Let Me Introduce You To Bruce And Evelyn

First, Evelyn.


Evelyn Levy Shaw was born in Cincinnati in 1921. She graduated from the Cincinnati Art Academy and the University of Cincinnati Art Department. She spent a year working in the studio of Moses Soyer in New York. She was an artist - and a good one at that. She had exhibitions all over the country in the 40's and 50's - many quite notable. Here is a listing of her exhibitions:


International Color Lithographers Biennial
Cincinnati Art Musuem
Library of Congress
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Sweat Museum in Maine
Print Club of Philadelphia
ACA Gallery in New York City
Creative Gallery in New York City
Dayton Art Institute
Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati
Speed Museum in Louisville
Fort Wayne Art Museum
Butler Art Institute of Ohio
Albany Museum of Art in New York
Columbus Art Museum


She was a board member of the Society of Ohio Print Makers and taught painting and drawing for many years at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Her work remains in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress as well as many corporate and private collections. She was a lifelong friend of noted printmaker and teacher Paul Naish. Evelyn died in 2009 having left behind a life of creating and teaching. When she died her estate was left to her son. Unfortunately, he died six months later and he was her only living heir. She had a home in Kenwood where so much of her life's work remained. When she passed on and when her son passed on the question arose - what to do with this wonderful woman's life's work? That's where Bruce comes in.


Bruce Clawson - owner of The Garden Gate in our historic Lebanon, Ohio. Erin and I stop by there often and look at all of their wonderful and unique garden items. It's a place for "all sorts of garden themes, schemes, and dreams." We have bought several things there in the last couple of years - including our beautiful wind chime hanging on our porch. When you visit this store, there is a room off to the back of the store on the left hand side. There is usually a lot of local artisan items for sale and display there. On this particular day, we had enjoyed the Fourth of July parade in the heart of town and then we decided to go through the shops (something we do almost weekly). Upon entering The Garden Gate we wandered through the shop until we got to this specialty room, and we immediately noticed it was set up as an art gallery - all dedicated to Evelyn Levy Shaw. So many of her works were on display as well as a brief biography. While admiring it Bruce came in and began to tell us a story. The story was so good I knew that I had to share it. He mentioned all of the above concerning Evelyn and then told us how he got a phone call one day by someone tasked with getting rid of her things (since she had no living heirs). He received the call because of the unusual amount of art, letters, cards, and memoribilia that was found at the home she left behind. Long story short, he bought it all in hopes of selling it and keeping her art alive. He shared with us letters that he found written to her from famous artists all across the country - and old Christmas cards as well - all of which go back over 60 years. And then there is her art. They are selling pieces and attracting interest, and well they should. I hope to have a piece myself soon. Some of the art is simply her sketches of subjects she would paint later. Some of it was darker. Some of it very colorful. There is definitely a quality to it that shows real heart, craft, skill, talent, and history. It was like going back in time to an exhibition she may have had herself. I couldn't help but think about what her last thoughts were concerning her art? Who would see it? Who would care? And then her son as well - knowing he was the last of the line. Thankfully, her art lives on and will continue to do so, and not just in what she created but also in how she taught others to create. Truly a great story. I recommend you stop by and talk to Bruce at The Garden Gate.


Walking home this left me to consider life - what we make of it. What are we doing now that will outlive us once we're gone - on this earth and in eternity? Are we fully utilizing our gifts and talents - pursuing our dreams and the things we love? And then having the character and care to pass it on to others? I was encouraged and challenged on a very deep level by a lady I never knew personally, but I know her art and a little about her story - all of which have outlived her and continue to inspire. And all of this should add up to a worthy lesson for us all.


What is your dream and are you pursuing it? On the subject of dreams, Ashley Smith had this to say, "Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”


What will your legacy be? On the subject of legacy, Billy Graham had this to say, “Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”

What Would MacGyver Do?

