...thoughts expressed here are not necessarily final.

This is old news, but...now

The Family Research Council has an editorial on Bono's use of obscene language recently at the Golden Globe Awards and CNN has an article about the law in regard to it. I say, Bono, shut up and sing.

The NEW news is that now the FCC claims that the use of obscenity was an expletive rather than a description of an act and that somehow made it permissible. Bono has been a poster boy of some Christians who claim he's one of us for years. I don't know what is up with him for sure. He should be ashamed. Now he has been instrumental in lowering the obscenity standards for TV. Aren't Christians responsible to keep the whatsoever things are good lovely of good report before the masses? Can we talk?

What a Trend We Have in Jesus

This article at Detroit News is a good read that will make you think. Does pop culturešs current fascination with Christ have more to do with Americašs sociopolitical and economic climate than it does with people looking for direction through faith? What do you think?

Noah's Ark in the news again.

The Noah's Ark expedition is underway. Think of the implications- some good and some questionable. So what happens if they find it? Will they build a McArkie stand next to it and sell tickets? Speculation abounds and this is typically fare for Ancient Mysteries and such. The unmuseum has an overview of the history of the search.

This has been in and out of the news for fifty plus years at least. The expedition leader says it will be a picture taking expedition. We'll see. The articles claim the Bible says there were pairs of animals of every kind on the ark- they obviously haven't read the unclean and clean differentiations in Genesis.

Speaking of Ancient Mysteries

The hit 70s TV show The Partridge Family is returning to television, and David Cassidy, the former teen heart-throb, will be in it, according to Scotsman.com. But you'll need a subscription to read about it. Cassidy, now 53, will be an executive producer on the show and will be involved in the casting. The rest of the Partridge Family - Danny Bonaduce, Susan Dey, Shirley Jones and Suzanne Crough - are still considering whether they will be involved ...

Watching Movies with discernment

CT's weblog has a good article on the value of discernment when watching Hollywood fare. Quote

"Cultural anorexics also endanger their own humanity. The arts (including movies) are a God-given means of expressing our humanity. The creation of art, though flawed or imperfect, reflects the creativity and beauty of our Creator."

"To reject any of the arts in toto is to reject the imago Dei, the image of God in humanity. Even though we are fallen, we are still created in the image of God, and therefore our creations continue to reflect our Maker. As Francis Schaeffer pointed out, that image comes through even if the artist tries to suppress it. "

Has the Emergent Church emerged?

Find out at Leaderhip Journal

April 27, 2004 Thoughts on the Art of Life continued

This is an ongoing dialog with myself so join in at any point you lurkers...

Koinonia Community

I give myself to the table
I give myself to the Word
I give myself to communion
This union of saints that shall gird
This flock into one body
This body that is an ark
The ark that is His temple
A bride who bears love’s mark.
A koinonia community
Whose shepherd is Christ and whose unity
Gives us hope at the end of our search
As precious jewels and righteous tools
In the hands of the Head of the Church
We’ll be known by our love for each other
And all things in common we’ll hold
We will bear one another as sisters and brothers
We’ll see joy in each other unfold.
I give myself to the table
I give myself to the Word
I give myself to communiion
This union of saints that shall gird
This flock into one body
This body that is an ark
The ark that is His temple
A bride who bears love’s mark.
A koinonia community
Whose shepherd is Christ and whose unity
Gives us hope at the end of our search
As precious jewels and righteous tools
In the hands of the Head of the church

Anthony Foster April 27, 2004

Yes I used this before but it seemed appropriate- it's an M.C. Escher imposed on the Word by me- redux.

Life and art and worship are all entertwined.

I am not talking bumper stickers, and not even stained glass or religious images per se. I’m not just talking about the worship arts. The art of worship is about being sucked into the overwhelmingness of God- who He has revealed himself to be. It is about promoting expression of truth in a multitude of ways that speak to areas of our humanness that words can often fail to approach.

It is about living as an act of worship.

Art is:

A way of expression of the products of human creativity

The creation of beautiful or significant things;

A superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation

Visual representations

A form of human activity created primarily as an aesthetic expression. Since we bear the image of the Creator, we reflect his nature in a myriad of ways. He not only reveals himself through creation in a common kind of grace, he reveals himself in us through our creative activity I think. It seems pretty obvious… but the world is busy denying it. We are makers of designs because we ourselves were designed by the Master Designer.

Art is not Life and there's no salvation in it, as the world might have you believe.

I've written about this over the years- here is a link to one essay...

From the personal weblog of Anthony Foster @http://anthonyfoster.com/blog/