Do you want to know one of my favorite moments in the bible? Well, even if you don't, here it is from John 8:2-11
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When
they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let
any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At
this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones
first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (NIV)
I love this passage because I want to know what he wrote? What was he creating at that moment? What nugget of information was he working out in the sand? (I love the versions of the bible where it says he wrote in the dust.... because man was made from dust, there are a lot of theological metaphors rolling around because of that version)
As I have speculated and speculated over this passage, as have many thelogians, I am caught up in the "what" he was writing. However, as I have thought more and more about it, it isn't about the what. If it was about the what, the writer of John would have told us what he wrote but he didn't.
I believe it is more about the "that" he wrote, than the "what" he wrote. THAT he wrote is a powerful image. It is a call to action. He was about to teach, he was asked a "trap" of a question and he starts writing...effectively creating and generating new thought, new ideas, or whatever it was he did. But THAT he did it when he did it is important. Amidst a difficult circumstance, Jesus started musing in the sand.
In that moment Jesus was hit with a theological inspiration - "Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." The generation of this theological amazement immediately caused something to happen that blows my mind. In that moment of divine inspiration Jesus simultaneously changes hearts and shapes culture. His question cut to the core of those who were condemning this girl. It also shaped the way they would perceive judgement from then on. How do we know? This quote, "Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." is one of the most quoted from the bible when talking about judgement and condemnation. If there was ever a moment of culture change, that would be one of the big ones.
Jesus simultaneously changed hearts and culture at the same time all because of divine inspiration he received because he started musing in the dust. When we are confronted with a difficult circumstance, I pray we all take the time to draw in the dirt.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Goal of Suffering
In the book of Romans, Paul says that we should rejoice in our sufferings, even glory in them. Suffering, in the end, produces hope and this hope will not dissapoint us. When I struggle, I surely think of hope but it is a hope that the suffering will end soon. I'm not convinced that is what Paul meant for us to hope for. Paul speaks of the glory revealed during suffering, that suffering is a refiner's fire and that we are being perfected and that somehow, glory will be revealed. Perhaps this glory will be seen by us, perhaps by others, perhaps through us? Our hope is in the glory revealed, but this can only come with a shifting of the mind about the nature of suffering.
Suffering will happen directly to us and sometimes it is uncomfortable and sometimes it is truly unbearable. When one is in intense physical or maental or emotional pain it is nearly impossible to see outside your own situation and all you might be left with is "Why me?" or just plain "Why?" These are honest questions and I'm not sure if I can give a satisfactory answer theologically or otherwise. But I do know that the promises of the bible say that every amount of suffering is for some reason... God collects our tears and counts the hairs on our heads...this is a God of tremendous detail even though at times of suffering He seems so far from us. Though he isn't far from us. A God capable of that amount of detail...a God that asked Job all of those questions, must be highly aware of all that we are dealing with, even the infinitesimal worries of our heart.
So what do we do with it? Truly, I believe the suffering is the goal. I don't mean that we should purposefully place ourselves in a state of suffering expecting to have the glory revealed, but we must be alright with the fact that our suffering might be the only part of the glorification process revealed to us. Only later in heaven might we get the answer to the "Why?" of suffering. We have to come to terms with that. As we suffer for our art, our work, our family, our friendship, we also share in the glory that the suffering produces. That very same glory may not leave us unmarred by the suffering...Paul too had a thorn in his side, but the suffering is never for naught.
The toil we deal with in situations beyond our control, and the suffering we bring onto ourselves in our work striving for excellence, become the point. God will turn the suffering into glory, we will become better because of it, the Kingdom will be glorified through our pain and struggle. So, stand fast in the toil...it is for grace that we might share in the toil of Jesus, knowing that we will also share in His glory.