You haven't heard of Jonathan Metz - until now. Just a normal guy in his early thirties with a pet dog, a solid job, a fiance, and a love for softball. One day he puts a snack in the microwave and runs downstairs to check on his furnace. He ends up getting his arm caught in it. Nothing he tries to get it out works. He actually thinks to himself, "What would MacGyver do?" Well, after 18 hours, his options were few. His arm was cut up and swollen and starting to smell. Infection was certain and would surely spread and kill him. He was left with one option - he had to cut off his right arm. But could he do that? Well, according to the article below - he did. And he lived.

Cutting off own arm was ‘surreal,’ says man - Health - More health news - msnbc.com

It's hard to know what you or I would do in that circumstance. Somehow the body and mind seems to find the necessary willpower and adrenaline to do something this extreme in order to survive. It's an unfortunate and shocking story, but I'm sure Jonathan Metz would tell you he'd rather be alive without a right arm then dead.

This reminded me of a parable in Matthew's gospel. In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus is giving the sermon on the mount. He says in these verses,

²⁷ "You have heard that it was said,'You shall not commit adultery.' ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."

Here he is focusing on adultery and lust in particular and sin in general. This passage gives us a blatant statement from Jesus on how to handle sin. He equates sin with an offending member of the body that must be removed in order to be saved. If sin were an offensive eye it must be torn out and even thrown away in order to live. If sin were an offensive right hand it must be cut off and, again, thrown away. The mental pictures of such actions is horrid. But what should be even more horrid is how offensive sin is in the eyes of a holy God. How do you and I see sin? Do we see it as God sees it? Are we actively looking to literally amputate sin and obliterate it from our lives? That is the message of this parable. There is no other way to deal with sin. It must be completely and violently eradicated from our lives in order for us to live as God would have us live.

I don't know what MacGyver would have done if he had his right arm caught in a furnace, but I do know what Jesus tells us to do when it comes to sin - cut it out before it kills. Need further confirmation? James 1:15 has this to say, "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." 


Sin kills. Period.

10 Things That You Should Never Buy New

Excellent article on Yahoo Finance by Donna Werbner. All great suggestions. Check it out.

10 things you should never buy new | Yahoo! Finance

The Unforgettable Mistake

Decisions, decisions. We are faced with them daily. Some are simple. Some are challenging. Some appear innocent enough yet produce difficulty down the road. Some are quite hard in the moment but produce positive results in the most unexpected ways. But no matter the choice, there is always an associated consequence - good or bad. Todays decisions determine tomorrows destiny.


I recently read an article posted by Brian Barrett on Gizmodo entitled, "The Forgotten Apple Founders Unforgettable Mistake". It is short enough to quote in this post:


"In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple with veteran engineer Ron Wayne. Ten days later, Wayne signed away his 10% of the company in exchange for $800. Here's what he's up to thirty-four years later, $22 billion poorer. Wayne's life now—septuagenarian, coin collector, penny slot enthusiast—might seem pretty bleak. Which is why it's all the more remarkable that he speaks without much bitterness. And while hindsight is perfect, it's not so unbelievable that the Wayne of 1976 had sufficient cause to worry about assuming the fledgling company's potentially massive debt. Or that you or I would have done the same. The only hints of sour grapes: Wayne's never owned an Apple product, and is writing a book about his brief time as a founding father. Even so, the impression one gets is a man filled more with regret than with anger, over a choice that can't be undone or forgotten. [CNN viaThe Next Web]"


Wow. One choice cost this man $22 billion dollars. Now, there's more to life than money, but talk about a choice with a very tangible consequence. It's hard to argue that this man did not make a big mistake. I was struck by the last sentence, "...the impression one gets is a man filled more with regret than with anger, over a choice that can't be undone or forgotten." And that is the one unchangeable truth about choices - they can't be undone or forgotten. I really feel for this man. If I were in his shoes, I probably would have had the same fear and made the same choice. I would suspect most of you would have done the same as well.


