Ben, Jill, and Alice Holt
In this post I did some video about my indoor winter archery. I have been working on speed shooting in my living room for months now.
I’m getting more consistent, and timed myself using a mic today. When I have a good round, here’s what it looks like:
I’m measuring the distance between the three peaks there, which is when the arrows actually hit the target. 1.8 seconds for three arrows! I’ve done this a few times today.
It feels like it’s impossible to go any faster, but I know it is!
I found this ancient work today sort of by accident – one of those Wikipedia black holes. Eventually I was reading about Louis IX and his eccentricities, and about the Bible he most likely commissioned, a masterpiece of the 1200s. It’s also called the Maciejowski or Morgan Bible.
One reason I liked it immediately was the vibrant color (extravagant for its time), especially the gold leaf. It’s full of violent Biblical imagery – the medieval equivalent of the Passion of the Christ.
Bibles back then were hand copied and not accessible to most people, who generally couldn’t read anyway. But this also meant that the Bibles that did exist were produced with the utmost care and attention to detail. This one originally had no text – a violent, graphic novel Bible used partly as propaganda for crusaders. The margin text was added later as the book traveled the world.
Interestingly, the incredibly detailed dress and weapons are “modern” in the sense of the reader of the day. It would be like depicting Bible stories using tanks and machine guns – like the 1996 Romeo + Juliet, an old story with modern accoutrements.
More info on this work here.
Since you can’t find this work very easily, I’ve painstakingly put all the high quality images into an archive. It’s over 600MB. This is only for educational purposes.
Like thousands of archers, I’ve been quite inspired by Lars Andersen, who has single-handedly revived the art of instinctive speed shooting. He’s spent many years developing a technique derived from the Saracen standard of firing three arrows in 1.5 seconds.
I don’t really like the cold, and doing archery in winter is difficult. So I just set up a living room range 🙂 I’m getting fairly fast but have pretty much destroyed two targets (one was a punching shield Jill got at the dump). Both have had thousands of arrows shot into it over a few weeks, both front and back:
My fastest time is about 2.2 seconds for three arrows, so I’m not there yet. Also Lars doesn’t really explain his techniques that well (I don’t blame him) so I’ve had to sort of figure it out by slowing down his videos and trying out different things. It’s like learning karate from Bruce Lee movies 🙂 The guy moves so fast it’s nearly impossible to see what he’s really doing. Here’s a short video I made showing my current progress:
Today I took some pictures!
The little guy is my new friend. I think he just likes me for my bird seed. But I don’t even mind that he’s using me. He just stuffs as much seed as he can in his cheecks, scampers away with nary a “Thank y’ kindly, squire,” and buries it. But at least he’s not stealing our strawberries anymore. Mostly because he ate them all already. I’ve named him “Chip”, which is marvellously appropos.
With all the outrage going around lately with the news of protests and counter-protests, I thought I’d throw in my two cents. I think we can learn a lot from their presence in our country. Here’s some reasons why:
1) The absurdity of mainstream media
I’m not talking about any news outlet in particular. I don’t like any of them, and haven’t watched TV news in about 15 years. I think it’s funny how much this tiny group of people is/was covered, and I’m sure it makes them very happy. “Hey guys, we’re on TV!” Meanwhile, there are lots of other newsworthy things happening in the world.
It also seems like the news that IS reported about them is always sensationalistic – the events and clips that will get the biggest response/outrage. We use words like “nationalist”, “fundamentalist”, “terrorist”, “supremacist”, “racist” without any clear definition or clarification about what these words mean. Sometimes words like this obfuscate the full truth, and news media is skilled at this.
2) Nazis show us our own depravity
Many people wonder how these groups can exist in our “enlightened” country. It’s really not surprising to me at all. Maybe we’re not as amazing as we thought. Given the conditions/culture in which people can grow up, and their family circumstances, maybe I’d be in the same boat. Maybe I’d be a Nazi too. Those who protest loudest that “they would NEVER…” lack a basic understanding of human nature. Nazis help us to remember that we are *all* succeptible to evil, pride, and prejudice.
Many folks’ reaction to these people is “I hate them and I want to punch them.” I find it so ironic that people justify hatred and violence because the people they hate also hate. In other words, those I see preaching tolerance/love/respect loudest are sometimes the least likely to extend those things to those with whom they disagree. When we react in such a way, we show just how depraved we really are.
