A Matter of Time

Last night I finished reading Time Peace: Living Here and Now with a Timeless God (Zondervan, 2007) by Ellen Vaughn. Last year I had the privilege of copyediting Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to SEE, which Ellen helped to write and shape. She tells stories so well, and I wanted to see if she's as good a writer when she's telling her own stories instead of somebody else's. She is, and I was not disappointed.

Even though I'm a "word nerd," I've harbored a fascination with astrophysics since Mr. Engelsma taught us about the stars back in sixth grade. After eighth grade science class with Miss Jones, I found myself pondering light and its relation to time. And if that wasn't enough to keep my mind busy, Mr. Timmer got me thinking about matter at the quantum level when I took chemistry and physics during my junior and senior years. In the twenty years since then, the world of science has given us many innovations, such as the Hubble telescope and particle accelerators, that allow us to look outward at the vast distance of space and inward at the atomic level. But for all that, I still feel mystified every time I look at the clear night sky. That's as it should be.

Ellen does a good job of explaining all the complex scientific theories in a way even I can understand. She spends a lot of time on Einstein's general and special theories of relativity, and she even touches on string theory. Weaving everything together are stories that she tells so well, I almost felt as if I knew her personally. And what sets her book apart is the way she brings everything back around to a transcendent, unfathomable Creator God who humbled Himself for a season--a TIME--in the person of Jesus so that we can know Him personally.

I chose to read this book because I often feel so pressed for time in my life. And my life isn't that busy compared to a lot of my friends. I began to realize, however, that when someone asks how I'm doing, my automatic reply is often "busy." I'm busy homeschooling Ben. I'm busy keeping up with domestic chores. I'm busy editing and proofreading books. I'm busy with small group and church boards. I'm busy trying to read through my Bible in a year. That last one may sound strange, but that's how I felt around October when I began falling behind in the schedule. I'll close with a short paragraph that is helping me to change the way I think about this elusive yet finite thing we call "time." The reality of these words challenged me, and I hope they challenge you too, dear reader.

The notion that time can become an idol may sound ridiculous. No one would set out to worship time. But does it have its claws in us? Has a habitual preoccupation with busyness, stress, pressure, productivity, and hurry crowded out a preoccupation with the glory of God, not to mention a basic contentment with His gift of life? Are we missing its viable pleasures, subconsciously assuming that at some future point "when things slow down a little" we will enjoy God and the family and friends He has given us--except that mythical future point never arrives? (p. 110)

Challenging Myself

Once upon a time, I was a writer. Stories, book reviews, academic papers, poetry. Most days I wrote in my journal and kept a written record of my heart. I even had several pieces published, for crying out loud. Now it seems that the only time I reach for pen and paper is to make a grocery list, a weekly menu, a library list, a spelling list, or an agenda for a church board. Domestic responsibilities have seemingly drowned my creativity in the mundane.

That's going to change this year. And it starts today as I write this blog instead of writing the grocery list I know I should be making. A friend who read my blog the other day asked why I don't write more often. Looking back, I realized that I wrote 9 entries in 2008, 5 entries in 2009, and 3 entries last year. I've become so busy editing other people's words that my own seem to have dried up. There's my second excuse.

It all boils down to that, doesn't it? Excuses. I'm too busy with domestic responsibilities, homeschooling, church duties. I'm too busy keeping my finger in the page of my editorial career so that someday when Ben is grown I'll be able to work full-time again.

I recently discovered Emily Freeman's blog, "Chatting at the Sky." (Okay, so it was work-related...I'm currently editing her first book for Revell. But getting this project was providential, as you'll see.) I keep going back to her entry "5 ways to know if the art has to wait." And here's what she challenged me with: "All these things [homeschooling, work, church, etc.] could be reasons why you have to wait. BUT...they could also be excuses. It is important to know if you are waiting because of wisdom, because it truly isn't the right time. It is also important to know if you are waiting because of fear." She goes on to offer some insights on telling the difference.

Those words were spurs in the sides of this old nag! My falling out of love with writing does not come from fear. And while my life is busy, it's not as busy as the lives of most thirty-somethings I know. Ben is getting older and doing more things for himself. I could make time for this. After all, I make time to watch Hawaii Five-O every Monday night. My real problem is laziness. Lack of intentionality. With God's help and a bit of encouragement from you, dear reader, I pray I will be more intentional about writing and about sharing my words with others.

Lord, you know I desire to put words on a page. And not just any old words, but words that reflect you, that tell others about your goodness in my life. I was a writer once. Help me to be a writer once again. For my best good and for your glory.

British Movie Extravaganza!

I spent a good share of my work-free weekend watching movies. As a family we watched Shrek Forever After, which turns out to be the only one of the Shrek movies that I really loved. As a couple, Sean and I were entertained by Knight and Day with Cameron Diaz & Tom Cruise. But by far the majority of my time was spent watching movies filled with British actors and scenes of my beloved England.

First up: Nanny McPhee Returns. Loved, loved, loved it! What's not to love about Emma Thompson playing a magical nanny who teaches children more lessons that Kevin Leman on speed. I wish she'd spend a week in our house...of course, there's that whole "when you want me but no longer need me, then I must go" thing. I couldn't bear to part with her.

The next entree on my silver-screen buffet was an obscure movie loaned to me by my friend Heather. Relational Values stars Dame Julie Andrews, which was more than enough to get me to watch it. The plot was a bit quirky, but a nice surprise was Stephen Fry as--surprise!--the butler. (What ho, Jeeves!) Not one I'll watch again, but it was more fun than watching Sean play Dr. Mario out in the living room. :-)

Tonight rounded out the Anglophile fest with The Young Victoria. Hey, Sean was at youth group, so I didn't have to worry about boring him with the intrigues and scandals of the British monarchy. The constumes were amazing, the music was beautiful (Schubert!), the cinematography made me want to hop a plane to London, and the story was well written. Definitely not an action film, guys. But what a love story! The scenes at Windsor Castle and Blenheim Palace brought back wonderful memories of visiting those places.

The weekend is at an end, tomorrow starts another busy week, and so I'm off to bed. But I enjoyed my little English vaca while it lasted. Maybe I'll even dream in a British accent tonight...