The Yellow Ochre Newsletter
A weekly curation of encouragement and practical wisdom to turn your art from a hobby into a purposeful blessing for your community and culture.
Get rid of the “And”
Beware of what C.S. Lewis wrote into the demon, Screwtape’s, influence what he called “Christianity And”:
Beware of what C.S. Lewis wrote into the demon, Screwtape’s, influence with what he called “Christianity And”:
“What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in a state of mind I call ‘Christianity And.’ You know—Christianity and the Crisis, Christanity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitude for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring.”
Archippus Times
As I have been compiling a list of all the kinds of missionary helpers throughout the New Testament, I came across one obscure name at the end of Colossians 4. As Paul name-drops several people and does his usual end-of-letter closing, he tells the Colossians this
As I have been compiling a list of all the kinds of missionary helpers throughout the New Testament, I came across one obscure name at the end of Colossians 4. As Paul name-drops several people and does his usual end-of-letter closing, he tells the Colossians this:
“Tell Archippus, ‘Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.’”
What a random thing to say. The only other place Archippus is mentioned is in Philemon 2 where he is called “our fellow soldier.”
I was reflecting on the fact that we live in a kind of ARCHIPPUS-TIMES.
On one hand, you’ve got this guy, Archippus. It is clear that the Lord has an allotted space for him to be doing some kind of service in God’s kingdom. It is also unclear what he is dealing with that would hinder him from getting to this work. Is he being lazy? Is he unaware he’s got work to do? (that can’t be it). Has he run up against some sort of discouragement? Trial? Mid-life crisis? And why him of all the people in Colossae? Are all the other believers doing what God has asigned for their specific good works?
On the other hand, you have the work of the believers to nudge him toward remembering he’s got a specific responsibility for kingdom work. He’s got specific responsibility. God has transmitted some kind of work for him to do.
Sometimes, we need the encouragement to get to it. Other times, we need to nudge others.
What is our work?
I entited this that we live in Archippus times. Maybe we don’t even live in those times though. Perhaps we live in pre-Archippus times. It is easy to assume only leaders, those set-apart with degree in hand, have work to do for the kingdom. At least Archippus likely knew he had specific work to do. He just needed the car turned back on. How do you discover this kind of allotted work then?
Questions
One way to begin is by understanding yourself, your story, your angsts, your failures, your accomplishments, and what you enjoy doing that seems odd to others.
I’ve compiled a list of some of my most favorite questions to get you started.
New Section
I've added a new section to this site: Make Sight.
I continue to add elements to my site here. Check out my new section “Make Sight.”
Comfort
You never know who you might be a comfort to.
Similarly, you never know who might show up as a comfort to you.
"But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus..." (2 Corinthians 7:6)
You never know who you might be a comfort to.
Similarly, you never know who might show up as a comfort to you.
"But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus..." (2 Corinthians 7:6)
Thriller Digital Painting
Thriller. Fall officially begins September 22.
Fall officially begins September 22. But, you know…we’re almost there.
And what else says Fall than a good 80s Halloween reference.
Thriller (digital painting, 2024)
The Mission Has Always Been The Point
Augustine asked Ambrose where to begin reading the Bible after conversion.
Ambrose told him Isaiah. Why?
Augustine asked Ambrose where to begin reading the Bible after conversion.
Ambrose told him Isaiah. Why?
“Presumably because the Gospel and the calling of the gentiles are foretold more clearly in that book than in any other.” (Confessions IX, 5)
The mission has always been the point.
My Advice for Songwriting
A friend recently asked if I could teach songwriting. After writing songs for over 20 years, I had never considered sharing my version of the “secret sauce.” Here’s my attempt...
A friend recently asked if I could teach songwriting. After writing songs for over 20 years, I had never considered sharing my version of the “secret sauce.” Here’s my attempt:
Try it. Seriously, this is step one. No fluff. Literally, just try! If you don’t do anything else on this list, do this one. I once heard Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine say that he assigns his new students their first homework after the first lesson: to create a song using only the two chords he teaches them. Why many of us don’t try: trying to make up a song requires thinking about something we don’t often get permission for. Push past this resistance. No matter your skill level.
Lyrics: Write what frustrates you. Write down ten things that bother you most about life, the world, gaps in your life. What heartaches have you had recently? What core memories from your life make you most sad? Most happy?
Lyrics: Write what hope you have. Write down ten hopes you have. Where did those hopes come from? What do you hope is the outcome of those frustrations?
Genre: Choose your weapon. What genre or art form expresses this best within your skill set (no matter how skillful you are)? The genre provides the natural limitations needed to force your creativity. Do the genre that feels most natural.
Build it! Pick two or three combinations of notes. Pick a song structure that makes the most sense for you (ex. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus). Regurgitate and repeat what sounds the coolest to you (it’s ok if you don’t know why it sounds cool). If you don’t like what you’re hearing, throw it out.
Practice + Share it. Don’t bypass this step! Practice and share. Practice and share. Practice and share. Use a voice memo app to record yourself to remember it.
Congrads. You’ve just written a song.
“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with books on algebra etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, “Iʼd like my crayons back, please.”
Transforming Your Trouble into Your Work
"The working artist will not tolerate trouble in her life because she knows trouble prevents her from doing her work. The working artist banishes from her world all sources of trouble. She harnesses the urge for trouble and transforms it in her work." (The War of Art, 24).
I love this quote from Steven Pressfield:
The working artist will not tolerate trouble in her life because she knows trouble prevents her from doing her work. The working artist banishes from her world all sources of trouble. She harnesses the urge for trouble and transforms it in her work. (The War of Art, 24).