Annie Dillard Revisited

Fifteen years ago my prof (later mentor, Dr. Reg Grant) assigned for his class to read Annie Dillard's Pulitzer-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek as part of a course in creative writing. (We had to read it and then turn in something that mimicked her style.) And frankly, I could hardly stand the book. I wanted her to get on with something, anything instead of trailing on and on about nature.

Still, the results proved interesting, even if for some students (self included) the work provided only an opportunity for parody.

So this week I gave my students the same assignment. And I re-read Dillard to refresh my memory. (I wanted to be able to catch their allusions, sorting through what they borrowed and what they created.)

To my utter surprise, I loved it! (If only my Auntie Louise were still alive--who once told me she would like to "come back" as a duck, because they have such fun splashing and diving, even on gray, rainy days. I wanted to send her a copy.)

Whereas in the past I had not read enough poets to catch Dillard's veiled references to them, now I understood. And whereas in the past I had read too little history even to know what anchoresses were, this time when I found them in her similes, I caught her meaning. The whole experience had the effect of making me glad to have yielded youth to years of learning. Eureka!

As Dillard writes, "'Never lose a holy curiosity,' Einstein said; and so I lift my microscope down from the shelf, spread a drop of duck pond on a glass slide, and try to look spring in the eye."

What the microscope is to her, books are to me. And this week when I lifted one from the shelf and spread open its pages, I found a generous reward for trying again to look Dillard in the eye.

More on 18,054

After our group time at the DMA yesterday, my students each chose a work to observe, contemplate, and write about. One artist, whose works sat on display in the new Center for Creative Connections, had created a bust of herself by licking chocolate and another by bathing with soap. One of my students chose this combo to consider, so she showed up today with a chocolate bar for each of us. Then she read us her handwritten note in which she mimicked a pre-teen girl (OMG! OMG! OMG!) who gave new meaning to "busted yourself." Today was the last day of class. I'll miss my band of nine.

While they sat hard at work yesterday, I slipped into one of the galleries to see the special exhibit, "Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist." Though Texas leaves something to be desired during July and August, every April blankets of bluebonnets cover medians, and cars line the shoulders where folks have hopped out with their gussied-up kids to take photos in the blue stuff. Onderdonk captured it well.

In today's news... We've nearly passed the halfway mark on our trip to Kenya! Thanks so much to those who've helped make this possible. To follow our progress, you can watch the thermometer rise (scroll down). We'll update every Friday afternoon. We found out today that immunizations will run about a thousand bucks for the three of us, so the financial report we received a few hours later encouraged us a lot.

On, Kawara!

When I first saw the words “On Kawara,” I thought “on” was a preposition and the phrase was an exclamation, like “On, Wisconsin!” I soon learned that On Kawara was a name. He’s a Japanese artist who has lived in New York City for the past thirty-three years.

Since On Kawara moved to NYC in 1966, he has created lots of “date” paintings (known as the Today series). They consist almost exclusively of the date on which the painting was made. The one here was painted thirteen years to the day before my wedding.

That pretty much gives you a picture of what he does. And if he can’t finish a painting the same day he starts it, he tosses it in the trash.

He has created other works such as a 100-year calendar in which he marks off all his 24-hour periods. Talk about your literal rendering of “teach us to number our days...”

Today I saw my first On Kawaras at the Dallas Museum of Art, where I took my creative writing students. My friend, Sharisse, who works there, led us through a great tour which included Kawara 101. She mentioned that the artist marks his age by his days, not his years. So I found a web site that would calculate my own numbered days. Here’s what I learned:

I’m 18,054 days old. And at the time I calculated, that was also 25,997,760 minutes or 433,296 hours or, if you round down, 2579 weeks. You can calculate your day-age here, as well. How "old" are you?

Head for the Dallas Museum of Art if you want to see On Kawara's stuff up close and personal. Also, if you’re a DMA member, buy your tickets now to the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit. It’s here only through May and already tickets—currently available to members only—are selling out fast.

Meet the Poet

A couple of years ago, I asked Eugene Peterson, translator of The Message, to recommend some of his favorite poets for my seminary students who take creative writing classes. Among the few he rattled off was George Herbert.

Born in 1593, Herbert was a Welsh poet who was also an orator and a minister. His excellent education (he knew English, Latin, and Greek) led him to prominent positions both at Cambridge and in parliament.

