In the Beginning. . .

In the beginning was the Logos. And the Logos was set in motion creating all things seen and unseen. The Logos is the word and the word comes from the ultimate source of all things made and unmade. The Logos is Truth that comes from the source which all things were made and must return. The truth is the word and the word is conveyed in vast formations--plain and mysterious.

The logos is a living entity and exists in all things. Yet all things come from the source: a single entity that binds and creates all things known and unknown.

The Logos, the word, and the source are synonymous symbols by which Truth can be found. . .

Through the word. . .

Through light. . .

Through sound. . .

Through motion. . .

The Logos set in motion creates all things seen and unseen; known and unknown; made and unmade.

The Logos speaks this way so that you can better understand. . .

To speak through metaphors can the Truth be inspired that then when the Truth finds you can the Logos be understood.

Let the Logos speak.

Let the people hear.

Let the Truth find you.

For the Truth cannot be found lest the Truth finds you first.

Through the word, through light, through sound, and motion.

John 1:1 (ESV)

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life,^a and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

"My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Stained Glass Without a Sun

I am Stained with colours 

I am Strained of Impurities 

I am etched of poetry 

I am drawn with delicacy 

I am here where you can see

I am drawn so you can understand

My story

My life 

My past, present, and future. . .

But today my stained colours are dim

My impurities back again

My poetry slacked 

And drawn without tact 

For who am I?

To think I could shine brighter then any of you...

I am here where you cannot see 

I am drawn but you cannot understand

My story

My life

My gifts, strengths, and dreams...

I am stained glass without a sun

To shine through me

To shine for me

To shine for you

So we can see...

The beautiful colours that are not made by me...

But for us

So we can see...

Our story

Our life

Our hopes and dreams...

Behold the curtains are drawn

And we hide so ever shamefully 

Take our stained glass, 

Take our colours,

Take...

Our story

Our life

Our past, present, and future...

Our hopes and dreams...

And share it with the world

For stained glass without a sun

Cannot shine on it's own.

Draw up the curtains

And let the sun in.

Glow bright, straight, and true

for our colours are beautiful indeed.

But I need a sun, as do we all

For stained glass without a sun is dim indeed...

Open up your curtains

Let the sun shine through

So our life, our story, our savior...

Can come into.

Our hearts

Our minds

Our souls

For evermore...

Amen.

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

"My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

Logos Kinon

So I’ve been following around the blog-sphere and started to notice something that some blogs have that mine doesn’t.

A theme...

I thought I had a theme... In fact, it would appear that the theme of this blog is fairly obvious but I don’t think I’ve ever come out and admitted that [I] even knew what it was...

The name has always been “Renaissance Man.”

Why?

Well that is something I aspire to be. . .

It’s a life long pursuit, yes, but what pursuit in life isn’t?

I honestly had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up because I couldn’t make up my mind... I was also scared that whatever I chose to become wouldn’t make me happy, I’d change my mind but it would be too late... I had to be certain! But I just couldn’t choose to do any one thing, because I knew that any one thing couldn’t make me happy.

I use to tell people, then, that I wanted to be a jack of all trades but master of none.

I soon realized that employers and businesses don’t like to hear this sort of thing: they rely upon individuals with very specific skills and character traits.

Well, there’s nothing really wrong with wanting to know how to do all sorts of different things or to desire many different abilities; however, it’s still important to find what you’re really good at and stick with it--also know as “finding your niche.”

“What am I good at?” was the next question...

Photography and graphic art are two things I’ve always loved and enjoyed...

I love taking pictures and I love manipulating them to make something out of this world!

I love talking about it, can’t stop thinking about it, and I love teaching others about it all the time.

It didn’t stop there, though, and that’s when life started to get really interesting.

Still images are amazing things and like they say, “A picture speaks a thousand words”

I then thought to myself, “I enjoy speaking words of encouragement especially through my writing and my photographs... But if a picture speaks a thousand words, then how many words are spoken in moving pictures or film?”

The standard film rate in American cinema is 24 frames per second.

And a feature length film is said to be an average of 90 to 120 minutes in length

1000 words times 24 fames times 60 seconds times 120 minutes equals 172,800,000 words!

