MY KID COULD PAINT THAT!!!

WOW.

Watch this trailer and tell me what you think.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/mykidcouldpaintthat/

ATTACK OF THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER

Over the years one picks up a piece of information or three. This is one I have come to lean on.

I have noticed through my life that when someone is rejoicing, someone else may not like it. They are sour and cannot rejoice with those who rejoice, they refuse to celebrate the happiness of others; but rather feel like saying or doing something to bring the happy-one “down-to-earth,” “back-to-reality,” “in-balance” with the rest of the world.

I truly do not understand why this is part of human nature, but it seems to be true at times. People just get green with envy. They become jealous of others who are doing well. This was part of the dynamics of Cain's hatred of his brother, Able. It led to the first recorded murder. This kind of attitude is not only unbecoming, it can be problematic. Often, it is jealousy that is at the root of quarrels between people. The Apostle James said, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:1-3 NIV)


Happily, over the past decade or so, I have been conscious enough to recognize those subtle “kill-joy” voices (I believe they are also probably “devilish” voices), and counter them with kind words, sincere congratulations, and heartfelt like-rejoicing to the ones who are in their moment of happiness. The burdens of life will unfortunately return soon enough and often enough, so I enjoy perpetuating “the moment” of joy as long as is possible – especially when it is the moment of someone else’s joy. This is a gift to them. It is a blessing I have the power to grant or to withhold. I choose to grant it . . . with gusto! J And, I am delighted to do so.

Life, as they say, is short, and we all forget that fact from time to time. I have found that celebrating things in which my friends are rejoicing brings me gladness of heart, and a kind of participation in their joy . . . which is often very wonderful. I have found that I must “check my spirit” from time to time and consciously reject negative thoughts . . . or worse, no thought at all about the other’s joy. Someone once said, “Envy is the only way the wicked know how to pay a compliment.” That really hit me. But, rather than envy another’s achievement or station in life, we can celebrate it – which seems to me to be a higher path.

One of the ways I know how to tell if I am walking in God’s Spirit is how I feel about the success of others. I am happy to say that, over the years, Christ has been working this precious gift inside me. Today, I learned of some colleagues who have successfully and beautifully completed a truly amazing building project. I cannot tell you how happy I am for them – for us all, because when one part of the Body of Christ is exalted, all are beneficiaries. This achievement of theirs is truly wonderful.

It may be that I may never personally benefit from their triumph, but I can genuinely participate with them in their happy moment. What a joy and a glory it is for them, and I would not rob them of a single beam of their delight. Rather, I add to it with a hearty “Way to go!!” “Well done!!!” I rejoice with them. I exult with them. I am grateful to see the blessing of God in/on/with/through my brother’s and sister’s lives. Doing so enriches us all. I know it enriches me. In the end, it will all boil down to that final statement that we all so deeply long to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I choose to echo praise for others in anticipation of its ultimate bestowal. Perhaps, in my congratulations to my brothers, they will hear something of the voice of the one whom they love so dearly.

James 3:13-18 . . . 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. NIV

WHY SO LITTLE ART IN THE CHURCHES?

Of course, there are churches that are quite aware of the arts, and they are very active in numerous levels and expressions of art, but there are many more that aren't and don't. This is not an exaggeration, it is pretty much true across the board, regardless of denom.

Arts and culture are popular buzz-words in the many churches today, but there is really not much of either art or culture going on. Again, this is not a criticism as much as it is an simple observation.

To prove the point, just ask the average church leader how much of their budget is dedicated to the purchasing of art, and how many artists are on their staff. You are likely to get some answer that says they encourage the artists in their congregations to "volunteer" for things, but less often will one find churches hiring artists to place on their leadership staff. Most churches simply do not put their money where their mouth is. Many say they value the arts, but do nothing to promote them within their congregations. Often they discourage artists from being taken seriously, relegating the artist's works to "special-moments" of expression, but not to share in the accepted and regular forms of ministry.

Some churches do, however, hire artists, and commission them for various tasks - but these are often punctiliar tasks, works for the moment; irregular. The visual arts is one area that needs to see growth in all churches. It actually is growing in some spots, but in others it is little more than a fuzzy noise in the background.

But in all fairness, how is the church to think of the arts today? For nearly a hundred years the visual arts were almost completely absent from the church, and any one who got involved in the performing arts was suspect. Their faith was very often questioned. The arts were often seen as a backdoor to worldliness and sin. Only ministries of music have grown with any regularity in the Protestant churches during this past century. Music is truly wonderful, but it is not enough if it is the only art form in the church. Though music is essential and necessary, it is too narrow a focus all by itself. It will never be enough until all the arts are seen to be just as necessary for worship as is music.

What is needed to bring the visual arts up to snuff in the church? Several things. First, knowledgeable people in art ministries; people who are not afraid of the visual arts. Second, regular education in the arts for the church, so that congregations can know what is "good" and what is "better." Third, visual artists with education and existing ministries need to be ordained to positions of leadership that carry as much weight as does every other leadership ministry in the church. Fourth, resources. That is as plain and simple as it gets. The arts need money and space. A place for the arts must be created and regularly supported. It may not be that great to begin with, but it's creation and growth must be committed to, or nothing will change.

