Im reading “Blue Pastures,” by Mary Oliver, and this quote jumps off the page, grabs me by my reluctant neck, and says “Pay attention!” I hope it will grab your neck as well.

“…the most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to
creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and
uprising, and gave it neither power nor time.”

What permission do you need to set aside time? I have one suggestion! Set aside June 5-9, 2009 for the Next Via Affirmativa Gathering in Colorado Springs …

Gary Bradley

Permission Granted!

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

Just gimme a chance. 

I think that I could be

One of those that

Change the world.

 

I’ll turn them away from the dark side. 

I’ll make them see what’s right.

I’ll save them from the enemy. 

My victory is in sight.

 

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

It’s harder than I thought.

But a difference I will make.

I’m getting close

I can taste it.

 

But it doesn’t taste sweet

I thought it’d be sweet.

I’ve a sneaking suspicion

I’m failing.  Failing. 

 

Striving, trying

Seems I can’t do it.  I won’t do it.

 

I’ll just try to put on

The usual uniform

Try to figure this out

While I just survive.

I’m boxed into a corner, waiting for the final blow.

But I won’t throw the towel in

I’m still strivin’, tryin’

To own at least this corner.

Face You in this little corner

Until You back down. 

Let me be who I want to be.

Who do I want to be? 

I really want to be

I just want to be

Important.  Valuable. 

I want to accomplish something great.

But you’ve trapped me in this corner.  I’ll wait. 

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

 

Working, shopping, making babies, making dinner

Making not much, in my heart’s opinion.

I think I was made to do more than little things

But little things are all there are to do right now.

Learning to do little things.

Learning to listen, learning to root

Learning to be gracious, learning to give.

So many little things.

I’m sorry for ignoring the little things.

This was not my plan, but here I am.

Still. Being still.

 

Why won’t You let me go?

It’s foolishness, You know,

Keeping me, a warrior, in a cage.

Maybe I could win the battle for You.

But that wouldn’t be enough.

Not special enough, not good enough,
Unaccomplished, unimportant,

Never enough.

 

Striving, trying

I can do it.  I will do it.

 

But here I am.

Still.  Just being still.

Just being Yours.

I’ve always been Yours.

And I’m starting to see

The most important I can be

Is Yours.

 

So I’ll trust You.

And when they ask me what I do.

I’ll try not to defend my existence with the things I do. 

I’ll try to be Yours in each moment.

Even in the little things,

Yours.

 

 

Sunita would love to discuss “balancing all the stuff we have to do in life, and how we feel about all those things in terms of identity. “

The Via Affirmativa Summer 2008 Gathering is over … but is the excellence? Not hardly.
This year’s 110 guests, from Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the U.S. filled the Colorado air with their music, art, drama, poetry and relationships, during our annual gathering held in the Springs. 

Featured guest presenter Makoto Fujimura shared with the community that
“We experience (re)generative creativity by serving people …
unless we create we don’t realize what we’re missing …”
What powerful words to this generation of emerging art makers! 

During the four day event, we saw these themes appear, which reveal to us the movement of the invisible in our midst:
1)      We celebrate goodness, truth and beauty
2)      We deepen our calling, at the intersection of faith and art.
3)      We integrate our lives, in community, in the context of the movement.
4)      We affirm the expression of the creative gifts through the making of art.

Another “Wow” moment from Mako came when he said “We artists can bring mercy and beauty to break into everyone’s every day life – it is an authority given to us and what we create matters and will last.”

The implicit parallel we draw from this is that we have gifts for a specific purpose, perhaps several purposes, but we are not the sole end of those purposes. When we employ our gifts, with excellence, while serving others and being open to relationships, the reality of generative creativity is realized, we are energized, and our purpose is fulfilled. Then those around us (and our audience) experience beauty & grace through our creativity.

Jim Petersen captured the attention of the gathering by sharing that
“We artists can be kind of like miniature versions of that burning bush that Moses saw and moved closer to. Once he saw that the bush was not being consumed by the fire he said, ‘I must go see this strange sight.’”

What a challenging adventure it will be to implement and apply all these great thoughts to our lives! One can not even imagine what impact they will have on our art -
May the Excellence Still Flow!

COMING SOON:

The lyrics to Sunita’s song “Ambition.”

A “Meditation on Excellence” written by Christy Tennant of the Int’l Arts Movement!

Did Mako actually talk about excellence? What does “the medium is the message” mean?
See how this year’s messages coalesced or talk about it! Explore ‘the End Beyond’ our time together - these and other attractions are, again, COMING SOON!

The Via Affirmativa Gathering 2008 just may be thee art event of the summer! Click the names to discover more!
 
Makoto Fujimura, the internationally celebrated artist and Presidentially appointed Counsel Member for the National Endowment for the Arts, will be with us all day Saturday, as we explore this year’s Summer Gathering Theme: The Redemptive power of Excellence.

VAF also welcomes Jamie Davis, the beloved Jazz musician, for a special performance! We are also pleased to have several well-known international artists from Europe and Asia who will join us as we reflect upon the Beauty and Power that eminate from excellent art!

Register quickly and let us worry about the details!

A few rooms are still available but please reserve your spot by April 14th!  Registration after that will continue but you will be responsible for your stay in Colorado Springs!

from Gary Bradley

A few days ago, I was reading in the holy book about the redemptive power of excellence. I observed that the word ‘excellence’ occurs five times in the New Testament and that each time the idea is connected to “Character” or “Virtue.”

I find this important because I see that art makers are at their best when character, competence, and a Kingdom vision are connected. Perhaps the restorative power of excellence is tied up in our character, what do you think?

A friend of mine, Keith Meyer, responded to this question with this statement:
“Eastern Orthodox Icon Writers…must have accomplished apprenticeship both in the writing of Icons and in the spirituality that the Icon represents…in other words…their works of excellence must have involved character to write (…they considered the bible to be just another form of art, or an icon, in words and letters).

This summer we will have a good time exploring this idea along with the delight of entering into the art of our friends.

We hope you can join us!
Gary Bradley

 
it’s like
cloth that covers
my eyes
and stills my hands
my heart is beating
but no one sees
You stand before me
I see

Many of the talks from the gathering were recorded and are available below for download in MP3 format. To download them you may need to right-click (or ctrl-click) on the link and choose “Save Link As…” or your browser’s equivalent.

• History of Via Affirmativa - Gary Bradley
• Music Intro - Chuck Blakeman
• Music with 5 Notes - Chuck Blakeman
• Music with 5 Notes and Voiceover - Chuck Blakeman
• The Value of the Work of Your Hands - Gary Bradley
• Amy Wevodau interviews Artist and Sculptors Darin & Shannon White
• John Ridgway speaks on the “Creative Redemptive Life”
• Chuck Blakeman Interviews Pianist Joel Hasting
• Gary Bradley explains the Art Slam concept