Suffering will happen directly to us and sometimes it is uncomfortable and sometimes it is truly unbearable. When one is in intense physical or maental or emotional pain it is nearly impossible to see outside your own situation and all you might be left with is "Why me?" or just plain "Why?" These are honest questions and I'm not sure if I can give a satisfactory answer theologically or otherwise. But I do know that the promises of the bible say that every amount of suffering is for some reason... God collects our tears and counts the hairs on our heads...this is a God of tremendous detail even though at times of suffering He seems so far from us. Though he isn't far from us. A God capable of that amount of detail...a God that asked Job all of those questions, must be highly aware of all that we are dealing with, even the infinitesimal worries of our heart.
So what do we do with it? Truly, I believe the suffering is the goal. I don't mean that we should purposefully place ourselves in a state of suffering expecting to have the glory revealed, but we must be alright with the fact that our suffering might be the only part of the glorification process revealed to us. Only later in heaven might we get the answer to the "Why?" of suffering. We have to come to terms with that. As we suffer for our art, our work, our family, our friendship, we also share in the glory that the suffering produces. That very same glory may not leave us unmarred by the suffering...Paul too had a thorn in his side, but the suffering is never for naught.
The toil we deal with in situations beyond our control, and the suffering we bring onto ourselves in our work striving for excellence, become the point. God will turn the suffering into glory, we will become better because of it, the Kingdom will be glorified through our pain and struggle. So, stand fast in the toil...it is for grace that we might share in the toil of Jesus, knowing that we will also share in His glory.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Art and the City
On a trip to San Jose to visit Valley Christian High School (an amazing and impactful school), I was prompted to think about how Christian Artists can have an impact in San Jose and the bay area. Two to three weeks ago I was listening to Francis Chan's heart for the bay area and especially the tenderloin area in San Francisco. Chan is a visionary of the obvious. Trust me whene I say I mean that as a compliment. What I mean is that he reads the bible as truth and then thinks about how best we, as Christians, should do what the bible says to do. He was struck by the great commission (something I have written about on more than one occasion in this blog), and in a simple, honest moment, wondered if he was really living it out. He found out the answer was no, so he quit his church and moved to San Francisco to start a grassroots movement on sharing the good news with the impoverished of the city.
WOW! It takes guts to realize that perhaps the U.S. is still one of the biggest mission fields and we have not been doing our job to spread the good news.
What Francis did resonated within me deeply (that whole day after I heard him speak, I was in a funk because I knew I was guilty of the same thing he said he did prior to San Francisco). I started thinking about the power of artistry and a thought came to me.
Hope destroys the tyranny of oppression.
I remeber thinking this thought when discussing the redemption of the Middle East after Gaza attacked Israel in 2012. I thought to myself... One way we could solve the problems in the middle east is if we built a Disney World in the middle of it and invited everyone there for free.
Sounds crazy...yes. But what is amazing about Disney is that Disney is in the business of dreams and hope and magic. Walt Disney believed that life was still about castles and dragons and princesses and pirates and great adventures and good overcoming evil. A Disney World in the center of th middle east would spark the imagination, then dreaming and then hope...and hope is contagious and whene there is hope, oppression exists no longer.
What is interesting about art is that:
Art stimulates the imagination, the imagination sparks the ability to dream, dreaming allows for hoping, and hope elicits an action.
If we use art as part of the mission to reach the city, we can create hope and hope will change lives. If the action of hope is a search for truth and a search for something better...than most assuredly it will lead to Christ.
WOW! It takes guts to realize that perhaps the U.S. is still one of the biggest mission fields and we have not been doing our job to spread the good news.
What Francis did resonated within me deeply (that whole day after I heard him speak, I was in a funk because I knew I was guilty of the same thing he said he did prior to San Francisco). I started thinking about the power of artistry and a thought came to me.
Hope destroys the tyranny of oppression.
I remeber thinking this thought when discussing the redemption of the Middle East after Gaza attacked Israel in 2012. I thought to myself... One way we could solve the problems in the middle east is if we built a Disney World in the middle of it and invited everyone there for free.
