Confessions of a Reluctant Leader

My friend Sherri Coffield from VineArts in Boise, ID posted this piece about taking the reins on a major project. In this post she perfectly shows the fears, struggles and ultimate triumph of taking a step of faith into a new role. I’ve lived in this place a hundred times. It’s a place where you find yourself in over your head and discover that you have only one option, the only one any of us really has, put your faith, your skills and everything else in God’s hands and trust Him to accomplish what only He can do. Sherri writes:

The new “Rivers of living water” backdrop at church is a testimony of Gods faithfulness.  When our Arts Leader, Jessie, told our group that she was starting a new job and couldn’t put together the new backdrop, she was asking that someone in our group take the project on. The room was silent. I felt nudged to relieve some of the pressure I precieved Jessie was feeling, with starting her new job yet trying to maintain an Arts Ministry, so after some silent moments I said I would do it.  Everyone said they would help, we all prayed about the subject but in the end finances kept us from the original design and I had to make an executive decision to change our original plan. 

Suddenly the pressure was on (self inflicted) and I became full of fear that I couldn’t do it.  I was convinced that I didn’t have the skill,  the resources, the time and now I don’t want to even do this. I’m sorry I volunteered for this. It is wrong for me and I can’t do it! I don’t even know what I’m doing. I put more stress on Jessie than she had before we started because we are less than a week out and I can’t pull myself together enough to start the process, overwhelmed even by the time constraints. 

All of a sudden events happened at church that made postponing the addition of the new backdrop inevitable, which at first just added to my panic, but then calmed me when I realized that I would have another week to finish it (blessing #1), and “oatmeal” walls would be a good experience for the congregation, since they haven’t seen the naked walls for about 4  years?  I drew up a mock up, spent a lot of time with Dean being encouraged (poor guy got an ear full) (Blessing #2 Dean)  and the night before we were to begin the painting I am inspired with this: (Blessing #3) “Put the fear and stress away, let it go. This is not about you.  Do you not have faith in me?  I have met you in this place many times before.  You have preached these very words to others.  You have believed them before.  Take a step and I will show up, meet you there and everything will be ok.  Have joy in this, fun in creating and fun with others in the creating.  I have great joy when you have joy.” 

… I have great joy when you have joy.  Wow.  Can you imagine the Lord of Heaven chuckling and smiling down on us when we are living in joy?  Happy for us!  So we Vine artists met the next evening and threw paint, all colors, on wet canvas, and laughed and sang and danced on the canvas (Blessing #4).  Everyone had a great time.  The next night we met again and re-examined what we had done the night before, making new decisions on the spot (inspired by God, Blessing #5)  The following 2 nights were spent refining it, scrubbing and washing areas for effect, adding a dark color and a splash of Gold.  God showed up everyday and inspiration was quick and easy (Blessing #6).  It was like playing with the Lord.  

Every day I came with a clear mind, no agenda, no plan and He showed me what to do.  God never fails, never gives up, never leaves us.  He is true to His word.  How come I forget this under stress?  Weakness, not enough faith, fear?  I’m still learning GOD NEVER LEAVES US, HE IS ALWAYS GOOD.  And every time I learn this lesson I get to be presented with a beautiful piece of art. Not so much a literal piece, although this time it was (Blessing #7), but a look at my growing love relationship with my Creator, my Father, my Abba my All.  An ongoing language of love.   

Look at what the Lord created! He is so good.”

I think it’s kind of fitting that a story where a person who felt in over her head would be painting living water because if there was ever a place to be over your head, it would be living water. When we are with Christ, we are never in over our heads. There is nothing He can’t do and He is both the living water and the solid Rock on which we stand.

Where is fear limiting you today? Maybe it’s time to dive into the living water.

An Amazing Arts Ministry You Should Know About

I was at Vine Arts in Boise, ID in 2011 and it was truly amazing. Jessie Nilo and her team are doing great stuff for the Kingdom. From their open studio to their amazing art gallery. This is a creative team at the forefront of the arts ministry movement. If you are anywhere near Boise, you need to get there. This is a ministry that has blessed me immensely. Their philosophy of “everybody gets to play” touched me to the core of my being.

Click their logo below to checkout their website.

Then comment to tell us about your arts ministry.

Video of the Day: Building Art Leaders

Jessie Nilo leads a great ministry in Boise, ID called VineArts. She has shared quite a few videos on building and running an art ministry. This is three minutes of gold for anyone thinking of starting a creative arts ministry.

Starting a Church Arts Ministry

I get questions from time to time about starting your own arts ministry. One of the most impressive local church arts ministries I have seen so far is VineArts at Vineyard Boise. I decided to share these videos from their director Jessie Nilo. After seeing these videos I knew I had to go out to Boise and see what’s happening in person. I did that in May and it’s fantastic. Watch these videos and learn from them. Jessie has a lot of great stuff to share.

Obedience

Dichotomy in Oregon

I didn’t want to paint this painting. I was with my friends from VineArts Boise. We had spent the day worshipping and painting and praying and I saw a lot in them that I really wanted for myself, not the least of which was freedom in worship and in art. I wanted to let loose, not plan so tightly and just let the Spirit move. We were invited to visit a great church in nearby Ontario Oregon called Christian Life Fellowship for their Night of Worship. (They have a great art ministry there as well called EchoArts). On this evening the VineArts folks and I painted, the CLF worship team played and a really cool break dance group called WonForce danced. It was a great night, except for one thing. I didn’t know what to paint. Well that’s not entirely true. I had an idea which was to paint my painting Dichotomy, a painting I had done many times before. When I prayed I kept feeling like I should do that piece and I really didn’t want to. I wanted to paint something new, something I never did before, something wild and abstract that would just let me, well you know… run amok. But no matter what I did, no matter how many times I pleaded and prodded, the Spirit kept leading me back to Dichotomy. So finally I relented.

