Skip to main content

connected


"lent 1, 2015: connected"
mixed media collage on stretched canvas (tissue paper, string, acrylic paint, gel medium, wallpaper glue)
10" x 8"
gregory a. milinovich

sunday we began our lenten series called "journey to hope."  we began by talking about two parts of the journey, roadblocks and companions.  as far as roadblocks go, sometimes there are things that block our progress in the journey of faith.  whether it be the refusal to forgive someone, or to receive forgiveness from God, or the pride of being unwilling to admit the selfishness of your choices or behavior, or something else altogether different, there are many things that impede our forward movement, and keep us still and stagnant.  but it doesn't have to be that way.  God has made a way where there seems to be no way, and every possible roadblock can be overcome, by the grace of God.  the question is are you willing to do your part in overcoming it?

secondly, we discussed the importance of spiritual friendships, or what an old celtic proverb calls "soul-friends."  we talked about our innate need for companionship (literally sharing bread with another), and how our spiritual journey, if it is to be the best journey possible, needs the help, the blessing, the accountability, the laughter, the strong shoulders to lean on, and the iron-sharpening-iron which only spiritual friendship can provide.  the problem is that most of us have many friends, and very few soul-friends.  we can talk at length about work or about our favorite team or the stress we are under or our new diet or whatever, but when it comes to talking about our faith, we suddenly get quiet.  we are afraid to disagree with one another, or to offend someone.  we are afraid we will look stupid, or say something wrong. heck, i don't know what all we are afraid of, but the sad reality is that most of us have no idea how to discuss our faith with our friends.  and that's a crying shame, because we desperately need to.  for our sake, and for theirs.  for the sake of the world and for the sake of the kingdom, we need friendships that are founded in God's truth and marked by God's grace and love.  so, who are your soul friends?  who are you connected to with an unbreakable bond?  if it is no one, how will you go about meeting some new companions on the journey?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

bad haircuts (for a laugh)

everybody needs to laugh.  one good way i have found to make that happen is to do a simple google image search for 'bad haircut.'  when you do so, some of the following gems show up.  thankfully, my 9th grade school picture does NOT show up.  otherwise, it would certianly make this list!  please laugh freely and without inhibition.  thank you and have a nice day. 
3 comments
keep reading

happiness is dry underwear

we started potty training jack on thursday. we followed a program called POTTY TRAIN IN ONE DAY, which, by the way, i think is kind of crazy. i mean, if someone were to offer you a book called, "ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE IN ONE DAY" i don't think you would take it seriously. and yet here we are, trying to accomplish an equally daunting task in one 24-hour period. it is intense. the day is shrouded in a lie because as soon as your happily diapered child wakes up you tell him that it is a big party. we had balloons and streamers and noisemakers and silly string - all the trappings of a legitimate party. but it is most certainly not a party. it is a hellishly exhausting day. as soon as jack got out of bed, we gave him a present: an anatomically correct doll that wets himself. jack named him quincy. several times quincy successfully peed in the potty and even had an accident or two in his "big boy underwear." he also dropped a deuce that looked and smelled sus...
6 comments
keep reading

i'm giving away the swamp

so this is a collage called swamp. i made it in february of last year. it is currently framed in a homemade, hand-painted frame. it is paper collage on a book binding panel. it is 7" x 10". and i am giving it away. i've been wanting to have a blog giveaway for some time, and the time has finally arrived. here's how it works. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. by leaving a comment you are automatically entered into the contest (as long as your comment offers a way for me to get in touch with you, or you know that i know you). the contest will be open until next wednesday at noon, eastern standard time. at that time the contest will officially be closed and i will pick a random number. the person whose comment matches that number wins! for example, if i happen to pick the number 33, the thirty-third comment will win. oh, and one more rule: you can only post ONCE. if you win, i will send you the collage, signed by me, the artist, free of c...
29 comments
keep reading