“A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal.” -Winston Churchill
3) Nazis remind us of our commitment to free speech
Nothing tests our country’s values like people we strongly disagree with. Do we try and shut them down because we disagree, or do we defend *their* rights as citizens too? The right to be heard, to peacefully protest flaws in government (we can all agree there are many) is something we need to be vigilant to defend.
4) Nazis force us into moral dialog
Is our worldview really superior to Nazis? Our morals inherently better? About everything? How do you know? It’s my hope that groups like this force us into a better understanding of morality in the attempt to separate ourselves from those ideals.
Why is it wrong to be racist, for instance? “It’s just bad” isn’t a very good answer. Racists (hopefully) force us into honing our defintions of “good” and the source of it.
Hopefully, Nazis get us beyond our ignorant, self-centric morality. Sometimes it’s the greatest evil that forces us to look to the greatest Good.
Lately I’ve been trying out a few specialty recipes! Here’s one for authentic Indian chai. Hundreds of thousands of Indian women make this daily, and I can see why. It’s delicious.
I’ve tested my chai on quite a few Indians, all of whom said it was very good. Because they were all nice people, I don’t know if they were being totally honest or not. Advice is welcome!
Use the genuine spices when possible, or just the powdered kind.
– 6 cups of water
– 1/4 tsp (or 1 tbsp grated fresh) ginger
– 1/4 tsp (or ten whole) cloves
– 1/4 tsp (or one stick) cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp (or 6-8 pods) cardamon
– 1/4 – 1/2 tsp (or 8-15 whole) pepper(corns)
– 1/4 tsp (or one whole) nutmeg
– 6 bags black tea
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 2 cups whole milk
The amount of pepper drastically changes the character from mild to very spicy! Nutmeg is my own addition and optional, but commonly used in Indian cooking, and I love the flavor.
Crush/grate/pulverize spices that need it. I use a plastic bag and a hammer.
Put spices in water, bring to boil. Simmer half-covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, put in tea bags, let sit for 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags. Add brown sugar and milk, heat until just about boiling, serve hot! You can strain out the excess spices, or leave the “sludge” in the bottom of your cup like Jill does.
I’ve taught on this subject before, and maybe I got it all wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taught something inaccurate! It’s a discussion of definitions, somewhat subjective, and a murky area for people. Like many of my theories, it’s… a theory. I like controversial theories because they produce interesting dialogue. Disagree if you’d like!
I see folks bandy around phrases like these on a regular basis:
– Worship music
– Praise & Worship (P&W)
– [Contemporary] Christian music
– Christian art/songs/albums/movies
– Christian artists & musicians
I understand people get a bit touchy about these phrases, and about my opinions of them. After all, I generally know what people are talking about when they say these things. We generally “know it when we see it“. But what about when we disagree about the definitions, or when we’re talking to people who don’t belong to our religious culture? What if people using these phrases cause people – even within the church – to feel guilty and confused?
Let’s start by attempting to define “Christian music”.
What is Music?
As it turns out, it’s hard to define. We use it all the time without bothering to think about what it means. From this article on defining music:
Many authorities have suggested definitions, but defining music turns out to be more difficult than might first be imagined. As this article will demonstrate, there is ongoing controversy about how to define music.
John Cage has famously created music that falls outside our typical definitions. So let’s use the dictionary for now:
vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion
Do you notice how subjective that is? What is “beauty”? It’s in the eye of the beholder! What constitutes “expression of emotion”? Does banging two pieces of wood together communicate beauty and emotion? Who decides? Does context matter? If it’s composed and written down, does it become more musical?
Let’s take an example from art. “In December 2004, Duchamp’s Fountain was voted the most influential artwork of the 20th century by 500 selected British art world professionals.” This is the famous piece of art:
Yep, it’s a rotated and signed urinal. That’s the most influential piece of art of the 20th century. Maybe it doesn’t speak to you, but it has to a lot of people. It communicates emotion, just like music. In a similar way, there’s probably lots of “music” that doesn’t convey beauty or emotion to you. Maybe you have even said, flippantly, that it’s not music at all. You probably meant that it didn’t “speak to you” in the slightest. And that’s ok.
THAT’S OK. Not all music will speak to you. You will not appreciate every song like other people do. You may despise a certain genre of music. That’s ok too. You are free to not like rap, classical, country, or even “modern praise and worship”.
People have a long history of judging others because of their musical preferences. Christians are certainly guilty of this, but not just us. Even in high school groups of friends rally around common musical interests, while looking down at people who like the “bad” music. My student loves music of many genres, but yesterday he and I poked fun at teenage girls who liked a certain artist. How could they like such drivel? Silly people!