So, as Christians, how do we make the right choices? As always, going to the Bible gives us an answer and an example. Joshua is one of my Bible heroes. He was a very brave man and an excellent leader. Here is what he had to say about chooses:


Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV) "14 Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."


Joshua 1:8 (ESV) "⁸This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

From these two verses we find a simple formula for How To Make The Right Choices:

1. Worship. Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to a place called Shechem and he summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel together and the first thing he addresses is proper worship. "Now therefore fear the Lord..." Fear is a part of worship. It is part of having the proper perspective of the complete character and nature of God - understanding who he is. This will naturally lead to a proper...

2. Walk. "Serve him in sincerity..." In order to make the right choices in our life we need to walk in sincerity, which is in direct correlation to our worship. If we do this right then we will have a proper...

3. Work. "Serve him...in faithfulness." When our worship is proper, our walk will be proper. Consequently our work will be proper. And we can't get those out of sequence. But these three things are not enough. We need a proper...

4. Will. Making choices has everything to do with our will. Joshua challenged all of the tribes of Israel to put away false gods and choose to serve the Lord. That was the choice that Joshua made. And this isn't a one time choice. It takes a daily surrender of our will to his will. And the most obvious way to do this is through the...

5. Word. In Joshua 1:8, we have the classic verse on the importance of God's Word, and it is worth repeating and memorizing, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." I love the phrase "careful to do" - this speaks of willful choice, and the quickest way to biblical prosperity and success is by not departing from the Word of God - meditating on it day and night. 

If we follow these steps we can be assured of making the right choice in any circumstance - and avoid an unforgettable and regrettable mistake.

"Google Me" - Facebook Killer?

If it's anything like everything else that Google does, then "Google Me" should be great. I'd check it out. I like Google Buzz, but it sounds like this might take Google to a whole new level on the social networking front.

So is this the beginning of the end of Facebook? File this under "things that make you go hmmm".

Buzz was just for starters -- here comes Google Me (look out Facebook, lock up your daughters, etc.)

"Somebody's Watching Me"

We've all heard the song lyric by Rockwell and Michael Jackson, "I always feel like somebody's watching me." And it's true. We live in truly fascinating times. Technology allows us to do so much now - good and bad. What's more - technology allows what we do to be monitored - good and bad. We worry about "big brother" watching our every move via satellite technology, internet monitoring, phone tapping, etc. Very little is private in our lives any more. It seems like we leave a trail behind us every where we go - especially online. And we do, but we live like we don't. Somewhere in the back of our mind we wonder about it but not enough to change our habits. We think we're getting away with something. Big brother hasn't come for me yet, right?


What about "big boss?" During the Olympics, NBC.com provided online streaming of the games. In their streaming player they had a "Boss Button." This button had one purpose - when pressed, the player was replaced by what appeared to be your computer desktop with an open Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This gave the appearance of productivity if your boss happened to walk by. Pure deception. CBS has the same feature for their online streaming of the NCAA mens basketball tournament games. When their "Boss Button" is hastily selected the player is replaced by what appears to be a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation. Again, not everything is as it seems. In both cases, the players were specific to Windows-based systems. I guess Mac users were out of luck. I know it's kind of funny, right? But it's really not good (unless you're fortunate to work for a boss like mine who allows some give during big events like these).

There are more examples of this. The Google Chrome browser has a "Panic Button" extension that you can add to the toolbar of the browser. The "Panic Button" makes it easier for you to hide all of your tabs at once just by clicking on a button. Another click on the "Panic Button" restores all of the tabs you have hidden earlier. You may also make use of "Panic Button" keyboard shortcut. Just press ESC to hide and restore all your tabs. This is obviously designed to allow the user to hide the tabs that they have open - presumably tabs that they do not want a boss, manager, or coworker to see.


