Lensing and Shuttering: December 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Sacred Site of 2nd Spiritual Awakening

These steps on Glen Oak Avenue and Spring Street, Peoria, IL are a very hallowed spot for me. This is where I suddenly experienced a massive lightning strike of spiritual illumination that shook me to the core. I vomited as it suddenly dawned on me that I had gradually gone so far astray that I had hit rock bottom and had no way to escape.

I wept uncontrollably for an entire week, almost without pause. I had to fend off constant thoughts of suicide, as if the devil was shouting at me "The world wants to get rid of you. You're done. You're no good. You've wasted your life. You'll never amount to anything. You had your chance at a normal and successful life, but you blew it. Put an end to your miserable worthless life. Now."

I was ripped to shreds from a harsh, relentless, but beneficial introspection. I was immediately face to face with all my errors and selfishness. I stared at the naked reality of my rotten decay from an avid Bible student to a godless hedonist. My wick was smoldering and had finally been snuffed out. From above came a tiny spark that exploded in my heart and started to flame up into a new zeal for spiritual goodness and truth.

I made the decision to return to the faith of my youth, when I was a dedicated and bold Christian evangelist and Bible teacher. I read the Bible from cover to cover.

I frantically scratched my way mentally out of the dark deep pit into which my life had sunk. A miracle occurred and my mind began to slowly but surely heal and re-orient itself to Christ. I devoured a ton of Christian books, but the primary text that pulled me back together was Way of the Ascetics by Tito Colliander, a collection of Eastern Orthodox teachings by the desert monks in the early church.

I call it my Second Spiritual Awakening, when God had mercy on me and gave me another chance to get back in fellowship with Him after a long period of backsliding, worldliness, and extreme disasters.

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Christmas Presents and Tree 2012

There is just one thing I HATE about Christmas.

Wrapping gifts. Cheap wrapping paper rips as you wrap. Thick expensive paper is hard to fold. I used the same thick paper on the gifts so far, I'm just to exasperated to vary the wrappings or get fancy.

I guess I should just put the gifts in gift bags and be done with it. I just have no patience for this.

Notice how I gave up on the big gift...and started using masking tape instead of scotch tape? Grrrr....

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Old Fashioned Record Album

This is what the term "record album" used to refer to: a sturdy album, similar to a photo album, of stiff cardboard pages that you could insert 45 inch vinyl records into, and keep a log of the contents on the inside of the front cover.

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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Santa Claus Crime Scene with Imposter

Big Santa: "I'll keep an eye out for the cops. Get rid of the real Santa's dead body quick. If we play our cards right, nobody will know I'm an imposter."

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