My only concession was that I did most of the painting with my hands and fingers which gave it a different feel. Toward the end of the evening, we were each asked to share the story of the piece. I know the story behind Dichotomy very well, but something strange happened this time. Something new came out. I usually talk about how this is the worlds most unusual portrait of Jesus—how He is both the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb of God. I did mention that on this evening as well. I also talked about he has been both my savior and my defender, not to mention Lord and King. What was different was this—I said until He is Lord we will constantly be crying out for Him to save us. Please don’t launch into an eternal security debate with me that’s not exactly what I mean. I mean that if we don’t make Him our Lord and follow Him, we will continually be crying out for Him to bail us out of the consequences of our actions. I know that story all too well too. How about you?

At the end of the evening someone approached me and told me how she related to the piece and the story behind it. A few minutes later I gave her the painting. It wasn’t the painting I wanted to do, but it appears it’s the painting I needed to do. We can’t always do what we want to do, but if we’ll walk in obedience, we’ll see God at work eventually. It’s funny. I’ve painted that piece at least eight or nine times and I have never kept if very long. It’s an image God gave me in a prayer walk and it does what I wish all my art would do. It speaks to hearts and minds about my Savior and Lord. My prayer is that everything I do and my entire life would speak that same message. That’s what I’m shooting for… How about you?

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
1 Samuel 18-19; 2 Timothy 4
You can also download your own chart here.

The Tribe Lives

Well I’m sitting in the business center in the Shilo Inn in Boise ID. Lord willing I will be boarding the plane for PA in a few hours. About now you might be wondering what I got out of this trip. Well to be honest not what I expected but a lot. See part of me thought I was going to travel out here to find ten easy steps to starting a thriving arts ministry. That’s not what I found. What I saw was better.

First I saw a group of people willing to take in a relative stranger simply because we have two things in common, art and Jesus. They prayed for me, spoke life to me and thoroughly blessed me. I got to see artists humble and loving far beyond their amazing talent. I got to see a church that embraces it’s artists and empowers them to be who they are and I got to see what happens when gifted people work together to bring God glory with their gifts.

I got to watch and participate and worship and commune with them. I got to work side by side with Lisa, an amazing abstract artist Who knocked out a painting in an hour or two that looked like it took months. But that wasn’t the most amazing thing. The most amazing thing was the deep celebratory worship she was experiencing as she painted. I looked to the Lord and said I want what she’s having.

I watched Alyee, all of 20 years old lay down her opportunity to paint to sow into the life of an eight year old. I have no doubt that little girl will continue to use her gifts for the Lord as she grows and I have no doubt that some day when Alyee receives her crowns one of them will be for that moment.

I watched Dean, who is a consummate artist in what seems like every visual arts discipline, share on art and ministry with such passion that it reinforced this path I have chosen to follow. This man, who could show in any gallery in the world, was most fond of the concept that in arts ministry, “everybody gets to play.”

Of course there was their fearless leader Jessie, who in the time I was there, demonstrated leadership and organization skills that were just wonderful and totally evident in the unity and cohesiveness of the group. She spoke into my life and the Spirit showed her the areas of my struggle and she and the group helped me. I also got to interact with her family and I got to see a ministry family living as God intends. Grace and faith and balance and wisdom. It was both a blessing and a challenge to me to look at my priorities when I return home to my “first tribe.”

I was blessed to meet so many artists and the church that embraces them. They are all artists in everything they do, whether visual or cullinary or every day life or… well you get the idea. They’re a tribe and I’m pleased that they’re part of my tribe.

Thanks to all the folks at VineArts Boise. You really have blessed me. I didn’t get my ten steps to a strong arts ministry instead, I got four steps. Pray, Love People, Love Jesus and then Make art!

Sowing

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

It’s hard to believe I’m in my last full day at VineArts here in Boise, ID and while I am really missing my family, I have to say I am also going to miss these folks. What a dynamic arts ministry. If you’re ever in this part Northwest US you need to stop by and check them out.

Today I want to take a moment and share with you about whatthey did for me. I came out here looking for a plan, discernment and what to do next and while I have a truckload of ideas, I can’t say there’s a step by step plan at least not that I’m seeing now. I did however see something that, Lord willing, I will do for the rest of my life. These people have sowed into me. Yeah I know that sounds a little “churchy,” maybe a little “Christianese” but look at the verse at the start of all this. Paul writes about sowing generously or sparingly.

Sowing is planting, planting seeds. It’s the idea of investing for a harvest. The folks at VineArts Boise have prayed for me, spent time with me and showed me what they do to glorify God in the arts. They didn’t do this so I would start VineArts PA or sell me a franchise or any of that, they did it to help me refine and do what I do. They did it to help me “use what I have been given where I’m livin!’” (like that? it just popped into my head.) They sowed into my life in the hopes that God will reap a harvest and they sowed generously.

I wish I could give you the five step plan of what I will do when I get off the plane tomorrow night (well I have one step, since my flight arrives at midnight, I will sleep). But seriously, the only thing I can say for sure is my immediate plan is to keep seeking the Lord and keep sowing into people. One person in the midst of praying for me told me I paint on the canvas of people’s lives. I like that a lot and Lord willing that is what I want to do.

How about you? Will you sow sparingly or generously? I hope you sow generously and may the God of the harvest reap greatly through you.