May 30, 2021 | Creativity & Worship
softly and quietly and some might say … slowly
the child awakens
waking up to love and righteousness
she is waking up to His voice in the morning
she is listening – leaning on His chest
as a child listens with their whole heart
when grown up, she strayed far far from Him
lost in the sea of worlds
broke – she returned
She came up from the way of the wilderness of indifference
through the path of the coldest gardens known to man
of a love- less christianity with her garbage in tow
her bags packed in case of an emergency
arriving at the heavy doors of religion
she stayed way too long and didn’t find the wine
nor the freedom in cold houses smelling of old incenses
broken and lost /she longed for the life promised
she’d lost her fire and life
and even her soul in nights of winters walking in deserts
and wildernesses of the cold
but now… she is waking up
not partially
but in fullness…. the awake of every emotion and all feels
awake to know and to be
awake to hear and respond
with more than a yes to say
with the wind in her hair /sun in her eyes
she is rising up
up from the ground out on the headland
watching sunrise/ sunset
risen up and new and bold
out of her hardness into Christ like softness
learning to be loved and to give
leaning to be kind and to extend
feet to run
hands to hold
hearts to feel
this woman…she is not intimidated
not fearing the darkness
but living in fullness
she is strong and fearless
loving the light /more than life
growing in health… being healed in light
A bride ….carries light of life
warmth of His glory
fire of His belly
in her bones is His life
the heart to see
the heart to hold
she is alive and free
she is a radiant
being in step in freedom
dancing on the stones of resistance
in cities long devastated from wars that never end
for rights all to defend
of strongholds of injustice and witchcrafts bends
she islifting up the arms of the caring ones
being in the midst of creative ones and of the
business men
she is a flaming fire and a warrior heart
she is a lover not a worker and a fighter of freedom
full of vision for the one who is hers
He adores her…..His bride
awakening the piercing sweet truth
and breath of life with beauty of breath itself
lungs to breath
heart to feel
this bride is on fire
she is a flame of fire from the very heart of God
burning eyes and burning feet
let this one sing and know and tell
the Bride is alive and she is awake to love
and now anything can happen
and everything will be fulfilled
ring the bells …..ring them loud and long
to say its time to come home
come let us adore
come let us worship
come let us celebrate the marriage of the lamb
to a loving bride awakened once more
Oct 20, 2019 | Creativity & Worship, Uncategorized
God’s dream for the church is to have a passionate, company of Spirit-saturated lovers who love God, life, and each other. As they observe the culture of Heaven they bring that culture to the earth.
They give whole heartedly and dream passionately. They are full of His beauty and struck by the wonder and mystery of His being. They choose to excel at life, because they are devoted to His heart and defending His name. They build villages of hope that radiate with Heaven’s light. They serve the world and each other, by laying their lives down and give their hearts for the beauty of Heaven to overflow them.
The family of God are open- hearted ones, who build relationships of care. This heavenly culture is shown in value and culture. They love not their own lives, and live from a world that no one sees. They take their prophetic directions from a King who is both meek and majestic. They are a company of yielded hearts, burning hearts and warrior runners. They overcome obstacles with His glory. They design with one thing in mind. For the glory of God to consume hearts, lives, relationships and regions.
They excel in the arts, theatre, dance, music, worship and expression. They were created for blessings and goodness. They are an innovative and problem solving group of people. They are a governmental body of wise master builders. They are filled with supernatural wisdom and understanding. The leaders are at rest and in joy because peace is their guide.
Are they without pain and without imperfection? No, far from it. They are weak and dependent. They know who is their strength and how to receive it. In weakness they are powerful, in powerlessness they are strong and courageous.
They will not give up until the glory increases all over the earth. First in one location, followed by another and then another, until every region is blanketed in the visible cloud of His glory. This is the church of Jesus on the earth and His heart for them is to shine with His glory and grace.
This is the glory community of heaven on earth!
May 24, 2016 | Creativity & Worship
“I am certain of nothing but of the holiness of the heart’s affections and the truth of the imagination. What the imagination seizes as beauty must be truth – whether it existed before or not – for I have the same idea of all our passions as of love: they are all, in their sublime, creative of essential beauty” – Selected Letter, by John Keats
The standing ovation for Les Misérables in the Imperial Theatre, New York, was so heartfelt, that a rush of God’s presence swept throughout the theatre. We were in awe of what we had just seen and experienced, but even more in awe that this audience had been so moved by Victor Hugo’s story of extreme redemption and forgiveness. It truly was an outstanding performance. For those who had ears to hear, it artfully told the story of the gospel.
