Maybe for a good guy?

  As a teenager, I remember reading an account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan; one of the most stunning aspects for me to think of was a bodyguard (or three) intentionally throwing himself across the President's body to act in a positive way as a human shield. (video here, a little blood shown) We've heard about 'taking a bullet for someone'... But what if President Reagan had seen the danger to one of his guards or aides and thrown himself across them to protect them instead? Rash, huh?  Wrong priorities, etc...

 The incredible thing about the God of the Bible is that He does just that: God's love was demonstrated to us when Christ died, not for good and righteous people, but for ungodly sinners.  Metaphorically, Jesus took our bullet; He threw His body across ours as a shield - when we were still His enemies. (Romans 5)  

 God our Shield: Genesis 15:1; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 7:10; Proverbs 30:5, etc.

Istanbul Modern: an abstract day

  Today involved my first visit to Istanbul Modern, one of the main modern art museums in our city.  A variety of interesting works are exhibited in the museum, though few that I would care to hang on my wall.  Having read with benefit some of Francis Schaeffer's thoughts on art and worldview, I was looking at some of the paintings and considering what they might reflect in the artist's thoughts.  In the description of one of Mübin Orhon's works, it is commented that his art is 'based entirely on a use of color from which all form has been purged.'   

Untitled, 1968

  It was interesting to me to notice that the vast majority of these works still had two major, direct uses of form in each work: obviously, the frame, but less obviously the artist's signature.  In the above case, the artist even left the work untitled. Yet, while communicating formlessness, artists still apparently thought it important to bind their identities to the works'.  Does this communicate anything more than simple commercialism?  Likely so, but I will leave the observation here.

from the bottom left side

note on Orhon's work

a work by H. Anlı

Luminous substances... another quote from Platon, on Creation

  In light of a couple recent blog posts about creationism, I looked specifically to see what Platon said about 'creation'; none of it was particularly unusual, but I thought this comment was interesting.

On the fourth day, the luminaries of heaven were created, the sun, the moon, and the stars, probably from the luminous substance which was created on the first day.  

(Platon, 51)

  'Luminous substance'... I've never heard of that before per se, but it generally sounded like Platon understood a 24-hour day, 7-day week understanding of Genesis 1-2.