Volume XIV, Issue XI
Josiah
By Bob Kirchman
Copyright © 2018, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved
Chapter 11: Taking in Confidence
Ben-Gurion was wrestling. In the end he decided to take young Zimmerman into his confidence. Though the events on Mars were at the moment shrouded in secrecy, it would soon enough be time to let relatives of those who had survived know the fate of their loved ones.
He began, “Do you remember the Mars Mission before you were born? I was the pilot.”
Yes, a sad one, to be sure. No one survived on the planet’s surface. It must be painful for you to remember.”
Abiyah leaned closer, “We just sent an unmanned ship to the colony. There were survivors and we’ve been in conversation with them!”
The young man gasped.
Survivors – but HOW?!”
Ben-Gurion related the events that had transpired over the last year. He described the condition of the colony and the quandary it presented. “You see,” the professor concluded, “they see themselves, wretched as their lives are, as quite severed from Earth.”
So, am I to understand,” said Josiah, “that they have just enough technology to consider themselves self-sustaining, though they lack for so much we would consider basic essentials?”
Exactly, and MY quandary is what do we do next. They’re always on the verge of killing each other yet they fear us back on Earth more. APOLLONIUS taught them well, but he left out the most important lessons. They could stand to read Moses! Even though he killed the Egyptian, he thought better of it.”
Abiyah continued, “I am wrestling, my young friend – wrestling with making of you a most unusual request. Jon Greene and I are aware of your unique – gift, and your quandary as to how to use it. Obviously it would make more sense for ME to go to Mars, but I am a man of family. The other astronauts are largely technicians. They love their job. They man the defense platforms and in practice they get to blow stuff up, but they communicate in monotonous bursts. I am thinking we need someone gifted to ‘build the bridge,’ as it were.”
In Shalom, the Biosphere community on Big Diomede, as in the whole Zimmerman Organization, ‘Building the Bridge’ carried great meaning. It was a term not spoken lightly.
(to be continued)
The Art of Restoration
The Tabernacle Presbyterian Church Art Show
Bob Kirchman and Savhanna Herndon at the Second Annual Tabernacle Presbyterian Church Art Show. The theme was Restoration.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;” – Exodus 31:1-6
Could there be anything to indicate more exquisitely God’s love of the beautiful than His instructions to crown the capitals of the temple pillars with “lily-work”? We can imagine Him adding in His directions, “Now David, don’t forget the lily-work decorations to be carved at the top of those pillars. And be sure to get them large enough to show up well.” Does it not suggest the artistic delight God must have experienced when with His own fingers he shaped man and woman into forms replete with comeliness?” – Clyde S. Kilby, The Arts and the Christian Imagination, p154.
In 2010, with the construction industry in the doldrums of recession, I teamed up with artist Kristina Elaine Greer to paint a mural of the New Heaven and the New Earth. The mural, titled ‘Journey to Jesus’ [1.] was indeed a statement of ultimate restoration. It referenced Isaiah 60, Revelation 21 and 22. Through this project I found a renewed joy in art as an expression of Divine purpose – especially in restoration. After we finished ‘Journey to Jesus’ I spoke with an Egyptian woman named Zipporah (same as Moses’s wife’s name) and she described Heaven in this way, “Jesus is in Heaven surrounded by children!” I was thrilled. We had just painted that. I begged her to tell me more: “The flowers there are ENORMOUS!” “Like sunflowers?” I asked – “No, more like TREES!”
That became the inspiration for the “Heaven’s Hollyhocks” paintings. Hollyhocks already represented a legacy in my way of thinking so now they became a Spiritual legacy. The Fifeville mural and a proposal for Bethesda’s Metro Station sprang from that vision. That vision is why participation in a show who’s theme was “The Restoration of All Things” meant so much to me. Hopefully that theme will find new and exciting expression in the future. Finding Redemption and Restoration in the midst of Recession is certainly a good thing!
Team Savhanna!
“Heaven’s Hollyhocks,” Painted by Bob Kirchman, inspired by the Springhill Hollyhocks planted by Kristina Elaine Greer’s Great-Great Grandmother, brightens an alleyway in front of a beauty shop in Charlottesville, Virginia’s Fifeville Community.
Restoration and Basketball
Tony Bennett’s Teaching Moment
The question seemed at first like one of those uncomfortable ones by a sports writer attempting to interject ‘greater significance’ into his reporting. “What does your victory mean to Charlottesville in light of all the recent news surrounding her?” UVA Coach Tony Bennett’s answer was a good one though. He said that the victory did indeed mean a lot to Charlottesville in that the team truly was a great example of “Unity in Diversity.” The team’s unselfish play and acknowledgement of the less-celebrated defense (controlling turnovers was key to their victory) made for a great lesson.
We still have our issues.” Bennett continued. But the example of these young men working it out and working together is indeed right up there with the message of “Remember the Titans.” If you remember, that story is about how the T. C. Williams football team brought a community together in the turbulent days of court-ordered integration. The Titans came together and showed their town just what they could accomplish by working together.
In the post-game interview you saw true humility and Bennett acknowledged his Faith. They took their teaching moment seriously. They played a beautiful unselfish game and showed us something we can carry into our own lives.
A March snow creates a Winter Wonderland. Photo by Bob Kirchman.
A Capital Vision
Harry Weese's Metro Design
Harry Weese
Harry Weese
Harry Weese’s original design for Washington’s Metro system did indeed create a ‘crypt’ for the Federal City. It was meant to be somewhat devoid of ornamentation, depending on allusion to Classical vaults to tie it to the design of the city above. But there has always been some argument about the other spaces – the above-ground portions, for example. Did Weese intend them to be some stark brutalist viaduct? I found the above rendering by Weese’s office that shows a raised portion of the Metro at Reagan International Airport.
The Trains float on raised tracks supported by the ubiquitous round columns, but note that in the rendering the columns are integrated with the vegetation of the site – in this case the artist has placed them among the hydrangeas (going by scale and color), admitting that natural colors and forms of landscaping were to have softened the brutalism – especially in the vicinity of the airport and Arlington’s Cemetery.
Below are my concepts for a mural that would have been painted in the bus bay of the Bethesda Metro Station. I like to think that Weese himself would be OK with the design.
Concept by Bob Kirchman.
Elysian Lilies, it is a variation on the theme of Heaven’s Hollyhocks seen in last week’s issue. Passing through the asphalt and concrete bus bay descending to the Metro, the large lilies would have perhaps added a ‘touch of Heaven’ to Bethesda’s workaday world.
Mountain Roads
Bejeweled Clover. Photo by Bob Kirchman.
