A Mini Sonnet Sequence

Recently, I have found enjoyment in sonnets. In this project for my British literature class, I tried my hand at sonnet writing, imitating poets like Anne Lock, who adapted Scripture to poetry. I played with the tension between copying Scripture closely and deviating carefully.

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A Mini-Sequence of paraphrases of scriptures on sloth:

A paraphrase of Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22

I see you truly when yourself you fake.

Alive and yet dead, neither cold nor hot,

So my wrath will root out your false lie stake,

Seeming richly clothed when yet you are not.

Yea, soon I come here, finding you hiding,

As a thief I come, buy my gold and silv’.

Save yourself, repent; I come next as King

In the dark night to see your resolve.

Knocking I offer life should you choose it,

Here my offer I repeat yet again:

Stop up your lying, listen my words split.

I will come to you, come let me begin,

I offer vict’ry conquering the breach,

Hear if you have ears then listen my speech.

A paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:10-15

Godly promises shall be delivered.

He gives you cities, cisterns, crops, and food

And houses of warmth where once you shivered,

Now comfy, in plenty, filled up--be shrewd.

Beware: forget is the utmost of rude,

Comfort will blind your dependence on Him

Lest ye turn from He who chothéd your nude,

And offer an idol life and a limb.

Come shall He no matter how far ye swim

In flooding of your sinful mud deluge,

Aside He shall set all proper and prim,

Be feared as your mighty awe-ful refuge

Burning heat as bright as He be jealous.

To avoid ye must copy Him: zealous.

A paraphrase of Hebrews 4:11-13

To strive to find rest put your effort all,

As our lord, work six to rest on seven

In His presence is God’s restful Heaven.

If so, be not saddened at the death pall,

For, living it is which speaking He calls:

Sharp point edge and tip, which sword-like driven

Exposes and discerns wheat from leaven,

True motives and intent hearts each enthrall.

The omniscient Lord with His roving eye

Sees all, knows all, is all places all times.

None of all his invent can hide intent.

No clothing nor mask is enough so sly

To shield, protect, to hide in or prevent

Giving account past hallowéd death chimes.

A paraphrase of Hebrews 5:11-14

Much more have we to teach—if you could learn,

Much more to say—if only you could hear.

Sharper wit dulléd, bent—Oh, how we yearn

We agonise for you; we beg: give ear.

You cannot yet sink your teeth into this

For far too long still are you teething, for

Waiting long stale rotten food goes amiss.

Still you require a spoon-feed mentor!

The Word must be chewed for all its pleasure;

No sipping or slurping as if a child.

Righteousness calls for skill to good treasure,

Shun evil: master all basics compiled.

Only a grown-up can discern the chew,

Trained to split right and wrong in all they view.

Comic Book Movies

I have consumed so much creative content lately, I need to produce some. For example, yesterday, I finished an audiobook while watching a movie (don't worry, the film was dialogue-less). Last evening I read three comic books while watching a movie based on comic books. While it may be argued that to truly appreciate each unit of art, I should spend more time devoted to each, my philosophy of speed-reading applies across the forms of media. Take what you need and move on.

A few months back, I met Jordan and decided I wanted to get to know him. All I knew about his was he is into comic books, so I said, "Jordan, introduce me to comics." Unlike any other medium I've seen, graphic novels manage to combine the strengths of many art forms. The written word meets visuals meets film-like frame-to-frame movement. I am fascinated by techniques used to tell the story and direct your eye.

"The medium is the message": different art forms allow you to tell different stories. Logically, Marvel comics were my gateway drugs, since I am familiar with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). I continued on to other adaptations of familiar book/film/television stories and vice versa. Although I have found some graphic novel-only stories I enjoy, I still like to watch the same story become different stories across multiple media.

Some movies are said to have the "comic book feel". I'm still trying to put my finger on what exactly causes that. It's probably a combination of the visuals, the pacing, camera angles/styles, and character development. Notable examples include: Marvel and DC superhero films, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hellboy (I and II), and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Each is unique in its tone, yet very much a "comic book movie".

I'm excited to continue to explore different art forms, especially where they intersect with each other.

The Artist

Art is a lifestyle. Therefore, an Artist is more than simply a person who does the act of creating art. An Artist is a special type of person. I often think of "artsy" simply as a sort of person who draws or crafts, but the Artist is both scientific and artistic. The Artist knows their craft and medium (scientist) and uses it well (artist).

