Homespun Reality

Been Here Before

2009-11-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hey wait, I recognize you...I've seen you here before
And with that simple thought more is revealed of me than of you
Because I don't know your story, but I know why I keep coming back
And it's the terrors inside my head that drive me here when I have nowhere else to go

But I won't expose you because I'd hate to expose myself
And all of that's because I'll be vulnerable and this life's about saving face.

New Biblical Graffiti piece online now!

2009-08-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

I just finished another Biblical Graffiti photoshopped piece: Jonah and the Fish.

You can check it out at Homespun Reality.com or just click here.

evitcepsreP sdrawkcaB A | (A Backwards Perspective)

2009-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

The engineers are picking out floral patterns

Based on their favorite mathematician’s correlation between birth and death dates

And the interior designers are testing the schematics of bridges

Guessing on the numbers and throwing blueprints away

We’ve got it all backwards but it’s the way it’s always been

We focus on the problem more than the solution

And it’s been longer than we can remember from when it began

So we go on in our misled ways, stumbling in agony all through the day

Why should we change now?

It seems to have worked out all along, what’s new?

Do you know something that we are oblivious to?

And if so, who told you?

It’s a backward misled perception that we take on everyday

From when we get up to when our head hits the pillow at night

We see the world as hopeless, mundane and an obstacle to get through

Despise it enough and we become miserable, disillusioned and cliché

But it’s all okay, because everyone else is that way too

We look for hope, but we don’t look hard enough to find

Or we find what a glimpse and we say we’ve had our fill, that’s enough for now

Not really exploring further because we’ve had a taste of the good stuff

While never really gaining true clarity, but enough to fill us up

Only to be disappointed, disillusioned and apathetic a few days down the way

Seeking to find a spiritual high, gaining it and letting it quickly die

The sickle is sharpened and the flesh knows how to make a kill

Just wait a few days for the spiritual high to wear off and we’ll get ‘em

Procrastination and laziness tag team your usual routine

And soon enough you’re back to playing Christian on Sunday

What a disillusioned perspective we have gained from living in a broken world

It’s time that we stop persecuting the tragedy,

Even though it’s easy that doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do

It’s time to revert our perspective from the fallen to redeemed

I get tired of writing on the downfall of man in contrast to the glory of God

Because too often we forget where we came from and the truth about Elohim, the Creator

We were created in the image of God and yes we have indeed fallen from that state

But do not ever forget that we are redeemed people through Jesus’ bloodshed

No matter how cynical the world gets the only hope we have is in Jesus Christ

And the world can never take that hope away!

Alice in Wonderland

2009-07-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

The first teaser trailer for Disney and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonder is out now. You can find the trailer here. Also, attached are some screen captures from the trailer.

The Cheshire Cat

The Queen of Hearts

The Knave of Hearts

The White Queen and AliceThe Castle (notice the Jabberwocky and the Griffin)

The Bandernsatch and the playing cards

The Dodo, Tweedles, Alice and the White Rabbit

The White Rabbit

The Mad Hatter and the March Hare

Well, that's about it for the teaser, we'll see what we get with the official full-length trailers.

Entangled in the Truth

2009-07-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

It’s yet another dismal night on the town
Reviewing once again the all too-familiar hot spots
Wandering in off the lonely streets
Into yet another crowded lounge
Filled with others, some just like me
All of them there for a purpose
Although complete strangers on the outside
In here we’re more than friends, we just don’t know it

Each a shadow, a scepter
Guiding their own way through the night
Searching for the answers
And constantly unveiling more and more questions
Everyone united and yet still so alone
We gather together in the soft glow of neon lights
Not getting comfortable because we won’t stay long
Every purpose unique, and of utmost priority

Each night I come in alone, and I see you there too
And every time I leave there the same
Eagerly racing to get by cover of darkness
Dragging my feet when it’s time to say goodbye
Entering nightly with hope and delight
Leaving broken, disappointed and alone
Each night I hide amidst the shadows
And I fear the world outside the neon glow

I slip into my most familiar seat
Cold tonight, no warmth from the night before
And before I can react a new shadow obscures my view
From top of fedora to heels of his shoes he is adorned in red velvet and gold trim
His eyes wide and his teeth sparkling white
With a grin that puts stewardess to shame
Before I could utter a sound he had his hand to my mouth
As a moth to a flame, I was lost, entranced, forgetting my own name

“I know what you’re here for and I can get it for you,
All I need is some details, do you like digital, print or reality?
I can give you the high that you’re looking for
Because that’s the real reason why you come here—
You’re in here nightly, same chair, same drink, and the same routine
It’s time that you found your truth
You are looking for your high, the answer to get you through the night
Well, they call me the spider, spinning this web of lies, and you my friend, are the fly.”

Caught in a web of words I seek for his truth
I give into my desire without a second thought
He extends his hand out and says, “Follow me.”
As a lamb being led to the slaughter, I follow silently
Minutes, hours, days go by and still I remain
Entranced by his elegance, I am simply amazed
Only to leave unfulfilled, tired and empty
Destroying my mind and leaving my body in pain

How long will I give in to this parasitic life?
Searching for truth while dying in agonizing pain
Giving into the worldly desires that cause me to stumble and sin
How much longer will I be trapped in my own prison?
Caught in a life of lies that I wove around myself
Struggling to break free but too arrogant to ask for help
I wriggle and writhe but the pain doesn’t end
If I end my life now, who really wins?

