Arts Blog : Church, Life in Ministry

BOOMERS STEP ASIDE?

Nancy Beach — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:47:00 GMT

Last week's edition of Newsweek magazine included a 2-page article at the very back, written by long-time columnist Anna Quindlen. For 9 years, Anna has been writing "The Last Word" piece every other week for that magazine. While I don't...(read more)

Brainstorming is broken

Tony Kim — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:15:00 GMT

For over 10 years, I have attended countless creative brainstorming meetings about service programming, marketing ideas, and creative events. As much as I hate to say it, I have concluded that brainstorming DOES NOT WORK. At least not the traditional...(read more)

You shall not marry your wife's sister...

Tony Kim — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:35:00 GMT

Let's face it, the Bible is weird. It's filled with spectacular stories, mystical beings, and strange laws , such as: You shall not marry your wife's sister You shall not trim the corners of your beard You should not lie on a bed where a menstruating...(read more)

How to use a Flamethrower

Tony Kim — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:58:00 GMT

Throughout the history of war, the flame thrower has been one of the most iconic symbols of power and destruction on the battlefield. Used in almost every war this century, this weapon is capable of spreading maximum amount of carnage in a maximum amount...(read more)

Let's have a difficult conversation...

Tony Kim — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:37:00 GMT

I have heard leadership described in many ways. A leader is a: visionary, role model, problem solver, teacher,strategist, chearleader, shepherding, and the list goes on and on. These are all great leadership qualities. However, what does leadership ultimately...(read more)

The Secret to Team Creativity...

Tony Kim — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:53:00 GMT

How do you get a team to be more creative? That is the million dollar question. Do you lead through creative excersizes? How about see movies together? Is it a creative office space? Is it reading books on creativity? Perhaps go to an art museum and experience...(read more)

Do you have "Otaku"?

Tony Kim — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:59:00 GMT

One of the beauties of living in a multicultural environment is learning new words. Otaku is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests. Otaku is the interest or activity that you are always talking about. It's the show that...(read more)

Collaboration Doesn't Work...

Tony Kim — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:54:00 GMT

If you are on ‘full time’ staff at your church or non-profit, collaboration with volunteers is hard, slow, and frustrating. Is it worth the pain? Let’s face it; you could just do the job yourself if you had to. Sounds like you have lost faith in the potential...(read more)

A brave new world

Tony Kim — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:22:00 GMT

Hello to the arts movement community! I am so honored and blessed to be apart of the creative voices of the Towards Wonder site. My hope and prayer is to ennoble creative leaders through writings, illustrations, interviews, and observations......(read more)

Churchill and Twain for Church Leaders

Nancy Beach — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

A friend of mine in California, Jeff Brazil, sent me two quotes after we had a conversation about the negative and inaccurate blogging words being penned about Brian McLaren and his orthodoxy. I think both Winston Churchill and Mark Twain have something to say to Christians about our tendency to impulsively write and speak words before we are willing to fully explore a situation and listen carefully to one another.

A lie gets halfway ‘round the world before the truth can get its pants on.

Winston Churchill

Religion and politics are two subjects where people draw their conclusions based on information that is almost exclusively second-hand.

Mark Twain

I was reminded once again of those words today when I had the privilege of interviewing Brian (along with Bill Hybels) for an upcoming Defining Moments recording. Every time I am with Brian, I am more convinced of his passionate love for Christ, his devotion to Scripture, and his prophetic voice for what it means for each one of us to invest our life in building the kingdom of God on earth. Yes, Brian is controversial. He makes us think. He stretches us out of our paradigms and challenges our assumptions. That’s what prophets do. But Brian’s motivation is pure and his heart is solid gold. Why can’t Christians learn how to respectfully disagree with one another? Instead of engaging in animated dialogs about issues we care so much about, we instead too often resort to expressing hateful thoughts, not believing the best about our brothers and sisters, extending no grace. Go ahead and ask your questions about Brian, his writing and his theology. That is healthy. But in the process, speak with a tone of love and respect and acknowledge the possibility that you may not fully grasp what Brian believes or is advocating. Are there any more gracious words for any of us to say than the words, “I may be wrong about this…” or “Am I misunderstanding something here…?” I wish all of us would more closely follow the words of James, to be “quick to listen and slow to speak.” This June, at our Arts Conference titled Arise, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Brian will serve as one of our primary speakers. I believe God has something for us to learn from him. And whether or not we end up agreeing 100% with what Brian has to say, I am certain we will all be enriched as we wrestle with some new thoughts, as we consider what it means to be fully devoted followers of Christ seeking to redeem and restore this broken world with the love of Christ. Thank you, Jeff, for giving me a window into the reflections of Churchill and Twain from long ago – words that could not be more relevant for Christian leaders today.

