Thunder of an F16
I was a kid again at the air show.
Have you ever heard, nay felt the engines of an F16 fly overhead? The deafening roar in your ears and the pressure in your chest is quite something.
Ever since I was a little kid I have loved planes especially the US Air Force Thunderbirds and US Navy Blue Angels. These specially trained pilots perform across the nation and globe showcasing amazing skills in aircraft. Not only do I love the loud engines but the skill it takes to pull off these stunts where their wing tips are inches apart. From the tight formations, spins, twirls, and even skywriting these pilots do it all and have left me in awe since I was young.
I had no idea the Thunderbirds nor an entire air show was about to take place blocks from my house. It is not every day you see a fighter scream across I-35, and it came as a bit of a shock, to say the least. Watching the Thunderbirds brought out the inner kid in me. I stood there, head on a swivel trying my best to track them down as they zoomed by, They flew right over our house much to my amusement, but my dog was not as big of a fan. My respect for these pilots has only grown and I was in as much awe then as I was as a kid.
Having never even attempted to shoot aircraft or airshows before, this presented quite the challenge. I got a few decent shots, but 90% came out as a blurry mess. The Blue Angels will be in town next August, so at least I have time to practice.
Thanks for reading and popping by.
Wes
The Road of a Jailbird
Yesterday was a great, but long day. We went to Philippi, and it was as close to following in the footsteps of Paul as you could get. My pictures from Philippi leave much to be desired. It was not my best day as my ISO was way to high all day long. Good or bad pictures aside I will remember this day for the rest of my life. First, we saw a prison where Paul definitely was. It is the prison where Paul was being held, when an earthquake struck. The doors jarred free, and Paul and the others could have escape, but Paul convinced the others to stay. The guard was so thankful and out of this experience he became a Christian. I love this story because it shows how we can in the face of the strongest adversity and even cruelty, still show love and still follow our call. Paul’s actions in that prison, remind me of others like Martin Luther King Jr. and Detrich Bonhoeffer. If you know me, you already know my deep love for them, but the kinds of sacrifices and dedication to what God calls them to, is something we ought to look up to. But all to often we are not Paul, but rather the jailer. We ought to also reflect on how we respond to the unjust suffering of others.
We also had the chance to walk the Roman road into Phillipi, and road that we know Paul walked. We walked on the same cobbled stones that Paul walked. We arrived to Phillipi on a large, comfortable, air-conditioned bus with enough water to fill a lake. Paul, walked in sandals with only what he could carry in the heat and sun. We walked into Phillipi knowing that we would be safe and cared for. A place where we would be surrounded by fellow believers. Paul walked into Phillipi where people did not want him. Where people jailed him and ran him out of town with literal pitchforks and torches. How we walked that road was in everyway unlike Paul, but yet we walked it with him and he with us.
I might skip tomorrows post. Today, Thursday the 19th, we spent the whole day crossing the boarder into Turkey from Greece. I do not really have anything interesting to say about that other than, crossing boarders is hard. So we shall see.
Gold and Paint
Tuesday, we visited an iconography school and a female Greek-Orthodox Monastery. Yes, I said that right female monastery. There are no nuns nor convents in the Greek-Orthodox church. Rather there are two female monasteries. It was beautiful. Placed on cliffs in Meteora, they can be difficult to reach, but the views are worth it. The sanctuary was classic Greek Orthodox. They do not allow photos inside the sanctuary, but they are beautiful. The walls are decorated with icons, paintings and mosaic tiles. The smells and bells completed the experience. If you get a chance, I highly recommend attending worship in a Greek Orthodox Church.
I have been looking forward to visiting the iconography school ever since the trip plan came out. I love icons, and Christian imagery in general. The early church relied on things like icons, paintings and stained glass windows for one major reason. The majority of people could not read. So, how then do you share the gospel with those who cannot read it for themselves? Art. There is so much in Christian art that we do not pick up. There is so much symbology in these works of art, that help to tell this great story. I am really excited to be coming home with two icons. Mary Magdlene and St. Thomas. They will hang in my office, and hopefully, be a source of conversation.
Today’s picture is a depiction of the Last Supper.
Look forward to sharing about Philippi tomorrow.
The Future of Delphi
Can you predict the future? If you can please let me know because I have some questions. The Greeks certainly believed that a few select and holy women could indeed predict the future. Those seeking to know what is to come traveled to the temple of Apollo, real popular guy, in Delphi and wait with their offers of sacrifice. These women were not always available, as Apollo had other priorities at times. So, if you were in a particular hurry, bribery came in handy to skip the line. The fortunes were purposely vague, so that the predictions could be interpreted in many ways.