Though Herbert entered college intending to enter the ministry, his sharp mind attracted King James I. After serving two years in parliament, and after the death of James I, Herbert gave up his secular ambitions and took holy orders in the Church of England.

He spent the rest of his life as rector of the little parish of St. Andrew Bemerton, seventy-five miles west of London. He faithfully served his people by bringing them communion when they were shut in and providing necessities for those who lacked them. During these years he wrote poems characterized by precise language, versatile meter, and brilliant imagery.

On his deathbed Herbert gave his works to a friend, whom he instructed either to publish them (if they might encourage someone) or burn them. Within 50 years, they were in their 13th printing.

Today you can find Herbert's poems in the public domain:
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poet/159.html

Chapman's Youngest Killed

Maria Sue, the five-year-old daughter of singer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, died Wednesday evening after being struck by an SUV driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Franklin, TN, home.

Laura McPherson, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said, “It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ as the teen did not see Maria, and no charges are expected.

In addition to winning five GRAMMYs and 54 Dove awards and selling more than 10 million albums throughout his career, Chapman earlier this year released a book about the blessings of fatherhood, Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess (Thomas Nelson). Also, Steven and Mary Beth founded Shaohannah’s Hope after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. Maria was the youngest of their three adopted daughters.

In memory of Maria, Jim Houser, Steven Curtis’ manager, set up a blog. Visitors can watch a video of her and Steven and send condolences to the family. Houser said, “Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many.

"Just hours before the accident, the family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter, Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman’s completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out five candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago."

The Chapmans request any gifts be directed to Shaohannah’s Hope in lieu of flowers.

Source: CBA Retailers+Resources Industry Brief

Days and Nights

I'm spending my days teaching a three-week creative writing course. This week (the second) we've enjoyed such nice weather that we've spent the first hour or two outside meeting in the library courtyard rather than inside. April and May provide some compensation for Texas's Julys and Augusts.

And my nights? Normally spent in prep. But not tonight. Tonight was "American Idol." Did your guy win? Upset with the results? Happy? Did the best man win?

Why I Love the Arts

LeAnne Martin at the Christians in the Arts blog is running the second part of her three-part interview with me today. Here's what I said:

Why do you love the arts? Have you always loved them?

Since I can remember I have loved the arts, and I hate that so many of today's fine arts--opera, symphony, museums--are inaccessible to those in lower economic groups.

I grew up in Oregon's lush Willamette valley in a modest home that sat on five acres. The two living room windows looked out on Mt. Hood in one direction and the Willamette River in the other. We sang on car trips, and Mom read us great stories. I remember my dad singing me to sleep at bedtime playing the autoharp. Going to the library was a weekly event in the summer.

Then when I was ten, my parents decided my Dad would take a job transfer to Washington, D.C., because they wanted to expose their five kids to culture. So for the next seven years we went to free Juilliard String Quartet concerts and National Geographic lectures and Smithsonian tours. My favorite attractions were Jefferson's Monticello (so much creativity!) and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, where we watched money being made.

By the time I hit ninth grade, I'd had a year of piano and seven years of viola. Every kid in my family played an instrument, and we'd attend each other's endless concerts and we'd also have hootenannies with other families. (As grown ups, we turned out to be a musician, a curator, two teachers and a writer.) We didn't think of ourselves as creative types. We just loved music and history and problem-solving, and we played outside instead of watching a lot of TV (though we complained bitterly at the time). And we watched our mom sketch during afternoons on camping trips.

The arts were not a separate category in our lives. They were interwoven into everything we did. They were just "normal."

Integrity Prevents Law Suits. Who Knew?

They say goood news never makes headlines, but "they" are wrong today. This morning I read this headline in the NY Times: "Doctors Start to Say ‘I’m Sorry’ Long Before ‘See You in Court.’" As it turns out, when docs admit they messed up, “Improving patient safety and patient communication is more likely to cure the malpractice crisis than defensiveness and denial.” A major health system that experimented with full disclosure found that existing claims and lawsuits dropped to 83 in August 2007 from 262 in August 2001, according to the medical center's chief risk officer.

Turns out a lot of suits come from folks trying to get the irresponsible to take responsibility for their actions.

In an ancient sermon given on a mount, a wise man once offered this piece of wisdom: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison" (Matt. 5:25). And it turns out, following his advice not only brings reconciliation, but it can also save a lot of money.

Like Your Job?

Space.com reports that 47 percent of all workers like what they do. Topping the list of those who love their jobs are clergy at 87%. Next are firefighters (80%); physical therapists (78%); authors (74%); and special ed teachers (70%). Roofers came in dead last.

