My name is Levi McCallum. I am an Aussie living in Honolulu, Hawaii. I run a small software company that helps spread the gospel. Email me at levi@levimccallum.com.
I saw these a while ago on Adult Swim, but could never find them after that. Japan has an incredible sense of modernism, and the application of Kanji to vector logos is the epitome. This I aspire to emulate.
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power. — 1 Corinthians 4:20
I was designing a graphic today based upon another designer's Photoshop document. Looking at his layers, I saw no organization, nor any use of Smart Filters or other non-destructive layer styles. I laughed to myself, thinking how amateur the process of his work was. The design that appeared before me, however, was incredible. Each element was perfect in its positioning, each pixel had a meaning, and all my laughing ceased on account of the beauty of his work.
I began to think about how this relates to my walk with the Lord. How easy it is to have the propensity to focus on motions and actions, when all Jesus cares about is our love for him. When our eyes are removed from glorifying and magnifying the Lord, religion kicks in and our life is wasted. Rules become our idol, and tips and trick in how to manage and categories our ability to save ourselves seemingly becomes the key to our "success".
As a designer, I have learnt quickly that focusing on tips and tricks for my tools gets me nowhere. There's a billion blogs out there that all teach them, however, there are only a handful of world-class designers. People never see their layer structures, or discover if they're using the latest CS5 features, the only thing that matters is what's delivered in the final print or rendering.
What we need is captivation with God’s glory, and with a God who is relentless in showing his glory to his people throughout history. This glory is complete. The challenge is to stand in awe, not merely of the missional task, but also of the God of mission. From this place of awe the mission of the church will advance and God’s glory will be completed.
So often we get caught up in the mission, and find ourselves trusting in the logistics and statistics. This works for a while, but how easily we give up on account of our oscillating human nature. If we look to the glory of God and trust in him to overcome us, then there is no waning, only more and more fullness in him.
Apart from Pastor Mark's preaching, one of my favorite things about Mars Hill Church in Seattle is their worship. Checkout this song titled "Jesus Paid It All", recorded during their Good Friday services a few weeks ago. The rest of this incredible set will be released on Thursday, so be sure to watch their blog this week.
"Reeeeeally, Shropshire?!"
It's been on the top of my tongue for the past few years, but no one knows the reference. Well, now you know.
This new little addition to my coffee making family will hopefully keep me up during waking hours of productivity. I often blame Kona coffee for tasting so bad, but I now realize it was my hand-dripped filters that were causing the funny taste. I guess I'm always the problem in the end.
In other news, I'm working on something big. Well, I take that back. I'm working on serveral big things. However, this next project is going to take international ministries to the next level. I just hope that "Virginia" here will keep me company as I embark into the unknown.
These next couple weeks are going to be insane.
Here's a fantastic track by the always fantastic Explosions in the Sky. Seemingly this blog of mine is slowing becoming a music blog. This isn't exactly my intention for this space, yet since my life basically consists of 80% music, I can't help but share the great tunes I am consuming. I hope you enjoy.
