Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality

Life begging for art.

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We have a saying around the church office that goes something like: Life begging for structure, not structure begging for life.

We use this phrase when we are facing necessary innovation, struggling to come up with structure as we see the craziness of life that comes with, well, people.

But let’s not dig too deeply into that.

The whole point is that I’m also seeing moments where life is begging for art. Where profundity sneaks up on us and can only be properly captured and properly framed through art.

Just a few weeks ago, in response to Gitz’ decline, Jen commented:  ”I dug out my old prayer book from my Anglican days, and let the most beautifully worded prayers speak the grief and longing of my heart. But I have none of my own.”

In that moment, her heart and emotions begged for art.

Moments like those–the great milemarkers of life and death and growth and memory and significance–need art. They need words and images of beauty to help the soul express what is sitting and stirring and rising inside.

I’m realizing how we, as a people of faith, in our stripped down warehouses of contemporary worship, have lost the beauty and transcendence that those true moments of worship deserve.

And our artists are awkwardly worship and wait in the corners of the sanctuaries, hoping to paint murals on the walls.

Thankfully, they are picking up their paintbrushes. Watch the beauty unfold.

Self-Portraiting

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“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.” — Tori Amos

“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.” — Miguel Angel Ruiz

I’m too tired to write this. But I have nothing but love for this idea and this community, so I’m going to give it a stab. Besides, it’s been floating around in my head for a few weeks, and it’s somewhere I’d like to go with y’all… I’d go alone, but it’s never as fun as with friends, right?

Well. Let’s qualify that. I’m an introvert. That statement doesn’t always work.

But, in this realm of which I dream, the destination is worth sharing with friends.

I type of self-portraiting. (I like that word. My spell-checker says it isn’t real. So.)

I’m still finding out who I am as a creative being, and right now the journey has me doing a bit of wandering. But with every new discovery, I’m learning more about myself: My medium(s) of choice (that “s” is very important), my muses and inspirations, my words, my tones, my rhythms. All of it. I’m writing less songs, but dang if the ones that fly out of me aren’t the most honest words I’ve written in a long time.

So here I am–dreaming of self-portraiting. I want to take a medium and use it to further who My Creator created me to be. See. I’m also trying to get to know Him a bit better as well, but that’s an other post for another hazy morning.

Here’s the journey. It’s actually a challenge. A challenge to, by the end of this month, do a sort of self-portrait. A capturing of the essence of self.

And I want to challenge you to do the same. I’ve been anticipating this for a while–and am excited about the photos, sketches, collages, songs, and even pies, cakes, paintings, and sculptures that might come of this.

So, but the end of the month, we will have done a Portrait of Self. And we will have shared it with me and with others in this community.

Deal?

Deal.

(If you know others who want to participate, please tell them about this. mkaythx)

The first step in fighting your own demons.

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We all have them… Those “haunts” that keep us up at night or make our heart pound or make us cringe in guilt after a wrong decision.

And man they get on my nerves.

I want to start getting on their nerves. Yeah. Yeah. I want to fight them in my own life… But, I can’t if I don’t know what they are. Right?

I think that’s the first step in fighting our demons: Find out what they are. Identify them. What’s that proverb (not Biblical, just proverbial)? Know thy enemy; thy enemy is self.

Or something like that. Maybe Sun Tzu and Pogo fell in love and got married and had some sort of quote-baby in my brain. But, you get what I’m saying…

If we don’t know our enemy (which may be within) then we won’t be able to smack it in the face with a wet glove and spit and walk away.

So, I’m out to discover mine. Call them out from hiding. It’s time for them to show their faces (I’m speaking rather figuratively here, y’all. Nobody panic.) I’m on the hunt for those things that just fray me. That wear me down. That tempt me and try me and test me and make me feel weak and weary.

Things like:

  • Conflict: I absolutely fear it. I’m a bit too non-confrontational.
  • Doubt: I sometimes wonder if maybe there’s a slight chance that somewhere out there “on the other side” of this world there really just might be nothing…? (cringe for honesty.)
  • Anger: I think I’m entitled. Namely, to be able to start a family with ease. By not getting my way, I’ve become a sort of a spiritual brat. Not so good.

That’s a start. And there are more. And some of them may be easier to beat than others. And, you know, some of them just might be around for life. But if I know these “demons” and can see them for what they are, I’ve already begun to strip their power.

So, take that, demons. I acknowledge that you annoy me. And I’m not interested in cooperating.

What are some of your demons? Can you identify one or two? Even in that, you’re stripping their power!

I totally changed my mind on the interaction in this post. You know what I really want to see happen in the comments? Y’all share how you’ve fought particular demons in your own life. There are others who face the same, and could really benefit from your stories.

Feel free to be anonymous, just be sure to change your email: anon@anonymous.com works well.

Thanks y’all!

To: Present Me. From: Past Me

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I found this in my inbox on New Year’s day–written a year ago using futureme.org. It immediately struck my heart in a very very deep place and reminded me of some important things that I’ve already forgotten. By now, just three days later, I’ve already made plans to reinforce some of the forgotten values in my life and in my world. Here are a few snippets of what I read on Saturday:

…. I hope you haven’t forgotten the passions that were lit on fire when you were at seminary a year ago – passions for the Kingdom worldwide. Passions for songwriting. Passions for your husband. Passions to be a mom.

I do know that you’re doing ok…. And know that, as I write this a year before you receive this, that I’m so unspeakably excited about the year that is now behind you.

I pray that you’ve lived it to the fullest. That you’ve learned the lessons that were placed before you. That your faith has grown. That your marriage has grown. That your soul has grown.

Keep going. Keep writing. Keep serving. Keep dreaming.

Keep living.

If you haven’t already written yourself a letter using futureme.org, you should. It’ll help you stay on course, breathe new life into your new year, and remind  you of where you came from.

A year to forget…

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I know a lot of you have faced tough situations this year; so have a lot of my friends, family members, and church family. The phone calls, faces, hospital visits, letters, and questions are rolling through my mind as I type this. You know who you are and you’re on my mind.

This year, for many, has been a nightmare and a lot of us are ready for this round to be over. So, this post is for you: For those of you who don’t think you can take one more blow this year. For those of you who have been to hell and back and live to tell about it. Who have dealt with loss. With confusion. With anger. With disappointment. For those of you who see 2010 as a year to forget. For those of you who know 2011 has got to be better than 2010.

This is your time to think about it. To hope about it. To maybe even offer up a typed prayer to the heavens for a better year ahead. For some of you, it wouldn’t take much. It wouldn’t take much at all to spark a tiny flame of hope in your heart… What could light that flame? What’s something you can hold on to–some tiny piece of hope–that would assure you that 2011 is better than 2010?

Type it out here. And I promise you that this little blog community will be praying that our God of Grace reaches down to give exactly what you’re asking for.