Sounds crazy...yes. But what is amazing about Disney is that Disney is in the business of dreams and hope and magic. Walt Disney believed that life was still about castles and dragons and princesses and pirates and great adventures and good overcoming evil. A Disney World in the center of th middle east would spark the imagination, then dreaming and then hope...and hope is contagious and whene there is hope, oppression exists no longer.
What is interesting about art is that:
Art stimulates the imagination, the imagination sparks the ability to dream, dreaming allows for hoping, and hope elicits an action.
If we use art as part of the mission to reach the city, we can create hope and hope will change lives. If the action of hope is a search for truth and a search for something better...than most assuredly it will lead to Christ.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Charity
When I think of my life as an artist...maybe as a child of God in it's entirety, I think of a life that has been self-focused. How incredible, shocking, upsetting, unsettling, etc., it is to know that I have a family and still, at the end of the day, I am focused more on me than on anyone else.
I started thinking about the world charity today. In Websters dictionary, the first definition of charity is: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity. In my head, Charity was a word often reserved for nuns and Charles Dickens, but the more I think about it, the more I am moved by it. It's different than humility for that is an act of losing oneself, it is different than hospitality for that is an act of meeting the base needs of food and shelter, etc....truly helping someone out. Charity is a purposeful good work of pure love toward another human being. But what I find interesting about charity is that the person who benefits is both giver and receiver. Charity, in giving financially, allows the giver to fulfill the financial woes of another BUT what is interesting is the giver BECOMES the receiver. The giver is filled with Godly Joy because of their giving and then it becomes addictive, addictive joy and charity. It is a beautiful puzzle that is complicated and simple at the same time...much like our God. The Great Creator who is also a small whisper.
I have seen artists struggling with charity. Much of the time because they need the charity given to them. The starving artist is a tough row to hoe. But artists sometimes forget that they supply the world with light and beauty. They make cosmos from chaos, they make the mystery of God tangible and the challenges of the human psyche understandable. If artists could consider the work they do truly charitable, the work itself would change. The work would become more important, it would die to itself so that others may live. The work of art would be a sacrifice for the love of humanity and the artist would get a glimpse of Godly grace in that moment.
Artists egos can destroy their perception of charity. Artists can be so self involved working on their work. If they would only realize it was never their work to begin with. Even though ego and self-focus runs rampant among artists, every artist I meet wants to "give back" to the world. What a conundrum. Perhaps if we reoriented our thinking about the material stuff of charity...that it isn't about giving money to the poor, it's about giving hope to the poor in spirit. And in doing so, the giver's spirit is also raised from poverty to wealth unimaginable.
I spoke that charity was a word reserved for nuns and Dicken's... well, maybe I should pay more attention to what those nuns and Chales Dicken's were really trying to do.
I started thinking about the world charity today. In Websters dictionary, the first definition of charity is: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity. In my head, Charity was a word often reserved for nuns and Charles Dickens, but the more I think about it, the more I am moved by it. It's different than humility for that is an act of losing oneself, it is different than hospitality for that is an act of meeting the base needs of food and shelter, etc....truly helping someone out. Charity is a purposeful good work of pure love toward another human being. But what I find interesting about charity is that the person who benefits is both giver and receiver. Charity, in giving financially, allows the giver to fulfill the financial woes of another BUT what is interesting is the giver BECOMES the receiver. The giver is filled with Godly Joy because of their giving and then it becomes addictive, addictive joy and charity. It is a beautiful puzzle that is complicated and simple at the same time...much like our God. The Great Creator who is also a small whisper.
I have seen artists struggling with charity. Much of the time because they need the charity given to them. The starving artist is a tough row to hoe. But artists sometimes forget that they supply the world with light and beauty. They make cosmos from chaos, they make the mystery of God tangible and the challenges of the human psyche understandable. If artists could consider the work they do truly charitable, the work itself would change. The work would become more important, it would die to itself so that others may live. The work of art would be a sacrifice for the love of humanity and the artist would get a glimpse of Godly grace in that moment.
