Arts Blog : Arts Conference 08 - ARISE

A FEW MORE MINUTES WITH RICHARD ALLEN FARMER

Pam Howell — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:12:00 GMT

One of the blessings of my ministry is the people I get to meet. Richard Allen Farmer was a pleasure to get to know during the pre-conference preparation, as well as the actual conference. As you know if you were able to see him at the conference he is...(read more)

Your Favorite Session....

Lori Finnegan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:28:00 GMT

The comments are in and Session 5 of Arise, the 2008 Arts Conference was your favorite! Francis Chan was amazing! He was so encouraging as he reminded us that we are created by an Almighty God and He put His Spirit in us. I'll always remember the...(read more)

Session 4 Highlights

Lori Finnegan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:46:00 GMT

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a month since the Arts Conference. There are still so many great moments still in my mind. yes"> One of which is Richard Allen Farmer…his words were a great reminder that God made us artists and he uses us....(read more)

A FEW MORE MINUTES WITH ROBBIE SEAY

Pam Howell — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:09:00 GMT

God’s call on your life and accountability in managing your ministry schedule are just a few of the topics Robbie touched on after the third session. I hope you will take a few minutes to listen and give us your insights into these topics. He brings up...(read more)

A FEW MORE MINUTES WITH KENDALL PAYNE

Pam Howell — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:28:00 GMT

Our time with Kendall at ARISE was fabulous, both on stage & off. She is genuine, kind and just fun to be around. We asked her what was on her mind after Session 4 … listen & let us know what you think. Do you find yourself nodding your head in...(read more)

A Few More Minutes With Lauralee Fareer

Pam Howell — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:41:00 GMT

Intercessory art knows there is a God. It knows this God to be our Intimate, by his design and sacrifice. It knows that this God is love.

Lauralee Fareer

It was my pleasure to get to serve with the many great speakers we had at ARISE. One of the new friends I made was Lauralee. She is a beautiful soul. She has a wonderful sense a humor. And she is a talented and gifted artist.

She was the Featured Breakout presenter on Thursday afternoon of the conference. She spoke about the Artist as the Intercessor. Her thoughts and words were inspirational. God used her to stir people’s hearts and to shine a light into their life. When she concluded her presentation the group gave her a standing ovation. It was so exciting to see how God had worked through her.

After the session she gave us a few more minutes and a little bit more wisdom. Let us know what you think.

Final Reflections on ARISE

Nancy Beach — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:23:00 GMT

I enjoyed a gorgeous weekend here in the Chicago area following the Arts Conference, with a chance to feel the warm sun in my back yard, walk into town for a movie with my husband at the 100-year-old theatre (we saw Ironman, which was quite entertaining), and celebrating Father’s Day at my sister’s home with my 87-year-old father. Throughout the weekend, I thought back on the previous three days, and gave thanks for all that God did among us and in us and through us. Just a few lingering and final thoughts and memories…

Heather…a young woman found me eating breakfast at IHOP Thursday morning, and told me her story. Last year she was a student of the arts in college, and then came to the 2007 Arts Conference. God used the event to re-direct her entire career plan, and now she is serving full-time at a church in the arts ministry. I was reminded of how high the stakes are at these events, and how profoundly the Holy Spirit works inside the hearts of so many who attend.

A man from Pennsylvania...to protect his privacy, I won’t write his name. But I had a moving conversation Thursday with an arts leader who has faithfully served his local church for 17 years, but is now feeling a bit of restlessness and confessed that his joy is waning. His eyes filled with tears, and I could read the guilt all over his face as he admitted his contemplations of making some kind of change. This man loves his church, his pastor, and all the people there. I believe he is only trying to pay attention to the truth that maybe God is prompting him to a different kind of role in ministry, or possibly to another place. But he was clearly quite uncomfortable wrestling with those thoughts. I saw him again on Friday. His eyes looked peaceful. He had slept well, released his concerns to the Lord, and was in a much more trusting place. I think all will be well as he carves out time over the summer to listen to the Spirit and discern what is going on. I look forward to finding out what happens (he promised to touch base).

Surprise moments on Friday…I was delighted by the refreshing music ministry of Kendall Payne, and her response to her less than perfect keyboard work. She’s only played that instrument for 18 months! Her character, the depth of her songs, the richness of her voice, were truly a gift to all of us and I found her to be a breath of fresh air.

