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.”

Would You Bring This Guy Into Your Church?

Hi everyone, I could sure use your help. As many of you know, I am trying to build up my speaking ministry. My goal is to get ti minister in as many churches and at as many events as I possibly can, using my gifts to spread the Gospel and inspire others to find and use their gifts to the glory of God. To that end, I have designed a new flyer to send to churches. It is actually a two sided “rack card.” I would love to have you look it over and give me your feedback on it, before I print it. Does it give you enough information to get you to contact me? What could be better? Any feedback would be really helpful.

By the way, if you would like to bring me to your church for a presentation, I’ve tried to make it really easy. All I ask for is travel expenses, a free will offering and a night’s lodging. Contact me at AMOKArts@aol.com

Toastmasters: A Great Way to Improve Your Speaking

It’s reported that Michael Jackson once said, “My voice is God’s gift to me, what I do with it and how I develop it are my gift to him.” Don’t get too caught up in the theology of it, or in who said it, but I think the point is valid. It is really important to hone and develop your gift.

Among other things, I am a professional speaker. I don’t make my whole living as a speaker yet, but people do pay me to speak, which is something that still blows my mind. (Read my testimony to see why.) The comments on my speaking seem to say I speak fairly well, (praise God) but I believe we can always get better, and I started to seek a way to improve my skills. I’ve found one.

I’ve been hearing about Toastmasters for years. I avoided joining for the longest time because of the name. I’m an ex drunk and I associated the word “toastmaster” with toasting and with alcohol. Boy, was I wrong. I went to an open house meeting and found a great club to be a part of. These are people serious about improving their communication and leadership skills, two things we can all improve upon. The following are some of the things I am getting out of my membership.

1. Prepared Speeches are limited to 5 to 7 minutes: As a preacher, I am used to speaking until I’m done, but the time limit really helps to hone the speech, eliminate rambling and make the message clear and concise.

2. Squeakers: One thing, you know, that most, umm, speakers have are, like, verbal tics. Those little pauses we make when we are trying to gather our thoughts. They are really distracting in a speech, and most people don’t realize they are using them. At a Toastmasters meeting, each table has several simple squeaky toys. When the speaker gives a verbal tic, someone will squeak the toy, alerting the speaker to the tic which helps him or her to eliminate it. It’s done good naturedly and it really can help.

3. Table topics: Part of each meeting is dedicated to impromptu speeches. These one to two minute speeches are designed to help the speaker think on his or her feet. You never know what you’ll be talking about but it is a lot of fun.

4. Accreditation: There are acknowledgements for various accomplishments, a structured program, awards and competitions all designed to help the speaker grow in competence and skill. These levels are accredited in the organization.

Of course along with this come intangibles like friendships and networking opportunities. All in all I am really glad I joined and I’m just getting started. It’s inexpensive and very helpful. If you are seeking to improve your communication and leadership skills, check out the Toastmasters website to find a club near you.

Finishing Out the Year A Night AMOK Style

Okay guys I’d like to do A Night AMOK a few more times this year. It’s five live paintings with stories, video, music and drama all designed to help people come to meet Jesus and find and live out his creative purpose for their lives. All I need is a free will offering and a night’s lodging if I’m farther from home in the Reading, PA area. It’s been well received everywhere it’s gone. If your church would like a program touches hears and minds, contact me at amokarts@aol.com

Please note, if you’re far away from PA why not team up with a few other churches in your area and hold a little weekend mini-tour.

Need more details, click here!

I’m in need of a few good churches…

Hi everyone,

I try not to make too many “personal requests” here but  I’m looking for a couple churches to host my Pictures of Jesus Tour over the next few months. It’s a combination of speed painting, storytelling, video and even a little drama.

I am trying to make the transition from being a bivocational pastor to a full time art/speaking ministry.

See this page for more information. Ths presentation has been going extremely well.
I can be contacted at amokarts@aol.com

Please, if your church, or if you know anyone, who might consider bringing me in, please put me in contact with them.

Thanks,

Dave Weiss

Why I Do What I Do…

Every once in a while, pretty often actually because I am blessed, I get a reminder of why I do what I do. This past weekend was no exception. I spoke at two different places, sharing about this creative life I get to live by God’s grace. In the first I got to do a luncheon presentation to a group of writers in Northeast PA who call themselves the Odd Duck Society. The message was God and the Creative Process, based on an upcoming manifesto/book I’m writing. It was a really great time that I really enjoyed.

