In my weekly Works & Wonders article, I combine a brief devotional with other interesting and uplifting bits and pieces I gleaned throughout the week. These can be stories, poems, songs, articles, quotes, and just about anything else I found especially enjoyable in the week. I hope you enjoy this week’s collection! It includes:
- Growing Luminous
- “Say So!”
- A $1,200 Pen
- 250 Years of Americana
- Reclaimed by Nature
- A House in a Church
- Canada’s Chip Wagons
1.
Growing Luminous
When we decide to become followers of God, we automatically align ourselves with God. When we profess faith in him, we become visible representatives of an invisible God. Our lives, our words, our actions all begin to say “This is what God values,” and “This is what God is like.” It falls to us, therefore, to understand the character of God and then to display it in the way we live. We ought to be wise in order to show that God is wise; we ought to be just in our dealings with others because God is always just in his dealings with others; we ought to be good and loving and merciful because God is good and loving and merciful. As Jen Wilkin says, “Everything we say or do will either illuminate or obscure the character of God.” Sanctification, she says, “is the process of joyfully growing luminous.” Our lives will speak truth about God insofar as they are consistent with his character, and they will speak lies about him insofar as they are inconsistent with his character. Our task is to grow luminous—to shine the light of God’s character in a dark world. So it would be good to ask yourself today: Am I growing luminous?
2.
“Say So!”
I love this live version of Jordan Kauflin and Bryan Fowler’s song “Say So!”
If you’ve been redeemed, if you’ve been restored
Lift up your voice now and praise the Lord!
All nations and tongues, all over the world
Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so!
Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so!
3.
A $1,200 Pen
I’ll begin with this: I have no use for fountain pens, and especially fountain pens that cost $1,200. But I do love craftsmanship, which is to say, human beings creating objects that are of the absolute highest quality—like this Montblanc fountain pen. I am convinced human beings are craftsmen because we are created in the image of the first, greatest, and ultimate Craftsman. Hence, I see little glimpses of him in the desire and ability to make things that are both functional and beautiful.
4.
250 Years of Americana
Speaking of craftsmanship, one of the best shows on TV is “Antiques Roadshow,” and that’s true whether you prefer the American or British version. With America celebrating its 250th anniversary, “Antiques Roadshow” put together a special that features some of the best of Americana. You can watch it on PBS or YouTube. If you’re outside the U.S., you may need to figure out where it is available in your area (unless you use a VPN for security, in which case you may be fine).
5.
Reclaimed by Nature
The Atlantic shared a photo essay they titled “Reclaimed by Nature.” I thought it was hauntingly beautiful. In its own way, it shows the ephemeral nature of all that we create. I can’t show any of the pictures, since I don’t own the rights to them, but this photo, for which I do have the rights, gives you the general idea. If you’re like me, you may soon find Shelly’s “Ozymandias” playing in your head. (While I like the reading of the poem I linked to, please don’t think I’m endorsing the show it is associated with.)
See: Reclaimed by Nature (Gift link)
6.
A House in a Church
The best thing to do with a decrepit old church building is to turn it back into an active church building. But failing that, how about turning it into a house? I absolutely loved reading this article at the Wall Street Journal: Their Home Felt Too Ordinary. Buying a Destroyed Chapel Changed Everything. (Gift link)
For many years, Lyn Bannister and Russell Hindley walked past the imposing ruin of a Methodist chapel in their town outside Manchester, England, and wondered what lay behind its high stone walls and creaking iron gates.
When the circa-1893 building came up for sale in 2019, the couple agreed that it was time to find out.
They bought the building, which had almost been destroyed by fire in the 1990s, for about $135,500 and brought it back to life, putting a three-bedroom prefab house within its walls.
Be sure to browse the photos. You can see more of them at the architect’s site.
7.
Canada’s Chip Wagons
One of my favorite bits of quirky Canadiana is the chip wagon. What is a chip wagon, you ask? It is a little roadside restaurant that serves french fries (chips in British lingo) and other fast food. And poutine, of course. It is similar to a food truck, except it is usually fixed in place, and is often an old mail truck, camper, or the like. Maclean’s covers the chip wagon in A Tour of Canada’s Nostalgic Fry Trucks. The article tracks with a couple who are borderline obsessed with them. They traveled the country to find the most iconic chip wagons and make little paintings of them. The one on the cover is just down the road from our old family cottage, and in my childhood, I ate there a lot! The poutine was to die for. Sadly, the chip wagon has fallen on hard times and may soon become a relic of a different time. Our arteries will probably be better for it, but I will still miss it.