At the end of Francis Chan’s stirring, stretching, remarkable message, we all began to sing God of the City. When Francis told me the story behind the writing of that song as we sang down in the front row, I just knew everyone needed to hear that story. So up he went, and then we sang it all again – with an entirely different perspective. The song was written by a guy in a city of Thailand where there are 30,000 prostitutes, as he led worship essentially in a brothel…and believed that greater things are yet to come for God in that city…WOW! Only God can orchestrate moments like that one. I smiled as I drove home, knowing that once again, the best parts of the conference and the most transforming results are completely out of my hands and the hands of others on our team. What an adventure to walk with God and to be stunned by all that He does. I will never know all the stories of private moments with the Spirit, of personal confessions and moments of surrender, of serendipitous conversations in the lobby, at restaurants, in the rental cars, and even in the bathrooms. OK, maybe I’ll hear some of that in heaven. But for now, I simply want to keep telling God “Thank you…Thank you…Thank you.”

A Few More Minutes with Mark Batterson

Pam Howell — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:38:00 GMT

Bowling. It seems a crazy way to end a long day ... a long week. But tonight was Bowl with Your Mom. This is a very important annual event to my middle schooler. Last year was our first time at this mega event and we had a blast. To be honest though, I was not looking forward to it tonight. Not just because I am an awful bowler but I am so tired. It hurt to blink this morning. But I only have two more years of Bowl with Your Mom and I couldn't miss being with Max. He is a sweet boy. He knew I was tired and let me know how grateful he was that I would go. I'm not a perfect parent but tonight I did good and God blessed Max & me. I love my family and I love the ministry I get to be a part of. I have learned that they don't always peacefully co-exist. I have to exercise great discernment on what opportunities to say yes to and which to take a pass. I have to regularly right size my to do list. And sometimes I have to push past the tiredness and go bowling. I love that Mark Batterson chose to talk to us about the challenge of ministry and family. Is this something that you struggle or have struggled with? What are some ways you make sure your family comes first?

Session 3 Highlights and More

Pam Howell — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:08:00 GMT

Rise,

People of love rise

Give yourself away

This was definitely the message of the afternoon.

Robbie, Nancy and Brian certainly encouraged us to live beyond ourselves. To pay attention to the world around us and to use our resources and our art to champion the causes of the invisible and to bring to light injustice as well as beauty.

For me personally, this has been a message God has brought into a new light over the past few years. In April, author and speaker, Lynne Hybels wrote the lead article for EQUIP about how artists can change the world, “We who are entrusted with the gifts of words or melody or film or dance or paint, are also entrusted with a responsibility. To look unflinchingly at reality. To discern truth. To let both the beauty and tragedy of the world break open our hearts. And ultimately, to let God use this process to change us, so that we can in turn become God’s humble, yet bold, agents of change in the world he loves so much.”

How have you been living out Micah 6: 8, “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. “

What examples of art have you seen that are shining a light on truth and calling us to bring His kingdom here on earth?

Session Two

Lori Finnegan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:17:00 GMT

The conference was off to a wonderful start, when we jumped into Session 2. As the loquacious audience sat silently, marveling at the skill of Emily Huddock as she played her violin. We all celebrated the amazing gifts of this 14 year old and applauded Emily’s dedication.

Rock Band gave us some great laughs…. Personally, I’m a Guitar Hero player, however, when Guitar Hero IV releases this fall, you’ll find me fighting for the drums. Thanks to Eric and Tony, our guest judges and our two bands for sharing their skills and insights.

Gilles Ste. Croix and Cirque de Soleil are such an inspiration! From their humble beginnings to this huge, world-wide organization. I really enjoyed seeing the video with the clips of the many different Cirque shows and getting an inside look at their amazing training facility! One of my favorite things that Mr. Ste. Croix said was….”the show is there…you just have to discover it”. Do you believe that is true of the services we create?

Good Morning -- Day 2

Lori Finnegan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:16:00 GMT

This is going to be an awesome day….it’s the day you created! My hope and prayer is that it will be just what you need and that you will be able to hear God speak to you throughout this day.

There are a few things I want to make sure you remember…After Hours at the Learning Expo…from 5:00 – 7:00pm at the Renaissance. There are snacks and door prizes…you may even win the X-Box and Rock Band game from Session 2. You do have to be present to win. Other than having fun and possibly getting free stuff, you do get to talk with over 40 technical vendors and learn the latest about church technology. They vendors are there to serve you, answer your questions and help you take your technical ministry to the next level.

After that, buzz back to Willow Creek for our 2^nd Annual Film Festival starting at 7:30 in the main auditorium. There are some great videos… you will be inspired, you will laugh and you will want to send in submissions next year. Not only will you get creative ideas, but you’ll also have some fun. Hope to see you there.

Until then, learn something you didn’t know before, meet a new friend and let us all know how it’s going….

