Monday, November 7, 2011

15 Minutes and Counting

How much money would it take for us to rethink our Christian values?

The recent news on the cyber lips of the world has been about an extravagant wedding and subsequent divorce after 72 days of marriage.

According to entertainment writers, the families have grossed more than $10 million dollars from granting publicized access to the dating, the wedding, the clothing and now the break up. There is money to be made by putting oneself out there. It’s no wonder we crave the “15 minutes of fame”. The question that one must ask is: what are you willing to pay for your shot at “15 minutes of fame?

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:25-27

This not-so-happy couple is famous and well paid. Who knows, they may have the emotional and relational scars to prove it. The only way to imagine two people coming out of such a public pressure cooker unscathed is to entertain the possibility that the relationship was nothing more than a story line for a reality TV show.

Some time ago a gentleman asked me if I would hold to my Christian convictions if the lives of my daughters were threatened. Thankfully, it was a rhetorical question. After reading about this high profile marital flop, I would ask a question. How much money and or professional success would it take for us to rethink our Christian values? Of course the easy answer that some might give is, “NO AMOUNT OF MONEY!” I wonder what we would find if we were to shadow each other on gigs and appointments for the next month. Would our black and white lines of ethics and professionalism be grayed by the hint of commercial success? NO AMOUNT OF MONEY, really?

Is there a tension between offering your gifts to God and being commercially viable in the market? If your lines are gray then the answer is, yes! It’s tough to be in the industry and equally tough to be in arts ministry if it is your vocation. No one wants to starve and Jesus never said that following him was synonymous with a vow of poverty. However, all of life for the believer and dare I say the “Redeemed Artist” is an offering to God and as a result - a walk of faith. We move forward

There are issues to be considered for the “Redeemed Artist”. Commercial viability vs. offering is only one from a long list. It is important to have a way to work through issues because they will present themselves. When thought through and prayed through, issues present themselves as values. When not thought through and prayed through, the issues present themselves as barriers to effectiveness. The most significant issue in my opinion is that of personal affirmation.

As an Artist, applause is important. Knowing that others appreciate my work is affirming and an important part of the creative process. There is a cycle to creating and appreciating. The artist puts his work on display, it is perceived and appreciated by the audience and the artist is encouraged, affirmed and inspired to create more. As normal and uneventful as this cycle may appear to the naked eye, there is a twist to it for the Redeemed Artist. First, the Redeemed Artist creates for an audience of “One”. Herein is the sacred, creative ambition: to please the audience of “One”. Unlike normal audiences, I believe that God is tone deaf and color blind. These inferences of perceptibility are anthropomorphic at best and simply help us understand a being that is incomprehensible. Therefore, the specific medium of art is overlooked, in my opinion, by the supreme audience. However, what God does hear, feel, perceive and observe (if you will) is the source of the art, namely the human heart. What’s inside absolutely comes out. The genesis of art is the human heart. It is in this spiritual domain that the great audience of ‘One” communicates acceptance to the artist and where deep affirmation is known by the artist. As one writer says is, “…The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God…” Romans 8:16. The cycle is now complete and the artist is inspired to create again.

Such a level of connection may lead the reader to believe it is almost too good to be true. For some, it could even be a “utopic” imagination. But when it happens, it really happens. All attempts at depiction are silenced by the voice of reality. The experience of knowing God and being known are indescribable yet tangible. So let me ask my question again. How much money would it take for us to rethink our Christian values? To put it another way, how many zeros would it take for you to step away from engaging in the real artistic cycle of creation and appreciation as previously described? From where we sit right now, the 15 minutes of “foolishness” is lame.

Copyright © 2011 The Mission Minded Artist

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Art In The Parking Lot

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art is everywhere if you have the ability to see it. I stood outside of our local grocery store yesterday while waiting for my wife to come out with our regular allotment of bounty. There was nothing to do but play with my Iphone. So I started to gaze out across the parking lot. Nothing prepared me for what I saw. No, this was not a people watching session, as I so often enjoy. Instead I noticed the grass, the trees, the pine straw in all there commercially landscaped glory. Today was different, because I saw that the trees were not all the same but three different kinds of trees. There was grass but it was grass that complimented without taking over. Someone had taken the time to match textures, shapes and colors in a way that was warm, inviting and pleasing to the eye and the heart. About 15 minutes passed with me pondering the profundity of pines, placement and pansies.

