by Kathy Brasby | May 13, 2013 | Hope
When our hobby farm was at full capacity, we milked several Nubian goats every day. One morning, when I started chores in our milking room, my 4-year-old daughter climbed onto a large feed box at the back of the room and peered over the back side.
“Mom, there’s a cat back there.”
Cat (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
Oh, great. There weren’t supposed to be any cats in that room. “Is it dead or alive?”
She studied the gap between the box and the wall. “Dead. Can I pick it up?”
“No!” Yeuck. What now? Why did my sweet husband go to work 40 miles away when it would have been nice to turn that dead cat over to him? I was home alone. Well, me and a curious preschooler.
“Leave it alone,” I added before she got any fresh ideas for exploration. She huffed and crossed her arms but stayed atop the box with her feet dangling on my side.
I drew in a long breath, avoiding any images of this dead cat smashed against the wall. Kind of like not thinking about the purple elephant in the room.
I had to deal with it on my own. Where there any empty feed bags around? How was I going to pick up this thing?
Maybe I milked a little slower that morning. Why did adults get to be the responsible ones?
Believing strongly in the principle that it’s better to face the horror than have it hanging over your head all day, I finished the barn chores and took a deep breath.
Hand sanitizer. Check. Thick trash bags. Check. Facemask. Check.
Back into the milking room I marched, my daughter close on my heels. She wouldn’t miss this for the world. Sigh.
I leaned slowly over the feed box and looked down the gap. There, tattered and soiled, lay a purple and white stuffed cat toy.
“You said it was dead,” I said to my daughter.
“Well, it’s not alive.”
A lesson on the nuances of words. Check.
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by Kathy Brasby | May 3, 2013 | Hope
One of the most common genres in the Bible is poetry. Poetry as an art form allows the writer to create meaning through repetition, comparison and substitution.
Poetry often conveys images, emotions and ideas better than prose.
Psalm 23 is often referred to as the Shepherd’s psalm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Although poetry is scattered throughout the Bible, the most-read poems are probably found in Psalms. And perhaps the best-known is Psalm 23.
We won’t begin to plumb the depth of this psalm but let’s take a look at it to learn how meaning comes through form:
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 (NIV)
In the first stanza, the psalmist is writing about the Lord. Notice the pronouns: I, he, my, me, his. There is some distance implied here. The psalmist is talking about the Lord’s work.
In the second and third stanza, the distance dissolves. Notice the pronounce now: I, you, me, your. Now we see more intimacy. The psalmist is talking to the Lord, not about him.
The opening stanza centers on pastoral imagery: shepherd, green pastures, quiet waters, paths.
At the center of the Psalm is this statement: “I will fear no evil for you are with me.”
That statement summarizes the meaning of the Psalm and also serves as a hinge. Where the first part of the psalm dealt with the sheep/meadow images, the last part moves to a hospitality imagery.
In the third stanza, the psalmist talks about a table, anointing with oil (an act of hospitality in that day), an overflowing cup which would be another act of hospitality.
And the psalm closes with the image of dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, hospitality at its ultimate: inviting someone to not only come for dinner but to move in permanently. A guest couldn’t ask for more.
The first stanza describes how the needs and wants of a sheep are provided. The last stanza describes how the needs and wants of a guest are provided.
Through form such as repetition, imagery, word choices, the psalmist’s meaning comes through: I’m well taken care of. The Lord protects me. The Lord protects and provides security that endures.
Form created vivid meaning.
We’ll continue next Friday.
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by Kathy Brasby | Apr 30, 2013 | Hope
I’ve been following Frank Viola’s books and blog for a little while now. He has a fresh outlook on the nature of the church and our relationship with God.
His new book, God’s Favorite Place on Earth, has just released. If you get the book between May 1st to May 7th, you will also receive 25 FREE books from over 15 different authors.
Click GodsFavoritePlace.com to ordering information and easy instructions on how to get your 25 free books.
