The Great King

 All things came to be through him,

    and without him nothing made had being. 

John 1:3 (Complete Jewish Bible)

In conclusion to my posts on 3 Kings I wanted to make sure that you understand my motivation.

 

Behind all of this is the Great King, Jesus.

 

He has ordained and been involved in the creation of all things. 

Because Of Resurrection

Growing up in the Christian church there are many words or sayings that become part of your day-to-day language early on. You say them and you move on. Everyone you talk to understands them. You often don't even understand what you are talking about, because this language of Christianity is pressed into you. I am not saying this is wrong. I am not saying that it is harmful. What I am saying is that the weight of words is often misunderstood. If you had been compartmentalized into a subculture growing up, whatever that is, you too, will understand what I am saying. Resurrection was definitely one of those words. That is what I am going to talk about.

Why would an art blogger choose to talk about resurrection? Well it has personal significance for me. As I follow Jesus, I see that there is much mystery in this faith. Much more than any other faith I know about. Resurrection is one of those mysteries. I wish for people to understand why this concept is important. I chose to speak of it specifically to you because destruction and recreation is a part the creative process. Its in nature and its part of creating art. I have used a rather non-academic form of presenting my case. Follow along and see what you can learn.

Resurrection Was Not A New Idea 2000 Years Ago.
The ancient Israelites were not the only ones to talk about the possibility of resurrection. Many ancient cultures told myths in which their gods were resurrected. This idea often referred to the seasonal cycles. The stories often included macabre deaths and fantastic resurrections. The lines blurred on the issue of reincarnation.

 "The cult of Baal celebrated annually his death and resurrection as a part of the Canaanite fertility rituals." -by Alan G. Hefner, Pantheon.org

"One of the most important myths associated with Isis was the story of Osiris's death and resurrection... Isis searched for and found the box and then brought it back to Egypt, where she concealed it. However, Set discovered the hiding place and cut Osiris's body into many pieces and scattered them throughout Egypt. After recovering the pieces, Isis used her magical powers to restore life to Osiris, who then went to live in the underworld." -Myth Encyclopedia

Where Are The Others?

Even though, other myths told of their gods or heroes coming back from the dead, none of them produced a real, certifiable case. They turned into gods or part of nature, etc... Mostly, those characters remained in the realm of myth. They did not have historical precedence. Jesus is the only one.

Coming Back From The Dead Ain't Easy. 

If you have ever had a sickness for an extended period of time or some sort of fatal accident and survived, you know what I am talking about. When our body's natural functions start to shut down, it is a miracle to have them revived, whether science or supernatural.

Death Is Not A Joke. 

In our culture we are encumbered by fictional depictions of the undead. Whether its ghosts, vampires, or zombies. When you die it is final. It is not casually, passively, or accidentally overcome.

Death Can Be Merciful.
I am not insinuating that Jack Kevorkian was right, that we should love death and promote assisted suicide and mass murder as a gift to humanity. No, this life is precious for as long as we have it. Life is a gift and a miracle. We should do nothing to undermine that fact. Passing from the difficulties and horrors of this world can take you to be with God who is love. It is better than what we often experience here. What would be the point of coming back to a worse option?

Where's The Formula?

Aside from the immediate use of the tools of science on the deathbed, no one knows how non-scientific resurrection works. There is no formula. If scientific resurrection won't work much beyond a couple of hours following proven death, how could it work after 3 days?

Hope Is A Rare Commodity, Indeed.

If you saw someone die and return to life, would that bring depression or hope? Wouldn't you believe there is more to the world than what you can see or experience in the material sense?

Your Worldview Is Important.

If you believed that resurrection was possible wouldn't it change your whole worldview? Not only would immaterial things be possible, but other amazing acts would be as well. In fact, it would make it easier to believe in the power of love, true justice, mercy, genuine people, healing of the sick, and many other common and uncommon things. If death has been overcome, then what else is possible?

Miracles Fuel Your Imagination.

If you believed in the resurrection of the body it would open up creative options that would transcend the stars. Miracles become a common part of your life. You look for the exceptional things in the midst of your day-to-day routine. Bricks become spaceships. A paper towel tube becomes a sword. You can fly when you look at the sky. There are no colors that cannot go together. You can have tea with unicorns and marry royalty. It fuels your imagination.

Conclusion.

