A Christmas Story - Trailer

Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood like this movie... what a classic...

God Sustains...

God is amazing my friends! I am constantly refreshed and reminded of his awesomeness during my own personal times of stress. Moving both my fiance and myself to new, separate residences whilst planning a wedding and working full-time has definitely added a bit more stress recently (though it is hardly something to complain about in the grand scheme of things!). Its amazing how he places individuals in my life who direct me down the proper path. This week, that encouragement took the form of several people in my life: my fiance reminding me that God is in control, stumbling across an encouraging letter that was written by a friend, spending time with my brother and just enjoying his company and casual conversation. These were all simple things that people did to point me towards the excellent example of Christ.

Friends, I am so very thankful and indebted to my Lord for consistently and willfully bearing my load of sin. He holds me close in the toughest of times and blesses me beyond what I deserve. Thank you God for being far greater, grander, and magnificent than any problem or tribulation on this planet. You are so very good!

Sleep- I Defy Thee...

Perhaps its the newness of this blog, perhaps its the fact that I just chugged a Rock Star Guava energy drink (quite good actually!), or maybe its just the fact that I have a ton of stuff to do between now and the weekend, BUT I am definitely choosing not to sleep tonight. The itty-bitty camera on my phone provides the wonderful imagery that accompanies such a post (ahem, ahem).

Anyway... I just wanted to say that I am totally jazzed about the promo materials I've been working on for the upcoming wedding. Celeste has been so great about letting me run with this and develop a unique style for our wedding. We completed the final edits on the invitation tonight and I have been wrapping up all of the rough draft, prelim work for our hosting website as well this week. I'll be sure to post the finalized versions of both the website and the print invitations as soon as they are completed here. We're taking a bold jump as far as RSVPing goes- we've totally ditched the traditional mail-in response in favor for online registration via the website (I'm using aa logiforms platform for the RSVP- really quite a neat web-app for those who loathe coding their response pages by hand). I also set up a phone message line for RSVPing just in case some of our invitees don't have access to a computer.

Into the Blogosphere: Part II

Well friends, here I am, back in the blogosphere. The original incarnation of this started almost six years ago when I began freelance design business called Vigilant Studios. I did alright keeping up with it at first, but as the years progressed I began to become more and more lax in my blogging duties. Long story short- life crept in and pushed my creative writing juices out the back door. Recent events especially (read here as graduating from college, starting a new job, planning a wedding) have also contributed to the eventual death of the Vigilant Studios blog.

At first, I was okay with this. It gave me more time to focus on some very important things. However, as time has gone on I find that I crave this outlet. My attempts at keeping a physical, hand-written journal have failed miserably, so I once again turn to the web-enabled version we call a 'blog'.

What's different this time around? Well, for one thing- look at it! I finally got the hint that having a business site and a blog all rolled into one was not a good idea (of course the business site has pretty much become stagnant, but thats another tale for another day). So, I ported over posts that I deemed relevant to the subject matter of this blog for future viewing.

I also decided to do all my bloggin on the Blogger platform. For years I despised using mainstream blogging platforms. Blogger and LiveJournal always struck an unsettling chord in my creative body. However, I've come to realize the error of my elitist ways. By circumventing a mainstream blogging platform I was missing out on a huge community with which to interact. In addition to this, Blogger is now fairly robust in what it offers to the design and creative professional (no doubt due mainly to the highly-profiled acquisition by Google). There is quite a bit of customization and ability of change built into the platform (albeit the pesky little leading bar that is always looming at the top of the page) and I'm quite happy with the overall interface. Blogger also has some wonderful photo, video, and widget uploading abilities that I'm really going to enjoy taking advantage of.

All this to say- I'm back (you can imagine a vintage, terminator-like swarzchenegger voice if you so desire here). I vow to to keep most of my posts following this one less business-like, but I felt an introduction was appropriate. I apologize in advance for the ramblings that may ensue regarding wedding plans and the like... as it just so happens, it's where God has me in life at the moment.

