Beholding

Sunset in Amsterdam

Our woods

There are dark misty days in this sea-bordered country, the moisture of which can dampen the spirits of any young transplant. Grey feelings, the likes of melancholia and loneliness, can occupy these similarly colored days. After a bit, however, I strove against these feelings  choosing instead to look for the beauty hidden in the fog all because of something that my wise mum once told me before I left home: The best tool for battling any desolate emotion is thankfulness. As I began to look, I developed an admiration for the moist droplets on the leaves and petals of the immaculate Dutch gardens, a black bird's silhouette against the clear white-grey of the sky and the opportunities to take walks under an umbrella only to return to a warm home. Since those first days, I have continued searching for beauty. Look for it in a cup of fragrant German tea, the passionate cry of a Keith Green song, a tree bark's gnarled grace, the woolen cabled-ness of a sweater, a well-kept home and a simple "Hallo!" from a stranger. It can also be found in the grooves of an old brick wall, a forgotten mushroom on the forest floor, the swish of a bike chain or the satisfaction of a meal well-made. It would seem that this new practice is not only enriching me, but also the process of learning this new culture. The acknowledgement of these aspects of life is not only a generation of joy and contentment, but greater insight is gained and true appreciation is given to the Maker of Beauty through this recognition.  Many times I forget to look and be thankful... but when I remember to again, I can't imagine why I left off.

An old spiral staircase

Autumn

  

    A wee mushroom found by Peter

      

North Stars

"I am constant as the northern star,
Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality
There is no fellow in the firmament."


(from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)


Existence as we know it, is mobile and dynamic. History is all about change and progress because the humanity that has written and continues to write history is a creative and developing race. There are few things on this planet that do not evolve or transform, that are not revised or refined. The seasons change with each year, plants flourish and die and civilizations rise and fall. There are only a few things  through all these natural occurrences that have a reputation of consistency and predictability. When one is found however, it can often draw attention because of its provoking difference in nature to the rest of the universe.  The North Star is one of these rare, faithful few. Historically it has proven itself a friend to the traveler and sojourner because of its constant qualities. It may not be the brightest, eye-catching light in the sky, but while the earth spins on its axis, the North Star remains steady.

We, Peter and Sarah Frinsel, are part of this progressive time and people on this spinning planet. Our lives change constantly and are full of growth and learning. We seem to be always on the move. Because of all this, it seems now more than ever that our one constant in life is found in Jesus and our relationships with him. If there ever was a more faithful North Star, it was him and is him. Not only did Jesus point to the Way but he was the Way. He still points and still is. As Michael Card says in his lovely book, "Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity": "(Jesus) constantly calls out to turn around and behold the dazzling dimness of his light... to find our way to it, and then to find our way by it." It is our belief that we are called to have these same qualities if we are followers of the Christ. It is our desire to be North Stars in this world, not flashing meteors or mystical Milky Ways or dancing constellations. We have just to be and just to point in the lives we were given. This blog will be worthless or worse than worthless if it does not does not revel in  reflect and Christ's "dazzling dimness". May this documentation of two lives under One point the Way to seekers and pilgrims, while at the same time encouraging others to take on the life of a North Star. 

Sarah ♥ Peter