My Friend, Bob Stromberg

Bob Stromberg has the best shadow puppet bit you will ever see.  This is a piece that could only come from his slightly warped mind.  I’ve been privileged over the years to have shared the stage with him many times as well as bring him in to do some very special events.  Bob was a great mentor for me right out of college and a very wise voice and tall tree in my life.  Enjoy this video.  Stay committed to it, the payoff is priceless.

Stolen My Heart?

“You’ve stolen my heart,
Yes, You have.
You’ve stolen my heart,
Yes, You have.
You’ve wiped away the stains,
And broke away the chains,
Yes, You have.”
-Leeland

When I first heard this song, I began to ask questions about it lyrically and theologically. For example, is it possible for God to “steal”? Is this really the best description of the work of God in a person’s life…you know, to steal a heart? Does God come and “take” a person or is it that God draws them? Is this a theologically sound lyric or is it careless language that will incorrectly communicate the work of Christ?

Then, I stopped myself. You see, I now had to wrestle with another conflicting thought. Had I become so sensitive to language that I could no longer see the beauty in hyperbole or metaphor? Had I forgotten or even possibly abandoned the romantic use of language? Had I become afraid to paint pictures or turn artful phrases in communicating God’s beauty? Had I devalued or even left no room for “poetic license” in the role of art that reflects the Creator?

So I thought about one of the most prolific artists whose work fills the pages of Scripture, King David. In Psalm 42 did David’s soul truly pant and thirst (Psalm 42:1-2)? Or was he trying to capture a longing that was difficult to convey without using the creative brush strokes of language? Or must I believe he was truly eating his tears as “food day and night” (Psalm 42:3)?

And so I have come to the conclusion that I need to lighten up a little bit. I think I need to be more gracious in allowing artistry to speak with passion and poetry a little bit more, both by others and myself. There is a distinct difference between communicating untruth and representing the beauty of God’s grand story and our individual stories poetically. Our imaginations need this kindling if we are truly to find meaning in Truth. And so I need to re-imagine (carefully and responsibly, of course) my own story and God’s truth with fresh, creative, artistic eyes, ears and words. “Stolen my heart”? Yes, in a beautiful way…I think He has.

art & opinion

I had a chance conversation of the artistic persuasion with a couple patrons at a local coffeehouse today. This particular shop displays local artists’ work on its walls as part of the way they connect to their community. The specific artist’s work being displayed was a medium of oil painting which would be considered relatively contemporary in nature utilizing broad brush stroke and color to create a more impressionistic expression of their subject matter. So it was that medium and style that created this interesting exchange.

As I approached my table, one of the employees was straightening the painting above my table. After I heard the woman at a nearby table thank her, I joked about repositioning the painting askew. The woman laughed and then engaged me about the style of the paintings. After a moment, she asked me what I might title one specific painting (which reminded me of a rendition of an old photo by William Gottlieb). After sharing my thoughts, her husband sitting next to her quickly responded by shaking his head disdainfully and said, “That’s not what I’d call it.”

It is very interesting how differently we look at art. One man’s Monet is another man’s trash and one man’s Radiohead is another man’s noise. I’ve often asked (out loud and internally) what it is that draws us to certain types of artistic expressions and consider others less worthy. And I know there’s been a lot of work done on this academically, but I think more needs to be done at a bit more street level.

So, think about it, what is it that draws you to the art you love? (and when I’m speaking of “art”, I’m referring to all the fine arts - music, dance, literature, visual mediums, etc.)  What are the values that, in your opinion, make one good and the other not?  What are the common threads?  Why do you find certain expressions less admirable?  And are there certain sensibilities or other parameters that inform your likes and dislikes?  Something to think about…

Imagination…and Einstein

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.“

-Albert Einstein

A conversation on technology (part one)

So yesterday I stopped at the local grocery store on my way to work.  I just needed to grab one thing, but due to the earliness of the morning there were only two checkout lanes open.  As I stood patiently waiting  for the woman in front of me to finish the checkout process (seriously, I really was in a rather patient mood yesterday), her cell phone rang.  She chose to answer and proceeded to dig around in her purse for the exact change.  The cashier looked at me after a few moments apologetically as the woman continued to root around for the last dime she needed.  I just smiled.  No hurry for me.

But it did cause me to think (and I’m sure there’s been much better research on this than I could ever consider), “Have we developed technology beyond what we are capable to handle?”  Not as far as brain waves are concerned, of course, but when it comes to hospitality, etiquette, manners, politeness, consideration for others.  I don’t even want to ask if we are over-technologizing our senses…I think that’s a given.  But I particularly mean that we have allowed technology to trump our relational senses.   Take for example that when your cell phone rings, that you are more apt to disengage from the conversation or relationship that is right in front of you to respond to the one that is fiber-optically buzzing in your purse or shirt pocket.

Jerry Seinfeld recently said this in an interview: “I feel like sometimes these technologies kind of happen to us before we figure out, what are the rules of this thing?  The BlackBerry, for example, is a fantastic device, but there are no rules.  People go into BlackBerry comas.  They just go, ‘I think I’ll go elsewhere.’ And they just leave you.”

I’m not downing technology.  I just think I’m at a place where I’m considering it quite possible that the technology that assists us in accomplishing our tasks is beginning to own us.  AND…although it has allowed us to sometimes be MORE creative, I also believe, in some cases, it is taking our own artistic, creation-oriented skills away as we begin to rely more on the technology itself to be the creative engine rather than our imaginations…what do you think?

more thoughts to come…