There is a renaissance of true freedom going on in the arts today. These new expressions are sweeping through the Body of Christ and changing culture. It is such a great time to be an artist because so many congregations and communities are taking a hold of the value for the arts. During the historical Renaissance period, the church was at its peak in terms of being the community that shone in the realm of the arts. The period of history in from the 14th Century through to the 17th Century was a time of extreme and heightened creativity. The word ‘renaissance’ means re-birth and during this time period, creativity and culture ‘came to life’ in a new way.
Currently we are in a season in the church, where something seems to have pushed us to new frontiers. The church is waking up from a long nap and is now forging ahead with new creativity. God is preparing in secret (and through much pressure); the many artisans, prophets, and leaders that will emerge in the coming years and who He will reveal to the world.
Art is the beauty of God displayed by human hands, and the enemy knows that if he can destroy this passion, that the church will have great difficulties in revealing the nature of God. The divine dream of God was always to have artists and musicians who live from the mountaintop of the glory realm and to bring that glory down to earth (1 Samuel 10:5).
Art reflects heart more than the mind,
because it reveals our core feelings
In actuality, art is even more than all this. It appears that art has been designed by God to heal us and to bring connection between us. Sociologists are finding that participation in the arts is a powerful way to overcome obstacles and to build the cohesion that communities long for. Engaging with the arts brings a higher consciousness of others and their bias or need. It broadens the mind, expands the heart and opens us up to more of God. The British Art Council explains; “There is strong evidence that participation in the arts, can contribute to community cohesion, reduce social exclusion and isolation, and or make communities feel safer and stronger.*”*http://www.artscouncil.org.uk
Art causes us to stop in the madness and flurry of life to listen and observe others. When we join in with others in the process of of collaboration, we are not only blessed by the outcome, but we are also bonded as we journey together.
Henri Matisse said: “the artist is an explorer”
This is so true. The artist is a pioneer, blazing new trails and new paths.
We become fully human when we allow ourselves to find the creative thread that is placed in our souls by God. It is your responsibility to find this golden thread within you and it is the job of the church community to awaken hearts again to dream, to play and to create. In every heart, the seeds of creativity exist! When these are given light and water, these seeds burst with new life.
We are the “imagining community”
Imagination is the ability to dream and see. When people stop dreaming or daydreaming, it’s because they can no longer imagine what life could be like. Something has stopped their brains from thinking with a limitless, inspired perspective.
In every city of the earth, we find villages of artists! In the Sohos, the Manhattans, in the back streets and in the back alleys; artists live in community and bring their hearts together in a communal swirl. Here, artists gather in ‘village’ like surrounds, to find their comrades.
In almost every town in Europe during the last century, ‘cultural houses’ existed. These were gathering places, where neighbors engaged in the arts and got to know one another better. In Australia, during settlement, we created “Art Institutes” for this purpose. These ‘institutes’ were often in our town halls, where men and women would gather to learn new skills from one another that could be passed on from one generation to the next. This built culture and strengthened family, providing a deep kinship in the difficult seasons.
On a trip to Vietnam, I was in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. In this area, during the early years of the French settlement, it became a place where Vietnamese could retain their own culture. The artisans organized themselves into 36 guilds, including; the guild of silver, bamboo, silk and even the hat guild! Each guild occupied a street in the Old Quarter, as they endeavored to protect their art and cultivate it further by passing it on to the next generation.
When I read this, it made me dream for the church!
Art is our narrative of both His nearness and our humanity
In community we hurt and suffer together and so, therefore, our creativity goes to a whole new level. We are saddened by loss we are brightened by hope and then we are drawn ever forward into new expressions of our hearts. When the community is in heartache, it is often the artists who bring us through. The new songs or the new paintings that are all expressions of the journey, that reminds us of the cross and of His goodness. We live for Him and we die for Him.
We are a people who yearn and suffer and delight, all in one. We experience the passion and the pain, and the agony and the ecstasy. Community fosters an expression of all those different emotions, and creates different avenues for expression.
St Francis of Assisi said: “He who works with his hands is a laborer, he who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman, he who works with his hands, his head and his heart is an artist”
Creativity brings ecstasy and divine fulfillment as we enjoy and cherish the artistic life together. Joy and ecstasy rests on the face of creative people when they talk about their craft. This joy is infectious! It affects the whole community!
When the glory comes on people, we are at our creative best, imagining a better world.
I love to watch as the community comes alive when we take time to take creativity to a new level. The Lord is attracted to us as we pursue design and artistic endeavors. He loves to pour out His glory and to release His pleasure in the form of His presence. There is no doubt about it; developing the arts and artists is a key to attracting the glory and having a healthy, happy and cohesive community.
For myself, I have several ways to stay art focused. Reading a huge range of books, going to galleries and shows, and indulging my senses in beauty are all ways that I stay alive to the creative flow in me. We all have to spend time to nurture this creative golden thread within us.
Let the imagination of your heart and mind partner with others for a divinely inspired collaboration.
