Just saw these pictures of some of the staff at Antioch showing up in promo shots for the intern sweatshirts (a bunch just came in for the Antioch families who hosted interns) and the Intern Art Book.

What a crew!!

Here’s an amazing Chalk Art project that Paul Crouse – one of Antioch’s Summer Interns – undertook a few weeks ago. He did it on a street end in Bend with Jerod Wanner filming to promote the Justice Conference in February.

One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!!

The Sun is Rising from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.

Paul Crouse did this version of the Justice Poster using paint and plywood during the service at Antioch today.

It sold for $500 with proceeds going to The Justice Conference.

Pretty cool!!

Here’s a pic of a chalk art drawing that Antioch intern, Paul Crouse, did this past week at the end of a street in Bend.

Paul did the piece as a part of a time-lapse video promoting the Justice Conference in February.

I’m blown away by the talent of the interns this summer… simply amazing!!

I read this spoken word piece written by Micah Bournes, one of last summer’s interns, in my message yesterday at Antioch.

I wasn’t going to post it, but I’ve had an overwhelming amount of requests.

Here it is:

A wise man once said to me “the more I study history the harder it is to be a patriot.” America the beautiful, built on biblical principles and the backs of slaves. Manifesting our destiny from New England to the California coast, desecrating most native civilizations that got in our way. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no afro centric conspiracy theorist with a slavery chip on my back, in fact, I’m proud to be an American, I love running water and Mickey D’s, religious freedom and democracy, but recently I’ve asked myself, what does it mean to be free? As natives of the U.S., liberty is engrained in our constitution and DNA, but if your freedom is married to your American rights, will you still be free when America dies? And America will die. No, I’m no prophet predicting the future, I’m a historian observing the past. From Egypt to Babylon, the Greeks to the Romans, in their moment, they felt invincible, little did they know, their temples would erode, their cities would burn and their coliseums would crumble with a roar as loud as that of the crowds which filled them before they fell to the ground.   The globe continued to roll. A new empire rose, then fell, passing the torch to the next generation of fools convinced they would eternally rule. So what makes us think we’re the exception? let me repeat my question. If your freedom is married to your America rights, will you still be free when America dies? What does it mean to be free? Bondage is a spiritual state, not physical chains; realistically most Americans are still enslaved. Mastered by their own desires, aspiring merely to aspire higher, driven by their insatiable appetite for material wealth and physical pleasure, wondering whether their labor will ever end. Slaves in need of liberation. In need of a freedom like Silas and Paul, fastened in stocks to a Roman prison wall, yet feeling so free they sang hymns to their liberator. For our freedom is greater than shackles. If  ever America is tackled by a foreign kingdom, and US citizens are enslaved or imprisoned, I will still have freedom. Freedom that is true, having nothing to do with a bill of rights or a politician, The Declaration of 1776 did not ensure my independence, nor did Lincoln’s proclamation bring my people emancipation, true liberation comes only by salvation. Salvation comes only by faith in Christ. Until you believe that the son of God died and resurrected so you could be free from your sin, you will never know liberation. And If you believe that the son of God died and resurrected so you could be free from your sin, no prison cell or ball and chain can ever take your freedom away. For he who is called in the Lord [while] a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. For if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed. So tonight as we cheer for our moment in time, watching millions of dollars explode in the sky, I pray you consider this question of mine; will you still be free when America Dies?

One of Antioch’s artists, Tom Monson, drew this during the “Money” sermon on Sunday.

Looking at it actually makes a money sermon look cool!!

Part II of the Vine and the Branches Series from John 15 tomorrow.  I love the artwork Connie Gabbert is creating each week to go along with this series!!

Connie Gabbert is teaching this Spring’s Art Practicum class at Kilns College.

Connie is an accomplished artist (and new mother) and will be teaching basic drawing.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to sketch, draw or illustrate – now is your chance!!

Just go to www.kilnscollege.org and click on “register now.”  

Spring classes start next week!!

Here’s some more artwork that came my way!!

High Schooler Lindsey Brown drew this of the High School group leaders for a year end “thank you” card.

From left to right: Kip Jones, Kristin Jones, Lauren Yoho and Evan Hendrix

One of the crazy things about having so many artists in the church, is all the little drawings and sketches I come across.

Here’s Tom Monson’s creative doodle from this past Sunday’s bulletin.  He turned the “och” in Antioch into an octipus. Crazy!  Have you ever seen such detail and shading in a little church bulletin sketch?!

I absolutely love being surrounded by this kind of stuff!!!

I love what Augustine calls the Psalms in chapter 9 of his Confessions:

“Outbursts of devotion with no room in them for the breath of pride!”

Outbursts of devotion. I could think about that phrase for quite a while. What do outbursts of devotion look like in our lives… in my life?