Here are what a few people have to say about the book:
“In Frank Viola’s hands, the story of Lazarus—like Lazarus himself—once again comes to life. In a world where hope is battered and life can so easily beat down the human spirit, we are reminded once more of the possibility of becoming a host of Life.”
John Ortberg, pastor and author of Who Is This Man?
“God’s Favorite Place on Earth realigned my heart toward Jesus and His mysterious, confounding, surprising, beautiful ways. It’s not often I learn something new when reading a book, but Frank Viola’s sharp storytelling and insightful interpretation made me hunger for more of the real Jesus.”
Mary DeMuth, author of Everything: What You Give
“God’s Favorite Place on Earth is the kind of book I’ve discovered I need to periodically find and read. Frank Viola’s pen and voice are consistently both penetrating and trustworthy. Beyond his invitingly beautiful writing skill—which makes reading a joy and a sight-seeing tour that brings God’s Word into 3-D when he relates narrative passages, I’m grateful for the depth of his themes.”
Pastor Jack Hayford, Chancellor of The King’s University, Los Angeles
“This is a masterfully engaging book that distills the vision of the Christian life into one focused quest: To be God’s favorite place on earth today. I recommend this little volume to all Christians and Christian leaders.”
Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker
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by Kathy Brasby | Apr 24, 2013 | Hope
I follow several blogs and can’t physically navigate to all those sites every day just to check in. Some bloggers post regularly and some don’t. I found that the “don’t” blogs were getting ignored, even when they were written by people special to me.
Image via CrunchBase
When I discovered Google Reader, life was good. I could visit one site and check in on all my blogs. I could decide which I wanted to read and I could manage subscriptions easily. The list of my subscriptions in a sidebar showed me who had added a new post. Google Reader was a simple but practical solution for my blog viewing.
All was good until Google decided to cancel Reader. What’s up with that? Suddenly I needed a new RSS reader for my blogs.
I’ve spent some time researching ideas. Here are some options:
- Feedly – my current choice. I was able to transfer my subscriptions from Google Reader seamlessly. I don’t have time to re-subscribe so this was important. I like the appearance of Feedly as more of a magazine layout, although sometimes Feedly’s guesses on what my priorities are vary greatly from what my priorities really are. Jury is still out on this one. I’m using it but trying others. It is web-based but also available on IOS and Android mobile devices, which I like.
- Newsblur – I am trying this one as well. It was a bit more complicated to set up. Nothing serious but I had to log in a couple of times before I could get my subscriptions imported into Newsblur. Also, I am limited to 64 sites free and then I have to pay. I’m at 60 so we’ll see how this one goes. The format is simple without the slick magazine look but its similar appearance to Google Reader makes the transition simple. This one is web-based but also available on IOS and Android.
- The Old Reader – Just as then name implies, this one is old-style. It is an exact replica of the web-based Google Reader. If you like simple, this may be your choice. I haven’t tried it yet. Two Reader trials are enough at one time. This one is only web-based, which is a mark against it for me.
- Flipboard – I’ve used Flipboard on my IOS devices. I love the magazine look but I didn’t care for the magazine-look limitations. Articles were selected without regard for my reading preference and only the first paragraph or so were displayed, meaning I had to then download the rest of the article. This might be great for you. For me, it finally led to uninstalling the app. I want a reader focused on blogs rather than the wider range of news articles. You might want something different. But Flipboard is very cool-looking and I may try it again at some point. Flipboard is only IOS or Android.
- Google Currents – Google’s attempt at a Flipboard look-alike, I’m told. I haven’t had time to check out this one yet. If you do, let me know what you think.
- WordPress Reader – If you have a WordPress blog, you already have this. WordPress blogs offer a simple “Follow” button that is very easy to use. Read a blog and want to read more? Press “Follow” and the blog is now in your WordPress Reader. The Reader itself is beyond simple. I’d rather have a list of subscribed blogs in a sidebar so I can choose which I want to read at the moment. For now, WordPress Reader compiles all new blog posts into a list that has to be scrolled through. Barely adequate. There could be so much more offered after the ease of subscription. I hear rumors there are new features coming so we’ll see.