In short, the arts must cease to be marginalized and take a place at the center of church culture, alongside the rest of the regular ministries of Word and Spirit. Until the visual arts cease being a quaint novelty, or an occasional luxury, and are seen as the essential ministry of communication and worship that they are, not much will change in the church. Without all the arts functioning fully in the church, it will remain impoverished in many ways. It will lack the fullest expressions of God's interaction with humankind.

Church history has shown us over and over that when the arts are at the center of worship and spiritual education, the church grows, thrives and benefits -- not only in the immediate sense, but across time as well.

When the church takes the long view, and invests in the arts as a means of communicating God's presence over time and space (rather than merely a pop expression for the moment), then great things are possible and Spirit-filled artists will emerge from within the church itself . . . but what church leaders have either the vision or the courage for such a commitment as that?

Something to think about. :-)

(NOTE: Painting at top by Scott Erickson - See more of Scott's work at http://thetranspireproject.com/)

WHY HAS ART CHANGED SO MUCH?

Why is the art of today so different than the art of yester-year?

To answer that question adequately, one would have to know something of the philosophy and culture of previous ages. Art both leads and follows the path of a culture's development. It is probably true and most accurate to say that philosophy drives art.

In the west, say, in the Middle Ages, the artist was a crafts person and most art was utilitarian - functional in nature. It was decorative and filled the ordinary lives of people. In the Renaissance the status of the artist changed and they moved from being a servant of the patron to acquire celebrity status. This was a significant change.

In addition to the celebrity status of the Renaissance artist, the artist was called upon to invent all sorts of things -- from the composition of the subject to the ways in which the art would be used, or seen.

As the merchant class grew, more people could afford art, and the Catholic church was no longer the primary patron of the arts. Now, the church, the wealthy, the merchant class and the average person could afford art. In Italy, the Medici family spent fortunes on art, not only buying it, but in creating a market for it. They were shrewd enough to realize that there was real money to be made from the production and purchase of art.

In the twentieth century, some artists think of themselves as as much more than celebrities. They think of themselves as autonomous from the culture, doing what they want and serving nothing other than their own sensibilities.

The old patrons of the arts have all but disappeared - though new ones have emerged. Rather than making art to beautify the world, many artists of today express only themselves for themselves. They say they are making "art for art's sake," but we see that the result of some of their work is not as beneficial for culture as one might think it could be. Much are has become pathologically narcissistic.

Finally, there are so many more areas of the arts than before. Now there is everything from fashion to animation, from computer images to installation art, from painting to hip-hop. Art spans not just the visual arts but performing arts and music as well. The boundaries have been blended and blurred, not accidentally but deliberately under the banner of creative freedom as well as necessity.

Art in the west has evolved and continues to evolve.

What do you think art will become in the future?

Where do you think all this "creativity" is going?

Do you think it is good for the art world to be where it is, or is it not so good, and why?

What are your thoughts on the evolution of the arts in our own culture, or even cross culturally?

(Photo at the top is Raphael's depiction of removing the dead Christ from the cross.)

DRAWING IS THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNICATION

Drawing is our first language. Before we can form sentences, and long before we learn to write, we draw. It seems to be hardwired into our nature.

We talk with pictures. We represent ideas with images. Why? Probably because our most powerful response to the world is visual.

We see objects and events, and we try to depict the things we see. We mimic what we visualize. We communicate our understanding of the world through the pictures we draw. It is probably true to say that there is no right or wrong way to draw, just successful or unsuccessful ways to do it. Whether one lays down meticulous lines or scribbles and smudges marks together, the only question to ask is, "Did you accomplish what you wanted?"

Beyond that, accuracy and effect are factors that certainly do matter to the process of drawing. From the time we are children we seek better and better ways to draw. There really is no end to it. When people go out for coffee and try to share an idea with a friend, often they will grab a pen and a napkin and will draw a picture of it. The response is often, "WOW!" or "Yup, I get it."

Drawings can clarify what mere words never can. I suppose each has its own limitations. A great drawing is always exciting. I know of very few people who are unmoved by a great drawing. It is important to draw, and it is important to learn to draw better.

There are many WONDERFUL things that happen to the human brain when one draws. Learning to draw is a journey of a lifetime rather than a destination at which one arrives.

Both educational and scientific studies have clearly indicated that people who draw expand their capacity for learning in many areas; from math to science, from conceptual ideas and spacial intelligence to manual dexterity and visual acuity.

In short, drawing is good for us.What makes a drawing great? There are objective things that make it great, and there are personal things that make it great.

What are some of the great drawings you've seen, and why do you like them?

Here is a pencil drawing I did on the beach in Hawaii. I hope you like it.

ART-TENT / Freedom Fest 2007 / August 17-19

HEY - August is Awesome!