What's interesting about this is companies are beginning to crack down on this "cyberslacking." There are myriad computer programs out there designed to allow for monitoring of an employees productivity while at work - employees who are utilizing an asset to perform a job for pay - not for pleasure. Social networks are destroying employee productivity. Time and money are being wasted at a higher rate than most employers think. Statistics show 64% of employees use company time to browse sites like Facebook. Programs like The Office Software (theOS) provide network-based productivity tools to help managers monitor employees and achieve increased productivity and enhanced security. On average, workers with an Internet connection spend 21 hours per week online while in the office, a little more than four hours per day. And on average, 26% of that time is spent on personal-interest websites. That amounts to roughly an hour per day, or 22 hours per month - per employee. This is simply mind-boggling. 


Getting back to Google, recently they did something pretty nifty - when you went to www.google.com they provided a mini-Pac-man game that you could play. Hey, I'm not going to lie - I played it, and I told everyone on Facebook about it (that was when I was still on Facebook). That, in turn, caused me to lead many people astray, for they, too, burned some time on this game. Then I read this article, and I was dumbfounded. A company called Rescue Time did a study and proved several things statistically:


1. On that particular Friday (when the game was posted on Google.com) the site experienced 36 extra seconds per visit. This doesn't sound like much, right?
2. This added up to an astounding 4.8 MILLION wasted hours of game play by Americans - most of which transpired through the work day (4,819,352 man-hours to be exact).
3. This, in turn, averages out to $120,483,800 in lost productivity. Millions of dollars. As RescueTime put it, "you could hire every single Google employee, including co-founders Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and CEO Eric Schmidt, and get them for six weeks for that much money."


In a word, crazy.


So often we think we're getting away with things like this. It seems harmless to hit the internet throughout the work day to check Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. But it really does add up, and if we're doing it on the companies dime then what does that make us? I've certainly been guilty of this in the past. It amounts to poor stewardship of time, and stealing. And you know when you do it that you're a little nervous someone will come around the corner all of the sudden to find you watching the "First Semester of Spanish Love Song" (and I recommend that you do watch this - as well as the "Second Semester of Spanish Love Song" - only do it on your own time.)


The truth is, we're not getting away with it. Others know, even if the boss never finds out. And you know. And God knows. If we (especially Christians) lived our lives with the understanding that God sees and knows everything, it would certainly cause us to think very carefully about wasting time and making wrong decisions - not just at work, but at home, at church, at the grocery store - everywhere.


A couple of passages to ponder:

Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."

Jeremiah 23:23, "Am I a God at hand, says the LORD, and not a God far off?

24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? says the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the LORD."

I wonder how different we would live our lives day in and day out if we truly believed that Someone was indeed watching us? No matter what, somebody is watching us. What do they see?

(eye in the sky)

Are You Backing Up Your Data?

I bought my first computer during my sophomore year in college. Upon graduating college, something horrible happened: my hard drive crashed. But that wasn't the worst part about it - I lost all of my data - everything I had ever written for school; music; original poetry and journals - you name it I lost it. Gone. Why? BECAUSE I DIDN"T BACK IT UP! Back then I don't know if there were any fancy programs to help get the data back, and if there were I didn't know anything about them. Fast forward to today, I back up everything, but I'm always looking for new and improved ways of doing this. I came across Redo Backup. Check out the link below and get this product. It's free. Upon doing so, please, back up your hard drive before you regret it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Redo Backup is a fast, easy way to image your hard drive

Very, Um, Thought-Provoking

The following article is very well researched and written:

