The fall marked my transition to wearing glasses instead of contact lenses, out of convenience and thrift. I still keep contacts around, for those times when I’d rather not risk losing, breaking, scratching, or otherwise detrimentally impacting my spectacles—like broom hockey. For those occasions, I save pairs of contacts; and, I receive compliments when I pop them in. People have commented, “Dave, you look rested, and refreshed,” in the sort of way that makes me wonder what I look like otherwise: harried? exhausted? But I learned a while ago how to take a compliment, even the vaguely and unintentionally backhanded.

Winter Quarter rushes in like a lion. After two weeks break for the holidays, it still sometimes feels like I’m catching up, catching my breath; and, we’re now—what?—five weeks into the eleven. With everything moving at such a pace as the INN does, and with the addition of mission training and fundraising each week, sometimes it can seem like there’s not much time to catch a breath. I’ve been learning to catch it on the fly.

There’s a refreshing sense of timing necessary these days. When there’s SHOP on Monday, the INN on Tuesday, Lost to catch up on Wednesday (I’m just going through my week, honestly), Mission Training on Thursday, and book group or myriad fundraisers on Friday and Saturday, moments are precious. I take time on Monday, with other INN and FPC staff, over donuts and coffee. I take time at Mission Training to just be with my team going to Bend, OR. And sound check for the music team on Tuesday night—well—sound check is something pretty special.

And though the weeks are long sometimes, the high points seem a little higher and the restful moments seem just that much more invigorating.

January is almost gone and we are in full swing into the Winter Quarter. The Fall Quarter came and went like a flash and it was great. Challenging, but great. Now getting back into the swing of things after a break from the busy schedule of the internship was a little tough. I guess the effects of homesickness finally hit me after being here these past 5 months. As the seasons change, we also change. Whether it be out attitudes or our work styles. There is just something about the seasons and the weather that comes with them really affects how we function.

People say that this season is the hardest to go through. The dreary days. The cold. The rain. The wind. I see how that is probable. But, I also see that it is a time for growth. The times when we are challenged and stretched are times that can be the most beneficial to us. I have really been seeking the Lord and asking for direction and trying my best to listen that still, small voice that is speaking to me. Sometimes I feel like there is no voice at all, but I just keep listening. Keep trusting. There is a poem by a contemporary “slam” poet named Bradley Hathaway entitled “Silence” that speaks to this very topic. The last line of the poem, the crux, if you will is this, “…just sit here and enjoy the peace that I offer in my silence / for when I am silent I am listening, and not abandoning.”

So true. So good.

Here is the full poem. Enjoy.

Silence by Bradley Hathaway

What’s happening here?
I was once so alive and now I’m so full of dread and almost dead
Show me your wounded head that is lead to communion with the father
But where did he go?
His presence seems farther and farther away each day
but I’m trying so hard to steer his way
Yet still lonely and confused on this cold hard ground I lay

Speak to me wise mouth and say “it’s all good kid, it’s nothing that you did, and though it feels like I’m not here with you right now just be still and silent and listen for that sound..
Shhh..
Did you hear it?
Listen again.
Did you hear it?
That silent voice that just spoke nothing, that is me, I’m listening to your plea with open ears Counting all your tears flowing from your irritated eyes
Searching the skies looking for that hope that beyond there lies.

Oh you young worrisome sparrow, find rest
Lay your battered head upon my omnipresent breast and make it your nest
No strong cold wind could ever blow and carry you from this your home
Look around, see the life shooting up from the ground
Spring colors springing fourth and celebration of your trusting

It’s a constant process this is
Growing you into the man you are to become
But when you sense the setting of the sun know it is only rising and has just begun
Now go fourth, sing songs of faith, and lift up others in the midst of this race
And if you can’t keep the pace or lose sight of my face
Know that I’m always near so you need not fear
But don’t worry about all that right now
Just sit here and enjoy the peace I offer in my silence
When I am silent I am listening, and not abandoning.

Way back when I was a college student (June) I was studying photography as a part of Western’s Studio Art program.¬† I met a lot of awesome people and got to spend hours upon end in the darkroom developing negatives and making prints.¬† For the most part, I absolutely loved it, and I am very glad that I chose to study photography.¬† However, there was a big part of it that kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.¬† Like most professors probably do, mine spent a good deal of time having me think about what I would do with my education when I got out of school.¬† How was I going to make a name for MYSELF, get MY work out there so that I could be successful.¬† Now, this wasn’t the only thing they pressed on their students.¬† I learned a lot from them.¬† But this did seem like the main focus they had, and I had trouble explaining to them that I wasn’t really heading that way.

For whatever reason, my head decided that I needed to get away from the mindset that the photographs I take need to be used for fame and fortune.¬† (Which aren’t necessarily bad things, they just scare me and I don’t like what they do to people at times.)¬† So I have spent a lot of time telling myself, and others, that photography to me will always be a hobby to share with friends and family, but not something I would try to use as a career.¬† That would just be selfish.

This quarter during Intern Training with Jim and Lindsay, we ave been talking about our core values and working on  personal purpose and mission statements.  And this of course leads to me thinking about what I will do after the internship is over, after my school loans are paid off, and when I decide what to do with my life (I am sure I have plenty of time to think about this later).

