I’ve added my flickr photo account as a link to the right for your viewing enjoyment…a mixture of my photography, pictures of me and Chris, of friends and places…so, enjoy!
Coming eventually – “Is anything sacred?”
And with that, I leave you with this question…
Are people seeking the sacred?
Comments
9 responses to “A few updates while you’re waiting”
i don’t think that’s often something talked about, and many are unaware of the word and it’s significance. So, my guess is probably not. i’m excited for the post
tracy
We talked about this – sort of – in my group this week. We are all “young singles” (25-35ish) It came to my mind that we are so focused on the “what will be” that we often miss the “here and now”. We also spoke that we seem to want everything NOW – we are the fast food generation. I think on that when I ask do we search for the sacred. God, His Holiness, His Glory and His Power are all there at our disposal but I don’t feel like I take the TIME necessary to look Him in the eyes and find these sacred things. (My definition of “the sacred”) There is a man in our church who is 84 and he is AWESOME. He told us that Jesus is still as sweet now as that day so long ago he first met Him – some 60 plus years ago. Do we seek the sacred? – I think many of us do but I also think that we have no idea how to effectively find it and hold fast. Course that is just a redneck’s p.o.v. I am interested in what you and others might have to say.
check email
i, as well as tracy and many others, are very excited about this post! almost as excited as you – when you graduated a year early from high school! not cool anne. not cool. just rubbin it in, eh??!
next time i see you, im throwing something at or near you. just so you get the message clear, ill probably do that several times. pride comes before the fall, missy!
brian
Oh yes, they are hungry, as long as there are no demands made on them by the sacred.
I think Tracy was right as in a lot of people don’t know what the sacred is. I think in plainer language, people are dying for things spiritual in nature, to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and to know that mystery is ok. I think during the “enlightenment” age, we have grown up being taught that everything can be broken up and examined and explained and categorized. We have learned that our rational and intellectual power is the highest form of power and truth (wow thank you McLaren). …But I think lately people have started to become disillusioned with these ideals. We realize that we can’t understand or rationalize everything; there are things that are out of our realm of human understanding. And I think it’s here that people start looking for the sacred without necessarily knowing they are looking for it “the sacred.” If rational thinking is not where we find total truth and transcendence, then where do we find it?
I looked up sacred on dictionary.com:
sa•cred ( P ) Pronunciation Key (skrd)
adj.
Dedicated to or set apart for the worship of a deity.
Worthy of religious veneration: the sacred teachings of the Buddha.
Made or declared holy: sacred bread and wine.
Dedicated or devoted exclusively to a single use, purpose, or person: sacred to the memory of her sister; a private office sacred to the President.
Worthy of respect; venerable.
Of or relating to religious objects, rites, or practices.
It’s listed as an adjective, we use it now as a noun, e.g. “the sacred”
I have a lot of ideas what some could mean by “the sacred,” but Anne, I’d like for you to clarify a bit on what you mean.
If you take a spin off of the first definition, it could mean “to be set apart.” So are we looking for things “set apart?” Are we looking to be set apart? Are we looking for things that are Holy?
Of course. People look for “the sacred” in everything, but they often find counterfits. So often when people speak or write about sex, it often sounds like a spiritual experience. Why is that? Maybe because they want something to fill that void of purpose, fulfillment and meaning in their lives. When people try to make lots of money and be super successful, perhaps it’s because they are wanting to find a place that is “set apart” from the rest of society and from a ho-hum life. When people religion hop, or take bits and pieces out of every religion to form their own, or even pick one and stick to it, they are trying desperately to find something that makes life make sense to them, that gives them purpose, and makes them feel like their short little life can make a difference now and after they die.
So yes, I think we are searching for the sacred. The question then becomes, “are we searching in the right places?”
This comment is about the Art, because it’s 4:10 am and I’m slowly becoming addicted to browsing these blog sites. I am very impressed with your work. I see a definite artistic element I like in each shot, such as color or placement or focus. But then some of them just stop my tracks, and I get a complete sense of abstract beauty, if that is not an oxymoron.
I like the art. It’s interesting to see another photographer’s shots, from the same city where I take photos, and how they are similar and differ.
In searching for the sacred, i think often people get side tracked, because, as you said, often times people aren’t even aware that’s what they are seaching for. Worthy or Set apart are not things often spoken of, because in our society we long to have worth and be told we are valuable, but real worth is often never found or is traded for the trend of the moment. The way we use the word worthy to describe God is incomprable, and there is no way to discover that worth by mistake, i don’t think. I think we honestly have to be searching in every sense of the word for what (Who) is worthy, or it (He) finds us. Often, i believe it is the latter without us knowing untill he reveals him self in a way magnificent enough for our hearts to realize that something different is taking place. God is choosing us to be set apart in a society of makebelieves and misfits. He calls us to be real and true and our lives to be a reflection of what is worthy. I believe that our lives are either worthy or wasted. (i also believe God can take a wasted day, or life for that matter, and make it worthy) What i mean is we either live in such a way that is worthy of the sacrifice that Christ made, which is obviously impossible, but my point is that we live the way Christ calls us to, or we’re wasting his sacrafice (those of us who have accepted His offer).
more thoughts later maybe
love, tracy
sorry, this was oringinally put on meg’s site. meg said that people aren’t even aware they are searching for it.