Finding a context for your gifting isn’t easy. For artist who want a larger more spiritual or transcendent context, the art world doesn’t offer much, and unforturtunately, the church is often also silent. But there is a metaphysical house or spiritual structure being built globally, that excites us with a true context into which to create our works of art, and inspire the cities and nations with a fresh Voice.
We are part of a global collaboration which is really about downloading heaven onto earth through the arts. In this way, our art provides a space or container for The Divine. Some say, art always does this. But with the pressures of commerce and fame, one rarely sees an artist truly being motivated by “building a house for God to dwell in.” But I think there is no lower context which is truly inspiring to most artists. Arts were meant to change the world. Change begins with changing the heart, or spirit or the way of seeing the world.
The arts invite the spiritual realm. Through art we are able to touch something transcendent. Not necesarily religious but definitely more than meets the eye--something spiritual! Everyone desires that their life have meaning--art declares that indeed life does mean something, and that we are in an important metanarrative which matters in the universe. We are part of a story that God is telling! The symbolizers know this, and sense that there is something other which helps interpret our lives as more than jobs and tasks, which tells us our lives symbolize something purposeful, something greater.
In the Torah, we have this passage where King David is so radically excited about building a house to God that he calls all the artisans to give it their best treasures and time. He calls forth the artisans to make the house of God a place of beauty and shining. The artists of his day, gladly “consecrated” themselves unto this work. They wanted to be part of something bigger than their own lives or even their own moment in History! Art wants to serve the Divine. And to be part of forming a space for God to download onto earth and radically reflect Himself in space and time.
At times art is worship, but at other times it is primarily a space of interface between God and man--a place where people can taste, feel and know Him. Worship has the unique focus of devotion and praise of God, but art also is used to make the house of meeting between God and people. The second “use” of art is what I am writing about--where we are able to touch and download heaven onto earth through the creative process and the objects which are birthed within it. In doing so, we forge a “big top” for The Creator to express Himself. We become resonating boards, or satellites for the Divine to broadcast through.
The artists of David’s day where suddenly given a context into which to create and bring their art, which was a radically new context. Rather than just making beautiful objects, they were given the call of participating in creating a "house for His Name." This implies so much, but in short, these artists were being allowed to make a spiritual "space" for the coming of God onto the earth! They were not just working on careers or fame or social work--they were part of building a house for God to dwell. It doesn’t get higher than that in terms of a meaningful context to bring your gifts.
At the same time, they had to lay down some of their treasures and set themselves apart for this project. This is harder for most artists to do, as we tend to get caught up either in the creative process itself, or our desire to further our creative careers. This was a unique moment in Jewish history (and world history), that so many artists were willingly giving their time and talent to build this unique spiritual dwelling. In doing so, one imagines that they too were transformed by the Presence for which they were building a house! I think we are in another unique moment like in the time of David, where we can be part of the transformation of the entire planet by both being and building a house for His Name to Dwell.
To be transformed as we are building a space for the transforming Presence of God is a high calling. To then watch this thing we helped build, transform cities and entire nations is even more thrilling. That is exactly the moment we are in again in history. Artist are being asked to come help build a temple for God to dwell in. And this is the most meaningful project and context for their gifts ever seen. Not only would God inhabit our own creative process more, but allow us to experience His inhabiting the planet more.
Artist are transformers because they are downloading something which is transformational! Now some things being downloaded, say in pornographic art, transform our sight into darker associations. But all art taps us into something larger which brings change in us and how we see the world. To be and build a place where The Great Creator can enter is to be changed into His Likeness!
To be part of transforming the entire planet into this likeness is to be in one’s highest context. This is the opportunity before us now as artist. God wants us to build a temple for His Dwelling globally. He is asking us if we desire this higher context for our art. To say no, is to remain within the lower ceiling of world of art. To say yes, is to finally find the most meaningful context for our creative gifts ever offered!
This ‘temple” has broader and higher proportions than both the art world and the church world’s current perameters. It has Kingdom perameters, which are limitless and radically beautiful. At the same time, as the contours of the Kingdom press in through our art, we will see both the art world and the church world experiencing a fresh burst of hope at being able to expand into the vast freedom of its arches and passageways.
When Martin Luther King Jr preached the Kingdom, he was bringing it into the realm of social justice and race relations; as the Kingdom comes also into the art world, we will see a renaissance of passionate creativity and new forms, never before seen. As His Kingdom presses into the symbolic realm, we will not only see new art forms emerging, but entirely new systems of commerce and distribution.
Art is the place where His Kingdom can pronounce itself-broadcasting or proclaiming its ways through the symbolic! God is symbolic and wants to communicate through the symbolic level of communication. He is Lord over the symbolic, as He is in every other dimension of Reality. As we let His Kingdom come in the arts, you will see many other areas being radically changed. I feel it is time for us to wonder at the amazement of the creative symbolic process, and also to offer it unto the One who created us.
As artist we desire to be caught up and to catch others "up" into something higher than the hum drum of daily life. We want to be interpreters of our times, and guide people into something bigger--a metanarrative worth living within; a story which inspires us to live fully! The Kingdom provides this context for our endeavers, and inspires to serve with our talents in downloading a spiritual realm which is His House and our home!