We can take too lightly the meaning of resurrection and the ramifications of such a mistake undermine the daily activities we take for granted. Perhaps, you still disagree with the possibility of bodily resurrection after Jesus of Nazareth, but let me assure you that using this article as a starting point for research will bring about questions of your own. I encourage you to dig deeper and see where it takes you. Try it on for size and you will be surprised. God Bless your journey!

Rest: The Secret Ingredient For Success

It's easy to keep going like you are the Energizer Bunny. Or at least pretend like you are one. Pretend is the key the word.

Defining The Creative Vacuum.

We (artists) can live in a vacuum of just our creativity. We can dive in and go anywhere at any time. To the rest of the world we look as if we are just staring at a wall or walking down the street. But our hearts and minds are engaged in the full creative process. However, we have limits that we must acknowledge.

Creative Rest Habits.

Artists need rest. Our bodies being the weak vessels that they are lack the infinitude of an eternal body. Our limits often show. And I believe that rest is the key to it all.

There was a professor in college who did a splendid presentation on rest for a chapel service one time. This idea has resonated with me for over 10 years. The truth is, I have not learned all of the secrets to this magnificent tool for maintaining my humanity. I believe it is a discipline that all artists have to learn and become pro's at. There are some key insights that I have learned on my own, from other artists, and in church that I would like to share, but I am still working on.

Coherent Rest Habits.

Six insights to take seriously when when considering coherent rest habits, because six is the number assigned to man and Jesus said in Mark 2:27- “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

1. Plan a daily Sabbath time.  End your creative work at a specific time every day. Turn off your computer. Clean off your art desk. Put your art supplies away. Leave your creative space for the day, if at all possible.

2. Make a point to contact friends, hang out, and spend time with family. Work is not life, it just helps propel it forward. Take time to exercise and plan.

3. Limit your nightly activities.  On the opposing end of making time for friends and family and social activities is the reality that you are limited in yourself. Do not over-promise. Guard your rest when at all possible. Because you need a daily Sabbath time you should separate it out for your own sake. Only you know what you can handle!

4. Don't sedate your creativity just because you are not in your designated art making time. It is generally better to get the idea on paper or on the computer than to let it follow you into other decision-making times.

5. Be wise about when you decide to stay up late. Unfortunately, you cannot avoid it 100% of the time, but when it is necessary, make the proper adjustments. Have a plan. If you have to lose sleep at night plan a time the next day to rest before being creative again. You will be much more productive.

6. Plan at least one Sabbath day a week. That one day dedicated to rest and worship of Jesus will put you so much farther ahead during the week. You will be astounded! You can make decisions and stick to them. Your work will be better and the time spent working will be of higher quality. It is truly a mystery why this works so well. But the truth is God created us in His image and He set the standard to rest on the last day of the week. Who is wiser than that?



Conclusion.

Protect your rest times and get good at it. All other great decisions will emanate from this choice. Don't let other people dictate what is good for you concerning what you know you can physically handle. You will get where you believe you are called much faster by limiting your activity and honoring the resting period God has put in place for all mankind.

Cultivating Growth

One of the high priorities of my monthly schedule are the tasks involved in leading an art group. I have been leading Visual Sanctuary for over 3 years now. Each new challenge I face gives me new creative insight.

In order to lead with more authority in 2011 I took on an a design internship. It was both challenging and fun. Naturally, when you step out of your comfort zone you are bound to grow. When you face a new task that you do not understand you are bound to change. If you use your God-given wisdom you will eventually thrive. Its just that simple.

Visual Sanctuary is one of those things that I continue to do in spite of the downsides. In spite of myself some times, too. Why would anyone lead a visual arts group in a church of all places? Why not in a community? Why not at a college?

The simple answer for me was that someone needed to take initiative and invite artists where they are generally uncomfortable. The church in return needs to get used to artists being around again.

When God puts a call on your life you had better be ready. For artists this is especially true, because artists are not accustomed to being called. We vary rarely feel that inclusiveness that people serving in other ministries feel.

If you are an artist living in Columbus, OH I invite you to come out and be involved in our community. You will network, grow, see things differently, experience a taste of love that Jesus lavishes on all people, and create art in a group. Also, check out the entry information for the Cultivating Growth Show for this year. Its a quick deadline so jump to it quickly.

For in-depth information about Visual Sanctuary, click here: Visual Sanctuary Website

For a listing of current Important Dates for our group, click here: Visual Sanctuary Newsletter

For information about the Cultivating Growth Art Show, click here: Cultivating Growth