What place do the arts have in a community based around faith?
What is the connection?

I believe events like the artists showcase, arts workshops, and artistic expression during gathered times of worship and community life are integral to our development as God’s people. Art is a way of telling the human story, seeking revelation and inviting response and participation. As much as art is connection with our story, it is also a vehicle of transformation. It can bring greater understanding, clarity, openness, and even a call to action. Artistic mediums affect us in powerful ways that go beyond our intellects and touch our souls and spirits. I believe this is God’s way. This is how we are made to receive glimpses of truth on many levels as whole people.

In Exodus 35 God directed the craftsmen in every detail to make the tabernacle skillfully worked and strikingly beautiful. Even the vestments of the priest were exquisite. Despite the intense beauty that would reflect the very essence of God, there must have been other intended results such as instruction and invitation, reflection and transformation.

Each of us is touched in our own particular way. One person may strongly respond to music, one may be awed by depiction of the magnificence of nature, one may have epiphanies from illuminated writing, one may find visual imagery most powerful, and another is moved as they watch a dancer portray hope in the midst of suffering. Perhaps God comes closer and clearer to us in these languages of the soul. Art is a reminder of a greater realities. And we need reminders.

photo gallery from Word in Art coming soon.

this past sunday as we wrapped up our summer series on community, we wrote some identity poems related to the refuge & also ourselves. we thought we’d share the refuge ones so everyone could listen in on our heart. the first one was a community effort—each table contributed particular lines to the poem. the second one was written by sage and powerfully read during the sharing. both reflect the heart and ever-evolving identity of the refuge.

*****

we are seeking & welcoming friends

we wonder where this journey is taking us

we hear hopefulness from people we love & a fruitful silence

we see healing & chaos

we want true community, acceptance, humor, fun, realness & to make a difference

we are seeking & welcoming friends

we pretend that we’re cool, that nothing’s wrong

we feel known, uncomfortable, deeply connected, exposed, accepted, appreciated, safe & loved

we touch many lives & pressure points

we worry in our attempt to include the marginalized of society that we’ll turn our hearts back on all others

we cry with each other as we share our stories

we are seeking & welcoming friends

we understand that we don’t have all the answers

we say that relationships are intentional

we dream a lot, that we’d be a truly loving community, real people and love Jesus

we try to live our dreams

we hope for twinkle twinkle little star (stella’s addition), community & connection, honesty, equality, to be embracing, an extension of God’s love, to always be stretching outward, transparent to the world, to foster a deep sense of awareness of each person’s value.

we are seeking & welcoming friends

we are the refuge.

–written by the refuge community 8.11.08

*****

we are loving & chaotic

we wonder if we can really love one another

we hear God’s voice in and among us

we see God’s hand at work in us

we want a place to rest from our wandering

we are loving & chaotic

we pretend to be understanding & welcoming

we feel wrapped in community

we touch hands as brothers & sisters in Christ

we worry that we can’t do this

we cry when we fall short

we are loving & chaotic

we understand that God’s love is real

we say that Jesus makes everything possible

we dream they kingdom come, thy will be done

we try to make that happen for everyone

we hope to bring God’s kingdom for all

we are loving & chaotic

we are the refuge

- sage harmos, 8.11.08

A young man (I said “man” on purpose, funny huh?), let’s call him Pastor #1, announces that God has called him to plant a church in ____________ (most commonly a white suburban or cool urban area) and thus he will need your prayers (money). Let’s say the church begins to growand becomes self sufficient. Pastor # 1 is an average speaker, average counselor, and average administrator, but the world rests on his shoulders because he is the one who was built the church. Everything is as it should be, until one day along comes an exceptional young man who becomes part of this growing community. Over time, he begins to sense a calling from God to step into more leadership in this community, maybe even to do some of what Pastor #1 is “called” to do. And, as it turns out, Pastor #2 is actually an above average speaker, above average counselor, and above average administrator. Oh my, what will happen? Since the inception of the church, Pastor #1 has said how much he loves the church and all the sacrifices he has made to make it happen. However, when the rubber meets the road, he is the one in charge.

