The start of a love affair - Leica M8

Love is a wonderful thing! Of course this is not truly a love affair, but I think it comes pretty close!

On Thursday the 14th of July 2011 a package arrived from Gauteng Johannesburg.  It had been sent by a Dutch Reformed Pastor.  The package contained a Leica M8 digital camera and a Voigtlander 50mm Color Skopar lens. I was so excited to open the package! And, my excitement was surpassed with joy with what I found.  My very own Leica rangefinder camera! My camera came with the hand grip base plate. It is such a beauty! See the image below.

The Leica camera is a thing of great beauty.  It is carefuly hand crafted from a solid piece of metal.  Unlike the Nikons, Canons and Sony cameras it has no automatic functions. Yet, it is one of the most sought after cameras in the world.

I had to sell my brand new Apple Macbook Air, a secondhand Sony Vaio laptop and my almost new Leica D Lux 5 digital camera (with electronic viewfinder and leather case) to fund the purchase.  It was worth every cent!

The M8 makes you want to take photographs.  It is heavy in your hand and feels absolutely solid.  The rangefinder is amazingly simple to operate. And, once you get the hang of aperture and shutter speed you can take beautiful pictures.  The Leica has a very distinctive picture style - the Voigtlander 50mm Color Skopar lens just adds to that refinded beauty.  The pictures are full of colour, super sharp and have a certain kind of warmth to them.  It is strange to try and explain it.  Take a look at this photograph of my son, Liam, as an example.

Here is a picture of my daughter Courtney and I.

The rangefinder takes a little getting used to.  Unlike a DSLR camera one looks through the viewfinder and there are 2 differences.  First, what you see in the viewfinder is not what you see through the lens.  There are framing lines (related to your lens) that help you to frame your shot.  However, you can see what is outside of your frame as well.  That helps to see what is coming into your shot in case you need to adjust your framing for a better picture.  Secondly, the rangefinder has a small 'patch' in the center of the picuture as you adjust the focus on the lens two pictures in that patch need to line up perfectly in order for the picture to be in focus.  This makes it super fast for focusing on any object within your depth of field.  Simply focuss on a distant object to have that in focus and foreground out of focuss, or focuss on a closer object to have that in focus and the background out of focus.  It is super accurate, and once you get the hang of it you can get quite quick at focussing the camera just by judging how far your subject is from the lens and 'pre focusing' the camera as you lift it to your eye.  

Of course manual focus does mean that the quality of your image is dependent on your skill!  I have a Nikon D50 which can take lovely pictures without any effort. Just point it in the direction of the object you want to film and the camera does the rest.  While that can be quick it does take some of the fun out of photography.  Plus, if the camera decides to focus on the wrong point you have to do some 'trickery' to get your focal point corrected within the frame.

Lastly, the Leica is just so beautifullly made.  It is solid, heavy and has a feeling of absolute quality. A classic style icon - just see how lovely that 'Red Dot' looks!  This photo was taken using my iPhone 4 camera and adjusted using instagram's 'tilt shift' function to higlight the Leica logo.

This is a classic camera.  It doesn't do video.  It can shoot in JPG and Raw (DNG) format. My 11 year old daughter and wife have already mastered some of the manual controls.

Does anyone else out there have a Leica camera?  I know there are quite a few film camears, but how about anyone with an M8 or M9? I'd love to hear from you and hear about your experiences, tips and tricks, and any advice you may have for shooting with the M8 and carng for it.

Evangelism, discipleship and the Kingdom of God

What good is 'good news' that never comes to pass? I have heard many wonderful sermons about God's Kingdom. Sadly I have encountered far fewer 'good news' communities and Churches - groups of disciples who seek to be agents of God's good news. I am convinced that our mission is to do what Jesus himself came to do. Christians are called to establish God's Kingdom of loving and transforming grace in tangible and practical ways.

The following quote (via @invisibleforeigner) resonates strongly with me:

“If the Good News is the presence of the kingdom of God, then ‘evangelism’ is much more than ‘saving souls.’ Evangelism means sharing and showing to the world how to realistically, faithfully, and creatively respond to the real needs of the world laboring under ongoing rebellion. Evangelism means living according to the ways of the kingdom of God and inviting others to join us on the way. Evangelism is not selling Jesus, but showing Jesus; evangelism is not mere telling about Christ, but about being Christ.”

— Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship

Of course there are many wonderful Christian communities and groups that are visible expressions of God's 'good news'. I want to be part of such a community!

Francis Chan and Rob Bell: A good review of Francis Chan's book 'Erasing Hell'

In April I reposted a review of Rob Bell's book 'Love Wins' (follow the previous link to read that post).

Today I would like to repost a great review by invisibleforeigner of Francis Chan's book 'Erasing Hell'.

