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This week, around a supper meal, I asked some teen agers what the word “glory” meant.  Jokingly they talked of finishing final exams and hopefully passing.  “GLORY!”

A more reflective teen said, “basking in your achievement.”  Not bad!

Afterwards, I was referred to a Bible passage containing the word “glory”.  The passage also talked about what kind of achievement a town could accomplish.  They would bask in prosperity and peace.

I love my town. 

I knew this blog would be a little longer than usual!!

Jeremiah was an outspoken critic of the Jewish nation about 600 BC.  He was an insider, watching the nation destruct from within.  Corruption, injustice, misplaced worship and other actions and intents indicated a bent towards selfishness and evil.

Jeremiah’s book in the Hebrew Scriptures contains the words of a lamenting prophet, with a few glimpses of glory.

So, I was stuck with the part of his book (Jeremiah 33:9) to which I was referred.   The verse gave a picture of the town of Jerusalem (yes, the one in Israel) that was far distant from the snapshot that Jeremiah would have seen as he awoke each morning.

“Joy, glory and honour.”

Those terms relate to a coming governor of the city. 

The citizens enthusiastically liked this mayor, they could see what the mayor had done, and they chose to give the credit and applause to the mayor.

And, the mayor was credited with bringing peace and prosperity.

Here is where I reveal the governor’s name.

God.

Not the athiest’s god – which is most logically themselves since they don’t recognize any other god.  Not the agnostic’s god – which god they hope is inactive.  Not the warring god – which god lacks compassion for the sake of power.

The God described by Jeremiah contains love, compassion, kindness, integrity and qualities that seem foreign to our world today.  The God of Jeremiah is the creator of the universe, understanding of how we were made and how we function.  The God of Jeremiah enforces justice and proclaims freedom.

According to Jeremiah, a town does not thrive on competing interests and gods.  A town thrives on an active bent towards following God’s justice and mercy, and seeking the favour of God.

Concentrating on writing, I’m learning about readers.

Readers come in all sorts.

Voracious readers just like to have words in front of them.  Keep a good flow and off they go!  With a wide variety of reading material having brushed by their eyes, they prefer well written prose and poetry.

Issue readers don’t care about personal details.  Understand and outline the problem with integrity.  List the solutions and they are pleased. 

Story readers want character development.  A lady standing at the corner needs description.  What is she wearing?  What is she thinking?  How are her emotions?  Who is noticing her?  Where is she headed?

The list can go on.

Now, imagine the harried artist.  The question is not their ability.  Nor the resources needed to complete their art.  The question is how you approach the audience. 

Will you merely tickle their ears?  Or will your vibrations awaken their hearing?

Will you merely soothe their eyes?  Or will your colours light up their lives?

Will your words merely entertain?  Or will your vocabulary expand their horizons?

I’ve just written a column for one of our local media outlets – Kindersley Social.  The column talks of my roots – my grandparents and the heritage I have inherited from them.

You can check out the column by clicking here.

Or, if you don’t want to end up on a phishing trip, and actually like to see where you are headed, the website address is http://kindersleysocial.ca/ron-baker-roots/

How do you get heard?  How does news get known?  OK, all of us have our “aunt” who knows everything – back in the day they were graciously called the grapevine.

With the printing press, the past few centuries broke in upon a formerly visual/audio age with easily accessibly reading material.  The book in felt form was a pleasure to hold and behold.  The printed page sought to reign supreme in disseminating the “word”.

To pass on news, newspapers were enlisted by propagandists, community leaders, entrepreneurs and a myriad of others.  The advent of radio and television meant new audiences.  And now the internet adds to the mix.

With the increase in media outlets, information is even harder to obtain, while being more widely available. 

I can phone, text, Google, Facebook, email . . . to check on the status of the world.   The search can be exhausting.

Those who wish to reach me with their information must do more than just throw out the seeds of truth.  They must find out which field I inhabit, which row I most often use, and which hole I’m now in.   

The glory days of broad-casting media/information/news are in jeopardy.  Have been for awhile.  But the narrow-casting of media makes finding news difficult.  Search engines or trusted distributors have and will become our first go-to for media.   

And we’ll contact our aunts to see what’s really important!