Recently, I took the opportunity to follow a leading to create a piece of artwork.  It was centered around the word ‘life’.  Several things contributed to my mind settling on this word.  Many times I have ideas pop into my head, but quickly dismiss them as impossible, improbable or impractical.  I quit before I start.  Sadly, I know in my heart that God gives me many of those prompts and I lack the faith and stamina to follow through.

But, back to why I landed on the word ‘life’.  Recently, a good friend needed me to sit with her in court while the man who murdered her mother 2 ½ years ago was sentenced.  He received “Life plus 30 years”.  I spent considerable time in the weeks leading up to the sentencing thinking about a life sentence and what exactly that means.  The anticipation of Spring contributed, too, I’m certain.  And, perhaps more significantly, the calendar says it’s nearly Easter, and that, of course is the culmination of everlasting Life in Christ. 

So, there’s a written piece that goes along with my artwork (pictured below).  I hope it inspires you press in on just what John 6:47 means to you, personally.  Here it is:

 Life – Puzzle Pieces 

Life is like an unfinished puzzle with many pieces of life scattered all over the table.  As things fall into place, though, the outcome doesn’t fit the way we envision a puzzle coming together.  Some pieces are missing when we think they should have already been found.  Others are forever lost.  Puzzle pieces from other peoples’ lives seem to find their way into our puzzle, confusing or adding to it; filling in a gap or a hole. The completed puzzle rarely resembles the picture on the box.  There might be traces of the picture throughout the puzzle, but the imprint of life embossed on the finished product forever changes the landscape of the puzzle.

 Life – Road Maps 

Life is like a map spread out on the dashboard of a car.  There are so many ways to go, so many turns to make, so many uphill climbs to navigate, so many paths, so many destinations, so many road blocks and detours.  It’s easy to get lost on the road and in life.  Clear directions and a set destination keep us focused and on task.  Road blocks are easily managed when back roads and detours are anticipated.  Twists and turns, hills and valleys are taken without effort when what lies ahead is planned out.  And, even when a sudden pot hole or bump comes up in the road, recovery is effortless when all eyes are on the map and sights are set on the destination.

 Life – Pick Up Sticks 

Life is like a game of pick up sticks.  The rules are simple:  Hold all sticks upright with one hand on the table.  Open the hand quickly so that the sticks scatter on the table.  Pick up sticks one at a time until another stick is caused to move besides the one being attempted to be picked up.  Life is frequently a scattered mess, like the sticks dropped on the table.  Then, the mess is sorted out, bit by bit, stick by stick, until everything is back in its place ready to be scattered again.

 Life – Colored Tissue Paper 

Life is like the colors of a rainbow; Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  Together they create a beautiful hue of colors across the sky.  Life’s colors are varied and sundry; joy, sorrow, happiness, contentment, love, anger, peace.  It is impossible to know one color without experiencing the others.  Each compliments the others to paint a beautiful picture of the time spent connecting with others, doing life, and living.  Each helps define experiences and emotions.  Each helps to complete us.

The crucifixion notwithstanding, we don’t have to think about Easter for long to come up with some purely secular free-association topics from our personal memory banks: chocolate bunnies, pastel jelly beans, decorated eggs, deviled eggs, ham, carrot cake… and new shoes! Preferably white patent leather ones. (This may be just a girl thing. Or not, in this crowd.) And a summery new dress to wear to church, even if it’s sleeting on Easter morning.

I started thinking about what we wear to church, and why, after PK did the “tucked, un-tucked or half-tucked” thing last Sunday. Generally, I think it’s a relief not to have to worry too much about what to wear to church. Acknowledging that church isn’t supposed to be a competitive fashion show helps us focus on why we’re really there. It’s good to remember that we actually have a scriptural basis for our little tradition of telling our neighbor “You look good,” followed up by “Who cares?” As PK pointed out, 1 Samuel 16:7 says “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” It seems pretty clear to me that God doesn’t care too much about what I wear to church.

Still…it’s Easter! I want a new dress, dang it! Having grown up small-town Southern Baptist, it’s been something of a shock for me to realize that scripture not only doesn’t mandate new clothes for Easter, it doesn’t even offer the justification I need for a spring shopping spree. Wait a minute… I think I can find some spiritual symbolism. A new dress in spring colors could be a metaphor for the new life I have in Christ…for the beauty of the resurrection. A sacred metaphor!

Okay, maybe that’s a stretch. It’s my favorite non-sacred Easter tradition, though. I wish I had access to all of the faded photos of my sister and me standing in the yard with our Easter baskets, wearing matching home-sewn new Easter dresses and shiny new shoes, shivering in the cold early spring morning, our hair blowing in our faces. Instead, I’ll embarrass my kids. I didn’t have little girls to carry on the tradition of Easter dresses. But I made the best of the situation, and I loved buying those little suits with shorts and suspenders and bow ties for my boys to wear on Easter when they were little. (Yep, that’s Logan with the baby buddha belly, and his big brother Alex with the bunny.)

I’m afraid this may be the last generation for the fancy new Easter clothes tradition. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a new dress for Easter by the end of the week, and I know the little girls at church will be adorable in their ruffles and bows, but I’m guessing most of the teens and twenty-somethings will be in jeans, as usual. And they’ve probably got it right, after all. God looks at the heart, right? Still, I’m pretty excited about my new white patent leather shoes.