Was the capacity for “outbursts of devotion” why God called David a “man after his own heart”?

Without pursuing this at length, I think that unstructured creative acts of enthusiasm, passion or desperation are at the heart of outbursts of devotion or Psalms.

I’m often asked why art is such a big deal at Antioch… well, maybe that is the answer.

Unstructured creative acts (does that sound like art?) seem to me an essential ingredient in devotion, worship and our ability to glorify God with all that is within us.

The Antioch Kids Art Books arrived this week and will be available starting a week from Sunday.

It’s such a cool thing to see… all the artwork from so many different kids who all will be beaming with pride when they see their work in print.

I can already see my kids faces when they give these to their grandparents as Christmas presents :)

I’m not really involved in this one all that much, but I think it is pretty darn cool.

The Antioch Kids Art Book is going to be a collaboration of art work from students within the church put into actual book form. (Can you see all the Christmas presents that grandparents will be getting?!)

Here’s the cover that Gary Christenson worked up…

Tom Monson, one of the artists at Antioch, worked up this cool little map for us detailing the process for getting connected.

Check it out!!

Yesterday was the launch of Antioch’s Art Book.

The Art Book was the brainchild of Gary Christenson and Kim Hunt as a way to network artists and get artwork from within the congregation out into a visible format. The book is 188 pages full color and sells for $50.

Hands down… it is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in ministry!!

The Art Book will be available for purchase on Sunday mornings or you can order one by e-mailing Kim at kim@antiochchurch.org

This Sunday is our second shot at “Art Sunday.” The halls and lobby of the school will be filled with art from artists in the Antioch community. All of it will be for sale with the proceeds going to missions projects.

We’ll also use this Sunday as an opportunity to talk about Africa and our commitment in Uganda. Courtney will be interviewing Dan and Tambry Brose about their time as missionaries in Burundi and their knowledge of Africa, its history and needs as the International Directors for World Relief.

We’ll also be sharing about the upcoming trip in February to Bukwo in Uganda to further a partnership with a local church and begin a child sponsorship program.

It should be a pretty fun and informative morning all around!!

P.S. Below are some pictures of the team that is leaving in February

This will be the second year in a row that I’ve worked on a “Sermon Biography Series” in January.

The big idea is to spend two weeks on the life and times of someone in Church History. The first week allows us to look at our own culture through the lens of a different time period. The second week is a deeper look at invididuals and how they worked out their Christian faith in the context of the their times.

Starting this Sunday we’ll be looking at Francis Schaeffer by discussing the cultural context inside and outside the church during the later part of the 20th Century.

I’m having a blast piecing it together… which is helped a ton by Gary’s sermon artwork!!

It occurred to me over the course of this term that I tend to hold myself back artistically. I like to compare myself to other people, and as long as I’m doing as well as everyone else, I feel like I’m doing well. But what I realized is that measuring myself according to other people only works as long as there are people to compare to, and once I’m out of school I really won’t have that luxury anymore. So what’s going to keep me doing art once I graduate?

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that for a really long time I’ve been operating as an artist without any passion. I’m writing, acting, composing, singing, or whatever simply because I can, and I assume that as long as I’m “doing a good job,” I’m doing okay.

But the truth is–and I got this listening to my writing teachers–that the best reason to do art is because you love it. You have to love it…you have to love the creative process. That’s probably self-evident to most people, but it was a rather profound discovery for me.

“Do your best at art because the art deserves it. If you truly love your particular art and truly respect its power and beauty, do it justice.”

That’s what I’m so bad at doing. I figure as long as my art is good enough that no one will think it sucks, I must be doing a good job. I guess, in the end, passion is a much more satisfying reason to be an artist, because it frees me from being dependent on other people’s approval for success.

Ultimately, it seems to me that the most powerful reason for doing art is that it satisfies some deep, personal need within me. If I’m not driven to the writing pad or the piano or the stage by something powerful and spiritual, I’ll never really enjoy art, and I’ll certainly never create anything meaningful.

The “Antioch Magazine” rolled off the presses last week and was handed out at Antioch this past Sunday.

I love it!! It is the perfect picture for me of what can be done when ministry and art are married together.

It was a fun project that was made possible by a deal we received on printing costs (I love generous people!)

If you would like us to mail you a copy just e-mail me at ken (at) antiochchurch.org and we will be happy to do so!!

For those of you who were lucky enough to get your hands on a copy already, leave a comment and share what you think!!!

If you’ve ever wondered if a bulletin can be a “work of art“… then you’ll want to be sure to grab a bulletin this Sunday as I think it might help answer that question in the affirmative!

I’m continually amazed at the number of talented people God has placed on the team at Antioch…

P.S. I would have attached a picture of the bulletin, but I don’t want to ruin it for you (besides the fact that Gary never sent me a copy of it :)