Artists egos can destroy their perception of charity. Artists can be so self involved working on their work. If they would only realize it was never their work to begin with. Even though ego and self-focus runs rampant among artists, every artist I meet wants to "give back" to the world. What a conundrum. Perhaps if we reoriented our thinking about the material stuff of charity...that it isn't about giving money to the poor, it's about giving hope to the poor in spirit. And in doing so, the giver's spirit is also raised from poverty to wealth unimaginable.
I spoke that charity was a word reserved for nuns and Dicken's... well, maybe I should pay more attention to what those nuns and Chales Dicken's were really trying to do.
Monday, December 24, 2012
The Christmas Experience
I usually write a blog or feel inspired to write a blog after a theological or artistic discussion with my wife...you should meet her, she is quite brilliant. We were talking about Christmas. It is Christmas Eve morning and we were discussing the experience that is Christmas.
When I think of Christmas, I absolutely think of the theological and intellectual and even emotional concept of love coming down to be among men. The "Jesus being born" aspect of Christmas (of course, the most important aspect) definitely resonates within me and mesmerizes me and shocks me and a million other adjectives seem to come to mind when describing the event of the first Christmas. Even the word Christmas or Christ's Mass, is a theological amazement to me, given my early Catholic upbringing.
But, if I really think about it, Christmas encompasses so much more than a theological concept, as it should. It reminds me of family, of wonderment, of cold, brisk air, of peace on earth and goodwill to men, of some of my favorite songs that only appear this time of year, of great classic movies, of pretty lights, of Edaville Railroad (a Christmas-y theme park in Carver, MA), of Christmas caroling on a horse pulled sleigh, of mulled cider, of eggnog, of succulent turkey, of every type of desert, of peppermint, cinnamon, logs on the fire,....the list goes on and on and on.
Christmas truly is a physical, emotional, intellectual feast. I would imagine that when most people think of Christmas, they have positive thoughts on the subject. Some do not, probably. Those who lost loved ones at the holidays, those who are to tied to political and atheistic agendas, and those who are from a culture where it isn't as prevalent, might not. But most people probably do.
But why? Why does every child long for the Christmas season? Why do parents delight in giving gifts, Why did Santa get invented? Why all of the pomp and circumstance for a little more goodwill toward each other, some holiday get together with family and gift giving? Why do people like Christmas?
I think it might be because for the first time since the Garden of Eden, Christmas represented God walking among all of men. God's presence was physically among us. It wasn't just his Holy Spirit within us. It was Christ AMONG us. And we are just responding to Him that brings us comfort and Joy and Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men and...Love.
When I think of Christmas, I absolutely think of the theological and intellectual and even emotional concept of love coming down to be among men. The "Jesus being born" aspect of Christmas (of course, the most important aspect) definitely resonates within me and mesmerizes me and shocks me and a million other adjectives seem to come to mind when describing the event of the first Christmas. Even the word Christmas or Christ's Mass, is a theological amazement to me, given my early Catholic upbringing.
But, if I really think about it, Christmas encompasses so much more than a theological concept, as it should. It reminds me of family, of wonderment, of cold, brisk air, of peace on earth and goodwill to men, of some of my favorite songs that only appear this time of year, of great classic movies, of pretty lights, of Edaville Railroad (a Christmas-y theme park in Carver, MA), of Christmas caroling on a horse pulled sleigh, of mulled cider, of eggnog, of succulent turkey, of every type of desert, of peppermint, cinnamon, logs on the fire,....the list goes on and on and on.
Christmas truly is a physical, emotional, intellectual feast. I would imagine that when most people think of Christmas, they have positive thoughts on the subject. Some do not, probably. Those who lost loved ones at the holidays, those who are to tied to political and atheistic agendas, and those who are from a culture where it isn't as prevalent, might not. But most people probably do.
