February 23rd, 2010 | link
I wish I could Fave things in real life.
Here are things I’ve Faved in fake life.
February 15th, 2010 | link
Dan Allender at his home on Bainbridge Island
“Do you want to take a few shots?”
“Of course.”
February 13th, 2010 | link
I got to interview Rob Bell at my school today in front of my peers. I was nervous. My pants stayed dry though. So overall, success.
Here are a few quick thoughts:
• Rob was very kind and gracious. He does this sort of thing all the time, and I, admittedly, never do anything of the sort. Still, he was very kind to me personally.
• The danger of celebrity is that we lift up individuals and say to everyone else This is what you should strive to be! Yes and no. Yes, strive to be caring and generous. No, don’t strive to be someone else. Study the people that you admire, be they artists, pastors, authors, athletes, academics, politicians, or anyone else who catches your eye for whatever reason. Study them relentlessly, but don’t study them to be them. Study them, then find your own voice. We don’t need another Rob Bell. We’ve got one, and he’s nice. What we need is you and everything you bring to the table. So you want to be a great author? Fantastic. Read Vonnegut or Dillard or Twain or whomever, but don’t write like them. Write from your own voice. Resistance will tell you you’re a failure if you don’t reach some status of cultural greatness. Fight that voice, because it’s a lie. We are each a success when we are most fully ourselves. When we are most fully ourselves then we form a beautiful community.
• The best interviews I’ve ever seen are when I’ve witnessed the humanity of the person being interviewed come through in the conversation. I felt as though I got a small glimpse into Rob Bell’s humanity, but I was hoping for more. I understand that he does this sort of thing all the time, and he has his stock answers. Who wouldn’t? And I’ve never interviewed anyone in my life, so I’m sure my questions weren’t the most engaging. But still, I would have loved to have seen a bit more of Rob the man and a bit less of Rob the performer. Also, MHGS is highly relational, so I think we’re used to very engaging interpersonal interactions. I also wonder if I really showed up in the interview, or if my desire to be seen and recognized came through more strongly?
• My main take away: I need to be me, you need to be you, and Rob needs to be Rob.
I don’t know if my school recorded the interview, but if I ever get a copy of it I’ll try to post it.
February 12th, 2010 | link
Negative Dan Allender
by Joshua Longbrake
Negative Joshua Longbrake
by Dan Allender
February 11th, 2010 | link
A stream-of-conscious-mostly-unedited-paragraph-or-two-or-more of things that have been running through my brain this week:
Every time I try to buck the system I end up creating or joining another system. Each revolution starts another system, and inevitably someone will come along and start a revolution against the new system, which is probably an old system given new life. Et cetera.
The system which I at times detest, adore at others, and am very much a part of is Christianity. I believe in the premises. Love each other. Be kind. Be humble. Help. Speak truth. Be generous. Be patient. Grieve well. Eat and drink. Celebrate. Listen. Talk.
And if I may be an ass for a moment (I’m not really asking…more so forewarning), the culture drives me completely insane. The music. The books. The bookstores. The art (ish). The preachers. The self-promotion. The mega churches. The not-so-mega churches. The conferences. The patriarchy. The exclusion of women. The exclusion of everyone who doesn’t believe in the same God. The homophobia. The Thomas Kinkaid (and it’s not even his fault). The celebrity. The t-shirts & bumper stickers. The “either you’re in or you’re out”-ness. The constant guilt. The copying. The imitating. The lack of creativity. The lack of metaphor and the constant literal. The on and on and on. (Worth noting, I come from an evangelical background. I have not had the same experience in more high church/liturgical settings.)
And, as much as I hate it, I make it. I am in it all. Guilty. I am a white male studying to be a pastor. Standard. I’m an artist in the system. I worship celebrity and bow at the altar of look at me.
So. To be humble. To be loving. To remember what Plato said:
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
I am so quick to other those who call themselves Christians. I hate that which I am. I am longing to include those who are excluded, marginalized, those who are told that they are wrong and that they need to believe the right things.
So as I accept the marginalized, I marginalize others. I am who I hate.
I confess that I am a broken mess and I am full of goodness and beauty. Ashes on my forehead. I am out for my own gain and glory, and I strive to live for the glory of others and the glory of the God whom I know. Damn both/&. I love the few and despise the most. I hate the system, and I make the system. Plato said Be kind, and I take that to mean to be kind to both myself and to others.
May God have mercy, and yes, God has mercy.
February 8th, 2010 | link
This girl, maybe 9 years old, was sitting alone in the gallery at the Seattle Art Museum, sketching the painting in front of her. It was a gift to be in that room as she sat their silently, sketching, looking up, looking down, sketching.
Keep drawing, young artist, for yourself and for the rest of us.