It is really no mystery, Pastor #2 will have to go to live out his calling, after all, only one person can be the leader, right?…

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see something different in this world of church? Why is Pastor #1 the one to stay? Not because of God, but because he got to the neighborhood first! It is like the spiritual version of “called it” that my brother and I played.

I think about these things a lot because I hear stories all the time, I seem to continue to see churches replicate the same old systems of power and self-centeredness and dishonesty.

I have compiled a few other scenarios that I am still waiting to experience: (not that I really want these things, but I prefer the truth to always blaming God for our crappy decisions)

• i am anxious to hear a Christian artist (author, singer) to say “I have completed this last work, not so much because I was inspired by God, but I really need the money.
• “this is Pastor Cindy and her administrative assistant Joe”
• “we are entering a million dollar building campaign, I think Jesus would rather we give the money to starving people in Africa, but I am tired of my ass hurting and I want nicer seats.”
• “if you have struggled with the same besetting issue for more than 6 months, or have no money, please leave or at least quit asking us for help because we are tired of hearing from you.”
• “no you cannot sing a special at church, you are not very pretty.”

Perhaps my greatest disappointment with church is the fact we can feed our egos, soften our seats, and marginalize the poor simply by using God language, throwing in a little “for the sake of the Kingdom” language here and there. I would prefer we just be a bit more honest and admit, power, money & egos are huge motivators for decisions churches make. And let’s face it, in systems like these, the “least of these” will continue to be last.

While on the main path when encountering another student you looked up to catch the eye of the oncoming student and you smiled a nice, healthy smile (teeth please) and you said, “Hi, how are you?”. All of this happened without stopping motion and the encounter was therefore brief.

2 Things You Did Not Want To Do:

1. Don’t look up too soon - timing was important because if you caught the student’s eyes too early then you would be stuck looking up and down and smiling until the appropriate time to talk and this was…awkward.

2. Do not forget to say your line, “Hi. How are you?” Always. One line. Easy to memorize but like all acting challenges difficult to say with truth.

When I first had this path encounter I thought it was great. It made everyone seem so friendly. It made everyone connect. But, slowly my anticipation of these encounters wore thin. I began to see that although a very important question was asked no one stuck around to get an answer. Everyone now seemed a fraud. No one really wanted to be my friend, no matter how many times we passed each other on the path, nothing was really happening. No connecting.

Fast forward to my first year out of college. I’m jaded and cynical and have a really bad attitude about Christian education and my first job post-graduation was as a receptionist. A church receptionist. For a really big church. With lots of money and lots of people. And my attitude worsened. The same thing was happening here , and with adults who should have known better! I couldn’t believe that adults with degrees in people and God were asking me “how are you?” and walking away before I answered. I began to try and answer honesty, but with efficiency, sharing things like, “I’m tired” or “I have to go to the bathroom” and I also began to try and just say, “Hi” and it was difficult. I didn’t realize how linked the greeting and the question were.

They are still linked. People still ask without the time or desire to hear a real answer. And often…people don’t even answer honestly…even if there is time…

I’m still tired of this path experience. For too long I’ve wanted to be known and so have chosen to walk the big path only to be smiled at without truth and listened to without ears. For too long I’ve wanted to hide and have breathed in lies about my ability to walk with others in the sunshine and clean air.

There is no easy solution. No “steps” to take but the step…a step…I’m talking about an actual physical step. A step forward to stand next to another person. The step that takes you out of the house toward the car toward your community of friends and faith. The step that takes you out of your seat next to your close friend and across the room towards the face you’ve never seen before (or have seen a million times). The step that brings you to the front of the room where you can tell your part of our story that will connect us all more deeply.

Community. I’m discovering that this word is so much more than a walk around a path with pre-scripted lines and eye contact. I think it’s about improvising. A quick nervous hug here, an intimate soul baring conversation there, In a coffee shop, a bathroom, after a movie night, in a car singing “Old MacDonald had a………” and sticking around to hear just what that old farmer was keeping around his barn. Hopefully it’s not goose poop.

When I decided to try to write a bit on the theme of community, I thought the piece might best be served by first looking at the ‘According to Hoyle’ (or in this case Webster’s) definition of the word.

