It's been a while!
My apologies for those of you waiting on me...but I've been questioning ministry development strategies, and realized a blog isn't exactly my first choice for how to communicate with those of intereset. Thanks for stickin' around though! All I ask, are some comments, the only way to let me know if this is really worth our time.
So...back on the topic of "The Arts" like I promised:
Expression: personal or corporate, the arts are all about expression.
From Giacomo Puccini, to Jim Morrison,
From Vincent van Gogh, to Onchi Koshiro.
From Gilles Tran, to Michelangelo.
From Turandot, to The Doors.
From Dutch Post-Impressionists, to Sōsaku hanga.
From digital art, to the Renaissance.
Could you imagine the world without art? Specifically, could you imagine the world without any of the forms of art from above? without music? sculpture? paintings? or computer graphics? (computer graphics may be a stretch, but it is young, and invading our world rather quickly. i.e. Pixar Animation Studios)
I can not. To imagine a world without art, is to imagine the American experiment without free speach; possibly denying the revolutionaries responsible for our freedom, of their contribution to this world. Denying anyone the ability to honestly express their contributions to society seems it ought be criminal. Let's say someone wants to cure cancer, should we deny them the opportunity to at least address that desire? NO! On the other extreme, let's say someone wants to share pornographic stories with children; should we deny them that opportunity? YES! What's the difference? The first - contributing positively to society... the second - defacing the future of our society. The first - honerable... the second - dishonerable. The first - good... the second - bad. The first - an effort to serve the hurting... the second - an effort that hurts the innocent. I hope you can clearly see the difference.
The fact is: when we express ourselves in a documented form, we offer others the opportunity to observe. The things that go un-witnessed, un-written, un-performed, un-published, all are deemed personal, and an expression of ourselves only to ourselves, and God. These are the things that help mold and shape us, just as much as the outside influences we allow into our lives. When it comes time to publicly address a topic, there is always a proper form that pertains to the context in which we want to express... i.e. you want to make a lasting impression on the sidewalk in front of your house... as it is freshly poured...we all know to write our name and the year, or perhaps our initials plus those of the one we are enamored with at the time... the possibilities are endless, as the phrase "to each his own" so eloquently portrays. However, endless is a relative term at this point, because there is an end to the possibilities...until we either a) begin to write in that cement, or b) often the case...the cement dries before we get to leave our impression at all.
So, the question of the day...
...how does this concept of expression fall within the art of worship?
.......my answer...coming up next...
The Plan
To help people praise God in life, love, and purity.
It's that simple.... the plan is to take that statement, and unveil how it relates with the great commission, my life, and yours.
A dream/vision I have is this: you walk into a classroom, office, garage bay, or forest, standing on the front lines of whatever it is you do, and you find that your heart is beating. You think a quick prayer asking for God's blessing, and you labor. And then amidst each battle you come against, you stand on one thing and one thing alone... God's character. As you stand on His truth, and humbly accept His blessing (according to His character), you begin to set an example, raising the bar for your peers. This example, founded upon God Himself, humble and trustworthy in nature, peaks the curiousity of any and all on-lookers awaiting the results. Then... after the battle is fought, these on-lookers are in awe of God's work...whether they know it or not. They offer you praise...and you take it...and offer it back to God, praising Him for His work. As the bar continues to rise through each battle fought, God's character becomes evident, and the on-lookers recognize it is not your truth you stand on, but God's. As the recognition continues to shift from you to God, the on-lookers will have no choice but to face Him, with either humility or pride... leading to their salvation, or death... leading to God's praise.
There are several key concepts portrayed in this story, and I would like to expound on them later... but for now, just know this... that God will be praised!
One observation you might be making...is "how do you, Dean, get involved in that story"? My response is this: right now, at this moment, I'm in the fight and you're an on-looker. I strive daily for God to be praised, by not only His workers, but by the on-lookers too! But for the more "to-the-point" personalities out there:
to help you praise God in life, love, and purity, I have a few ideas...
I would like to explore the following:
-weekend workshops
-leadership team seminars
-worship services
...and always...
-writing
So by now, you should understand the following:
-you're welcome
-please comment
-God will be praised
up next:
the arts
It's that simple.... the plan is to take that statement, and unveil how it relates with the great commission, my life, and yours.
A dream/vision I have is this: you walk into a classroom, office, garage bay, or forest, standing on the front lines of whatever it is you do, and you find that your heart is beating. You think a quick prayer asking for God's blessing, and you labor. And then amidst each battle you come against, you stand on one thing and one thing alone... God's character. As you stand on His truth, and humbly accept His blessing (according to His character), you begin to set an example, raising the bar for your peers. This example, founded upon God Himself, humble and trustworthy in nature, peaks the curiousity of any and all on-lookers awaiting the results. Then... after the battle is fought, these on-lookers are in awe of God's work...whether they know it or not. They offer you praise...and you take it...and offer it back to God, praising Him for His work. As the bar continues to rise through each battle fought, God's character becomes evident, and the on-lookers recognize it is not your truth you stand on, but God's. As the recognition continues to shift from you to God, the on-lookers will have no choice but to face Him, with either humility or pride... leading to their salvation, or death... leading to God's praise.