Are Twitter and Facebook affecting how we think? - Telegraph

I've been thinking about this for a while. I work in technology. I'm fully immersed in it daily - at work and at home, and it seems like my mind has become constantly exhausted and distracted. I have been trying to come up with a more balanced approach to it all. Instead of being on-call for work all of the time, we now have a rotation that allows one in every three weeks to be completely unplugged from work in the evenings. That's been extremely helpful (not to mention the availability pay when I am on call!). Now we are going to a work-from-home rotation which will mirror our on-call rotation - meaning I will go in to the office one out of every three weeks and work from home the other two weeks. This will certainly reduce the stress of my job and save gas money. In addition to this welcome work schedule adjustment I've cut back on television. I've cancelled my Facebook account (for a variety of reasons). And I mostly use Twitter and Google Buzz for my blog. So I'm down to my blog site, my music site, and a work rotation that helps me take a mental break from technology on a more consistent basis. This is helping, but it's still not enough. I'm trying to break my schedule down even further to a set amount of time to write on my blog, work on my music, read (really read - which has become surprisingly more difficult), and have significant time with my wife (while balancing friends, church, etc.). This is all still in the works, but I am trying and making strides.

I'm finding there is a danger at times to moving so quickly from one thing to the next without focusing on one thing at a time. Scientific studies actually show that our brains are not designed to multi-task well. Rather, they are designed for focusing and finishing on what's at hand. That doesn't mean that the brain can not or should not multi-task on some level, but the degree that we try to do so today causes our brains to actually be re-wired and conditioned to do a lot more in the moment with less retention over time. I can say from personal experience that I have felt this to some extent in the last couple of years. One way I'm trying to combat this is by working in my flower gardens and on my landscaping. Yes it is work, but very rewarding, focused work. I try several times a week to get outside and get dirty - I put on my ear phones and listen to my IPod (music or messages - it doesn't matter). This allows me to unplug and focus on something personal and see tangible results while feeding the brain in a somewhat passive but effective way. A lot of times I leave the IPod in the house and Erin and I will work outside together, which is even better because it feeds our relationship. Technology is great, but it must be used in moderation (like most things). Is your life nothing but one constant distraction between your computer, your smart phone, your social networking status updates, your DVR, your Blue Ray player, your Netflix queue, your internet cafe visits , your blog posts , your RSS feeds, etc.? Incorporating a Time Budget can be just as important as a financial budget. Don't waste your time trying to keep up with the latest technology buzz or social networking updates at the expense of keeping up with your faith, your family, and your friends - I'm talking real face-to-face and heart-to-heart time.

I enjoy reading one of my favorite authors and bloggers Jason Boyett. His blog is entitled, "O Me Of Little Faith." Recently he wrote about his recent vacation ("Things I Did On My Vacation"). I highly recommend that you read it. He talks about all of the things that he did with his family while away. He also writes about the things he did not do. Here is an excerpt:

"Things I Didn't Do on My Vacation:

1. Turn on a computer.

2. Browse the Internet.

3. Blog, Tweet, Facebook, or comment anywhere.

4. Write anything snarky when lightning struck Touchdown Jesus in Ohio, which would totally have been something I blogged about but, of course, I was offline.

5. Regret all the time I wasn't spending online."

I especially liked what he had to say in the last couple of sentences on this blog entry:

"I'm back, but last week was a good break. Time is not a renewable resource. I'm learning not to waste it."

Indeed. What about you?

It's Time To Simplify

Life in 21st century America tends to be lived at warp speed. Everything is go, go, go and get, get, get. We fill our lives with so much that matters very little. In the end, we can end up completely burned out and lonely because we do too much and drive people away while doing it. In recent months I've been trying to take inventory of my life. I began to look at some things that I can do to simplify life and get to a level place - freeing me up to really focus on the truly important things that reap tangible results and benefits both in this life and hopefully the life to come. I came up with three:

1. Clean House. I know it sounds simple but it just seems like you feel better when your house is clean. Now, I'm an extremely clean and organized person in general, but I began to think about clutter. It's easy to accumulate so much stuff that is completely unnecessary, or becomes unused that may benefit others. So I went through drawers, cabinets, closets, the basement, the attic, the garage - everywhere. I was amazed at how much clutter I had gathered. So, what to do with this stuff? Two things. Step one: Sell it. Have a yard/garage sale in conjunction with Ebay/Craigslist listings. One way to get through these tougher economic times is to sell what you don't need. People are always looking for deals on things that they don't have to buy new at the big box retailers. This serves to free up clutter and help pay for something you truly need that you don't have the cash to pay for. Last year this type of initiative paid for a new garage door opener plus installation for us. Step two: Give it away. There are plenty of people in need. Look around you. Give it to a neighbor or someone from church. Or donate to the Goodwill. Let someone else benefit from your excess. Erin and I do this quite often and it feels great to do it.