Of course, I’m not just talking about the dialog, and yes, one cannot take in a single frame of film as they can a single photograph; however, the possibilities of communicating ideas and the amount of skill that goes into this extensively collaborative business is incredible!

So incredible... That I’m sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life...

You take film and you get both a collaborative effort extensively involved in both art and science.

Am I capable of being the best at every little aspect of film making? Of course not. But working in film still gives me the chance to use what gifts I do have and mix and match them with the gifts others have. I’m not so bright when it comes to music, but I can still use what little knowledge I have to work with someone who has dedicated his or her life to musical theory. I may not be that great of a craftsmen, but who knows? I may get to work with some of the greatest craftsmen this world has ever known. And to think, it can all happen on the set of a film.

I now like to think of the renaissance man and the filmmaker as synonymous--one and the same...

I now realize that, overall, this has been something I’ve been wanting to achieve since I was learning more about art in high school.

I was home schooled in fact which could be of no surprise considering that many other renaissance souls out there were home schooled also.  But now, at twenty years of age, I am encouraged to share that I am attending University seeking a degree in mass communications with emphasis in film production, cinematography, digital editing, and motion design.

As for my writing... I shouldn’t desire to limit my scope in the film industry only. So while I may not always speak of filmmaking or whatever I may be working on at the time, I should like to discuss things beyond that.

I try not to seem like an activist of sorts. I tend to remain neutral on most controversial issues. Instead, I would seek to share what little wisdom I have found through life and scriptures not to point out the wrong in life, but to expound on how we all can live better.

Whether I’m doing it here on my blog or hopefully someday in film, I shall strive to be of what encouragement I can  while seeking advancement in both art, science, and the word of God.

Of course, what little life I have left in this fascinating universe will be dedicated to He who as made me. All glory be to God and God alone. Amen.

So what is the theme of my blog?

Well,

If the Pen is Mightier then the sword...

If the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword...


If a Picture Speaks a Thousand Words...

If Film Is Thousands of Moving Pictures

Then the theme of my blog is this:

"Ho Logos Kinon"--The Moving Word

Finally, for anyone who is interested in art or science or both; for anyone in search of encouragement; for anyone interested in film production, photography, or graphic design; for anyone interested in sharing some deep thoughts in this sea of information, I hope you find yourself welcome here.

To any renaissance man (or women) out there,

God speed,

~Rob Oakley  (An aspiring Renaissance Man)



"My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."

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Sound the Buzzhorn! Whitfield and Today's Disconection

by

Rob W. Oakley

-----George Whitefield, born December 16, 1714, was an entrepreneurial prodigy so to speak taking up his recently deceased father’s business and quickly learning the tools of the trade and became an excellent salesman. Later on Whitefield would acquire the aid of a stepfather and worked very closely with his family. Other then obtaining a vast understanding of sales and business, Whitefield also went on with an interest in commerce and evangelism.

-----After reading Frank Lambert's scholarly article “Pedlar in Divinity” one can very well come to the conclusion that Whitefield was hardly a pedlar but a man who knew how to take advantage of the leading mediums of communication. Rather then using any profit gained for the benefit of his own welfare, Whitefield would go on to sustain the advertisement of his work and his ministry to the less fortune.

----It was a social dilemma in that no one had any desire to gather in the name of commerce or the name of God. It was this matter, which sparked Whitefield's interest in that he knew; in order to sustain a body of believers and the governing forces between them, the people must mobilize and remain active together. Unfortunately, this was not the great case of the time until George Whitefield and his booming evangelical voice was heard throughout the New World.

-----In 1734-1735, Whitefield oversaw many of the initial stirrings of the First Great Awakening along with the other powerful and influential speakers such as Jonathan Edwards. The people were more then likely growing weary of the general topics being merely of who is and who is not of the proper doctrine. It was a battle of “Free Will” versus “Elected Grace” and many were beginning to feel like nothing more but empty and hopeless shells damned to be thrown away. On the contrary, Whitefield would assure that humankind at least have the powers within themselves to make a difference in the world around them. It was wrong for them to think condemning one another was more crucial then leaving such responsibility to God. Without first seeking the kingdom of heaven, they were instead seeking their own answers to the mystery of God's sovereign hand. Whitefield challenged their thinking and called them to dress better, to read better books, and to start pointing their fingers at themselves instead of one another.

