misprinted type 4.0

Misprinted Type, the web presence of Eduardo Recife, is celebrating 10 years of existence this year. And what better way than to release an update? In the past 10 years Recife has managed to grow his stunning portfolio from simple fonts all the way to detailed collage illustrations, drawings, more fonts and now Recife is offering free photoshop brushes to boot. To better put it in his own words:

"Call it design, illustration, art or a waste of time, for me its a theraphy, a hobby and what makes me happy."

I'd have to agree with Recife in the sense that his work also makes me happy ... and jealous, and inspired, and everything in between. I've followed the work of misprinted type for at least the past 5 years and have to say that some of my own work, online and off, have been inspired by the use of collage in his designs.

If you haven't heard of or seen the update to misprinted type I highly suggest you do so today. Thanks again to Recife for allowing me to use his images in this post.

the watchmen

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." - Psalm 127:1

In today's world we have lost the value of roles in society. Everything now is run by governments and/or big business. But long before the systems of the world there was a different kind of ruling and authority established. Within that rule there were different roles given to individuals who the King perceived as worthy. We probably most commonly associate this with times when men wore stockings and women were beheaded. But there resides a kingdom which exist beyond our physical realm and yet is more real than the skin we live in. And there are those appointed in this kingdom with a very demanding job, to stand on the walls of the city and keep watch.

As the name suggest, watchmen are those few that are appointed to keep a watchful eye for anything unsuspected to occur. They work long hours and all through the night, as that's when the enemy likes to attack. This goes without saying that it's not easy staying awake while everyone else is sleeping. And I know I've fallen asleep on the job before. Who honestly enjoys being alone in the darkness? But what joy it is when you see the first sliver of day light and the sky turns from black to purple to blue to orange to yellow to blue with a slight shade of green in between.

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps." ... "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." - Matthew 25:1-4, 13

As Christians we are all called to keep watch, in a sense being watchmen, but there is a distinction between watchmen of the city and those being mindful of their own personal actions. Please note that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ and this is something that was in my heart to share. I hope this blesses you.

john mayer live

Tonight my wife and I have two tickets to see John Mayer here in Dallas. My exposure to the music of John Mayer came at a later time than everyone else in America. Of course I heard all the popular songs on the radio. I.E. - Your Body Is A Wonderland, Bigger Than My Body, etc., but I never really explored what else was there. Fast forward to 2004 when I first met my wife, the biggest John Mayer fan I know, and this is where I started to listen to what was behind all the glamorous pop music. Then when the John Mayer Trio came out, it caught me off guard with how amazing it was. I still love that version of Gravity far better than off Continuum.

Here is one of my favorite clips of John playing his guitar.

i will possess your heart

new video from Death Cab for Cutie for their single I Will Possess Your Heart off the new album Narrow Stairs.

I bought the new album a few weeks ago and have listened to it quite a bit. To me it's not as strong as Transatlanticism or even Plans, but it's a solid progression none-the-less. This song is track #2 on the album and one of the more upbeat songs in my opinion. If you love the sound on their previous records it will take a few times listening all the way through to really appreciate what they're doing here.

I'm sure there are many different viewpoints to the lyrics of this song and I'm not sure what Ben Gibbard meant when writing them. But one thing is certain to me, this song is sung from The Fathers heart. Just read the lyrics:

How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me  It's like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read - just yet  You gotta spend some time--love, you gotta spend some time with me  And I know that you'll find--love, I will possess your heart

There are days when outside your window, I see my reflection as I slowly pass  And I long for this mirrored perspective, when we'll be lovers, lovers at last  You gotta spend some time--love, you gotta spend some time with me  And I know that you'll find--love, I will possess your heart

I will possess your heart

You reject my advances and desperate pleas  I won't let you, let me down so easily, so easily 

You gotta spend some time--love, you gotta spend some time with me  And I know that you'll find--love, I will possess your heart

I will possess your heart

 

bread alone

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:3 (Moses speaking to the Israelites)

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” - John 6:51

To this day I still don't fully understand the process of fasting. I understand it's simply giving up something for a certain period of time. But what I'm talking about is how do I know it's the right time to fast? Sure our religions have set apart certain times of the year where you pick something to obstain from for 40 days. They even made a movie on the topic. But unless we hear from God what He is calling us to give up isn't it really just torturing ourselves?

So up until last week I had not considered fasting for a long time. I think the last time I can remember was before the military. But talking with Jason about how The Lord was having him fast for his daughter really sparked something inside of me. And I wanted to hear what The Lord might be trying to tell me. Everyday last week I woke up thinking I should fast that day. But it wasn't until Friday that it hit me. And this is the cool thing that I found out, God doesn't strike you down if you mess up. Because I was pretty sure I needed to fast my breakfast, but I ended up eating some pop-tarts (which were so good). So I decided to fast for lunch. Also, another cool thing I learned is that God will honor our choices to obey Him even if we're off a little bit.

Now I can't claim to have fasted completely from all food for lunch that day because I know my body and how it reacts to low blood sugar, and I still had the rest of the day at work to finish. So this is where the bread ties into what God showed me. I asked The Lord what I could eat, and all I heard was bread. So I got two slices out of the fridge and then thought peanut butter would go good with it, but I heard "no, just bread". So I thought "okay Lord, this is weird."  Now there I was with two slices of plain wheat bread, feeling kind of silly, but as I sat down and began to eat The Lord began to unfold some things. He spoke to me about removing the sweet things, like peanut butter, and all the other things we pile on top of "bread" and going back to the simple piece of bread, the foundation of a sandwich. It was really pretty simple but something so profound at the same time that I still don't get it all.

I think the biggest thing that's come of this is the revelation that nothing is as important as my foundation, the bread alone. All the other toppings and condiments in this life are nice and full of flavor, but do not provide the real nutrients my body needs.

Mates of State

First I have to give a special thanks to the band for playing on my birthday in the city I live in. What could be better? Well I'll tell you ... I was able to meet Kori and Jason after the show and get my picture with the two of them. They are really down to earth, friendly people. My wife said as we were walking back to the car that she wishes they lived here so we could hang out.

As for the show, how can I put in words the feelings of singing along to the songs that have brought such joy into my life. I guess it's been about 4 years now since I first started listening to Mates of State. Their up-beat style helped me out through some tougher times while I was away in Japan in the military. They played a lot of stuff off the new album, Re-Arrange Us, and some old stuff. And they played my favorite song, goods (it's all in your head), so I was pretty stoked about that.

For the show I brought along my new Holga that my wonderful wife got me for my birthday. So I have two rolls that need developing now. But once I get those back and scanned in I'll post them here and on my flickr. I can't wait to see how they turn out.