Then yesterday I got the opportunity to do A Night AMOK in the morning, opening a series of revival meetings for St. Thomas Independent Church of the Brethren in Mt. Pleasant Mills, PA. It was the first time I ever presented A Night AMOK as part of a morning worship service. At the end of the presentation, the pastor joined me in an altar call, asking people who wanted to come to Jesus or dedicate their lives to Jesus to raise their hands and pretty many hands went up. It was awesome.

Why do I share this? Am I being boastful? I pray that’s not the case. No, on the way home I started to think about my life and how far God has brought me and how blessed I am. I started to try to wrap my head around how all the things in my life have led to this point. I get to go out and paint pictures and tell my story and the story of the One who changed my story. I started to realize that were it not for some very hard times, I would not have that story and maybe God really is to be praised in EVERYTHING. I recognized that I get to encourage people in their gifts and talents and that I never could have arrived at that place without the times when I really needed encouragement. Then I had the realization that thanks to all these things, God may very well have allowed me to be a small part in someone else’s testimony, that He may have allowed me to help someone come a step closer to realizing their own God-given vision and maybe even help someone find his or her way to THE Way to eternal life. And then something else hit me. I get the privilege of doing all this and people see fit to bless me for it. I am blessed.

How could I ever want to do anything else? Be encouraged, your life matters to God and you matter to God. The things you go through build the story of your life and it is a story worth telling. Tell your story. God is good and faithful and no matter how much you trust in Him, He still has the power to do more than you can imagine. Prepare to be amazed.

Thanks to Brenda Hendricks for setting this up and to God for making it happen.

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

Be The Body New Blog Announcement

If you’ve been following the AMOKArts blog you’ve been hearing about this for a little while but I’m also starting a new blog specifically for Be the Body and while I will repeat a lot of these posts on both blogs, (yes the AMOKArts blog will continue) my reason for starting the new blog is pretty simple. The arts are just one part of the Body. Be the Body is for all the Body of Christ. The purpose of Be the Body is simple. I want to help people to find and become what God created them to be. I want to help people find and use their God given gifts and to do it in community with other believers so that we truly become the Body of Christ.

As soon as I start to talk about gifts and using them for God, I can almost see the walls go up and the excuses start to fly, I’m not enough, I’m not good enough, maybe some day but not now. Now I’m all for improving and developing and all of that, but what will you do today? Each of us has to start where we are. We have today to give God our best today. Stop pressuring yourself to be what you’re not yet. Take what you have, give it to God and be faithful. Trust Him for improvement and results, you just be faithful to do what you can do and offer it to Him. Give God your best each day and if you feel like you’ve failed to do that, don’t wallow in guilt, that will only mess up tomorrow and the next day and the next and, well you get the idea. Instead, tell God you’re sorry and and ask Him to help you do better tomorrow. Keep moving forward in Him.

Philippians 1:6 says “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it through to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” In other words God started the good work in you. He did that when He gifted you with whatever He gave you. He did it when He planted a vision in your heart. He began it and if He began it, it is a good work. God can’t do anything but good. Further it says He will carry it through to completion. In other words God started it and God will see it through until it’s finished. All you need to do is be faithful to serve Him as He leads. He has it covered. Trust Him and Be the Body.

To see the Be the Body blog go to http://bethebodyministry.wordpress.com/

IllustrationFriday Challenge: Imperfections

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Imperfections

Sometimes our imperfections let His light shine through. After all the Apostle Paul wrote, “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 Maybe instead of fretting over our imperfections (not our sins, those need repentance) we should ask God to use them to His glory and do things in our lives that are so big everyone who looks at them know they are too good to have been done by someone as imperfect as you or me.

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Obsession

IllustrationFriday.com Challenge: Obsession

This week’s challenge was pretty easy for me. The word was obsession. An obsession is what consumes most of your thoughts. Beyond my family, for me it would have to be painting pictures, telling people about Jesus and His love or even better painting pictures that tell people about Jesus’ love in it’s multitude of forms. If you’re reading this and you’re not sure, rest assured, Jesus loves you!

Artist’s if you want a fun challenge to stretch your creativity, subscribe to IllustrationFriday.com