The point here is that music is highly subjective in its definition and interpretation. The same song can communicate two completely different things to different people.
What is a Christian?
Great, this section will be much easier. Or not. It’s a bit hard to pin this down, too, depending on who you talk to. Let’s use the dictionary again:
a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings
That’s pretty subjective too. Many denominations have a slightly different spin on what that actually means, the process of coming to faith, specified beliefs, and subsequent way to live it out. But that’s not the subject of this article.
What we can all agree on is that a Christian is a person. Not a building, organization, or piece of fruit.
Some Implications
This seems like a silly distinction but has big implications. It makes sense to say a doctor is a Christian. It does not make sense to say the chair in which I am sitting is a Christian. Other things that do not make sense:
– Christian record labels
– Christian songs
– Christian albums
– Christian music
– Christian art
Bach was a Christian. He composed music. But his music is not “Christian music”. That makes no sense.
What do people really mean when they say, “I just bought a Christian album?” I hear this kind of thing often. Do they mean:
– The lyrics communicate Christian truths
– The artist is a Christian
– The company that produced/released the album is a Christian label
Do all of those have to be met? If only one of the above criteria is met, is it a Christian album? How do you know if the second one is true? Do you know the songwriter? Does he practice what he preaches, or is he a hypocrite? What if he writes the song while walking the straight and narrow, and later falls away? If only the first one must be true, how many of the songs on the album have to mention these Christian ideas? To what extent must they mention them? Can the lyrics mention other things? Do at least some of the songs have to present the gospel, or mention Jesus? What is a Christian label?
As you can see, there’s no standard or agreed definition here. But we throw the words around. We call Thomas Kinkade a “Christian artist” but U2 is a “secular band”. We like these categories because they help us decide what music is “appropriate” to listen to, and what is “safe” for our children. I believe a better system is called for. A better definition and use of words. And a better way of discerning what is good for us and our children.
So if music and art are never “Christian”, then how do we know what to listen to, or buy, or recommend? It takes more judgment and discernment on our part.
Ideas for Thought
Since music is so subjective, each person can experience the same song differently. One person can be disgusted while another can be uplifted. After playing the same genre in church for years (light rock, or modern P&W, or whatever you call it) I got very sick of it. I now like very few songs in that genre. I avoid music in church because it’s always the same bad music (subjectively speaking). Very few of the songs turn my heart to God.
And that’s the key.
Your personal response to music & art can be thought of in three categories:
1) Those that turn your heart and thoughts toward God (not necessarily happy or solemn!) (Colossians 3:1-2)
2) Neutral stuff… entertaining, funny, dramatic, without a lot of personal spiritual value
3) Bad stuff. Encourages you to sin, turns you from God to the world (1 John 2:15-16)
Remember how subjective those are. Each person interprets each work like this gauge:
Your personal category for a particular song, piece of art, sculpture, or whatever may vary greatly from others – even people you think you know well (ever try recommending movies to a friend?). Even “secular” works by “secular” people can turn someone’s heart toward God. This often happens to me. And even the most “Christian” of music can turn people away from God.
Ever since I’ve realized this, it’s made me feel free to enjoy God in the music I see him in. I listen to that music, and the neural stuff for fun (I like 70s lounge music, for example), and avoid the “bad stuff”. Same with movies and art!
I’m trying to be sensitive to others, and how they interpret the things I like, and realize they may not view things in the same category. More than once in my life I’ve showed something to someone – something in category #1 or #2 – and for them it was #3. And I’ve totally regretted that. I should have asked sooner and avoided showing it to them.
So Jill and I took a hike tonight, a beautiful stroll through the newly-green forest right near our house. Lovely.
When we got back to the road, we find a Harvard cop behind our car with lights blazing. He told me it was sticking out in the road. Our car was partially in the road, but that’s because there was no parking at the trailhead, and not enough room to pull off more than we did. I was certainly parked further off the road than most landscaping trucks I see everywhere.
So then another cop pulls up with lights blazing (because I guess they called in backup). Cop #2 informs me in a very serious voice that we’re in violation of Harvard law, which states that no one may park in a way that obstructs traffic in ANY WAY. If we hadn’t shown up when we did, he would have towed us ($300) plus a citation. He said we were lucky.
So tell your friends, and make sure to call the police if ANYONE is parked on any part of the road in Harvard. I sure will!