Decisions, Decisions

We’re in one of those places at the Weiss house. A time of decision. My faithful Chevy Trailblazer is getting up there in mileage and I have a decision to make. Do I stick some money into it and keep it or take that money and put it toward a newer vehicle? A van would work better for getting my presentations from place to place. On the other hand, not having a payment has been kind of nice. With a thousand mile weekend coming up, I’m leaning toward something new. We’re praying and would appreciate your prayers for this decision.

In other news, I am busily working on my new presentation, Story: Parables of Jesus. It will be ready to go in May. I am really liking where this is headed. The basic concept is to use the stories of Jesus to teach people to live a better story. This presentation should be about an hour long but I am also working it out into a five message series, perfect for retreats, revival/spiritual renewal series.

I’m also working on the vacation Bible School presentation Dr. Dave’s Creation Station. Which is all about God and His creation, His relationship with us and finding the purpose for which we were created.

I would love the opportunity to bring my ministry to your church. Please contact me at amokarts@aol.com I basically ask for a free will offering and a night’s lodging. For churches requiring extensive travel, please consider teaming up with a few churches in your community and make it a weekend “tour.”

Help Needed

I was out this past weekend at the Call 2 Ministry Conference. It was amazing. I had the opportunity to speak into the lives of young people exploring a call to ministry. It once again cemented something in my heart. This ministry called A.M.O.K. is my calling and what I want to do with the rest of my life. It’s a lot more than painting pictures and telling stories for Jesus. I want to use my gift to spread the Gospel and encourage believers to find and use their unique gifts to serve the Lord and spread the Gospel. I want to be able to go wherever I’m needed and help as many as I can.

You see there is a huge need. First of all, the majority of the people in this world are still in need of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The harvest is ripe and the workers are few. I feel a call to the harvest and the workers. I want to be out there sharing the Gospel, but I also want to be showing and encouraging others to use their unique gifts to serve the Lord. I want to be out there helping congregations to find and create ministries for the people in their midst so that they’re better equipped to reach their communities.

The arts and the media are one of the most powerful tools to spread a message in the history of the world and while I believe my call is to the whole Church the way God has gifted me puts me in a unique place to reach these often underutilized people. The next C.S. Lewis may well be in the church now. The next Coppola, Rembrandt, Beethoven and Van Halen may maybe out there too, not to mention the geniuses and the masters of the new media. We need to reach them to put their gifts to work for the good of the Kingdom. Again the harvest is ripe and I want to be used to bring it in. I need your help.

How can you help:

1. Pray.
I am building a prayer list and a prayer team for this ministry. If you’d like to be a part of it, please contact me at amokarts@aol.com.

2. Spread the Word.
I post this blog and create the videos and resources I post here to further the Kingdom and the Gospel. The more people that know about it the better. Repost it, tweet it, share it on your Facebook page, email it to your friends, use the videos in your worship services. It’s been freely given, so freely give. The more people that know what we’re doing here, there better.

3. Bring me in for your next program/service/etc.
I love to paint in worship and do creative things to bring forth a message from the Word, and I’d love to paint for your conference, concert, service, etc. And I don’t just paint, I do workshops on a variety of topics, including using the creative arts in ministry. I create evangelistic programs, youth retreats, revivals and more. I’ve been a pastor for nearly 10 years and was a youth leader for five years before that. I’m a story teller/parable maker. I’m an experienced preacher/speaker who believes that the Bible is the unchanging Word of God. These opportunities help to support and further this ministry. You can see the recommendations of some of the people I’ve worked with here.

4. Donate
Donations will also help further this ministry and help me to reach more people and congregations. I’ve not yet incorporated this ministry, instead for now, it’s a ministry of my church, New Creation Fellowship in Reading, PA. If you’d like to donate, you can mail a check to New Creation Fellowship, 3646 Pottsville Pike, Reading, PA 19605. Please designate AMOKArts on the memo line. Thanks for the way you have supported this ministry over the years. I appreciate your support more than you could ever know.

I’ve told you how you can help me, now here is the bigger question.

How can I help you? Because I want to.