Everything fit together, yet individual beauty was not diminished. Nothing moved, no sound was uttered, no neon lights it just was. My mind wanted to give voice to the big box retail motivation of “come, spend your money… ain’t we awesome”. But my heart silenced the cynicism with a calming awareness of a planner and desire to draw out the “unspoilable” – art. Where did this guy or gal learn how to do this? Better yet, from where was the technique copied?

The heavens declare the glory of God, and nature gives evidence of God…these are personal truths to me. More significant was the impression received during minutes 16-18. “Hey son, glad you like my stuff. I’ve got acres of it, but I only made one of you. Go inside where it’s cooler…A/C is nice too. Talk to you later”!

Friday, May 6, 2011

OH-SAH-MA

So much of the daily buzz has been terse and to the point. Osama is dead. What is really being communicated in that statement? Many things. We now have closure after ten years of loss, a sense of safety is returning to America, revenge is sweet, the subject and object of national anger is now satiated? At some level, each of these statements has validity based on the vantage point of the speaker. From my vantage point, when I heard the news about the successful military operation, my immediate disbelief gave way to an unusual sense of “no-way”.

The more time that has passed, the more my thoughts and feelings have been sifted to to give new eyes for the events of Monday May 1, 2011. Yes, Osama bin Laden is dead and I am sad.

There is sadness at the loss of human life. Regardless the reason, the fact remains that a man is dead. He was a son, a brother and a husband and now there is familial grief and loss for many.


There is sadness at the impact of delusion-ally myopic ideology. The tunnel vision of Osama bin Laden’s extremest values narrowed the path of tolerance to the point of no return. At the proverbial end of the tunnel, was the conclusion that living from one’s belief system meant the slaughter of innocent people and the terrorizing of a nation. That is so wacked!


There is sadness at the presence of evil in the world. The delusion of perfection has long been smashed in my experience. However, the death of Osama brought back to memory the events of 911 and the pressing reality of a present and pervasive evil in the world.


There is sadness to realize we had no alternative. When does diplomacy fail? It fails the moment we realize that we sit at the table of ethics across from a sociopath. Diplomacy fails before we make the choice to remove our tie and cuff links, pick up a bat and beat the brother senseless. Diplomacy fails at the moment we shockingly discover - “There is no other way.”


Osama is dead. But I will not allow my myself the luxury of public exuberance for it is not sober nor appropriate to throw a party after an execution. I honor the memory of the heroes and victims of 911. My heart feels pride and safety because of our military. Mostly, I can’t find my left cuff link.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter – No Hare!

Goodfellas, starring Robert De Niro, is one of my favorite “veg” out movies. Aside from the violence, there are some great scenes that pop out at me each time I watch it. In one scene Jimmy, played by De Niro, is trying to collect money that is owed to him by Morrie the wig guy. In true “wise guy” fashion he makes the collection appointment and roughs Morrie up by beating him over the head with a telephone until the commitment for payment is offered up. Would it have been easier to use online bill pay?

In the process of extracting the “yes, I’ll give you your money”, Morrie’s wig goes flying off to reveal his bald head and adhesive wig strips! Morrie did not only sell wigs, he was also a customer.

Years ago, I wrote a children’s Easter musical, NO HARE! The dialogue and original songs told the story of an apprentice angel and mentor angel that were observing the human race during the Easter season. The younger angel was full of questions about the amount of attention that the rabbit was given during the holy holiday. The older mentor angel was full of sage advice and perspective on the human condition. In short, he explained how lost God’s children were.

What does our earthly celebration look like from a celestial perspective? Is it as silly as a wig stuck to a bald head with tape? There’s no hare in the Easter story. Yet, we try to make it fit year after year and we overdose on candy to make matters worse. Does the biblical account of Easter have no relevance in our modern society? Or maybe the realization of needing to be rescued is so painful that I would rather have a Baby Ruth?

The dialogue ended with the younger angel conceding that God saw in His people what no one is capable of seeing. Therefore, God’s plans are centered on humanity. That was enough to finish the Angel 101 training.

Just before the close of the curtain, Jesus took center stage and sang an 80’s ballad that ended the production.

“It is finished, my task is over. It is finished; it’s time to go home. It is finished; no one will ever walk this road again. It is finished once and for all.”

Maybe we should start throwing “It is finished” parties. All kinds of candy would be welcome. We could shave our heads and exchange wigs. No rabbits allowed.