How do you read blogs? Has the loss of Google Reader impacted you?
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by Kathy Brasby | Apr 22, 2013 | Hope
Hollywood’s car chases keep getting faster, louder, more explosive and destructive. Where would we be if Jason Bourne hadn’t destroyed innumerable police cars, several taxis and a few SUVs?
But my favorite car chase included a few cell phones, corn fields and an arrogant thief.
After holding up a convenience store on the Interstate highway in western Nebraska, the young man leaped into his car and raced away. As his speed zoomed over 100 mph at times, he probably assumed he could outrun the State Patrol.
Soon he had the Patrol out in full-force following him into Colorado. The driver may have realized he couldn’t outrun their radios and that reinforcements were assembling in front of him.
So, as a couple of towns flashed by, hardly blips in his vision at his speed, he swung onto an exit and headed into farm country.
Out where only corn and wheat fields swayed in the wind. That ought to be secluded enough for him to escape law enforcement.
So the driver flew down dirt roads with no worries. He’d lost his trackers.
But he didn’t understand the nature of the rural mind.
Farmers tend those corn and wheat fields. And they know the traffic on those country roads. When an unknown car flashed by at high speed, a farmer grabbed his cell phone and called a neighbor. That neighbor called a neighbor.
Before long, the sheriff was alerted as farmers tracked the car careening through the farmland through cell phone calls.
While the racing thief thought he had outsmarted law enforcement, the network of farmers calmly plotted his course and helped the sheriff lay out a plan.
think the farmers were willing to block the road with their humongous tractors but the sheriff nixed the idea. What if there was shooting?
In the end, the sheriff and his deputies blocked the road ahead and behind because they knew exactly where their man had been. And was going.
The thief who thought he had outsmarted his pursuers hadn’t counted on the creativity of some farmers and their cell phones.
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by Kathy Brasby | Apr 17, 2013 | Hope
Although I’m learning to do video editing, I’ve done some video documentary shoots, and I know how to set up lighting for an interview, I am not planning to do a vlog anytime soon.
I know you didn’t ask but a friend of mine did. She wants to start vlogging on her blog site and asked me for suggestions. I had to face this facet of blogging.
A vlog is a basically a video blog. You can include video interviews, shots of you speaking rather than writing, even a movie of the impending snowstorm if that grabs you.
Since I know something about video cameras and editing and lighting, I promised her that I’d do some research.
My research consisted of a Google search: vlog editing free.
youtube (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
Although I’m learning to use Adobe Premiere and have dabbled with iMovie, I wanted something simpler for my friend. And I was surprised to find that YouTube offers a simple video capturing and editing option.
If you have a YouTube account, log in and locate a button at the top of screen labeled “Download.” When you click that button, a new screen offers a place to upload your file but also to create videos. Options include webcam capture, photo slideshow, Google+ hangout and video editor.
Assuming you have a web camera attached to your camera, you can select the Record button below Webcam Capture and start recording. If you want a video of yourself talking about your blog or your favorite cat or your take on the latest news story, YouTube can record your rant – er, your verbal essay – and save it.
Then select Edit under the Video Editor label and you’ll have a simple video editor for your use. You can’t do a lot but isn’t that the point of a simple video editor?
The videos you have uploaded to your YouTube account will appear in the upper left corner. That should include the webcam recording you just did. All you have to do is click on the video image and drag it to the line below marked by the camera at the left side. Clever, huh?
You can cut the clip, rotate it, add a title, include transitions. Simple but useful. Any sound that was imported with the video will remain and you can also add a YouTube soundtrack to your project. A preview window to the right allows you to watch your project as you edit.
Simple.
And, of course, YouTube makes it easy to save the edited video to YouTube. You can link it to your blog and, suddenly, you have your first vlog.
Simple. Free. YouTube. I’m not associated with YouTube in any way. I just discovered that this is a pretty simple way to get started in video work.
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