Golden Apples in Silver Settings

Credit: dayspring.com

A nice card

My wife handed me the card, holding it open to reveal the inscription on the inside. The exterior was rather plain and less attractive than I’d hoped; however the wording was well suited for the occasion. “We can keep that one in mind,” I suggested, “but let’s see if we can find another one with an equally good message, but with a more attractive appearance.”

And so, we continued looking. Our search was for a variety of greeting cards that day. No, none of them were Valentines, but were for birthday, get well, thinking of you, and bereavement sympathy.

Credit: zazzle.ca

Not our choice of card!

For our taste some cards’ decorations were gaudy, cheapened by over-much gilding and ornamentation, while others we considered were too sombre and dark. In some instances we refused cards with ideal visual presentation and tasteful fonts simply because the wording was too flowery or syrupy. We finally left with a selection that we hoped would suit the persons and situations we had in mind.

The challenge was getting both the message (the language art) and the means of presenting it (the graphic art) ‘right.’

I love this word picture from the biblical book of Proverbs; it relates to the benefit of crafting a message and the means of presenting it well: “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11). This has often prompted me to imagine various ornaments, such as a delicate necklace, featuring apples of burnished gold, set amongst entwining stems and leaves of silver, to grace a lady’s neck.

Credit: depositphotos.com

Silver picture-frame depiction

We’ve become accustomed to trash talk at many levels of society, from the world of sports to parliamentary debate and just about everything in between. Smart phones and social media provide a platform for spewing out negative attitudes, nastiness, anger and hate. However, the medium also provides opportunity for crafting messages expressing truth, kindness and love.

Raise Your Gaze Thought: A word or message “aptly spoken” or written can be beautiful art when it comes from the heart.

~~+~~

A version of the above piece is to be published in Southwestern Ontario's Standard Guide Advocate Feb. 8, 2018 

Peter A. Black is a retired pastor – well, sort of retired – and lives in Southwestern Ontario. He writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column, P-Pep! and is author of Raise Your Gaze ... Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart, and Parables from the Pond -- a children's / family book. ~~+~~

A Bit o' Heaven on Earth (Peter Black)

My Beloved and I finally broke free from the heavy, slow molasses that clung to and characterized our driving experience through much of Toronto on Highway 401, as we headed east. Multi-story towers diminished in number, and eventually the box-like sameness of sprawling condominium developments and modern cheek-by-jowl homes yielded to the welcome sight of nature’s autumn colours in glorious profusion.

This would be our first visit to the “The King’s Town” – Kingston, Ontario – in ten years. We’d moved away from there thirty years ago.

Kingston Ont. Murney Tower

We’d decided that during 2015 we would drop in quietly and unannounced at each of the churches we had served during the years of our pastoral service. The project was all but completed, except for Kingston. We left that to the last, since Kingston was the furthest away from home.

During our almost five years of living there in the early 1980s we met some memorable characters. Among them was Bob. A former penitentiary inmate, his life had gotten turned around by the grace of God during his incarceration. Following his release he attended our church for some time and married Lisa.

One of Kingston, Ontario's Marinas

While becoming established in following Jesus consistently, Bob continued developing his graphic arts and crafting skills. These days he’s busy working on his custom metal-work creations.*

His popular hand-crafted belt buckles are mailed to many countries around the world. He and Lisa have developed a home-based business, and continue in their walk of faith with Jesus.



"Nigerian Girl"
Fine art by Robert Aucoin
See website URL below.

Several years ago Bob and I had been in touch by phone and email, at which time he gave me express permission to publish his real name (instead of a pseudonym) in a newspaper and a magazine article, and also to include a print of his stunning pencilled portrait titled, “Nigerian Girl” (see pic).

He later extended the permission to include both an edition of the article and the portrait in my book, “Raise Your Gaze . . . Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart” (see below). However, until my wife and I made our recent trip we hadn’t actually seen the couple in more than thirty years.

We really hoped to see them again, but didn’t want to inconvenience them or have them change any plans they might have. And so, while in the city I phoned to say that we were in Kingston for a couple of days and would very much like to see them. Wonderful! They and their daughter were home and gave directions to their beautiful lakeside community, some kilometres outside the city.