What's the best and worst job you've ever had? My best: freelance writer. Worst: House painter (inside and out).

For Your Movie Queue

One reason I prefer Netflix to Blockbuster is that via mail I can get lots of documentaries and classic movies that I can't find at my local rental store. The nearby place carries an increasing number of games and a decreasing inventory of DVDs.

Anyway, recently my niece Heather recommended that we add "Who Killed the Electric Car?" to our Netflix queue. Since her recommendations have yet to disappoint us, we ordered it and watched it this week.

Turns out electric cars were among the most efficient ever built. They ran on electricity, gave off zero exhaust, and could have sent U.S. technology to the head of the auto pack worldwide. (The average person drives about 19 miles/day; these would go for 60, and developing battery technology doubled that.) The few lucky souls allowed to lease the quiet, sporty little zippers loved them and wanted to buy them. They even pulled together and offered GM a million bucks to let them keep their cars. (Imagine your gasoline bill for the month totaling zero! That could be habit forming, eh?)

Yet GM recalled its electric vehicles. And then they shredded the entire fleet. Literally. Into strips of metal. You can see the footage.

Seems crazy, right? This flick explores why.

But to summarize it for you, imagine a laser printer company developing a product that would run without toner. Eventually who loses money? Case in point: How much have you spent on parts (including filters) for your combustion engine in the past few years?

Check out the flick for yourself.

Synergy 2009

As women's events go, Synergy is my favorite. Take a racially diverse group of women leaders from across the world, throw in meaty content, and add a generous helping of rockin' music. If you didn't get to go this year (and even if you did), you can still listen free to audios online or downloaded to your iThingy.

Plans are already underway for 2009 in Orlando, where we'll explore "Your Relationships in the Story: The Blessed Alliance." So block off Friday-Sunday, March 6-8, and join us in Mickey's city, where I've been asked to "co" again with Lesa Englethaler heading up the writers' track. For more info, go here: http://www.synergytoday.org/

Stranded on Omnipotence

So my hubby is considering a career change... He's thinking and praying about becoming a project manager with East-West Ministries Int’l (EWMI; www.eastwest.org), based in Addison, Texas. The job is a stateside position that involves overseeing humanitarian works in Kenya such as the building, development, and operations of AIDS orphanages; primary and Bible schools; and widows’ skills training programs in Kenya.

I love the idea of helping to empower the marginalized. By providing humanitarian aid, we have the opportunity to bring glory to God as at-risk people experience the love of Christ expressed tangibly. A church-planting ministry is part of this effort, with fellowships established and led by national pastors trained at a Bible school in Kenya.

Before my man (or EWMI) signs on the dotted line, we’ve been invited to Kenya July 7–18 to see the existing work and meet the field leaders with whom he may be working. In addition to visiting the AIDS orphanage sites, schools, and churches, we’ll also share our testimonies and show the “Jesus” film in the local language at various places.

For most of the trip, the team will be with two people groups—the Maasai, who live in the plains of SW Kenya at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro; and the Pokot, in the Rift Valley north of Nairobi.

Our friends who have worked in the Maasai and Pokot regions have found that the people want to hear more about Christ once they see His love demonstrated through aiding widows, caring for orphans, educating children, serving AIDS patients, and providing clean water. We hope to be a part of meeting these needs long-term.

So I'm asking a favor: Please pray for them and us.

And also... some of you, my readers, have expressed an interest in participating. So here's the skinny on how you can if you want to: Our total need is $7,800, plus the cost of immunizations. (We're covering our daughter's costs, so this is the total for Gary and me.) You can give online by credit card by following this link. In the “special instructions” box, type “Glahns trip ID# KN01. (All contributions deductible.)

The New Testament defines faultless, true religion this way: “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas 1:27). In the face of enormous needs we can work together to make a difference.

Go girls!

Kindred Spirit, the magazine I edit for Dallas Theological Seminary, received an Award of Merit from the Evangelical Press Association in the "Cause of the Year: Hunger" category. The award-winning contributors within the issue were Kelley Mathews for an interview article titled "Why Feed the Hungry?" and Shannon Brasel for her two-page photojournalism spread.

