slow

might as well have fun.

I do what I must

Work excruciatingly slow? Well, podcast up...and practice doing stuff you love. Then watch yourself amalgamate the two. My practice sheets during the BHP's gory stuff are hilarious...

Found this year:
The British History Podcast, or BHP
The History of English Podcast, or HEP
Radiolab

What are you listening to?

Good Friday --> Christmas

Here's another wonderful song I can't get out of my head if I wanted to:




This played in my head as I read an Advent devotional this morning. From John Piper:

December 11

WHY JESUS CAME

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,

he himself likewise partook of the same things, that

through death he might destroy the one who has

the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver

all those who through fear of death were subject to

lifelong slavery. —Hebrews 2:14–15

Hebrews 2:14–15 is worth more than two minutes in an Advent devotional. These verses connect the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life. They make clear why he came. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to take them step by step through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this…

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” specially in view. It is true that [Here's our song plug! AND in Good Ole KJV, no less!] “God so loved the world, that he sent [Jesus] (John 3:16).” But it is also true that God was especially “gathering the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“…he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood]…”

Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith and is what the Bible teaches.

“…that through death…”

The reason Jesus became man was to die. As God, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas. This is what needs to be said today about the meaning of Christmas.

“…he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). On what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“…and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the now.

If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free: free for joy, free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!”

Excerpt from: John Piper. “Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent.” iBooks. 

Guess what day it is...finally!

Happy via the post.

Unexpected, but most welcome. A thud on the front step. An overseas postmark. Then, familiar printed tape sealing the box led me to hope that inside was something wonderful, and, behold!
Thank you, kind people at St Jude’s Britain. You have made my day.

spring's colorfulness, via Pantone

via Pantone.

rather an obsession

Now to just use them...and not hoard them, and all their kin!

Gallery showcases HP illustrators.

Gallery Nucleus put on quite a show of talented illustrators' takes on that most magical of subjects, Harry Potter. All images from their site. via mymodernmet.

Illustrated packing tape.

Not topping the list of Maslow's needs, but dang, what a fun idea. Lovely brilliance from those creative machines at St. Jude's of Britain.

Dreaming in purple.

This phase will last until at least October...

Concert for your birthday? Sure!

Sweaty good times in Vanderbilt Stadium... months of looking forward and now, over. But so worth it!

Tomorrow at Vanderbilt... finally!

Beautiful Provence.

It's almost summer and again my thoughts turn towards la Belle France, or at least what I picture it being like in my mind. Love these images from photographer Karim Saari. I can smell that lavender from here...

Illustrator Gordon Laite

I was on a quest recently to obtain a couple of Alice and Martin Provensen books, and, having scoured my local used bookstores in vain, I came across an illustrator I've somehow missed. The wonderfully detailed and fantastically talented Gordon Laite, having come across my radar, is now the focus of my obsessing, and I'm very pleased to show a number of his examples here. I imagine what suckered me in first is his beautiful linework and pencil illustrations featured in the children's story I nabbed at Rhino Books, The Thirty Gilt Pennies. Another happy surprise for me is the material that he was given: Middle Eastern and Biblical stories, fairy tales, nature subjects... all beautifully rendered by a masterful hand. If you see one of his gems lying around, pick it up and notice all the detail and care...and if you don't want it, I am happy to take it!

Illustrator/Handletterer Deluxe Sarah Coleman

I'd been wondering for a few months who had done the lovely "SALE" lettering in the Crabtree & Evelyn emails that popped up in my inbox, never knowing it was the same fantastic handlettering artist who created one of my favorite book covers that I've ever seen (above)... so when twig and thistle's valentine post popped up last month, I bolted to Sarah Coleman's site inkymole. Beautiful, prolific, detailed, varied, amazing. I could spend hours here.