Holy Week: Two Distinct Dimensions

Nancy Beach — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:43:00 GMT

Darkness and light. Despair and hope. Defeat and victory. Sadness and jubilation. Death and life. These are the contrasts of Holy Week, of the short stretch of time between Thursday night and Sunday morning, between the tragic events of Good Friday and the glorious celebration of Easter. For a Christian, this is one of the most profound, emotional, and certainly foundational weeks of our faith. Every year I look forward to experiencing two parts of the week, and to even physically entering into the two dimensions with a contrast of fasting and feasting, with quiet reflection and sober gratitude leading to freedom and joy. As church leaders, we have the privilege and responsibility, I think, to guide our communities of faith through two distinct experiences. For Easter is not the full and complete proclamation of grace without the mourning that comes with Good Friday. This year, I will be pastoring our five Good Friday services. For an hour, we will reflect on the sacrifices made by our Savior in a kind of memorial service. We will choose to remember. And to give thanks. We will eat together the meal of remembrance through communion. Our team is preparing an experience that will allow our congregation to breathe, to confess, to reflect, and to mourn. With candlelight, the music of the cello, the words of Scripture, and an interactive exercise, we hope to give space and room and atmosphere for appropriate sadness. Then our Easter services will provide for the release of joy worthy of an empty tomb and the hope of resurrection. Visually we will experience a different kind of beauty – full of color and delight and wonder. Musically we will rock the house. And Bill will deliver a message that lifts the spirits toward the God of second chances and the dawn of new light. I love these contrasts! Whatever your part in Holy Week, I hope you will enter into the entire experience - two distinct dimensions of our faith. If you are helping to serve at your church in any way, thank you for doing your part to usher your community into the wonders of this week. This is a holy calling, and a week to treasure. And may you personally feel the contrasts as well, as you privately carve out a few moments to mourn and a few moments to dance…

World Aids Day

Nancy Beach — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:15:00 GMT

This past weekend we focused our services on World Aids Day, and the work our congregation is already doing and wants to do in the future to contribute our time and resources toward addressing this global pandemic. Most of Willow’s work connected to HIV/AIDS is focused in sub-Saharan Africa, where 74% of those suffering from this disease currently live. Our service included a powerful 23-minute video captured last week featuring our lead pastor Gene Appel exploring our work in one of the remotest, northern-most regions of Malawi. I hosted the service, and was so thrilled with how our video team captured the stories, the devastation, the deep needs of our partners in a village so isolated that the nearest paved road is 5 hours away. Then Lynne Hybels, whose personal passion about the AIDS crisis awakened our congregation about 4 years ago, interviewed one of our partners who pastors a church in South Africa. Our church has been outrageously generous toward funding these projects and praying for our partners in the last few years, and it was obvious this past weekend, that they want to do so much more. I feel proud of our people and even prouder of my husband Warren, who volunteers full-time leading our Global Connections ministry. Compared to the staggering need, we are only making a small difference. But if the big “C” church all over the resourced world continues to awaken and mobilize, together we can actually make a huge dent in reducing poverty and reversing the spread of this horrific disease. Finally, I’m ruminating more and more these days on the role Christian artists can and should play in addressing global issues of justice, equality, poverty, and disease. I couldn’t agree more with Brian McClaren, who calls Christian songwriters to invest a portion of their creativity to write songs that call believers to action, to being the hands and feet of Jesus to those who have no voice. We also need story tellers including writers, videographers, and filmmakers to capture the real-life challenges of those who live so far outside of the average person’s reality in the developed world. Our service would have been nowhere near as impactful without the work of such artists. I am hearing more and more from church artists all over the world who are beginning to make a difference with their art in addressing these kinds of needs. Please let me know what you are seeing in your churches and among your artists related to justice issues and the awakening of believers to break out of our comfort zones and holy huddles. We all have a long way to go and a lot to learn – but I’m increasingly hopeful!

