The Need for Unity…

I did this video some time ago but I think it bears repeating. There are a lot of times in the church where we butt heads. Now I’m not talking about heresy and some of the negative, idolatry things that are out there, I’m talking about the stuff that needlessly divides us. We can find a lot of things that we could part ways over, but there is something, someOne who is bigger than all of that and if we are truly seeking Him He can unite us.

We need to unite in Christ if we want to he the body He created us to be.

CCM: Creative Challenge Monday

 One of the things that has been impressed upon me is that we as creatives have a unique gift to make the complex understandable, thus helping people to understand the Gospel and come to know and follow Jesus. I want to help us to key in on that in the weeks ahead so from this day forward each Monday will be CCM: Creative Challenge Monday. I will post a word, a concept or a verse. Your challenge in that week is to create something that expresses the concept in whatever God glorifying way you choose. Write a story, create an image, make a video… The possibilities are endless.

This Monday’s challenge is a parable of Jesus:

The Light of the World

Matthew 5:14-16  14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

What does this concept mean to you? How would you like to express it to the world? How do people miss the point on this concept?

If you want you can share your results by posting a link to your work in the comments. If you don’t have a way to post your work, you can share them on the AMOKArts Facebook page.

CCM: Creative Challenge Monday

 One of the things that has been impressed upon me is that we as creatives have a unique gift to make the complex understandable, thus helping people to understand the Gospel and come to know and follow Jesus. I want to help us to key in on that in the weeks ahead so from this day forward each Monday will be CCM: Creative Challenge Monday. I will post a word, a concept or a verse. Your challenge in that week is to create something that expresses the concept in whatever God glorifying way you choose. Write a story, create an image, make a video… The possibilities are endless.

This Monday’s challenge is a parable of Jesus:

The Sheep and the Goats

Matthew 25:31-46  31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” 

What does this parable mean to you? How would you like to express it to the world? How do people miss the point on this concept?

If you want you can share your results by posting a link to your work in the comments. If you don’t have a way to post your work, you can share them on the AMOKArts Facebook page.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Wool

Okay so the challenge was wool and wool made me think of lambs which brought my mind to the Lamb of God, Jesus.

Coming in Spring 2013 from AMOKArts

Dave’s New A Night AMOK presentation…

Available for booking March 2013 Contact AMOKArts for details

Grace and Consequences

Today my message will be on David and Bathsheba. It’s a story of grace and it’s a story of consequences. Most people equate grace with the removal of consequences and this is completely and utterly wrong. Science tells us for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I believe this could be equated with sin and it’s consequences. Sometimes we receive grace from the consequences of our actions, most of the time we don’t.

David sinned with Bathsheba, that was bad enough, but the attempt to cover his actions placed him on a slippery slope to an eventual murder. The prophet Nathan confronted David with a parable, a symbolic story to show David what he’d done. David not realizing he was hearing a parable, pronounced his own judgment declaring what should be done to a man who did such a thing. “The man deserves to die,” David said. That was in fact what David’s sin deserved at that time in history, maybe even today. Instead David, when he realized he was the man in question, confessed and received grace and was forgiven.

That being said, the consequences still came to call. Everything God said would happen to David, still happened. Consequences are not a sign that God has removed his grace, as a matter of fact it’s just the opposite. God allows us to experience the consequences of our actions by His grace. Consequences are designed to turn us back to him, to bring us to a place of repentance, because it’s in repentance that we turn to Jesus and find grace and forgiveness.

Consequences are not a sign that God has given up on you, they’re a sign that you are on the wrong track and need to turn back to God. Remember sin and God are on opposite ends of a continuum. To turn to one is to turn away from the other. Consequences are designed to turn us back to grace.

What if…Life is a Canvas

I’ve seen this piece done a couple ways. In some ways it works similarly to the Six Boxes piece yesterday but it incorporates a drama element and a spoken word element which really set it off. This church, South Shore Community Church, did a really beautiful job with it. I love this.

An Audience of One

It’s funny. When I’m preaching, it’s almost as if it’s me on display and somehow that feels wrong. What I’d like people to know is that in a sense, I’m just the worshipper facing in the wrong direction. The message and it’s preparation are my act of worship. I hope it touches heart, I hope it changes lives, etc. and often it feels like it doesn’t. As a matter of fact there have been many times where I’ve felt like turning around, facing in the same direction as everyone else and talking to the wall. When I feel this way, I know I’m out of order. I worship for an audience of One. It’s not my persuasive  words that changes hearts, it’s His Spirit. I offer my best to Him and He works on the receptive hearts. If the hearts are not responsive, the best I can do is pray for them and give my best to God.

It’s the same with all of our acts of worship. When I paint in a service, it’s really easy to let my inner critic take over and tell me it’s not good enough. That’s not my issue either. I’m called to give my best with what I have in the time I have. It’s an act of worship for an audience of the One who knows whether or not I’ve given my best. Whether the people like it is not my primary concern and its ability to touch hearts is not dependent on my ability or the beauty of my work. It’s dependent on the Spirit’s work on receptive hearts.

It’s the same with the music, and everything else we do in worship and life. It’s not about virtuoso talent, it’s about offering our best to an audience of One. The rest is up to Him.

Give God Your Best. Trust Him with the Rest

AMOKArts.com Message of the Week: Cast of Characters: The Un-Roofers

In this series based on Max Lucado’s Book Cast of Characters: Lost and Found we explore Mark 2:1-12 and look at a story of four guys who are so determined to get their friend to Jesus they tear the roof off—literally! How determined are you?

Tell a Better Story: Steve Harvey

This is how Steve Harvey Introduces Jesus.

How would you introduce Jesus?