Do Not Love The World…

But love the people.

Love the community and culture you reside.

They are not the same as loving the world.

Permission to Scream

“The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That’s the deal.”

— C.S. Lewis

With the news of Glen Hansard’s death this week, I found myself revisiting some of his live performances.

I remember first seeing Once and getting chills when I heard him sing Say It To My Now.

I wasn’t alone.

Glen’s authenticity trickled through his fans ever since. I love seeing these live clips of his unplugged versions of this song.

Glen had a depth of wisdom about songwriting, performing, and community.

It’s actually been many years since I’ve listened to Glen’s music. Life goes by I guess. But deaths come with reminders. This is why Lewis’ quote rings with me, “The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That’s the deal.”

Thanks Glen for being part of my creative DNA.

Always Losing Heart (and Never Praying)

In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells his followers a parable so they’d always pray and not lose heart.

It is quite easy to reverse these: always be weary and never turn to prayer.

Sometimes, customizing a story as a response to a precise angst is the most Christlike thing you can for someone.

Don’t Charge Joy Tax

[Some language]

I recently heard Derek Sivers talk about the starving artist,

The starving artist pours his heart into a project that’s incredibly valuable to him, but not (yet) valuable to others. That’s why no money comes.

While one goal of making art is for one’s own joy and pleasure (see the worship wheel), there remains is a social aspect as well.

Art's social purpose is to create value for others, while recognizing it won't reach everyone.

Ross mistook everyone’s delight as true and genuine interest in his craft. But Phoebe actually enjoyed it. Ross thought it was for everyone. But only one was a true believer.

Artists experience true freedom comes when we don’t expect others pay the cost of genuine delight in your craft.

Sermons: Oral Art Hierarchy

An exposition of a modern Sunday morning church service would indicate that the preacher is the central artist and their sermons are the oral art of choice: 

• The sermon takes up the most time of a service.

• The preacher has had years of training for this craft.

• Entire institutions exist to help sharpen this craft (it’s just another kind of art school).

• Many Christians “church shop” depending on their critique of the preacher’s “performance.”

• The space of the room is designed with the pulpit as the center or main focal point. 

• Most churches reflect the age, ethnicity, and culture of their primary preacher.

• The central artifact of value (scriptures) are embedded within this context of oral arts.

It is not wrong to think this way. In fact, once we do accept sermons as oral art forms, we’ll honor the realm of beauty allocated to our gatherings in a new way.

When The Art Says More About The Viewer

One artwork in college upset me. It was an abstract student piece on the museum wall.

I didn’t understand it. At the time, I hated minimalism and abstract art. “This isn’t art!” I would bemoan. 

I looked at the title and description for any clues. 

The description read something along the lines, “This painting means what you want it to mean. If I tell you anything about it, you’ve missed the point.” 

How is it, 20 years later, this stands out to me? 

For years I remembered the artist’s comment and felt offended. I’d think, “how lazy of them to write such a thing.” “This truly is not art.” 

But then something changed. 

I started to think about it more. And I realized something.

Good art says much more about the viewer than the art itself. What was my response teaching me about…me? Look at my lack of love for another artist! Look at how I look down on another for their skill-level. Look at how fickle my emotions are that I took so personally a little comment from an unknown artist.

Complaining vs. Art-Making

Complaining is the activity of sharing your emotions directly and freely without any self-control as to limitations regarding ethical boundaries. You are the lord of the moment. 

I suggest though that if you want to complain, translate it within an allusive forms of a genre, or, art.

You’ll have a greater impact and your complaints might serve the world rather than merely tearing it down.

Within the art form lies the ability to both tear down, but also build up.

Cognitive Responses to Imagination Things

We asked AI recently to generate a song.

We really wanted to hear the Minions sing “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. We thought it would sound funny.

Instead of a song, it generated a descriptive essay on what the song would sound like.

God did not merely wire us for cognitive living.