A Moment of Beauty In Worship

Nancy Beach — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:05:00 GMT

Last night I hurried over to church for our mid-week worship service. Because my husband is on a ministry trip to Costa Rica, I slipped into a seat alone and weary from a long day. The worship leader invited us to stand, and we began to sing. Honestly, I was not engaged at first, having trouble shaking off the details of my day, the mundane thoughts about my girls getting slammed with homework, about my plans for the next morning. Three songs into the worship time, I looked up at the screens and saw a brilliant video background of golden Fall leaves. Then I noticed the white fabric behind the band, with subtle yet lovely shadows of leaves projected and moving slightly as we sang as though a warm breeze was blowing through the room. And I was caught off guard by the remarkable beauty of that moment. As a visual person, and someone whose primary pathway to God is through creation, I deeply appreciate worship that transcends words. Give me a picture, help me remember for a moment the wonder of what God has made, and chances are so much better I will move out of my self absorption and into a place of gratitude and awe. I imagine the team who hung the fabric, figured out the projections, found the autumn leaves as a background to the lyrics, went about their tasks not knowing whether the time and sacrifice was worth it, whether anyone would even notice or appreciate their craftsmanship. Well I noticed. And my weary soul began to move toward that softer place of remembering who I am and who God is, which is, I guess, the foundation of authentic worship. I am grateful for those who served me with beauty. And even more, I am grateful to the Magnificent Designer of everything I call beautiful.

Raise Your Hand

Nancy Beach — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:23:00 GMT

Nancy received the following response to her “Do I Want to be Called a Christian?” blog post from Mitch Harrison, Pastor of Artist Community at Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV. (Mitch also serves as an Arts Champion, an advisor to the WCA Arts Movement.) Nancy was so moved by Mitch’s thoughts, she wanted to share them in their entirety with you here, and allow you to respond. I always had a desire to say to those outside the faith “It’s not like you think.” I left the traditional church a lot of years ago so that I would have the opportunity to say to real lost people that following Jesus isn’t stupid. So, the latest round of “why the world rejects the church” is troublesome to me as well. The world doesn’t think we’re irrelevant anymore –now they think we’re mean. Great. But I don’t think the answer is for the church to grow more tolerant as we try to hang on to our beliefs. Maybe the answer is to become more loving and live out our real beliefs. We believe that love is the highest expression of Christian character. We believe love fulfills the law. We believe that love covers a multitude of sins. We believe that everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. That love is our new command. That love is the most excellent way. That love never fails. That we love because he first loved us. That the love of Christ compels us. And we believe that the one true identifying characteristic of Christians is their love. Those are our real beliefs. We don’t give up our doctrine to live that way – we uphold it. We fulfill it. I don’t think the world would be on us about not tolerating their beliefs if we loved them like all of our beliefs say we should. Besides, who wants to be merely tolerated anyway? Tolerance isn’t exactly the top of the food chain when it comes to human behavior. Jesus didn’t say, “A new command I give you; tolerate one another as I have tolerated you.” Do any of us really want to find out that people have only been tolerating us? “Yes Mitch, we’ve merely been putting up with you all this time. Want to get a Coke?” No. “Nancy, over the years of our marriage, I’ve truly grown to tolerate you.” Someone would be sleeping on the couch for a long time. Tolerance of others sounds bad to us Christians — and it should. Tolerance is way too passive for Jesus. It stops far short of the kind of self-sacrificing, personally engaging kind of love that got us the name ‘Christian’ in the first place. I was at a church leadership conference at Willow a long time ago and Bill asked how many of the leaders there had a strategy for growing their church. Nearly everyone raised a hand. He asked how many had a strategy for growing people into full maturity. Again, most raised a hand. Then he asked a question that rings in my ears still: “How many of you have a strategy for becoming a more loving person? Raise your hand if you are more loving this year than you were last.” Oh man. Few moved. We were all so ready to tackle the world of church work but had moved too quickly past the one quality that must be the motivation for every move we make as Jesus’ people. I’m still working on raising my hand. mitch mitch HARRISON Pastor of Artist Community Canyon Ridge Christian Church www.canyonridge.org