-----George Whitefield was extraordinarily good at acquiring the attention of an audience (and a large one at that) so much to the effect that crowds would spontaneously appear from out of nowhere. One individual in particular was Benjamin Franklin.

-----Now of course, Franklin had every intention to make a profit off the charismatic Whitefield. Therefore, it would seem that the true Pedlar in this situation was Franklin and Whitefield being of the divine—that is the divine influence of God. Taking all of Whitefield's journals, sermons, prayers, and pamphlets, Franklin took it all and published them on mass scale including the mainstream of the city's newspaper. Some were greatly agitated of the situation, calling it religious propaganda. As long as Franklin was making a profit, however, and Whitefield continued to generate an audience, there was no stopping such a landslide revival. Although it all does seem to be propaganda and highly compromised due to a conflict in interest, there were still many converting to Christianity and making effective and immediate changes.

-----After all this success, the Great Awakening would soon come to an end, yet the impact continued to last echoing from generation to generation. Nevertheless, up until now it would seem there has been a drastic decline once again within today's society. With the advent of the World Wide Web, telecommunications, video-to-video conferences, and digital downloads of podcasts and even books, it would seem that the people are no longer mobilizing. Of course, there are vast amounts of social networks such as Facebook, Blogspot, and even You Tube but there is still a lack of the intimate “togetherness” necessary for a growth in relationship. There are no longer questions being asked, instead it would seem that the many happenings in a person's life are being “presented” to the observer rather then shared intimately.

-----There's a social bound between two individuals when they speak face to face. Although instantaneous messaging between chat rooms and texting and even live broadcast has brought the world closer together, not many are truly close. The moment the television is turned on, the family will no longer speak at the dinner table. Rather then interacting with each other they instead interact with the celebrity or politician on the screen, and yet, they cannot even talk to those projected images or ask them pressing questions.

-----Knowing all of that, could it be possible to have a revival today? Would George Whitefield's crucial techniques and voice be as effective? Could it be done better with today's technology? There have been numerous occasions when the people have actually gotten together as one and united community. However, and as of late, it would seem that is has taken great tragedy to enable such a thing to effectively motivate the movement. It would seem in order to get involved one must first know and then care to get involved. The problem with today's society and the problem Whitefield would face is that there are too many stuck in wondering the worse between two very unfortunate vices—ignorance and apathy. If the people do not know to get involved, more then likely they do not care to get involved either and it may be very well because of a lack of involvement between one individual to the next.

-----“Not only did Whitefield view commerce and religion as compatible, he maintained that trade was an essential feature of the divine economy. He argued that God would have deemed creation incomplete if his human creatures lacked company. Therefore, the Almighty made it impossible that “communities be kept up, or commerce carried on, without society.” Indeed, “Providence seems[ed] wisely to have assigned a particular product to almost each particular Country, on Purpose, as it were to oblige us to be social.” Whitefield concluded that the mutual dependence of commerce and society demonstrated that “the one great end of [human] existence,” consisted in individuals' being useful to each other in social life. Toward that end, he determined to share his “particular product”--his evangelical message—with the widest possible audience through the means at hand.

BIBILOGRAPHY

Lambert, Frank. “Pedlar in Divinity:” George Whitefield and the Great Awakening, 1737-1745. The Journal of American History, (December 1990): 812-837.