Last week I participated in a radio interview on this topic - there were three perspectives, a conservative, a moderate and my own. In my view Rob Bell does make some mistakes in his reasoning and presentation. However, the wonderful challenge that he raises must not be discounted! He reminds us that God cares about this world. He reminds us that our lives have consequences today (not just in the afterlife). He reminds Christians that we are called to be part of God's transforming, healing, and renewing mission for the earth and all that lives on it and in it.

Here is invisibleforeigner's book review of Francis Chan's book which seeks to present an alternative to Rob Bell's 'Love Wins'.

Francis Chan’s new book, Erasing Hell, written with Preston Sprinkle, clearly aims to respond to and refute Rob Bell’s Love Wins. While Erasing Hell is written in Chan’s annoying conversational style, which made it hard to take seriously, I was glad to see the extensive use of Bible passages, as well as a more in-depth look at the historical context of first-century Israel. Whereas Rob Bell seemed determined to avoid any definitive statements about hell or universalism, Francis Chan is not afraid to say what he thinks the Bible says about hell. He also sees fit to take unnecessary digs at more traditional, liturgically-heavy denominations: “If hell is some primitive myth left over from conservative tradition, then let’s set it on that dusty shelf next to other traditional beliefs that have no basis in Scripture” (16). This was, of course, an early signal that Chan’s understanding of hell ultimately comes down to how he reads the Bible.

While I admire his willingness to reconsider the doctrine of hell, Chan basically reaffirms the traditional understanding: it will be painful, most likely everyone who isn’t Christian will be there, and the punishment will not be corrective but retributive. The only thing he remains unsure about, in the end, is whether or not hell will be eternal. “While I lean heavily on the side that says it is everlasting, I am not ready to claim that with complete certainty” (86).

As I read the book, I realized that there were two main questions that any book on theology and doctrine should probably attempt to address. First, what does the Bible say about hell? Chan and his coauthor do an admirable job of trying to work through the scriptures. However, they don’t really address the issue that I think is deeper, and frankly, more interesting: Is the Bible the final word on this issue? The second question is far harder to answer, particularly if you are Protestant and like to emphasize sola scriptura. Chan will obviously answer yes, demonstrated by his emphasis on the Bible, and in particular on the words of Jesus.

If Chan is right, and if his reading of the Bible really is correct, there really isn’t much wiggle room. Ultimately, the answer for unanswerable doctrinal issues, such hell, becomes: first, God reveals himself in the Bible, and, second, “God has the right to do WHATEVER he pleases” (18). The lack of scriptural evidence for second chances for salvation after death, in particular, means that we have to at least provisionally conclude that those second chances don’t exist. Whatever injustice we see in this scheme of salvation cannot be answered on this earth, Chan says, because “It’s incredibly arrogant to pick and choose which incomprehensible truths we embrace” (136).

I found this answer, in the end, unsatisfying. God created us with reason and with intelligence, he gave us the Bible and tradition and human institutions, however flawed they may be, to struggle over critical issues. While ultimately we will probably say, as Job did, that we spoke of things too wonderful to understand, we should still speak of them. It’s not arrogant to find the traditional understanding of hell repugnant, and Chan’s ultimate dismissal of those who still find the Bible’s answer unsatisfying was disappointing. Simply because God is too big to grasp doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on either Rob Bell's book 'Love Wins', or Francis Chan's book 'Erasing Hell'.

Be a servant, and be free.

In recent months I have become quite fond of tumblr - of course it is the people that one follows that make tumblr so worthwhile. One of the people whose posts most resonate with my own theology and spirituality is invisibleforeigner. I find such depth, encouragement and challenges in the posts from this person.

Today invisibleforeigner posted the following deeply challenging quote:

Be both a servant, and free: a servant in that you are subject to God, but free in that you are not enslaved to anything – either to empty praise or to any of the passions. Release your soul from the bonds of sin; abide in liberty, for Christ has liberated you; acquire the freedom of the New World during this temporal life of yours. Do not be enslaved to love of money or to the praise resulting from pleasing people.

Do not lay down a law for yourself, otherwise you may become enslaved to these laws of yours. Be a free person, one who is in a position to do what he likes. Do not become like those who have their own law, and are unable to turn aside from it, either out of fear in their own minds, or because of the wish to please others; in this way they have enslaved themselves to the coercion of their law, with their necks yoked to their own law, seeing that they have decreed for themselves their own special law – just when Christ had released them from the yoke of the Law!

Do not make hard and fast decisions over anything in the future, for you are a created being and your will is subject to changes. Decide in whatever matters you have to reach a decision, but without fixing in your mind that you will not be moved to other things. For it is not by small changes in what you eat that your faithfulness is altered: your service to the Lord of all is performed in the mind, in your inner person; that is where the ministry to Christ takes place.

