A Pilgrimage to San Francisco: Beginning Spiritual Direction Again

Last week I took a pilgrimage. After some helpful prodding and encouragement from my wife, I finally sought out a spiritual director again. When my ordination fiasco began in the fall of 2008, I decided it was important for me to process through the experience with someone who would help me listen for the voice of God amidst the chaos. Thus began a relationship with a spiritual director that lasted about 16 months. It was definitely helpful and helped me to clarify some things going on in my life at that time.

However, summer began, I had to cancel one appointment, and then…I just never got back in touch with my spiritual director. I suppose that’s the way it goes sometimes…we have good intentions and then life happens, and things kind of get thrown out of whack.

My initial desire to seek out that spiritual director arose out of a moment of crisis. I think those can often be very important times to meet with a spiritual director. But this time it was different.

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How To Take Amazing Photos with a Canon 50mm f/1.4 Prime Lens

So – since we’re going to be having kids and all soon, I started to think about wanting to get a really good new lens for our Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I had been really impressed with some belly shots & baby photos from my cousin and her husband, and so I checked with them and he wholeheartedly recommended a Canon 50mm prime lens. So last week I got a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – and I LOVE it.

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Meme: My Faith, My Tattoo

My friend Adam Copeland has started up a meme about faith and tattoos. Being someone who has faith and a tattoo, I feel compelled to participate (and because he used a photo of my tattoo in the initial post). So here are Adam’s instructions from his site, and below are my responses to the questions.

In a few sentences, respond to the questions below. When you’re done, share, tag a few friends, and pass on the questions. Keep the title, “Meme: My Faith, My Tattoo” for easy searching. For background on what the heck a “meme” is, see this article.

1. Describe your tattoo(s):

I have only one tattoo (seen in the above photo) and I got it in a small tattoo shop in West Jerusalem. I was in the Middle East in the summer of 2005 and knew that I wanted to get a tattoo. My original plan was to get the coptic cross tattoo from a cathedral in Cairo. Egyptian Coptic Christians would flock to a specific cathedral once a week and get the tattoo. However, I arrived in Cairo on the wrong day.

So, one day after some friends and I worshipped with Palestinian theologian Naim Ateek at Sabeel in East Jerusalem, I mentioned to his daughter Nevart that I wanted to get a tattoo. She said she knew a great place and so off we went. The picture on the right is of me and the tattoo artist. He wasn’t real thrilled to be getting his photo with me, but…oh well.
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Rachel Carey Photography

Since we’ve moved out to the Bay area, we’ve made some really great friends (unfortunately, most of them have all moved away…maybe it’s us…?). Two of those people are Rachel and Kevin Carey. Right now they are currently in Chiang Rai, Thailand with The Sold Project. Rachel has just recently opened up her own photography store, Rachel Carey Photography. Rachel is an incredibly talented photographer and you can pick up some of her prints in a variety of sizes at her new store. If you’re someone who likes to show off some great art and photography in your home or office – I’d suggest picking up some stuff from Rachel’s store – you’ll love it.