Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Art: The Extravagant Gesture
I get an email newsletter from Image magazine, a publication that addresses Christianity and the arts. This letter arrived today, and I thought it shared an important perspective on the value of art, as well as goals for all artists who have a relationship with Jesus. It follows:
Dear Friends of Image:
“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” We've heard the opening words of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities so often that they've become a cliché. But my guess is that most of us can relate to those words after the year we've just gone through. Whatever good news we have to celebrate has to be set against the spectacle of a world battered by hurricanes, inundated by floods, and shaken by earthquakes. The human cost has been beyond comprehension.
At times like this, those of us who work in the arts have every reason to do a fair amount of soul-searching. What can a poem or a painting do for the bereaved and the homeless?
But then I think of Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus. Judas reproves her for wasting a precious substance. Jesus, however, commends her. In some mysterious way, the beauty and extravagance of Mary's gesture is seen by Christ as an icon of compassion. What she does demonstrates God's prodigal love for his children—and in that sense it becomes a sacramental sign that has the power to move human hearts.
Art, like that precious oil, can be the extravagant gesture that moves us to understanding and charity. All the more so when in the case of Image the writing and art we feature provide glimpses of the human solidarity that only God's grace can underwrite.
And so we hope that you will help us continue the mission of Image: to deepen the imaginative life of the church, to make faith credible in the mainstream culture, and to nurture the writers and artists who are striving to renew that faith.
Cordially,
Gregory Wolfe
Friday, November 18, 2005
A Light From Heaven
I usually don't get nervous when I meet "people of importance" - and I have met a few before. Actually, I don't think I've ever been nervous before an introduction. But, suddenly, as I stood in the "meet and greet" line for Jan Karon, I was. There were a hundred questions that I wanted to ask her - about her writing, her books, her faith. None of them came to mind as the line drew closer and closer to where she stood. I had the awful realization that I was going to shake her hand, stare at her, and awkwardly stumble away. And there was nothing I could do about it - I was frozen. Before I continue this tale, let me just explain why this meeting was such a big deal for me. Simply put, Ms. Karon is an authorial inspiration for me and the reason is threefold: she is a gifted writer, she has a sincere relationship with the Lord, and she has been successfully published in a secular market. Yep, that's what I want to be. Lofty, I know, but I can't shake the conviction that it is so important for Christians to be involved in the "arts", and that it shouldn't be in our own "Christian culture", but in the culture of the world! Someone once said that since we (as Christians) have an intimate relationship with THE Creator, we should be the most creative people around. But not to keep our creations for ourselves, but to share with everyone. At the event last night, Ms. Karon spoke of themes that she felt were woven throughout her Mitford series - unconditional love, grace, forgiveness. But she shared that the one that stood out to her the most was that of redemption. These books can be picked up at any bookstore by any person, and the story he or she reads is one of redemption - through a personal relationship with our Lord, I might add. I believe that is being salt and light. However, to finish my story... when my turn came to stand in front of Ms. Karon, I smiled (and blushed, because I still didn't know what to say). She warmly pressed my hand, took Bill's hand in her other, and said, "What a beautiful young couple; so sweet". Her assistant bent towards her, "This is the lady that asked the question about publishing a book with Christianity in it in a secular market". Ms. Karon smiled and squeezed my hand tighter. "Are you a writer, or do you want to be?" I melted and my tongue was loosed. Yes I do want to be, I said, but I just don't know what, how... my usual thing. She spoke to me some about that, and then ended by saying, "You will know when you have 'your story'. Pray about it and just wait. Pray about it". Pretty good writing advice from a New York Times bestseller.
Oh yes, and did I mention? When I came back to have my picture taken with her, she put her arm around me and said, "Take a good picture; she is going to be a famous author some day".
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Hungary Trip - July 2005
Ok, so I FINALLY posted pics of our trip to Hungary this summer. We spent nine wonderful days in Toalmas, a small town outside of Budapest, teaching English to campers at Word of Life. This was for us both, our first taste of Europe, and we fell in love with the people, the architecture, the land, and the culture in general. Thanks to all who kept us in your prayers - and please continue to lift up the students that we had!
Inside the market in Budapest. You could buy anything here - pastries, meats, veggies, as well as clothing and souveniers.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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