But why? Why does every child long for the Christmas season? Why do parents delight in giving gifts, Why did Santa get invented? Why all of the pomp and circumstance for a little more goodwill toward each other, some holiday get together with family and gift giving? Why do people like Christmas?
I think it might be because for the first time since the Garden of Eden, Christmas represented God walking among all of men. God's presence was physically among us. It wasn't just his Holy Spirit within us. It was Christ AMONG us. And we are just responding to Him that brings us comfort and Joy and Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men and...Love.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Sanctification of our work
Sacrifice is at the heart of love. Artists sacrifice a lot for their art. However, I am not sure if we sacrifice all that is needed to produce great and holy and complete art. There is a list of ways that artists suffer and sacrifice for their art...many of these ways being unhealthy.
However, we, as redeemed creatures through the blood of Christ, must still realize that our work needs daily sanctification as do we. True sacrifice and sanctification is received by dying daily, even hour by hour and minute by minute, to oneself. We must die to ourselves to begin to live. And so must our art. To make great art our work must die before it can truly live. For it to speak for us to get to the heart of the matter of the piece, we must let it go to God. We must sacrifice it and see what is truly borne out of this release. Once the piece has been released, then can it truly be free; once the piece has died, then can it truly live; once the piece has been sacrificed to God, then can it be resurrected.
However, we, as redeemed creatures through the blood of Christ, must still realize that our work needs daily sanctification as do we. True sacrifice and sanctification is received by dying daily, even hour by hour and minute by minute, to oneself. We must die to ourselves to begin to live. And so must our art. To make great art our work must die before it can truly live. For it to speak for us to get to the heart of the matter of the piece, we must let it go to God. We must sacrifice it and see what is truly borne out of this release. Once the piece has been released, then can it truly be free; once the piece has died, then can it truly live; once the piece has been sacrificed to God, then can it be resurrected.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
My Favorite Towns Part 2
I am so inspired by these towns...or maybe I am just nostalgic. Either way, here are some gems of towns that I find particularly interesting.
YORKTOWN, VA
This wonderfully historic town is the first town on my new list. It is a river front town that boasts one of the great battles of the Revolutionary war (and civil war, funny enough). Quaint downtown, beautiful beaches and a lovely historic park makes this an excellent visit. It is also part of the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, Virginia.
BOCA RATON, FL
Boca is a wealthy, fun and beautiful ocean-front town. It boasts canals, sandy beaches, extravagant houses and hotels and a fantastic mall. It is also close to Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I wouldn't miss a visit to Boca.
FRANKENMUTH, MI
Frankenmuth is a fantastic town. You are driving through the pastures and farmland of Michigan and all of a sudden you find yourself in a Bavarian village. It has amazing hotels, great food (German food to boot) Mackinac Island fudge, places to play, covered bridges, and the Bronner's...the worlds largest Christmas store that has an exact replica of the church used in the penning of the song Silent Night and has a motto that they keep the Christ in Christmas as a CHRISTmas store.
MICHIGAN CITY, IN
I love Michigan City. You can walk out to the end of the famous Michigan City Lighthouse. It has some great restaurants, beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan, outlet malls, a casino that is a floating barge, a nuclear power plant and many other strange reasons to visit. Most people would not want this town on their list, but I think it is a blast of a place to spend a summer afternoon/early evening and be sure to catch the sunset on Lake Michigan.
NORTH CONWAY, NH
North Conway is a gem on the outskirts of the White Mountains. It is down the street from Mount Washington and Story Land (A fantasy amusement park). It is an amazing New Hampshire winter wonderland. It has quaint stores, good food, river rafting and canoeing, hiking, skiing and beautiful bed and breakfasts and Inns. A great romantic getaway.