Aspiration

-----I am standing on a beach peering across a vast sea with a an unnatural purplish blue sky, dark blue clouds, and lighting bursting in the distance; the water is transparent yet thick as blue paint tossing about the wind; and the beach, the beach is a deserted, barren, and an empty thing, and I say thing because it seemed alive. There is nothing behind me but mountains and nothing in front of me but the sea and a dock which extended about 60 feet across the water. As I stared beyond the dark and corroded dock and into the distance wondering why I was there, a strong breeze brushed across my face and a warm glow of green and blue and yellow light shown throughout the horizon. I gazed further to see a figure in white robes. I had this strange desire to go out to him but I was afraid... A voice said, “come” and I ran to the dock and dashed across the planks. No longer could I feel the cool sand nor the harsh wood but the cool water beneath my feet. I was in amazement! I was walking on the water! I increased my stride as my desire to reach this person intensified. CRASH! ROAR! HISS! The wind began to shriek, the waves began to beat against me. Fear consumed and I began to sink! “God NO!” was all I could think then.
-----I couldn’t understand… I knew I was dreaming but all I could do was watch myself drown. I tried with all my strength to swim back up but the sea was just too strong… I just couldn’t do it by myself. As I held my breath in my dream I held it in reality trying so hard to come back up for air but I just couldn’t do it. I felt so alone, so scared, and in such despair that I just couldn’t do anything. My sight began to fade, my life began to fade, and my dream began to fade. When my hope of reaching the surface was almost completely gone, SWOOP! Went a mighty hand, grabbing me by the chest, and out of the water. It was an incredible feeling… I gasped for air and awoke form my dream.
-----It seemed so real. . . It seemed so real was all that I could think. As I pondered such an experience naturally I recalled the same experience Peter had as he walked on water out to His savior. It was a lack of faith and a lack of focus that caused Peter to hesitate and fall but it was Jesus Christ that gave him true strength and ability to do the impossible. It is my prayer that I can cut off my fear of drowning in a world of deep inequity and leap out with faith that God will catch me and never let me go. I want to do what He commands me without hesitation, never losing focus of His perfection, and always looking forward to my chief end--To glorify and enjoy Him forever. Amen

Wow!

Sometimes life is defined with simple letters, symbols, which represents some state of being or thought. It was quite amusing: while working at the French Café, this week I was privileged to open the store for business for the first time in a very long time. Well, we’ve all been there done that, it was very, very slow. No business whatsoever. To illustrate the intense boredom, we literally spelled out the word with the wooden spoons we hand out to customers so that we can locate them when their food is ready. The neat thing about the word too is that if you read it backwards you can see my name : ) So this is how we defined the day and, for the moment, our lives but all in vain for our desire to do something very soon turned into a heavy lunch rush. Other times life defines itself through action, a progressive outcome due to some result of genius or is it slight chance? Was it a work of pure design or just coincidence? It was lunch time! Of course it’s going to get busy. Let’s be honest with each other most who read my little posts profess to believe in a creative design rather than a simple roll of the dice so why then? Why pray, live, or express ourselves? It’s all preordained isn’t it? I mean I was supposed to write this… or was I?

O LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, LORD, you know it all. Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach. Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee? If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there too. If I fly with the wings of dawn and alight beyond the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand holds me fast. If I say, "Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light" -- Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one. You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.

That’s why…

What? You don’t see it? Although God knows everything, we do not and even if we could count the things God knows and is doing in our lives it would take an eternity! “But why?” you still ask. We mustn’t really trouble our minds with such incomprehensible inquirers but is such a question really so difficult for one to find an answer for? We just don’t pray because he told us too, we don’t pray because we have too (he already knows what were going to say, right?), we pray because we love too.

God didn’t create robots: he created man with a will to choose to love Him or reject Him; however, God is sovereign choosing his sheep and doing as he pleases (which is a another very good topic). Everything we do for God our father in the name of Christ no matter how small or insignificant brings God joy and honor which is our primary purpose not only to glorify Him but also to enjoy Him forever.

In conclusion, I challenge all who read this to take a moment and consider the importance of just gazing at the stars just how you did when you first saw them so long ago and exclaim with genuine wonder, “Wow!” Don’t make a mess of things and look at life, the universe, and everything as if it were clockwork or some sort of machine, but instead realize that life is wonderful and God is big.

God is a writer!

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

I was reading John this morning and I just thought to myself, “Wow! God can write!” Well of course he can, but to think that God could inspire man to create such master pieces within His very own word is very encouraging.

I also was thinking how awesome it would be to witness all of the miracles Jesus preformed: the transformation of the water into wine, the healing of the sick, and five thousand fed. I’d also would of liked to of heard all of the conversations he had with His disciples and the Jews, in fact, it would of been really neat to of overheard his conversation with the Samaritan girl.

But than again, I am very inspired and blessed to at least have the Word upon my lap so that even though I did not live during the time of Christ, I can still at least read about it and know! know that He is indeed Lord and that he has indeed saved the world!


~Rob