Monday on the Outer Banks was pure perfection. Sunshine, 60-degree temperatures, two epic walks on the beach, and a very interesting visit to the Wright Brothers memorial and museum in Kill Devil Hills.
The vision and the imagination of these pioneers is still inspiring today. What’s even more amazing is what transpired as a result of their unconquerable faith. Just 65 and a half years later, Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the Moon, and the team of NASA visionaries, scientists, engineers, and aviators who made that happen employed the same essential principles the Wright Brothers ironed out right here on the Outer Banks a little over one hundred years ago.
The exciting thing about faith and innovation like that is how it builds on the witness of others. All creativity is, in a sense, derivative. It’s derivative in that it is fueled by the work and the ideas and the belief and the implementation of a great cloud of witnesses, both in history and in ongoing collaboration.
It’s not so much that there are no new ideas as it is that the ideas don’t belong exclusively to us. Shakespeare would not – could not – have written in the way he did if the great translators like Tyndale and Wycliffe had not poured the contents of the Bible into the functional English lexicon. Armstrong could not have flown to the Moon if the Wright Brothers had not believed in and acted on the dreams of those who inspired them. I could not write in this way… Rebekah could not preach in her style… Steve Jobs could not have adapted and improved… and so it goes.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. We all do. They all did. We are co-conspirators in creative joy with every human being who ever lived.
Rebekah and I finished off this good day with another walk on the beach. Watching God paint his original, one-of-a-kind works of art in in the waves, and in the sky.
And, behold, it was good. It is very good…
– DEREK
(here are just a small handful of spectacular shots from the day…)
Beautiful pictures. Looks like a great trip.
Gorgeous Photos ! Have you read David McCullough’s story of the Wright Brothers?.The book is a fascinating and inspiring account I would highly recommend if you have not read it.
Thanks, Peggy! I’ll check it out. How are you guys??