WEST HARTFORD, CT
Cool, chic, posh, eclectic, ritzy. These are the words that remind me of West Hartford. The capital region is a beautiful part of Connecticut and I love everywhere around the Greater Hartford Area, but West Hartford and specifically West Hartford Center is a great place to visit. Great food, great shops, close to Boston and New York, down the road from mansions, mountains, rivers, cities, farmlands, Universities and everything else.
NEWPORT, RI
Summer homes owned by the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Biltmore's among others. Newport is rich with old money, opulence, New England fishing village charm, and a host of other activities that make this a top tourist destination. I would visit the mansions, have lunch and shopping down by the wharf, visit Fort Adams State Park and the other state park on the Southwest corner of Newport and finish it with a drive down Ocean Drive, one of the richest roads in the country.
NAPPANEE, IN
A very small and quaint village in Northern Indiana Amish Country. Nappanee is special to me because I spent so much time working at the Round Barn Theatre (pictured above). It is a beautiful little town with specialty shops, a couple nice places to eat, Amish Acres Amish Historical site, Musical Theatre at the Round Barn, and it is close to a host of other beautiful northern Indiana towns.
YORKTOWN, VA
This wonderfully historic town is the first town on my new list. It is a river front town that boasts one of the great battles of the Revolutionary war (and civil war, funny enough). Quaint downtown, beautiful beaches and a lovely historic park makes this an excellent visit. It is also part of the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, Virginia.
BOCA RATON, FL
Boca is a wealthy, fun and beautiful ocean-front town. It boasts canals, sandy beaches, extravagant houses and hotels and a fantastic mall. It is also close to Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I wouldn't miss a visit to Boca.
FRANKENMUTH, MI
Frankenmuth is a fantastic town. You are driving through the pastures and farmland of Michigan and all of a sudden you find yourself in a Bavarian village. It has amazing hotels, great food (German food to boot) Mackinac Island fudge, places to play, covered bridges, and the Bronner's...the worlds largest Christmas store that has an exact replica of the church used in the penning of the song Silent Night and has a motto that they keep the Christ in Christmas as a CHRISTmas store.
MICHIGAN CITY, IN
I love Michigan City. You can walk out to the end of the famous Michigan City Lighthouse. It has some great restaurants, beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan, outlet malls, a casino that is a floating barge, a nuclear power plant and many other strange reasons to visit. Most people would not want this town on their list, but I think it is a blast of a place to spend a summer afternoon/early evening and be sure to catch the sunset on Lake Michigan.
NORTH CONWAY, NH
North Conway is a gem on the outskirts of the White Mountains. It is down the street from Mount Washington and Story Land (A fantasy amusement park). It is an amazing New Hampshire winter wonderland. It has quaint stores, good food, river rafting and canoeing, hiking, skiing and beautiful bed and breakfasts and Inns. A great romantic getaway.
WEST HARTFORD, CT
Cool, chic, posh, eclectic, ritzy. These are the words that remind me of West Hartford. The capital region is a beautiful part of Connecticut and I love everywhere around the Greater Hartford Area, but West Hartford and specifically West Hartford Center is a great place to visit. Great food, great shops, close to Boston and New York, down the road from mansions, mountains, rivers, cities, farmlands, Universities and everything else.
NEWPORT, RI
Summer homes owned by the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Biltmore's among others. Newport is rich with old money, opulence, New England fishing village charm, and a host of other activities that make this a top tourist destination. I would visit the mansions, have lunch and shopping down by the wharf, visit Fort Adams State Park and the other state park on the Southwest corner of Newport and finish it with a drive down Ocean Drive, one of the richest roads in the country.
NAPPANEE, IN
A very small and quaint village in Northern Indiana Amish Country. Nappanee is special to me because I spent so much time working at the Round Barn Theatre (pictured above). It is a beautiful little town with specialty shops, a couple nice places to eat, Amish Acres Amish Historical site, Musical Theatre at the Round Barn, and it is close to a host of other beautiful northern Indiana towns.
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