Back Again

I rolled in from Portland late last night. My flight was due in shortly after midnight, but it got delayed, and I think my head hit the pillow around 3:30 AM. (This after a long layover in San Francisco. Ugh.) Fortunately, we had a hotel room near the airport so I wouldn't have the one-hour drive home and a one-hour drive back this morning to march with the faculty at DTS's graduation. Boy, was that decision worth every cent! (Also, our girl loved the pool, and my husband liked the part about the free hot breakfast.)

Today was worth every minute of sleep I missed to book 'em back to town! It is so cool to watch friends receive their doctorates and master's degrees after years of hard work. The day had so many highlights, most of which will remain private moments with the students I was celebrating, but a definite high point was when my former student Bernadette from Rwanda (and one of my heroes) received her master's in counseling and introduced me to her friends as if I were the celebrity of the day. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Tomorrow's Mother's Day. It's a great time to honor all women who nurture. And for moms to give thanks for their kids.

It's also a good time to remember the infertile (who often call it M-day); people who've lost moms; moms estranged from their kids; kids estranged from their moms; moms who've lost kids; and birthmoms. Same with grandmothers. Today's a day to give thanks; to appreciate; to forgive; to restore; to pray for healing; to mourn but remember with gratitude.

And if you don't have kids, why not love on other people's? I've never met a child who couldn't benefit from more love.

More from Portland

By the way, my mom served elk for dinner. Are my peeps foodies, or what?

I promised to come back to Oregonian Donald Miller of Blue Like Jazz, so here goes.

He reminded us that story does something in our brains that proposition can't do. And our lives are stories in which God hands us the pen. He provides the setting* and the other characters, and He gives us "self" as protagonist. Then he tells us, "Make it good." The goal is that at the end, God can say, "Well done. Good story." That's the climactic scene--when we stand before the Almighty and hear "well done."

So how do we get there? We write the journey so He can say, "I like it. I like your story." It's not enough for that character to want to pay off his car and accomplish that goal in the end. The final scene can't be the character driving away in a debt-free car. That's not a big enough goal. Yet that's often the sort of goal we set when we sit down and write "What I want to accomplish this year." So we need to set loftier goals that make a difference in the grand scheme.

Now, the Audience has to want the character to succeed, and the character of the protagonist matters. There's a fine line between hero and villain. The hero can't think of him- or herself as better than others. (Nobody wants a totally smug character to succeed.)

He reminded us that when we walk out of bad movies, we don't say, "Movies stink." We say, "That movie stunk." And in the same way, when people say, "Life is meaningless," the reality is, maybe that person's life is meaningless. But that doesn't make life meaningless.

Our choices have a lot to do with making our story meaningful. And the more obstacles we face, often the more satisfying the ending.

*P.S. Speaking of setting--In today's chapter of my life, I'm looking out on gold-gilded clouds breaking over the Columbia River. And I have Mt. St. Helens in view. Pity, eh?

From the City of Roses

Internationally speaking:

Congratulations to Israel on celebrating sixty years as a nation!

Did you read the Evangelical Manifesto? Lots of folks are talking about it. What do you think? Ever wondered what the heck the word "evangelical" means? Now you get some answers. And you'll be relieved to know it's not supposed to be synonymous with right-wing political agenda.

Personally speaking:

I flew into Portland, Oregon, on Monday to attend board meetings for the Evangelical Press Association, followed by the national conference. Last night Portland's mayor kicked us off with an introduction of Luis Palau, who was fab. (And afterward I went out for a chat with my brother, who lives here.)

Today Donald Miller addressed us and I attended a workshop with him afterward during which he answered lots of questions...about writing and finding his father and his next project and how he doesn't even know (or care?) what the emergent church is. More on all this soon.

Then tonight my sis and her son picked me up and drove me about 40 minutes to have dinner at my parents' house. My brother and his girlfriend joined us, and we celebrated Mother's Day a little early.

Two of my closest friends lost their moms this year. If your mom's still alive, tell her you love her!

Bigtime Transition

In February in my capacity of Kindred Spirit editor, I taped a two-hour interview with friends we've supported in Kenya for six years. During their time there, they've established a number of humanitarian efforts that include AIDS orphanages, business grants for a widow's business co-op, well drilling, and building churches (both physical and spiritual).

After this interview, we had lunch and interacted more. And the following week, they asked my unemployed hubby to consider taking his combo of theological and business experience and putting it to good use with this ministry. We were stunned. But then it made sense. It would not require a move--it's a Dallas-based position. And it seems a perfect blend of all his experience and passions.

The vision is for someone in the Dallas office to serve as the home office point person for field leaders; develop business plans; manage projects; provide short-term team support; and in the longer term, plan for implementation of this model in other parts of the developing world.

