A friend of mine, Melinda, is an artist. Recently she went to an art conference in New York City and wanted to share with me what she learned. What she wrote made me a little teary. I told her she wrote her mission statement. Why is it so hard to include her heart and gifting (and others like her) with the mission of CCC? I think as long as CCC misses out on this, even at a local level, we will continue to miss vast portions of our audience and lose effectiveness. We need people like Melinda to blaze a new path and lead us in a new direction.
Anyway, here is the heart of one gifted artist.
"Here are some things I learned in NYC: They talked about how art(art of all forms) is a language of the soul...we can communicate things that are true, false, evil, good...on and on...it made me think of the verse in James that says, " With the tongue we praise out Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the spring?" It made me realize that my heart overflows to not only my words but also the language of my art. Art speaks to the soul....the holistic being of man...which science and conceptual knowledge can not....we have a unique voice in the world. Some things that are Universal...in every culture...humans are born...they die...and every known culture has some artistic form...which should tell us that art is imperative to the life of the human soul. They encouraged us to push back the darkness in the world with beauty....to be the eye in the storms of life....that place of peace for the weary ones caught in the world. We must seek to be brokers of peace and reconciliation...to God and to others....they gave examples of one man playing his cello in the streets of Slovenia where wars were being had...and men had been killed...I thought of Martin Luther King Jr...using the power of art in his I have a Dream Speech....the way his heart formed those words...no stale outlined speech could've done...he spoke into the soul of men. Educating people about art isn't about creating art patrons...its about creating a society in which we would want to live...and I say that is more glorifying to God and more fully represents His Kingdom....we are here to create outposts for His Kingdom....We live in a consumer society. and as such...people loose touch with the potential of their humanity...and loose touch with the depth and richness which God in His grace has created us to be a part of.....let us not merely amuse others with our art...or entertain them...but let us speak transformation and breath life and hope into their souls...... "
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