— St. John the Solitary, Letter to Hesychias

This is a very challenging way to live - to live as a servant and to live as a free person. Our world encourages us to live as free Lords, Lords of our own destiny and making, not as free servants.

Over the last four years I have struggled to choose the path of service - perhaps it is because I am so addicted to being a 'Lord'. I qualified early in a unique and interesting discipline. I was afforded great opportunity and favor within the Church. This was not good for me. My ego sought the recognition and affirmation that others gave. I soon realised that I was becoming less and less Christ-like as I lived the life of a Lord, instead of the life of service, living like Jesus. So, I took up a post that called for service. I decided to give my energy, training and ability to serve the ideas of others. I dedicated myself to helping other people to become the best that they could be. It has often been a challenging journey.

My wife and I were wise enough to make some small commitments that have helped us. We have turned away opportunities for greater earning capacity - simply stated we did not want to be owned by money. We want to be free to respond to God's call to ministry, wherever and whenever it may come.

It is not always easy. But, we are striving to be free servants - choosing to serve. Sometimes we get it right. Often we don't.

When the world is a storm...

“When the world is storm-driven and the bad that happens and the worse that threatens are so urgent as to shut out everything else from view, then we need to know all the strong fortresses of the spirit which men have built through the ages.”

~ Edith Hamilton via veareflejos.

Somerset West sunrise - fire in the clouds

This was the beautiful view that accompanied on my way into the office this morning. Indeed, as the Apostle Paul writes, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse" (Romans 1.20).

Towards what love means...

I came across two beautiful quotes on love that I thought to share here.  The first is by the German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

Love means the undergoing of the transformation of one’s entire existence by God; it means being drawn in into the world as it lives and must live before God and in God.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics (via invisibleforeigner)

The second quote comes from the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton:

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

- Thomas Merton (via jaltoday)

Both quotes give some insights into the immeasurable blessing of love. I am thankful to be able to love and be loved in return.

No salvation outside of the Church?

This is quite a challenging thought! Of course I do believe that the Church is a central part of God's plan for the renewal and transformation of the world. However, I realise that I am not good at being Church.

The ancient Catholic dictum extra ecclesiam, nulla salus (“outside the church there is not salvation”) contains a significant sociological truth. Certainly it is not impossible for individual Christians to maintain biblical beliefs even if a hostile majority disagrees. But if the church is to consist of communities of loving defiance in a sinful world, it must pay more attention to the quality of its fellowship and find new models of Christian community.

Ronald Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (via invisibleforeigner)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the role of the Church in the transformation of society, and also how we could be 'better' at being what the Church is truly called to be.

A life of service... without the need to be recognised.

Powerful!

[T]here is no substitute for learning to be a Christian by being in the presence of significant lives made significant by being Christian. … Significance suggests importance… lives that make a difference and that demand acknowledgement. But the lives of significance I began to notice were not significant in any of those ways. Rather, they were lives of quiet serenity, capable of attending with love to the everyday without the need to be recognized as ‘making a difference'.

- Stanley Hauerwas (via redviena)

I am deeply challenged by that last line, to live "lives of quiet serenity, capable of attending with love to the everyday without the need to be recognized as 'making a difference'."

The calling of the Church

Have you ever considered that the Church is called by God?  I'm sure most of us would agree that our priest, pastor or minister is called to ministry.  However, the same applies to the collective community of the Church - we are called.

I have encountered very few Churches that have taken this aspect of their identity seriously.  The Church is called to ministry.  It is a little like the priestly ministry of the scriptures.  The priest is called to represent the people to God in worship and to represent God to the world in service.

Many of our Churches are simply 'Gospel clubs', places where people gather loosely for their own edification and upliftment.  We treat Church as something that we 'do' rather than an identity that we are to 'become'.  Perhaps it is for this reason that we hunger after experiences of worship that are more like a combination of a rock concert and a stand up comedy routine?

Please would you consider the following quote with me? Pray about the calling of the Church of which you are a part.

The work of God is the calling of a people, whether in the Old Covenant or the New. The church is then not simply the bearer of the message of reconciliation, in the way a newspaper or a telephone company can bear any message with which it is entrusted. Nor is the church simply the result of a message, as an alumni association is the product of a school or the crowds in a theater are the product of the reputation of the film. That men and women are called together to a new social wholeness is itself the work of God, which gives meaning to history.

- John Howard Yoder (via @fycr)

Published! My section of 'Disciplines 2012' in the Upper Room devotional arrived today! pp.44-48

Photos from the Jacksonville GDOP stadium anchor prayer gathering