News from across the years flowed freely. It was a marvellous time of catching up on

Bob & Lisa.
(Sorry: I've lost resolution along the way.)

 our respective families and the joys and challenges that the Lord had brought us all through. May and I sensed deep grace and trust in the couple’s lives, and our hearts felt truly blessed by their warmth towards us.

An added bonus was in our meeting Lisa’s 94-year-old mom. This bright, cheerful lady insisted on getting out on a chilly day to mark her ballot in the Federal Election, despite having a fractured back.

The vivid autumn hues on our drive up from Kingston to our friends’ idyllic surroundings by the lake, while truly impressive, were outshone by our visit and fellowship.

Heaven kissed earth for us as Bob and Lisa welcomed us into their home amidst hugs, handshakes and greetings, after all these years.

 

It was truly a little bit o’ heaven on earth.

~~+~~

Robert Aucoin’s website: *www.ironartcanada.com

~~+~~
The above post is a modified edition of an article published in Black's column, P-Pep! in The Standard Guide Advocate, October 29, 2015.
~~~

Peter's second book is a compilation of inspirational articles on a variety of themes from his weekly column. These are interspersed with brief expressions intended to encourage. Ebook edition is available through Amazon.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9920074-2-3 (Angel Hope Publishing)

Email
Blog 

 

Peter's first book: “Parables from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing). Finalist – Word Alive Press. ISBN: 1897373-21-X. The book has found a place in various settings with a readership ranging from kids to senior adults. Black's inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Standard Guide-Advocate (of Southwestern Ontario). His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.

~~+~~

 

 

Writing Life Ramblings – Biographical Ruminations (Peter Black)

Writing biographical pieces without your subjects’ knowledge and permission can be a precarious thing. You can never be certain beforehand whether your subjects would approve or disapprove, or like or dislike what you say about them. There’s potential for ruptured relationships . . . hmm, or even a lawsuit.

An author may be somewhat visionary and might extrapolate future outcomes based on trends and data, but is hardly a seer per se. This introduces another aspect of biographical writing that can be rather unsettling for the author.

Have you ever written about a contemporary individual in positive, affirmative terms, but later felt let down, disappointed, or more than a little peeved, when the person later fell far short of the glowing word portrait you’d painted?

I’ve had that experience—but rarely, and have more often been tremendously encouraged to find otherwise. A recent case was of a trucker I met and conversed with, in 2009 at a Christian retreat.

Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org

Shortly after, I wrote a column article of the encounter, in which I shared some of the personal testimony that the fellow recounted to me of his healing and how he came to Christ. I didn’t use his name—I’d forgotten it anyway—and didn’t seek his permission. In February 2010 I posted an edition of that piece on this blog, entitled, ‘Prophets’ – of a Sort.

In 2014 I included a version of that story in the book, “Raise Your Gaze . . . Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart.” I’d occasionally wonder whether the man was still alive and whether he was still mobile (prior to his healing he had severe back trouble and had lived with unrelenting pain).

The other matter of wondering concern was whether he had continued growing in his Christian walk of faith and trust in Jesus.



Courtesy: anglicansablaze.blogspot.com

Recently I saw him again and reintroduced myself. Now retired from trucking, he still loves to meet with His Christian brothers and sisters and sing and praise the Lord at his church. His back is still doing just fine. Although unable to drive now, since he suffers from macular degeneration, he cheerfully looks to God for healing of that condition. I'm thrilled that he is still "pressing on the upward way."

It’s understandable that writers who create fictional characters and the ‘lives’ they ‘live’ can feel a relational connection with them, and some even call them their babies or their kids. 

That’s different for biographers. If remaining true to the character of the individuals about whom they write and whose stories (or portions thereof that) they tell, it’s different. Biographers neither create the characters nor the circumstances in which they live their lives.

In some instances when writing a living person’s story I may begin the process already having a personal relationship with the individual. That may deepen during the process of working through the elements based on the information available, but the individual is neither my baby nor my creation, although I may rightfully regard the work produced as such.

Although I’ve had cause to grieve when learning that one of my subjects has followed a course that casts  a shadow over the earlier portrait, my recent encounter with the former trucker encourages me to not give up on painting word pictures featuring people’s real life-experiences.