A Prayer Request and a Thought, God Believes in You…

I’d like to ask you all to be praying for me as I have the opportunity to paint and co-lead a workshop this weekend at the Call2 Ministry Conference in Ringgold, Georgia this weekend. This is a conference for young people who are feeling the call to ministry. I am humbled by the privilege and it brought me to a thought.

I was chatting with an arts ministry friend, Lisa Marten from VineArts Boise, about this opportunity and I became overwhelmed. When I was the age of the people I am going to be speaking to, I was far from God. The idea of ministry for me seemed so far outside the realm of possibility. I wasn’t even really a believer. Now here I am and in a little over a day God will be using me to speak into the lives of people so precious to Him. People He has called to spread His Gospel to the ends of the earth. God is going to somehow use me to do this. Guys, I claim no glory for this. It’s all God, but what He has done for me and how He got me from there to here is nothing short of a miracle.

To say I believe in God is an understatement, but that’s not the mind-blowing part. When someone has done as much for you as He has for me, belief should be a no-brainer. No the mind-blowing thing is God has entrusted this privilege to me. God believes in me! I can’t even wrap my head around that, but He does and it’s not just me, He believes in all He calls.

God believes in you. He knows what He put in you and He knows what you will do. Be faithful and move forward in your call. God is with you, God loves you. God believes in you…

Prayer Request and another Request

Hi everyone,
Well, it’s here. This is the week I take A Night AMOK, Pix of JC before a live audience in its entirety for the first time. I’ve done all the elements in ministry before but now’s the time to see how they work as a cohesive unit. I’m really excited, but I could also use your prayers. Please pray that people show up ready to receive Jesus. Pray that the Spirit will prompt anyone who is on the fence about coming and that God will be glorified. For those who don’t know A Night AMOK: Pix of JC is an evangelistic program that uses art, video, storytelling and more to paint a picture of the real Jesus. During the program, I will be painting six different works of art live, all of which share part of the story of Jesus ending with an invitation to receive Jesus. I’ve been preparing for this program for years and I really can’t wait. Please pray for me, this whole event and especially those who will be coming. If you’re in the vicinity of eastern PA, I’d love to have you come and check it out this saturday at 7:00p.m.

The promo video can be seen below, but first my request. I really want to take this presentation beyond the walls of my church. It’s suitable for churches, camps, conferences, youth events, evangelistic meetings and more. First, could you pray that I get opportunities to do just that. Secondly if you could envision this being a blessing for your church or event, would you consider bringing me in to do the program and lastly if you know anyone who may be able to help me get this out there, agents, event producers/promoters, etc. would you please have them contact me at amokarts@aol.com.

Thank you,
Dave Weiss
amokarts.com

Need a Speaker and/or Painter for Your Next Event or Service: Check out Dave Weiss and AMOKArts

Artist/Pastor/Speaker Dave Weiss would love to come to your church and share his unique ministry. Dave is the founder of AMOKArts.com a ministry dedicated to helping people find and use their God-created purpose. Dave’s life was transformed when a pastor found a use for his unusual gift and his mission is to do the same for others. If your congregation has anyone in it that is having a hard time finding their purpose and where they fit into the body of Christ. Dave’s presentation is for you. For more information contact Dave Weiss at amokarts@aol.com

Two Events I Am Really Excited About

I wanted to alert you about two events in which I will be participating. These are put on by the Crossover Group. The first is Snowstorm 2011 Dec. 27 to 30, 2011 at Winterplace, WV

and the second is Saturate 2012 at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord NC.

If you’re anywhere near these venues or if you’d like to plan a trip check out the websites by clicking the images. I hope to see you there and if you have an event you’d like to have me paint and or speak at, contact me at amokarts@aol.com.

Help Us Run AMOK

A little note talking about different ways you can support AMOK’s ministry.
The main one is prayer and booking me as a speaker/painter but there are other products available.
Also featured in today’s post are videos of two creature paintings I am doing for a two fold purpose. First to remind us all of the transformative power of Christ. They are based on the King James Version of 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Simply put, Having Jesus in your life is supposed to change your life. Trust Him, He can help.
The second purpose is more pedestrian. I am trying to raise some funds to expand the reach of AMOK so I am offering these paintings for sale on my Etsy store at http://amokarts.etsy.com