At this point we are leaning toward "yes." The main obstacle is that we'd have to raise the funds for a salary.

So before we make any commitments to such a huge change in our lives, our family has been invited to go on a ten-day "vision" trip to Kenya this July 7-17. It would allow my hubby to meet with the field leaders with whom he would be working, should we decide it's a mutual fit. And it would allow us to have a lot more facts about what would be involved. In addition we'd be working with teams showing the Jesus film in several locations, giving us opportunities to minister rather than just observe.

Three other kids are going--all girls--and, interestingly, all within a year of our daughter's age. So this is a great chance for our girl to see a part of the world's needs in a context where she's not just a kid tagging along with a lot of grown ups but actually serving alongside some of her peers. And because the kids will be with our team of about 14, we are scheduled to go only to locations considered "secure."

We felt strongly that we're supposed to take this step. But it is a step of faith because it means we've committed to travel with a big price tag. And--did I mention--my man is unemployed?

But perhaps he lost his job "for such a time as this"?

The Shack--Your Opinion?

Yesterday I received my fifth request for an assessment of the novel, The Shack. But I'm at semester's end (getting grades turned in) and gearing up to teach an intensive class daily during the month of May. So it'll be June before I can think about reading fiction again.

So it's up to you to tell me.

If you've read it, what did you think?

And why?

Arts II

Yesterday I included a link to my thoughts on the arts. But today I'm going to make it easy for you (apparently some of my readers see my words on blog services but don't get the links, eh?). Instead of following a link, just keep reading, and I'll just tell ya here what I think. It came about because a fellow writer, LeAnne, asked, "Why do you think Christians should care about the arts?" And I had some opinions on the subject (Opinions R Us):

The Bible is filled with places where we see God's passion for art. In Genesis He makes the world, animals, humanity. In Exodus we see Him giving fantastic instructions for a beautiful tent complete with a wardrobe for those who serve in it. In Leviticus we see him creating all sorts of symbolic ways to express His holiness. Fast forward to Ezekiel or Hosea where we see him giving bizarre instructions to serve as object lessons...

Christians should care about the arts because God created us all to be artists and to appreciate art. It's a human thing and humans are made in God's image. The first verb/second word in Genesis is "created," and the subject is God. Part of reflecting God's image is creating. We were made for this! Have you ever handed a preschooler a piece of paper on which to draw and heard, "I'm just not creative"? (Only when we get old enough to compare our work with that of others do we shut down creativity.) God reveals himself through special revelation (the Word) and through general revelation (creation in its many forms), and we learn about God and express the works of the Almighty in our lives through interaction with both.

And think of Jesus using metaphor--I am the way, the door, the bread, the good shepherd... And communion with its bread and wine engaging our senses of touch and taste and smell and sight as we partake, and sound as we hear the familiar lines "This is my Body." Even the least literate societies can "get" communion and baptism.

I saw an exhibit of Early Christian Art not long ago at Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum, and the predominant image was of Jonah. Much more than crosses, images of Jonah's three-day entombment and deliverance were the favorite images of Christ-followers in the first few centuries of the church.

And that's not to mention the Sistine Chapel.

Where would art historians be if they knew nothing of the Bible? How much sense would Rembrandt's Prodigal Son make without the story it illustrates?

My brother is a curator for a museum in Oklahoma and when he was in art school, he saw a painting of Bathsheba holding a pomegranate--a symbol of faithfulness. His classmates had no idea what that meant. But he had enough biblical tools to discover the painting was probably not intended to express irony. Many scholars believe Solomon wrote Proverbs 31 and that he wrote it about his mother, Bathsheba, who was--as a righteous woman--taking a ceremonially cleansing bath when a sex-starved king sent his troops to bring her to his palace. Art--including storytelling--and theology intersect beautifully.

Not long ago I attended the funeral of a former boss for whom I'd prayed for more than a decade. To my delight, I learned at that service that he had come to faith in the past few years. As his son-in-law described it, he had walked into a country church and heard the strains of "Amazing Grace," and he knew he was home. I love how God uses art to move people!

Why Care about the Arts?

Why should we care about the arts? In fact why should Christ-followers especially care about the arts? Read my answer over at the Christians in the Arts blog.

Also, today is the national day of prayer. Remember to pray for yourself that you would do justice and love mercy; for our country and her leaders that they would act wisely; and for the world and its suffering.