Thanking The Lord For a Good Day at ARISE

Nancy Beach — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:15:00 GMT

It’s almost bedtime, and I’m reflecting back on the first day of the Arts Conference. My overwhelming feeling toward God is one of gratitude. The Lord was with us moment by moment, from the drum line beginning all the way through to the song Love at the end. The drum line is a group from the south side of Chicago, a neighborhood called Englewood, where I was actually born. It was started by a young leader who wanted to do something constructive to get kids in that under-resourced neighborhood off the streets.

I was struck all day long by a very sweet spirit in the room. As I taught the first session, it seemed like all of us needed a time of cleansing, confession, and renewed surrender. I hope others will dig into Psalm 40 even further, because it is full of riches for artists and teachers!Mr. Gilles St. Croix is a delightful man. I think he’s one of those creative geniuses who is so good at what he does that he has trouble explaining it. I wanted so much more time with that interview than the 30 minutes. But I’m not sure if we had more time (based on my additional conversations with Gilles) that he could have articulated what I most wanted to understand – how he and his team have developed their artistic instincts for what makes something beautiful, what makes a moment work, how to fix it when it’s not working. I bet I speak for most of us when I say how much I would treasure watching Gilles at work, observing a creative concept session and an early rehearsal of a Cirque show. I know we only scratched the surface in the interview, and long to learn more from the artistic excellence of that amazing organization.Finally, I was grateful for the stretching time we experienced with Brian McLaren. I know not everyone agrees with all that Brian writes and speaks about, but I certainly hope we can all agree that Christians need to become more intentional and passionate about bringing God’s kingdom to earth, helping to solve some of the gravest problems in this world. I thought Brian’s list of what artists can uniquely do was worth a lot of further thought and processing. “Humanizing the other” is such a beautiful goal for artists and pastors to aim for.Well, it’s my bedtime. I look forward to teaching all day tomorrow, to connecting in more intimate settings with some of the incredible people who made their way to Chicago for this event. God has been abundantly good to me and to all of us on this day, and I can’t wait to see what awaits us tomorrow…

LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY

Pam Howell — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:52:00 GMT

As I am winding down for the night I am thinking through some details for your day on Thursday. I hope most of you find yourself in the breakouts of your choice. And for those of you who find yourself in your second or third choice, I pray that you will be open to what God has in store for you. I pray that God might reveal to you his reason for where you end up.

If you are interested in changing your breakout or getting in on an open Conversation, stop by Ticket Exchange in the Atrium. There are still opportunities to choose from. If you are interested in participating in any of the Point Leader session, there are still open spots in some of the sessions. Note there is an additional cost to the Point Leaders track.

I wanted to inform you or remind you that we are providing shuttle service all day long between all three of the campuses. All of the breakouts are 45 minutes long, giving you ample time to get back and forth.

There are great staff and volunteers on each of the campuses to answer your questions should something come up. I have great confidence in them. They have been able to answer all the questions I come up with J

Our team has worked to facilitate an environment where you would be ennobled, encouraged and equipped. Our presenters have spent time listening to God and the wisdom of others in how to best serve you. We have prayed that God has been preparing your hearts and mind to receive the gifts he brings during Thursday.

God bless your day. Let us know what you are learning and what good things God brings your way.

Welcome to Arise!

Lori Finnegan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:01:00 GMT

Good morning and welcome to Arise! We are so thrilled to have all of you here and are excited to see how God will move among us over the next three days. We have been praying for each of you and trusting that God will meet you in powerful ways.There are many exciting things going on each day…If you haven’t settled on your Thursday schedule, there are still openings in some of the Point Leader classes. Conference Solutions will help you get signed up if you’d like to attend.On Thursday night, there are a few tickets still available for Jersey Boys, the Tony Award winning Best Musical of 2006, which tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Check with Conference Solutions for that too. Lastly, take some time to share your bloopers at the video confessional today. If you have the best story, you may make it into the final video.Make the most of your time here, get involved, meet new people, share deeply with your team and be open to all that God has in store for you. We’d like your experience with us to be encouraging and rewarding. If you have even a modicum of concerns, please let us know, we’d like to help.Enjoy Arise!

Arise Arts Conference Begins Tomorrow

Nancy Beach — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:50:00 GMT

I am staring out my office window at the sparkling lake on our church campus, so very excited about the thousands of church artists and teachers who will make their way here in the morning for the Arise conference. Even if you haven’t registered by now, you can just show up and register in the morning to join us! We’d love to have you here.

For those who cannot come this year, we would deeply appreciate your prayers. Nothing of substance will happen between now and Friday afternoon without the supernatural outpouring of God’s Spirit on every moment, in every session and workshop and conversation. Please pray that we will sense a mighty wind of the power of our Creator, moving among us and surprising us with His grace.

I’ll be giving some updates at the end of each day, hoping to give you a glimpse of what God does in this place. For the sake of His kingdom…