We are building a temple, a dwelling place for The Creator. Our art is a door for His Kingdom to come. Let us take up our talents and make room for the King of Glory to enter! Let us take up our talents and spend them on His House! Lift up ye heads, and swing open your gates oh porters and pilgrims, singers and painters---for The King comes and His Kingdom is with Him!
Yes just wanted to let all the folks back east know, that myself and reverend shoeless will be a doing tribal unity tour late in the summer. Primarily focusing on the theme of letting God build the wall of unity instead of us. the Reverend assures me that we will also be able to take this tour over to eastern europe where we hope to continue on our ten year journey to link houses of peace from many streams in the Body, to form a beautiful tapestry of linked homes and communities in the exact likeness of God's vision, which Rev Shoeless received years back in the desert someplace.
I wanted to say that we know that the tribes much less our shoelaces are not yet in the exact likeness of His patterns; however, rev shoeless has seen the light of this pattern of linked homes long ago, and is labouring for its incarnation. I too have been a soldier of the gaps over this past ten years, warring for what I see a a lovely laticework of linked homes and centers where His pilgrims can wander (of course at their own risk) to experience something close to a full image of His Lovely Bride, the Church.
I myself have often been a frustrated by the ramblin ways of His children, and the poor timing and choreographic efforts on their parts! Nevertheless, Rev shoeless assures me that Jesus is able to link His own--like great sausage links, we will be ONE even as He is one. I myself repeat the Shema daily, just to remember that at least GOD IS ONE!! And I know--somewhere in the pit of my spirit--that He is also able to make us one tribe of linked homes, a beautiful sign of what it looks like when God builds the house!!
Anyways, this tribal unity tour begins in boston and could travel anywhere that needs it most, so we hope that you start to catch a vision of His True Divine networking between us all, so that we can be a living sign and a shining wonder on earth as I know we shall one day be in Heaven! Don't forget, if God is linking you with a friend, then that space is worth the labour. Rev Shoeless often reminds me how I didn't believe in friendship years back until I heard him preachin up a storm somewhere near Waco Texas. it was then that I caught a vision of Nehemiah's wall, and the unity around jerusalem that would be necessary in our times to hold the girth of The Kingdom coming! It was then that I saw that we were actually becoming His living temples, baptized INTO His Name. That this mighty Saviour also wanted to press in deeper in our times and incarnate even into the deepest places between and in us to form His fullest expression. It was then, that the word in ephesians was truly opened to me, and I could see that we are this gorgeous poem God is trying to write about Himself. But that we keep interrupting Him! It was then I decided to be more than an interruption in the divine story, and let Him express Himself uninterruptedly. So often I float back in my heart's mind to a time before I believed the walls between His People could topple and the beautiful unity could be formed that would reveal His Exact expression of Himself He had been trying to lay down since the beginning. I nearly faint remembering before that day when I had faith for da fullness. SO I gotta give it to you now--this tour for tribal unity is a sign and wonder--pointing towards the possibility that God might not have finished symbolizin Hisself yet! May His Force be with you! We will be through your town soon enough--so watch out!
"I release the words of The Father over your life! Let them thwart the false streams of words that His enemy has against you. The Words of the Father are life, they are His specific blessings over you. They are His passion and enjoyment of you. Let them wave over us and take off every false whisper or lie from below. The words of the father are gold over us, and cause us to shine as the sun. The words of the father are hope for us, for they are true and how he sees us. the words of the father cannot be erased or overcome--for once a word is spoken...the words of the Father are irrevocable and mighty. Receive...these are the words you know as true. They push of the accuser, they cause your insides to dance again, they make the lame parts of yourself whole--don't forget the Father of all Life is speaking over your life at all times--believe receive and enter into the stream of word of Life over your life!!!!"
reverend shoelessjo dansa
This sermon snatch is from a word i gave down in lower haight last month, speaking to about 200 homeless saints and singers. I was accompanied by the rev shoeless as he is known on the west coast. And he was teaching about God's timing as well. He spoke of how God paces things, so that the timing of our lives reveals God Himself. But that most people don't live in God's timing because they don't see it as part of what God is tryin to teach through. He said that time was a symbolic as space. The Rev said that the Jews understood this better than most christians, but that we needed to understand that when we move outside of God's timing we actually misrepresent Him. He is trying to make an image of His Face on the earth, the rev said, but we keep getting in the way of His Pace! I was personally moved by this part, to start to consecrate much more of my time and passion to time. I think He wants to say something through when i go places, and with whom. That God is a Great (ok, perhaps the greatest) choreographer seems obvious to me. But that all those 40's and 7's in scripture matter in terms of who He is, I just got when the shoeless reverend was speaking. That it matters when and how we move places, or schedule our lives, because God is trying to say something through our timing--i got that out there this past month in san fran from the rev shoeless. For that I am thankful to have been asked to preach at the Page street Center in lower haight street, San Fran. And glad to be included in the heavenly roster! thank you dr D.
The last year we've been working on a local space for artists to work and show/perform here in Austin. We've been so privileged to have some dedicated friends who were willing to come all the way from the UK and New Zealand to help us get the space off the ground, and instigate a creative community.
So we're really proud to announce our first opening this Friday, of the textile art and paintings of Jen Mickelborough. Many of you who read this blog know Jen--who came here with her husband Fran via New Zealand and are returning this month to the UK. It has been amazing watching her beautiful, vibrant pieces come together over the last 3 months. If you live in Austin, you are welcome to join us!