Personally, I know many Artists. One in particular is my friend Nathan. I highly respect Nathan's life and art. Despite financial and logistical boundaries, he continues to create great art. As he is continuing to hone his craft, he is picking more and more knowledge. He knows more about cameras and lenses then I'll ever know. I am always stunned by his attention to detail when I think it looks or sounds "good enough".

I have been blessed to be a part of his recent production, Flipped Justice: Until Vengeance, the second in a trilogy of short films. Let me tell you, behind the scenes Nathan has put in many hundreds of hours into creating details I didn't notice until he pointed them out. This has been a film over a year in the making.

More than his filmmaking, Nathan is a brilliant guy. The very way he interacts with people and cares shows how he is an Artist. Come to think of it, that is a great definition: the Artist is someone who cares. Nathan cares about people, cares about creating beautiful things, and cares about serving his God. That is why I am proud to call Nathan my friend.

Go ahead and enjoy his art. May it inspire you to become an Artist yourself.

Why Write Haiku

My friend Greg over at Brushworkings hooked my on haiku a few months back. Now I’m going to hook you on that form of poetry. I didn’t used to think of myself as a poet, but now I am a poet! I’m so excited about haiku I’m currently writing a book of them and calling it a Haiku-a-Day Challenge. In honour of launching of my challenge, I put together five reasons I write haiku.

(1) Haiku is easy. All you have to write is three lines with five, seven, and five lines, respectively. They don’t have to be about anything in particular. You can make up your own rules. In fact, you can even decide how you want to punctuate your haikus.

Septembrrr, wind chill

leaves still green--kinda. Howling

sun’s gone too soon now

(2) Haiku is magically mathematical. Once you start writing haiku, you start thinking about syllables. You are conscious of the poetry and music of what you say. The art of language is beautiful; the rhythm is amazing. It’s cool how some long words are two syllables long and some short words have only four syllables. Even though the lines are five, seven, five, sometimes they are the same length, sometimes the first or last line is longer than the middle line.

In out in out in

Focus, calm, relax, once more

Breath is essential

(3) Haiku changes the way you think. Once you get past 17 syllables, you learn that poetry isn’t just about the words and rhythms: poetry is a way to view the world. Sometimes a brilliant five-word-phrase you come up with just doesn’t fit as the first line. And you want a conclusion in the last line. Sometimes you think up a phrase that fits perfectly as a third line, but you don’t know the first and second lines yet. That’s like life. Haiku is a framework to think of life.

It was a flurry

Now it’s still, it is distant

Was it so urgent?

(4) Haiku tells you about yourself. Some days I can’t stop haiku from oozing out; some days I can’t write anything. Sometimes what I write makes logical sense, sometimes they flow better. Learning your signature way to write the 17-syllable beasts is amazing. With just 17 syllables, there are only so many combinations, right?

I'm a new person

Yet my world is still broken

Sin wreaks havoc

(5) Haiku are so diverse. For how short haikus are, I am continually amazed how many different word combinations there are, like fingerprints. Haiku can be about nature, love, technology, ideas, dreams, anything. The topics are endless. And my style is completely different from Greg’s style.

Is distilled power

Enables power trading

Money runs our world

For these reasons and more, I enjoy writing haiku. Plus, it makes me seem cool. I challenge you to try your hand writing haiku. If you write something you want to share, post it on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #Haiku_a_Day. Bonus: check out WriteAHaiku.com.

What is Art Part 3 - The Church and Artists

This is the final part of a three-part series on Art. If you haven’t read parts one or two, I’d encourage you to read them to fully understand this piece.

What is Art Part 2 - Entering Art with Worldview

This is Part 2 of the 3 part series on Art. If you missed the first part, go read it here. Stay tuned for the third part! Part 1 left off mentioning excellence in art. That is where we shall pick it up today.

What is Art? Part 1 - Towards a Definition of Art

This is part one in a series on Art Philosophy. Stay tuned for Parts Two and Three!

Why Swing Dance?

About a year and a half ago, I was introduced to Swing Dance. I loved it! Since then I’ve tried to describe what makes swing dance so great, but nothing online describes it well. This article came close, but I needed to add more. I wish I could write the ultimate piece on swing dance, and someday I hope to write a book on it (or at least an ebook!), but for now, consider this draft one of my epic tome. Thus said, let us commence.