Empowered, I climb up from my seat
Head for the door, but once again, the spider I meet
“Going so soon? But you’ve only just arrived.”
I push him away, run out the door, escaping his lies
Out from the soft light of decay
And into the mornings’ bright
A life left behind in the night
And God’s the present victor of that fight

To each who’ve take that step of faith, we are closer than a family
Although complete strangers to those on the outside
All of us united are here for one purpose
And together we can help others, just like you
No longer do we have to endure meaningless wandering
Searching the world for truth, until we meet our own hopeless ends
There’s more to this life than what’s simply found on this earth
Because through God’s eyes, you don’t know the value of your own worth

Challenging Times

2009-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the darkest times in life are the times where you really discover your true character. These are the times when you feel most pressured to survive and its in these times that we feel the most obligation to give up. But no matter what, we should never give up fighting. It's times like these that we look back on years later and say, "If I didn't go through that, I wouldn't be the person I am today." Be a light to a darkened world, consciousness is slipping away, but don't give up the fight. Not yet.

Grave Digging

2009-06-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

I stand here knee deep in mud

Digging deeper in anticipation

With the clouds darkening the already black sky

Amidst the pouring rain

But I cannot stop here, I cannot stop now

I’ve started this job; I cannot leave it unfinished now

With each handful I toss aside

The dirt is placed deeper beneath my nails

And my hands get darker with each passing minute

Just like my clothes dampen with each pouring rain drop

Cold and alone I took upon myself this task

And I knew what I was getting myself into before I committed

But now is no time to complain

Because that would be a real waste of time

Stop explaining and get back to work

My logic comes back into play

The faster I clear the mud

The sooner I can begin digging the ditch

With shovel in hand and sunrise only mere hours away

I thrash it into newly soaked dirt and start digging my grave

Preparing for my future by working towards it today

I don’t have much time left here before everyone notices

Which is why I have to finish before the sun rises

And then everyone will see my motives, if I am still digging here

They’ll know that I planned for this ahead of time

And they’ll see no point in having an empty grave

So if they see me preparing it, they’ll take matters

Into their own hands and help me on my way

Time is fleeting as the rain pours down harder on my neck

Soaking my clothes, this is time I will never get back

So I finish digging my grave while sharing my testimony

With people I have never met, and who have never met my Savior

So I show them my handiwork, which is nothing special

And I leave myself open, vulnerable

But they don’t choose to exploit my weakened state

Instead they take my offer and accept Jesus’ grace

Another group for the kingdom

Another grave that lies empty for yet another day

Today was not my day to die for what I believe

But that day will come, and there will be an end to my life

For from dust we were created, and to dust we will return

And each time we put our faith out there for the world to see

We put our lives on the line

And begin digging our own grave

But do not let that fear you

Rather feel the assurance of a relationship with the Loving Savior

Who conquered death and gave us eternal life

If given the chance, I’d grave-dig daily for Christ

What Defines You?

2009-05-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today I was out skating my neighborhood and I went a different route to a high school in the area. I thought that there would be some smooth ground (to skate on) and it was a nice night out, and while I was proved right, apparently everyone else thought the same idea. The place was packed: people playing basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, and I even saw some young kids with skateboards.

So I continued skating around to think some things through. Skateboarding is an outlet for me; another extension which I use to influence outsiders to see a part of me. So it came to pass that they came skating to find me, not hard to do, the smooth skating ground is fairly remote. And the first thing these kids said (considering they can't be older than 10/11) is, "So what tricks do y' know how to do?" And I knew that would be their reason for approaching me. They assumed when they saw me skate by that I was an older guy, probably in high school, whose been skating all my life and I could do some sick tricks. But I was quick to dismiss that idea. I replied simply that I don't know how to do many tricks. Only for them to shoot back, "Then why do you skate?" And as I started to skate away I just told them, "I use it to get around, it's just something I do." From bewilderment to disappointment in 30 seconds flat. I was a model until I opened my mouth and revealed the truth.

These kids assumed that I was something greater than I am and as many people do, once they found out the truth, they dismissed my existence and I became something they didn't understand: a person who skates for fun, not for the pursuit of fame or glory. Skating is an outlet for me, not a definition. I am not defined by the skateboard I ride on or the clothes that I wear for that matter. But I use the clothes I wear and the board I ride on to define Christ through me. I use these things as an extension of my personality, but not as a definition of me.

At first they saw me and uplifted me, but once I revealed the truth they became disappointed and confused. I feel like the world does the same thing too many times. We see something and elevate it to greatness, only to dismiss its existence once we discover the truth. So in the end, I ask, what do you use to define you?

My Purpose

2009-05-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Homespun Reality is a creative outlet with a purpose: to be a light to a darkened world. This light is nothing that comes from me, but rather a reflection. I want to be a reflection of light from the true light, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the original light and life to this world and since He has given me the ability to write, that's what I am going to do. This blog will be a further extension of God's gifting to me in the form of poetry, photos and other musings inspired by this world, given life by me and hopefully as a reflection of the Almighty God.