it is really old): i had never made one of these before, but i thought it turned out ok for a first time.  that's right: i made the cake this time.   i know you all realize that shannon is the master cake-maker in our family, but i took the reins this time and knocked a pretty tasty and sweet-looking batman cake.  as you can see from my cake above, it sort of looks like batman has a growth on the left side of his abdomen, or an enlarged heart or something, so i'm hoping its not serious.  the good news is that almost every night before bed, cade says a prayer for batman and robin, so that should help.  in any case we had a nice party, and Cade's favorite part, of c...

today is my little man's third birthday.  THIRD!!   i can't believe how quickly three years can go.  but i don't simply want to mourn how quickly the time has gone.  i really want to celebrate how wonderful those years have been.  life with cade is such an adventure, and such a joy.  so today we celebrate you, caedmon.  with your bright blue eyes, your love of batman, your propensity to hug, and your easy going nature.  if i could open up  the top of your head and make sure that there is one thing that is firmly seeded there, it would be this: that you know that your mother and i adore you and love you with a wild and unstoppable love.  you are our joy.  happy birthday, little boy.

this last thursday we celebrated earth day.  every year at this time i pause long enough to consider my own assumptions about this planet, and about how my own behavior does or does not match my beliefs.  it seems to make sense to me, but each year i am also amazed at how some Christians get so upset about earth day.  i would explain here to you, in case you aren't aware of the diversity of Christian responses to this day, but to be honest with you, i don't really get it.  i know that the throngs of Christians get their "facts" from fox news, which has a deeply rooted political agenda, and therefore spins the truth to suit that agenda.  and people listen.  i also know that when it comes to the environment there is a deep fear in people - fear that things might have to change, or fear that a terrible disaster will happen, or that the government is going to take control of everything - and fear leads people to do, think and believe some crazy things....