Today it has just really hit me that photography is something I have been really interested in for a long time, and it is also a very effective medium for sharing ideas and raising awareness.¬† I have also been looking at some photos by a student (Rhys Logan, www.rhystomahawk.com) and some paintings by a former intern (Scott Erickson, www.thetranspireproject.com).¬†¬†¬† Scott is working as an artist in residence for a church in Texas, so that is an easy connection for me to make between art and ministry.¬† Rhys is a visual journalism major at Western, and takes some amazing photos.¬† What I see in their work is that they are doing things that they love to do, and there is no reason why God isn’t glorified in that.

I don’t feel like this is a new idea, even for me, but today there was a real small light bulb that lit up.¬† I know that God uses people where they are and to do any number of things (that isn’t new, either).¬† But thinking about this and what lies ahead in life, I guess it gives me a lot of hope.¬† God has created us all to be very different, and to be creative, and to be creative in very different ways.¬† I am so very thankful for that.¬† I love that.¬† It makes it hard for other people to answer my questions and to tell me what I should do, but that also gives me hope.¬† There is just a lot going on out there, and I know God works in all of it.¬† And that’s just a really good thing.

It’s already happening. ¬†The office is all cleaned up, mostly, and everyone is preparing to head off for the holidays. ¬†In fact almost everyone has left for the holidays. ¬†Just a few more things to take care of and I will be off to join them. ¬†Kind of.

We are putting together a large painting for next quarter.  Like sixteen feet by eight feet large.  I am going to be working on it, with help from a few students, over the next couple of weeks to create an image that represents a world without faith.  Next quarter during the INN, we will have someone reworking the image, painting over the image, and create something new.   So the painting we start with on January 5th will be something very different by the middle of March.  Cool right?

This project is really exciting to me, and not just because I can tell my relatives that I am using my art degree when they ask what I am up to.  But I think that it will be a really cool way for people to get involve and share some of the gifts and talents that they have.  And I am always amazed at hoe willing people are to lend a hand.  A project this big would not be easy to complete if it were left up to the staff only.  It might not even get started if it was given to me alone.  But with the help of students and other community members, I believe it will turn out great.  I am excited for this chance to create, to share, to work closely with others, and to learn.

I really feel like this internship has already been doing those things, just in very different ways.  As I am getting ready to spend some time painting, relaxing, visiting family and friends, and (hopefully) sleeping, I cant help but feel blessed in what I have experienced so far.

I can’t wait to see what happens.

(Scene opens on an office. Zoom in on a workspace. Zoom in on an intern. Zoom in on a computer monitor.)

The end of fall is upon us. The weather has turned; we see the sun less often. Finals are over, and students have all gone home, at least, the younger ones have. (Cut to clip: Warm candlelit house. Male student offers three other students a plate of cookies. All wear ugly sweaters.) Others are spending a few more days in Bellingham, drinking cocoa and exchanging gifts, maybe watching White Christmas, maybe singing carols.

(Cut to clip: the INN office, staff members hurry around, from computer, to camera, to attic, in and out the door.) The INN isn’t quiet yet. We’re getting ready for Winter Quarter. The videos are in production. The talk series is being felt out. There is a rush in more than just the wind. Not the sort of haste that makes waste, but the kind that springs from excitement, and anticipation.

(Cut to clip: Computer monitor, typing text.) I don’t know much about other traditions, but I do know this:

(Cut to clip: A quiet home in an unidentified location. The kitchen, the living room, the dining room, all a flurry of activity.) The Sabbath is a day of rest. An entire day set apart from the routines of the previous ones. Lauren Winner describes it so: “a true cessation from the rhythms of work and world, a time wholly set apart…the orientation of [Sabbath] is toward God.” But a day like that requires adequate preparation, forethought, and determination. (Cut to clip: A family together, enjoying each other’s company over dinner, a board game, a movie.) A day like that offers more productivity the other six.

(Cut to clip: Computer monitor, typing text.) I look forward to a break the way one might anticipate the Sabbath.

(Cut to clip: A red Ford Probe driving along the highway) I look forward to a cessation from the rhythm of the rest of my daily life. A chance to rest, reorient, and rejoice.

(Cut to clip: the INN office, bustling.) For that, we must prepare, think ahead, and work just a little harder, a little more determined, to have a day, a week, a break, without losing pace. There is so much ahead in the year, to anticipate and prepare for, and I am learning to let tomorrow take care of itself.

(Cut to clip: Computer monitor, typing text.) We look ahead to remain grounded. We look forward to stay on track.

These past two weeks have been filled with planning. Contacting donors, prepping for decorations, coordinating video production, promoting on vendor’s row…and now, FalalalalalalalalaINN is over [great food, people, music, fun]. As we took down- I would estimate- millions of lights, paper deer and Christmas trees, I felt both a wave of satisfaction over a celebratory and festive night as well as great relief after such anticipation. I am reminded that as we anticipate events by planning, contacting students and community members, purchasing items, and meeting with fellow staff members, we are working for the opportunity that such events as an open, on-campus Christmas party offer. We are working for God to move through these opportunities and be the cause of laughs, conversations, community and enjoyment.

This time of year, both at the INN and in general, can almost be summed up in a word: anticipation. Kids wait for snow so they can have a day off from school to play. Over 75 students and INN staff plan to go on mission trips to Brooklyn, Bend, New Orleans, and Guatemala this March. Dinners and presents are being prepared for Christmastime.

I’m going to risk sounding cheesy…but I am in awe thinking about the patience required to wait for the Messiah, the coming King. How long, how long, how long did they wait? We think it’s difficult to wait a week to see our family. My hope for our staff and students is for presence amidst anticipation. Let us fully enjoy this time of rest and time to rejuvinate.