Wisdom from George MacDonald

I have a particular fondness for George MacDonald, the 19th century Scottish author and poet. The strength and wisdom of his words caused renowned author C.S. Lewis to proclaim, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself."

It's remarkable to me, being the philosopher and minister that he was, that he was raised in an atmosphere of Calvinism, and yet he never accepted some aspects of this doctrine, such as predestination and atonement.

A few favorite quotes/excerpts from George MacDonald:

The Birth of Persecution

"Clara's words appeared to me quite irreverent... but what to answer here I did not know. I almost began to dislike her; for it is often incapacity for defending the faith they love which turns men into persecutors." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 18

Sacred Idleness

"Work is not always required of a man. There is such a thing as a sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected." -Wilfred Cumbermede, Chapter 55

With regard to this sacred idleness, I am wondering, what do you, dear reader, do to cultivate this quiet time? The bane of our age is busyness and relationships suffer for it. For my own part, I'm aware of it, but struggle with knowing how to slow down, how to jump off the cycle and cultivate silence. Disconnecting from the internet maybe?

I'd love to hear from you.

Driving a few hundred miles to be still...

Speaking of Cass in my earlier post, here are a few additional images made from this area of West Virginia.

Clayton Spangler, one of my best friends and photography mentor, taught the workshop. One of the unique aspects to Clayton’s seminars is the fact that they aren’t hurried and for this, I am grateful. It may seem a bit dull to tell you how much I savored the breeze and the sounds of the creek rushing by, but keep in mind that my day-to-day life could easily follow the tempo of William Tell Overture.

When Clayton encouraged the group to take time by Leatherbark Creek to look at the rocks and swirling water, some were stationary, quiet observers while others moved from rock to rock looking for a bit of foam...a frog, a dragonfly perhaps. It’s no secret that I was in the latter group. It’s so hard to be still. I’m always thinking I should be doing something else, that there is something more interesting around the bend. But one of the great things I learned about landscape photography over this weekend, is that all you need is patience ...the willingness to be still. Nature is always changing and providing exquisite displays of light and motion... we just have to be agreeable to waiting for the next show.