If you haven't already looked at the Freedom Fest website, go there after reading this. http://www.freedomfest.org/ It is full of cool stuff about this important event. There you will find a list of bands and talent of all kinds. You don't want to miss this.

From the 17th through 19th you will absolutely enjoy some of the best fun of your entire summer. Beyond the bands, the food and the fun, Freedom Fest is hosting their first ART-TENT, where lots of creative fun will be happening all weekend long. The program is rich in creative material for you and your friends, or for families and kids. There is something for everyone from 2 to 102.

Among the happenings at the ART-TENT will be a TAG-WALL; ART-DEMOS - "how to" draw and paint taught by a professional artist; READINGS from C. S. Lewis by Connie Rice - Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters; COMMUNITY-MURAL where you can paint with other friends during the course of the weekend; FACE-PAINTING for the kids; CONVERSATION-PIT where you can sit and chat with your friends about ARTSY subjects and other cool things; RIBBONS for best drawing and painting per related age-group will be awarded; OPEN-SESSIONS where you can just come in and do art till your heart's content; and TONS-MORE. You are gonna totally LOVE the new ART-TENT -- and what is the ART-TENT called? What else . . . THE ILLUMINATRIUM! What is an "Illuminatrium?" It's a place where resplendent light shines on the creative spirit.

Really - if you love music and art and fun in the sun, this event is for YOU!
Go online and get your tickets today. Don't delay!!! :-)

Connie and I will be there the entire weekend, so drop by the ART-TENT and say "Hi!"

ART & CHURCH BUILDINGS

It use to be that Christians took great pride in the arts. It showed up in everything they did, especially in their buildings - be they large or small.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Christian church heavily influenced all the arts of the western world for nearly sixteen hundred years. That is quite a long time. These days, the church is barely in the arts at all - except perhaps for Evangelical music which has experienced a huge boost in popularity in the past century, especially the last thirty years.

However, other than with a few examples, most church structures have gone from being monuments of the creative-worshipful-spirit to ultra simple configurations.

Some churches today don't even own a building. They meet in warehouses, shopping malls, theaters, and gymnasiums. The idea is often expressed that this is a good thing because more money can be spent on evangelism, social work and missions, and other such things; but that argument sounds somehow hollow to my ears. I am not sure why, but it always makes me feel that the one saying such things has other agenda . . . like the disciples complaining about the woman who broke the alabaster box of ointment on Jesus. They complained that it was a waste of wealth, and that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus did not agree with them.

Yes, sometimes money can go to better things than to buildings. I get it. I know this sounds sensible and financially wise, but is it really the truth? Is it really wisdom? For sure, there can be excess with anything, and money can be spent on useless items, but is putting money into the arts for the sake of enriching spiritual experience unwise? Is it always wrong - is it ever wrong to spend money to enrich one's spiritual experience? How does one decide that?

The nagging questions in my mind are, "Who will remember the gymnasium-churches of today?" "Doesn't their very transience demonstrate an unwillingness to think and plan for the long-term?" "Does choosing the easy low-brow-architecture meeting-place of the gymnasium demonstrate a disdain for the notion of the permanence of the Kingdom of God, to say nothing of the need for enduring creative-arts?" "Is the Church to imitate the pop fad-culture of 'here today, gone tomorrow' - disposable-everything - including the place where the Almighty is said to be worshiped?"

One thing is for sure, the cathedrals of the past still stand as monuments to the historic Christian faith, and every stone of their structures proclaims a richness of faith that has endured through the centuries.

The argument that these structures were built on the backs of the poor does not hold water for several reasons. One is simply that cathedrals were also centers of culture and they belonged to the people. They provided respite from the poverty of a person's common life, instructed the mind, lifted the spirit, and provided comfort for those who used them; and almost everyone used them - from the rich to the most poverty stricken. Cathedrals provided many benefits, despite their obvious expense. In fact, it is their enormous expense that speaks so loudly about their value and their enduring contribution to culture.

I know that some will say that the cathedrals are dead and that no one worships there anymore, and this is true with some of them, but here is a picture of Wells Cathedral, where vibrant worship continues unbroken from the day it was begun until now . . . and so it is with many of these sacred places. Sacred places are important, and continuity with previous generations is vital for the Christian faith. When both are combined, it makes for a compelling story that ought to be respected.

My personal sense is that a false sense of piety has stripped the church, and world, of a very wonderful influence, i.e. magnificent, creative, enduring architecture, as seen in the things made by those who worshiped in previous generations with their whole mind, body and soul.It makes me ask the question, "When splendor in worship is no longer a sacred value in the church, how will the world then associate the brilliance of the Creator-of-the-universe with the people who claim to belong to Him?

How could this phenomenon of prejudice against great architectural structures of worship have happened, and what can be done about it? Does anything need to be done about it? Yes, it is true that one can worship anywhere. That is not my point here. My point is, when one CAN make something to glorify God, and chooses not to do so, what does it say about that choice?
Your thoughts on these questions are welcome here. Even if you think me completely wrong on every point. The purpose of the blog is to respectfully explore ideas together. I look forward to seeing your comments here, and to learning something new. :-)