This is an interesting question to me.  Can God’s truth be seen in all art?  I can absolutely see how some art, unbeknownst to its author/craftsman (notice I didn’t say creator) can glorify God.  One example that stands out to me is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  (one of my favorite authors).  This story, if you haven’t read it, lays out the story of Christ beautifully, even though that was not Silverstein’s intention.  What he wanted to do was to write a story about love.  Love however, is part of God’s Truth and so His perspective showed through.  On the other hand a storyteller who wants to twist love into something that it’s not, skews the truth and leads us away from God if we buy into what this storyteller has written.  I do believe that some films/stories (pick your artistic medium here) blatantly twist the truth in an attempt to get us to believe in worldly wisdom and ungodly ideas. 

There have been periods in history where art was exclusively sacred, only depicting biblical scenes and characters.  Don’t hear me saying that I want that, but I wonder if we could get any farther from sacred art than where we are a society right now?

Here is where I get a little confused; not all art fits neatly into one of these two categories:  1. Art that points to God’s Truth.  2. Art that glorifies worldliness.  Take for example, the musical/movie RENT.  Here, the very purpose that the author, Jonathan Larson,  had in mind was to convince us that certain lifestyles and choices are OK. (homosexuality, all kinds of sexual immorality, drugs use, demanding charity with no intention of bettering one’s own circumstances, volatile relationships, etc.)  The characters sing “no day but today,” this is it folks, today is all we have, so do what feels good.  Toward the end of the musical there is this anthem, La Vie Boheme,  that includes the glorification of every kind of debauchery imaginable.  The characters in RENT celebrate their choices and glorify numerous things that are contrary to God’s plan for our lives.  For the communities and peoples that embrace these sad choices, the story of RENT validates their decisions and circumstances.  However, as a believer, when I see this story acted out, I see something totally different.  I see God’s truth shinning through.

Here’s how: Roger and Mimi constantly hurt each other.  Maureen plays with the emotions of and hurts Mark and JoAnne.  Angel dies of AIDS.  Collins, Mimi and Roger all also have AIDS and go to life support meetings where people are constantly losing their fight for life and dying of this awful disease.  Roger, who wants to be a musician cannot write.  He runs away to Santa Fe to write his song.  While Jonathan Larson strove to normalize these lifestyles and evoke sympathy for these characters, I watch them destroy themselves.  I feel sorry for them, yes, but not because they are put upon by society and seen as outcasts, but because at every turn of the page, they make more decisions that bring them farther down into the pit.  They choose it.  It is these choices that destroy them.  I see God shinning through this story saying “Enough!  Stop what you’re doing!  Don’t you see that you’re killing yourselves?”  It is so sad to me that Jonathan Larson missed his own point.  The directors and actors have missed the greater message that is told through this show – a life separated from God is no life at all. 

So can God’s truth be seen even when worldly wisdom is the driving force in a work of art?  I think it can be seen, but perhaps only by those who know the Truth.

I spent Friday night writing a story that’s been on my mind for about 4 weeks now. Some of the questions this story asks are really big, like “What would it look like to actually achieve world peace?” and “What causes democracy to fail?” and “How do you determine right and wrong in a situation where there is no clear moral imperative?” As I was writing all this down, I realized that I’m terribly ill equipped to actually answer any of the questions that I’m thinking about (much like I am ill equipped to be writing a blog.) Thankfully, I believe that the best stories don’t have to answer the questions, they merely ask the questions and create an environment for dialogue.

That being said, I still WANT to answer the questions. It’s my story right? I’m in control, right? I should be able to tell it however I want! Maybe that’s true, but I’m reminded of the difference between being in charge and being in control. As the storyteller, I’m pretty much in control of the character’s actions, thoughts, feelings (I get to be god) – but if people are going to relate to my story and buy in, ie. if my story is going to be a “good” story, then all of the character’s actions, thoughts and feelings have to be believable, and in order for the story to be believable the characters have to be real. In order for a character to be real, he or she has to follow the rules of human behavior. Long story short – I go round and round in circles and I’m inevitably faced with God’s Truth. I don’t actually have any control over these characters! Anything they do that doesn’t have a ring of truth, will read as false and therefore not be believable and then my story will stink.

All of this was news to me, because I don’t really think of myself as a writer – but I really enjoyed getting into it, into the mess of story telling, and getting some thoughts down on proverbial paper (I say proverbial because it’s actually residing on a hard drive – that and I enjoy alliteration.) Has this idea of a writer not really being in control ever occurred to any of you? What about an actor not being in control? I always thought I was in control as an actor – but I’m coming to believe that even the immensity of freedom we have as actors to portray the entire spectrum of human emotion is still confined within God’s Truth – and if a character does something that isn’t confined within that truth, it will read as false and therefore stink.

any thoughts?

I’m not saying that there can be only good Christians in stories – certainly not – only that in order for a story to connect with people, the characters have to follow the rules of human behavior and those rules are established by God’s Truth.

now I’m just rambling… so I’ll say “peace out, homies”

We are experiencing a longing fulfilled and it is bringing life and sweetness to our souls and the soul of our team. Has a longing been filled for you lately? Or do you have a hope or a longing that has not been fulfilled. Is your heart sick? Hold fast in the Lord who carries your hopes close to His heart. He nourishes each desire and prepares you to receive them. Then in perfect season, He releases them on the winds of mercy falling gently in your presence, better than you could have ever imagined. Praise God, the Hope Holder and Heart Healer!