painting

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This Picture Looks So Attractive To Many

A picture can make the unknown look attractive. The way we are attracted to it may have something to do with art. 

This picture looks so attractive to many

When you look at a piece of art, it can speak to your soul … kind of. 

You might have an attraction to it even though the image may be of nothing. It’s the way the colours interact with each other or the contrast of the lines and the way they are drawn across the canvas. 

You can look at a painting and think, “I want that. I want to hang that on a wall in my home.” There is something about the painting that speaks to you. 

To someone else it may not say anything. There may be no attraction at all. 

The painting may be from an artist who threw different colours on a canvas. Some think it is beautiful; some won’t give it a thought. 

I’m wondering if a picture of hardware tools can have the same effect on someone. If it can, well, then I’ve been affected.

Recently, I bought a new Ryobi tool. 

For anyone who doesn’t know, these are tools that Home Depot exclusively sells. They are battery powered and there are many that will run off the same battery.

Not long ago I got an oscillating tool. 

I didn’t even know what a multi-tool was up until a few days before I bought it. But let me tell you, it is great at cutting the bottom off of door trim to allow for new flooring to go under it … among other things.

Along with my tool came a large, folded up sheet of glossy paper with pictures on it – pictures of tools. There are over 175 tools that are all compatible with my Ryobi batteries. 

One hundred and seventy five! – you read that correctly.

That glossy sheet showed the pictures of all 175 products. Beside each product was the part number, but none of the products were named. 

I knew the names of many. … Hey, I have quite a few of them already. But there were some products that I didn’t even know what they were.

The crazy thing was, I kind of wanted them.  

It was like staring right at a Gerhard Richter abstract as it pulled you in to look deeper. 

I looked at some of the tools. I didn’t know their names; I didn’t know what they did … but I wanted them. 

I wouldn’t put them on the wall of my living room, but I wanted them for my collection of tools. 

And just for my wife, Lily’s information, I’m not just collecting tools. I have them to use on projects.

Just seeing the tools on that page stirred something inside me. 

I’m sure someone else would have thrown the sheet of paper out as soon as they opened the package. 

Lily would have liked it if I had thrown the sheet out. … To each his own. 

I’m keeping that picture sheet and, one day, I just may get one of those mystery tools … and I’ll see what it does.

Here’s the thing: In the Bible, the picture we are given of Jesus attracts us to Him. And even though we can’t see Him, we are attracted to Him. Even those who don’t put their faith in Christ are drawn to Him, to the image that is revealed in the scriptures. It is worth investigating Christ for yourself. You will find Him irresistible.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you find most attractive about Jesus? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I’m Never Sure About Redecorating 

We are doing a little redecorating in our house lately. I should say that Lily is doing the redecorating and I’m along for the ride.

This project all started with painting, and I’m okay with that because I don’t paint. Lily does the painting in our house – it’s one of the ways our marriage has stayed strong for over thirty years.

Though now that the paint has hit most of the walls, and much of the furniture is back in place, I am realizing that I was duped a little bit.

I thought painting meant you covered up the old paint, maybe with a different colour, for the purpose of freshening up the place. What I’m discovering is that painting is just the first phase of the project.

Yes, the furniture is back in place, but that is all. Nothing has gone up on the walls and that’s because she’s not sure what she wants to put on the walls.

I’m thinking, “Oh boy, here we go. Now we have to buy new pictures and add new accent pieces to the place.”

I’m just saying that I thought we were mostly done, but I’m realizing we are far from the done stage. It could be weeks – maybe even months – before she settles on what the final look of the living room will be.

But I’m not completely worried about that … yet.

What I am worried about is that almost immediately when she started to paint, Lily wasn’t sure she liked the colour of the paint she had picked.

I get it. It’s not easy to tell what paint will look like from a sample card that is two inches by one inch. When Lily would hold a sample up to the wall and ask me what I thought, I had no idea! All I could tell was that it was going to be a different colour than what we already had on the wall.

This will be a major deal if she decides she has to cover up what she’s already painted. We are at the 95% done stage of painting … and apparently paint is not as cheap as it used to be back in the 80’s.

But it gets worse! That’s not the only paint Lily’s not sure about – there is another colour. She painted a feature wall and it seems now that the paint is drying, that it is not as dark a colour as she had originally thought.

Even I, with my crack decorating and colour-scheming eye, can tell that it’s not as dark as I thought it would be.

So we are in a spot. Lily’s tired of painting. We could finish the last little bit and be done with it, or she could repaint it all, or I could paint it.

Wait … what did I say? … On second thought, we only have two options. I won’t be painting.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes the unexpected things in life will be minor, like paint; sometimes they will be major. I read a verse the other day that seems appropriate for when life unexpectedly turns on you. When you don’t know what to do once an unexpected development appears, when things don’t turn out like you had hoped, there is still hope. 2 Corinthians 1:10 says, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” (ESV). When the unexpected happens, trust God. He is your sure way forward.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has life unexpectedly dropped on you lately? Leave your comments below.

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Don’t Let the Sun Go Down

It is interesting to me that every night people gather at the lake to look out and watch the sun go down. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, if it’s cloudy, or even stormy.  They still show up at the beach, and gather like droids.  I know, because I’ve done it.

People line the beach with their lawn chairs, cameras, and video recorders.  They sit in the sand or just stand and stare as this orangey red ball slowly sinks below the horizon.

They’re mesmerized by a sight that happens every day.

It’s the same thing, you know – the sun always goes down.  You can count on it; it never does anything different.  It doesn’t’ go back a bit or stop and leave everyone in suspense like it did in the Bible once.  No, it does the same thing every night: it goes down and drops below the horizon.  Yet people come every night to see it happen, almost as if it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t come.

People don’t just do this at Sauble Beach (though it is pretty phenomenal there).  People do it everywhere, by oceans, lakes, mountains, even on cruise ships.  People stop and just watch, sometimes in silence, gazing at the sight.

The thing that is different, the thing that keeps people coming back each night is the sky.  On a clear night with no clouds, the sky is colourful.  But when you add a little bit of cloud – wow! – the sun does an amazing job of painting the sky in incredible colours and shades.  It’s like there’s a new canvas every night.

I personally have probably over a hundred pictures of sunsets at Sauble Beach.  I’ll take several every time because the colours, and the painting created on the canvas of the sky, changes moment by moment.  Even though there is a new picture every night, for some reason I, and many others, feel the need to capture the one we’re looking at so we can view it again and again.

Some people don’t care about capturing it.  They just take it in, are fascinated by the sky and then satisfied that it will be different and just as spectacular the next night.  Some people dream as they stare at it, while others get all romantic and want to hold hands (Lily).  Some linger and others turn and walk away, occasionally looking over their shoulder towards the sky and horizon.

Here’s the thing:  Every day we have opportunities to gaze upon what God has created, and appreciate it, think about it, dwell on it and acknowledge where it came from.  But how often do we take a moment to go beyond the beauty that we see to give a nod to God for it, to respond to Him for the million dollar painting before our eyes?  After all, the painter is the one with all the talent; the painting is just his creation.  I want to be a little more responsive to God and His paintings from now on.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question: What grabs your attention, causing you to acknowledge God’s creativity in the world?  Leave your comment below.