He continues along the course of life that raised my gaze to give thanks to God for His gracious working in the man’s life. Redemption in action—gaze-raising joy. And that's something worth writing about!

~~+~~

 

Peter's second book is a compilation of inspirational articles on a variety of themes from his weekly column. These are interspersed with brief expressions intended to encourage. Ebook edition is now available through Amazon.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9920074-2-3 (Angel Hope Publishing)

Email
Blog 

 

Peter's first book: “Parables from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing). Finalist – Word Alive Press. ISBN: 1897373-21-X. The book has found a place in various settings with a readership ranging from kids to senior adults.

Black's inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate (of Southwestern Ontario). His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.

~~+~~

 

Old Habit Creep (Peter Black)

Participation was lively and courteous. Opinions varied, thoughts concurred and sometimes diverged, and reflections and impressions bore similarities, as the members discussed the merits and demerits of the book under review.

My wife and I made one of those infrequent, quick in-and-out visits to our old stomping ground last week. Our stop was a rural community in Southwestern Ontario, where librarian Mary-Jo welcomed us warmly and had coffee and refreshments ready to perk us up after our straight-through drive. I was to chat about and present “Raise Your Gaze . . . Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart,” a copy of which would be entered into the Lambton County Library system.

We set up a table with information and copies of the book, and a sample of our first book (“Parables from the Pond”), and also TWG (The Word Guild) bookmarks, including some from writer friends. Meanwhile, book club members engaged in the discussion mentioned above. Once we’d completed set up May and I sat, sipped our coffees and enjoyed listening in.

Have you ever attended a book club? Consider the benefits of such small-group experiences: social interaction and friendship, intellectual stimulation, broadening of perspective, and personal growth and enrichment.

I’m not a book club member; however, I do participate in a fledgling writers' circle that meets in our public library and I also engage in group Bible study and fellowship events.

Back to last week’s library presentation. Oh, my—I don’t recall ever being as unfocused and disjointed in previous book presentations, as I was then. Perhaps you’ve experienced something similar. 

Credit:apmodgame.net



You knew what you wanted to say and you’d made similar presentations before, yet this time when you got started . . . Well, your mental marbles played games and led you down all kinds of rabbit trails (how’s that for mixing metaphors!). 

Credit: picz.rocks



Decades of practice had helped me order my thoughts, especially for public speaking, during my pastoral years. Similarly, to a large extent I overcame the tendency to ‘rush speak,’ but it went out of the window on that occasion. Still, the audience was gracious and will hopefully recover from the experience.  (Of course, perhaps they didn’t mind it at all; we can be our own worst critic.)

Ah, but that’s only one of several traits from my youthful years creeping in of late. This realization reminds me of the need to exercise vigilance throughout our lives in order to recognize ‘old habit creep’ so that those tendencies can be overcome—yet again.

But why share such potentially embarrassing incidents with you? Progress. Many of us in life want to progress in character and skill, and we also aspire to accomplish goals; that involves process.

However, I’ve observed that during the process of growing and maturing we might sometimes regress and begin to lose ground? And so, I share these foibles of mine with you. Why? Well, just maybe you’ll recognize a foible or two of your own and be encouraged to take steps to regain lost ground, too. And remember, “Confession is good for the soul.”

Ground may be gained, lost and recovered­—not only in our natural life, regarding human skills and abilities, but also in matters of the spirit. “The Shepherd Psalm”— Psalm 23 says:

“He [the Lord, my Shepherd] makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake”

(Psalm 23:2-3 NIV; emphasis added). 

 

Finally, I raise my glass and propose a toast to Mary-Jo and her valiant, gracious book club crew for their generosity. Our brief time together helped raise my gaze to see my need more clearly and in humility to do something about it.

                                                                                                   

~~+~~

Peter's second book is a compilation of inspirational articles on a variety of themes from his weekly column. These are interspersed with brief expressions intended to encourage. Ebook edition is now available through Amazon.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9920074-2-3 (Angel Hope Publishing)

Email
Blog 

 Peter's first book: “Parables from the Pond” – a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing). Finalist – Word Alive Press. ISBN: 1897373-21-X. The book has found a place in various settings with a readership ranging from kids to senior adults.

Black's inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate (of Southwestern Ontario). His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.
~~+~~