There are several key concepts portrayed in this story, and I would like to expound on them later... but for now, just know this... that God will be praised!
One observation you might be making...is "how do you, Dean, get involved in that story"? My response is this: right now, at this moment, I'm in the fight and you're an on-looker. I strive daily for God to be praised, by not only His workers, but by the on-lookers too! But for the more "to-the-point" personalities out there:
to help you praise God in life, love, and purity, I have a few ideas...
I would like to explore the following:
-weekend workshops
-leadership team seminars
-worship services
...and always...
-writing
So by now, you should understand the following:
-you're welcome
-please comment
-God will be praised
up next:
the arts
What You'll See Here
Many of us have expectations: expectations that drive our lives, and expectations that weigh us down. Wikipedia calls expectations "a belief that is centred on the future." As we begin this blog, I would like to share some simple 'future beliefs' I have for you:
1) honesty - in these contexts, honesty goes beyond just telling the truth. I believe that as you are inspired in a moment of reading along, you will heed the quiet voice within, and post a comment immediately as to preserve your thoughts and share with others (please understand that comments on this blog are public in nature, and private matters are welcome via email to praisetool@gmail.com). I've learned to cherrish my initial thoughts, and hope this practice might rub off as we journey along.
2) faithfulness - I pray that as I live my life, it would be worth your time. I strive to not only be above board in all things, but to be worth the investment of whatever means you give (time, prayer, friendship, etc...).
3) prayer - believe it or not, everyone has a relationship with their Creator. Whether they choose to ignore it, engage it, or simply accept it, everyone has some form of a connection with who I call God. This is evident through the concept of an intelligent design... Why wait until calamity? Simply open yourself to just a few thoughts in God's direction.
ok... so that covers what I am looking forward to from your end of things...
... on to what you can expect from me...
1) honesty - you can expect that I will share the truth.
2) faithfulness - you can expect that I will be faithful to you as warranted by your faith in me. In these contexts this will hopefully look like a long-term blog, with feedback and response.
3) prayer - you can expect that I will open myself towards God's direction, as He continues to give the life that He continually gives. And chances are, as you share your thoughts in and on this blog, I will be opening myself towards God's direction, thinking about you and all you have to share.
...stay tuned...
1) honesty - in these contexts, honesty goes beyond just telling the truth. I believe that as you are inspired in a moment of reading along, you will heed the quiet voice within, and post a comment immediately as to preserve your thoughts and share with others (please understand that comments on this blog are public in nature, and private matters are welcome via email to praisetool@gmail.com). I've learned to cherrish my initial thoughts, and hope this practice might rub off as we journey along.
2) faithfulness - I pray that as I live my life, it would be worth your time. I strive to not only be above board in all things, but to be worth the investment of whatever means you give (time, prayer, friendship, etc...).
3) prayer - believe it or not, everyone has a relationship with their Creator. Whether they choose to ignore it, engage it, or simply accept it, everyone has some form of a connection with who I call God. This is evident through the concept of an intelligent design... Why wait until calamity? Simply open yourself to just a few thoughts in God's direction.
ok... so that covers what I am looking forward to from your end of things...
... on to what you can expect from me...
1) honesty - you can expect that I will share the truth.
2) faithfulness - you can expect that I will be faithful to you as warranted by your faith in me. In these contexts this will hopefully look like a long-term blog, with feedback and response.
3) prayer - you can expect that I will open myself towards God's direction, as He continues to give the life that He continually gives. And chances are, as you share your thoughts in and on this blog, I will be opening myself towards God's direction, thinking about you and all you have to share.
...stay tuned...
Welcome
Thank you for your attention.
I would like to invite you on an adventure: a personal adventure with yours truly.
Please feel free to follow along as I live this life.
For those of you who have already adventured, I thank you for your endless support and encouragement. This in itself is a confirmation that my steps are not in vain. As we trek along, each leg of the journey will take us many places; for example: our beginnings.
I pray that as more people come along side, more people will simply enjoy life, just as you have.
For those of you whom I have just recently, or maybe haven't met yet: welcome.
Whether you follow Jesus, or not... whether you go to church, or not... all I ask is this: heed the quiet voice you've heard before, and live right.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the form of a comment below.
Side by side.
I would like to invite you on an adventure: a personal adventure with yours truly.
Please feel free to follow along as I live this life.
For those of you who have already adventured, I thank you for your endless support and encouragement. This in itself is a confirmation that my steps are not in vain. As we trek along, each leg of the journey will take us many places; for example: our beginnings.
I pray that as more people come along side, more people will simply enjoy life, just as you have.
For those of you whom I have just recently, or maybe haven't met yet: welcome.
Whether you follow Jesus, or not... whether you go to church, or not... all I ask is this: heed the quiet voice you've heard before, and live right.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the form of a comment below.
Side by side.
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