🎄 TREE 311: The edges
Christmas throwback – TREE 67
One.
Jesus was from a nothing village in an occupied territory of the Roman empire, far away from all the exciting capitals of business, politics and culture. And – readers in the UK will know what I mean here – even though he was born down in Bethlehem near Jerusalem, he grew up in The North.
When you are far from the centre – geographically, culturally, economically, ideologically – it’s easy to discount your ideas, potential and power. But on the edge, there is freedom. There is space to think new thoughts. Some of the best ideas come from the edges.
Jesus was born on the edge. He lived and worked in the north of a tiny Roman-occupied strip of land. And yet his teaching and the movements in his name have shaped cultures across the world and continue to do so.
Pay attention to what’s going on at the edges.
Don’t discount yourself just because you come from the edges.
Two
This week I’m drawing things that are not in the Christmas story. In the biblical stories of Jesus’s birth there are no Santa hats, red noses, Converse All Stars, stripy tights or adorable creatures from New Zealand.
Three.
I like a Christmas celebration that acknowledges darkness. In this version you can pretty much see the bullets and explosions.
You may have already read this, but there have been a lot of new subscribers since I last posted a link. It’s a handy clarifier for this week’s posts: What I talk about when I talk about God.
This week we are making an effort to create a good and productive space for conversations. My friend Denelle has written a conversation prompt for each day. She and Skyler and I will all be checking in on the comments section. We’d love for you to join us with your thoughts.
Today Denelle is asking…
Jesus obviously grooved on the edges.
What does being on the edges look like in your life?
Grow slowly
Jeff
For my professional graphic designer life, grooving at the edges involves finding inspiration away from the corporate mainstream. Graphic design and UI design is mostly very good these days. It’s also mostly the same. It’s also mostly safe. So I look for stuff outside the corporate mainstream. I look for stuff that is outside graphic design altogether. If I want to have fresh thoughts, I need to look where other graphic designers aren’t looking.
I live in my rv. I like living on the edge, outside swivelization. Jesus was homeless and I thought about this today as I was isolated in a park, all alone this morning. No cell service either. I have a lovely tiny home but he didn’t. Through kindness of strangers, once again, I am back in the city. Kind strangers helped Jesus on His journey, too. Living on the edges requires me to accept help from others. My rv lesson #1 this past year.