Weasel Memories

I couldn't help but laugh today as I stumbled across a video I completed for one of my film classes in college (which I created roughly 3 years ago). "Weasel & Associates" was a mock commercial that parodies low-budget, local law firms and their attempts to gain the consumer's 'trust'. Without further adieu- the video...

One might wonder what slick hair, smooth talking, and shady client reviews would have to do with that... Interestingly enough, all of these 'characters' will be part of my upcoming wedding in some form or another. Do I know how to pick'em or what?

Dirty Feet

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

-John 13:12-1

The mirror before me reflects a tired, wearied man; a man who knows his shortcomings and failures only all to well. Beneath the fleshy exterior lies a sinful soul that houses a hardened heart. The reflection grimaces as he realizes that he has failed yet again, he has done that which he promised he would not. He finds that his feet are thick with dirt; he has walked in places he shouldn’t. No matter how hard he scrubs, the filth remains securely fastened to his feet. He begins to find himself tripping more and more as the mud continues to build. His walk has been hindered, his movement is sluggish. The immense weight of a marred past begins to press heavily upon his face- memories of past failures, wrong choices, and frivolous fancies. As his brow furrows he parts his lips as if to speak. In the end I’m startled to find that it is my own voice that softly utters the word, “Why?”

Yes, this is the question that we, as sinners, ask ourselves when the weighty realization of our utterly decrepit nature takes on very real meaning. Why, as a Christian, do we fall when we have already been given directions to our final destination? Why do we wander when the path has been so clearly marked with the crimson blood of a murdered Savior? Why do we continue to allow sin to run rampant in our lives without checks and balances? Why do we preach one thing and live another? Why do we entertain sinful thoughts for even a fleeting moment?

The reflection in the mirror stirs and my vision begins to blur. I can see that he is crying; I am crying. Tears give way to wet paths that run down the tattered cheeks of a sinful man. He smiles weekly as yet another realization completely overcomes him. The room feels as if it has been turned upside down and a cooling calm begins to spread over me. I look down to see a Savior washing my dirty feet. My protests are met with calm rebukes as all my misgivings, screw ups, and failures vanish without a trace. I find a humbled man in the mirror before me; a man who realizes that there is no human rhyme or reason to the action that just took place. It is a concept greater than humanity- God’s mercy and love to a people who no longer remember the definition of perfection.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ- we serve such a wonderful Lord! Though we fail time and time again, God is always there for us. We must always realize that his death and resurrection is a finished work. He has already washed our feet- our sins are forgiven. We should not become entranced by our sinful reflection or the lives we have left behind. Let us always run to Christ in our dark times and embrace the forgiveness that he has so graciously provided us with. Our sin is a very REAL thing my friends, it is not a vague concept. We are sinners, we do mess things up, but God is also real. He is perfect, and he has chosen to provide a means of sanctification to his children that he loves! May others see Christ’s love and forgiveness in our own lives this day and as we live genuine, thankful lives to and for him. Praise God for a Savior who is not above washing our dirty feet.

Love’s as Warm as Tears

I love poetry. I especially love poetry that touches on and fleshes out a human emotion that is seemingly indescribable. I was going through a book of compiled poetry yesterday by C.S. Lewis and came across a piece that did just that. How does one seek to describe love to another? It is so many things- romantic, brotherly, compassionate, intimate, external, prideful, sorrowful… where do you even start?

After reading this, I honestly feel that I could do no more justice to the definition of Love than Lewis does here. The fourth verse is truely beautiful. Enjoy.

LOVE’S AS WARM AS TEARS
by C.S. Lewis

Love’s as warm as tears,
Love is tears;
Pressure within the brain,
Tension at the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat,
Featurless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.

Love’s as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts- infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,
Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
Whence all loves came.

Love’s as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird-song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering ‘Dare! Dare!’
To sap, to blood,
Telling ‘Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best.’

Love’s as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.