Delphi, like all the places we visit, is ruins. The picture is a close up of the intricate details from the top of a marble column. Temples like these are found everywhere across Greece, and it is amazing, as I have said, to be able to touch stone and marble like this.
Why do we visit Delphi? Well, the ruins are cool, it was an important site for the Greeks and latter the Romans. More importantly Paul meets one of these priestesses, and fortune tellers. In their interaction, the woman comes to believe in God, and professes that belief loudly and proudly. This is significant. A woman who served in one of the most important roles for the Greek and Roman religions, professes belfie in God. It would be as if a Raiders fan miraculously became a Chiefs fan. This does represent a significant moment in Paul’s ministry.
Tomorrow we will look at some pretty paintings.
Athens
On Sunday we walked around Athens. In Athens there is one significant place in Athens in relation to Paul’s life and journey. Paul visited Athens one time. When he arrived Paul noticed many idols and false gods. This upset Paul, and he began to preach the good news. This got Paul into trouble and charges were brought against him. When Paul spoke not only did he defend himself but brought the first convert in Athens. We stood in this place.
Just up the hill is the Parthenon. Now I’ll be honest, it was underwhelming. Mainly because I was forbidden to touch it. (Don’t tell anyone, but I touched it anyway. Shhh.) Don’t get me wrong it is an amazing sight to see, but it was quite the hike to get there.
The last place we visited was the ruins of the Greek agora and stoa. This is a place, that while scripture does not explicitly say it, that Paul would have visited. Walking among the ruins and a reconstruction of the stoa we found several busts that I was drawn to. These were wonderfully preserved and the detail was incredible.
In all it was a good day, and the bucket list item of touching the Parthenon was checked off.
Next post we will predict the future.
Corinth
The temple Paul walked past on his way to work in Corinth.
The highlight of the day was without question visiting the city of Corinth. We spent time walking the streets, and ruins where Paul lived and worked for 18 months of his life. We walked through the agora where he sold his tents and met Priscilla and Aquila. We stood at the place where Paul taught and shared the message of Christ. We saw the Roman temple to Apollo that Paul walked by each day. We saw the homes where Christians met in secret.
There is a palpable difference between reading what the city of Corinth was like in the scriptures or hearing about it in class and seeing the city with our own eyes. To see the kinds of homes where Christians gathered, the wells from which they drank, stores where they made their livings, even Paul’s tent-making business, and so much more makes the story tangible. Story and history come alive in these kinds of places. We are able to put the stories we have read into context, and it helps us to visualize some of who Paul was and the kind of work he did in and among real people. People who struggled with accepting and loving others. We are often those same people. It is easy to look at Paul’s letters and judge the Corinthians and others for their lack of faith and commitment because they seem so distant. They are foreign people from a foreign land and time. Walking through their homes, their temples their shops, reminded me of our shared humanity and struggle.
On an unrelated note, it is also so truly amazing to touch a marble column that has stood tall for thousands of years and is likely to stand on and outlast me. To have that physical connection to not just Greek, Roman, and world history, but to the foundations of our faith is indescribable. To be in places with that kind of history feeds my soul.
This picture is of the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, which Paul would have seen each and every day.
10 Hours later…
10 hours on a plane is a fun and unique experience. If you like sleeping upright, noisey neighbors, the cries of infants, terrible food and sup par coffee, you will love international flights. All things considered it is incredible that we can travel like this. It is truly amazing that I woke up yesterday in Delaware and today I will be in Athens. It is also a blessing that we can do this in the midst of Covid-19. I can whine and complain, but I am so luckly to be able to take this trip with my mom. One more flight to get to Athens and then the trip will really get going.
Foot Steps of Paul
I am presently sitting in Dulles International Airport waiting to fly into Istanbul then to Athens. It is going to an amazing trip alongside my mom, seminary classmates and professors. We are going to many churches where Paul spent time, and wrote to, and several churches from Revelation. I will try to make posts and share pictures daily but who knows if I can keep up. I look forward to sharing this amazing journey with you all!
And so it begins…
Well, I decided to start a blog, but I am going to call these stories. (Because it just sounds better to me and I love a good story). These stories may be lousy and maybe no one will even read them, but hey I’m doing this for me anyway. I want to record and share my journey with photography; the places I have been, things I have seen, lessons learned, and so on. I might even drop a theological morsel in here a time or two as being a pastor is my day job after all. If you like photography, travel, and theology this might just be the blog for you. Or not…