The Artist Must Die: Stepping out of Vague

Nov 2, 2008

Stepping out of Vague

For so long I have blogged about important things. Things that I think are relevant and I have shared my view points to a certain degree. However I have come to admire those who have the courage to be more transparent in their blogging...

I want to do the same.

Not that I have a lot of readers so I guess I can say whatever I want with discretion.

I feel a "calling out" from Jesus.

I was reading a story to Kyson tonight from his Jesus Storybook Bible about the parable of the treasure. Remember the story of the man who found a treasure in a field, he buried the treasure again and went and sold everything he had to purchase the field so that he could dig up the treasure and have it...

I feel like God is preparing us to "buy the field" at all costs...

I am here in Munday and I feel less and less attracted to any sort of personal achievement...any sort of position or standard of easy living. I feel a war-time seriousness about me and I am truthfully shaken by the future that I know we are called to prepare for.

My mind goes to the many stories that arrose after WWII of survival, perserverance, and tribulations. I think of those who faced horrible circumstances and lived or died in horror. I think of rations, and air raid sirens and marching armies of evil men bent on distruction and I remember that happiness is never guaranteed...but Joy is possible through all.

These images may seem a little drastic but I believe that this is a reality in the spiritual realm and that we will see it manifested in the physical in different forms...

I am grieving the death of my ideals, my ideas, my aspirations, and my comfortable fantasys.
I am trading my plans for an open heart towards God to do whatever, go where ever, and become whatever the Lord requires with a sober mind and willing heart.

"Nevertheless" is a really powerful word.

My world is no longer about a nice neat American life with pansies in my pots, and a cassarole in the oven...

I desire the to fulfill the call of God for us to be Abandoned to Him.

"When a heart sees what God wants, it must be spent for that cause and that cause alone."
Oswald Chambers

2 comments:

TammieNovember 3, 2008 at 8:03 AM
Had to take a second glance to make sure i clicked on Kacy's blog...lol. Love the decorating you've done. LOL

I like this post in my 'knower', but my 'doer' isn't so happy with it.
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AnonymousNovember 3, 2008 at 9:17 PM
I just finished reading "Spectacular Sins". Opened my eyes. I think I may read it again. WHAT IS GOD DOING ANYWAY?????
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Some Warnings to the Christian Artist

"However, there are dangers in exercising one's artistic creativity. One danger is idolatry. the worship of the work of one's own hands, Another is jealousy of other, perhaps more talented or more successful artists, A third is the prostitution of one's artistic talents in the service of evil causes. Yet another is the falsification of artistic visions received from God, This danger is unavoidable in our sin-perverted world, as any godly writer or artist will instantly admit. Because literature and art can be so influential in society. Christian writers and artists must take very seriously the Scriptural admonition to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" as God is "working out His good pleasure in us" (Phil. 2:12-133. Christian writers and artists also should bear in mind that their work is in many respects of an instructive or teaching nature, The writer or artist as teacher `~ill be judged more strictly' by God (James 3:1). Lastly. Christian literature and art should "bless our Lord's holy name with all that is within" the artist (Ps. 103:1). Our creativity must glorify our Creator (Rev.t:1 1). To glorify our wonderful Lord we must forsake mere "Christian utility" aimed at mere entertainment. How sad that Franky Schaeffer, son of the late Ltr .Francis Schaeffer and a talented painter and film maker, could rightly accuse today's Christians of "addiction to mediocrity' and shoddiness in craftsmanship in the arts, This cannot glorify our Creator (Rev. 4:11)."

click here to read the whole article

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart.

THAT IS DYING TO SELF

Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross.

OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT !

If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it, and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

The lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never feel distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be his love slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the inner circle.

Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He must have the right to tie your tongue, or chain your hand, or close your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.