2. Balanced Schedule. This is a difficult thing to do. Every time I turn around it seems like we have somewhere to go, something to do - some commitment or activity. Volunteering for this and that - it can all add up to the point that by the time your head hits the pillow you've said very little to your spouse or your family, and even that was not meaningful. Not to mention the spiritual ramifications that can happen from doing, doing, doing instead of stopping and focusing on being. It's great to be involved in the community, or at church, or whatever. Just make sure you don't go overboard. Have a quality church life that allows you to minister and be ministered to without being detrimental to your home life. Volunteer and be involved with community associations and activities as long as you can have meaningful time with friends and family. Make sure the sports schedule doesn't dominate everything else - causing you not to be a family. One day you might wake up and realize you don't know your spouse or kids, and they don't know you. Balance in all things (my wife will tell you that's my motto for life - maybe it should be a bumper sticker). And if you want a good place to start - make and eat dinner together. Allow for conversation, sharing, listening, laughing - holding hands and praying over your meal. This is a great way to come together as a family and forget everything else. There is nothing better than this time together. And make sure the radio, TV, cell phones, and computers are off or no where near that dinner table. I promise you - you do this and it will leave an impact that will be felt for generations. Start this tradition alone and see just how far it takes you.

3. Stop Spending. Wow, this is a tough one. We are bombarded by goods of all sorts and commercials making you feel like you're missing out if you don't spend money you don't have on the latest and greatest whatever that you don't need. The consumer approach to life that we are exposed to can wreak all kinds of havoc on our lives if we're not careful. We must stop spending and start saving - "feed the pig" as the commercial says. Not only that, be charitable. Give generously to your local church. Support your community and charities - perhaps an animal rescue or Gospel mission. Adopt a child through World Vision or Compassion International. Instead of buying a Starbucks coffee daily, split the money in half - save and give. And, no matter what, don't spend money (aka buy on credit) that you don't have! And debt - DEBT! Get rid of it! Now! The quickest way to freedom in life is to become debt free. Until you are, you are a slave. Period. Develop a plan to get out of debt and stick to it. Utilize a budget and be faithful. Check out Dave Ramsey's advice - utilizing the "debt snowball" philosophy. It's worked once for me, and I'm doing it again (Lord-willing it will be the last time!) Seriously, people, - Let's stop spending. And while you're at it - utilize technology. We live in an amazing time - Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Google - it seems like there is very little that is not available within seconds from our computer or smart phone. When it comes to bill paying, you can set up online accounts and pay your bills automatically from month to month. Simply set it up and walk away (make sure you know when the due dates are AND make sure you have the funds available). This also stops the needless paper bills from coming in the mail - which is certainly helpful to the environment. I know this concept may be "newfangled" to some of you "old-schoolers" out there, but incorporating technology into your life in this way frees up potential hours of time a month which may be utilized in more meaningful pursuits, or more downtime with your family. Try it out. You'll love it. My wife recently had a free phone available to her through her Verizon account and she wanted to get the new Blackberry Curve, but then she would need to sign of for the data plan which she just knew she would never use. Well, she got it and signed up for it. Now she understands what the phrase "Crackberry" means. New technology can be abused and can chew up a lot of valuable time, but it's great to be able to set up accounts online and monitor them daily while getting notices via email - all of which can be done in seconds even from a "Crackberry". :) Technology isn't going away, so take full advantage of it.

These are just three suggestions that are helping me. I'm sure there are more things that could be added to the list, but the important thing to remember is simply this - simplify your life. In doing so you will be rich indeed.