What I discovered was that the dictionary, though accurate in its description, omits the more applicable meaning(s) of the word.

Unless we’ve resided in a closet, we have all lived in some form of community for all of our lives. I am no exception to this, but not until very recently did I begin to see an expanded view of the word.

This revelation, or realization if you prefer, came only after I got involved within The Refuge community. With this in mind I will begin my list: Expanded Definitions of Community.

1. Community is becoming involved.
2. Community is letting oneself be known.
3. Community is listening.
4. Community is reaching out.
5. Community is loving others.
6. Community is letting others love you.
7. Community is doing life together.
8. Community is lending a shoulder.
9. Community is a sympathetic ear.
10. Community is caring.
11. Community is prayer.
12. Community is letting others vent, even if you don’t agree with them.
13. Community is venting, even when others don’t agree with you.
14. Community is friendship.
15. Community is honesty.
16. Community is forgiveness.
17. Community is sharing.
18. Community is gathering.
19. Community is going out on a limb.
20. Community is writing a blog entry, even when you are insecure and worried what others may think of it.
21. Community is family.

This is the Reader’s Digest version of my list. It is in no particular order and (pardon the oxymoron) wholly incomplete. I’m sure that I could add more to it, and confident that you could add many entries to it as well.

I am happy to be part of this community, sharing not only the ‘according to Hoyle’ definition with you, but also my expanded view you have allowed me to express.

I love you all, those whom I have come to know well, and those I hope to know better. There is no other place on earth I would rather reside in that in our “little church” community, which I have found to be plenty large enough to grow.

With apologies to Charles Dickens, “May God bless us, every one.”
Thanks for letting me share, Steve

at the refuge, we are not trying to be anti-institutional for the sake of being anti-institutional. it’s just that we are dreamers. we dream that the body of Christ would look much more like a family than a business or a production. after spending last weekend at the 3rd annual refuge camping trip at jackson lake i walked away with this thought: church should probably be a lot more like camping! really, it has all of the elements that i love & value about “church” the way i dreamed it could be:

• all the cover-ups are stripped away - camping is a great equalizer. a tent’s a tent. no one cares about what you wear or what you look like. every person trying to pull themselves up on a tube in the middle of the lake looks awkward, no matter how much money they make or what job they have. in a good way, camping (especially when there’s water because that means bathing suits!) exposes us in a safe container because everyone else is equally exposed, too.

• everyone shares - that is one of my favorite things, when we are camping there’s an incredible sharing of “stuff” with each other. we had 14 sites all to ourselves and there was zigzagging all over the place… ”need an extra tent? want some eggs? i’ve got some bacon! come over to our place and we’ll cook up the food.” needs get met. openhandedness abounds.

• conversations flow - fire, time and space creates a container for relaxed & meaningful conversation. no one’s rushed, hurried, has an agenda, or always has the floor.

• playing & more playing - little kids playing with big kids, big kids making new friends, games around the picnic table, balls getting tossed, splashing in the water, silly songs around the campfire, people trying things they don’t normally try, laughter everywhere. that’s worship.

• the little ones are a part - kids & grownups together is really important to me. we’re supposed to know each other’s kids & look after them & help them & love them instead of keeping them safely put away while we “do our thing”. when we’re camping, we’re all together, eyes and hearts and hands all over the place making sure everyone’s known & taken care of.

• relaxed instead of rushed - hurriedness is what messes with community. rushing in, rushing out, going from one thing to the next and never being able to be present in the moment. the stress of time and responsibilities and pressures really rob us of peace & connection. when we’re camping, we’re chill. we’re present. we’re unwound instead of wound up. we’re glad to be here instead of thinking where else we have to go next.

i could go on and on about all the cool parallels and i am sure i missed some other big ones, but you get the point. yeah, to me, camping really is “church” at its finest.
here’s a photo collage from our time together:

a few saturdays ago the refuge hosted a graffiti art workshop at joshua station, our friends near downtown denver who provide transformational housing for struggling families. it was a perfect spot for our gathering and sam trujillo, who works for milehigh ministries (the umbrella organization for joshua station), did an amazing job facilitating a wild and crazy afternoon. we had 30 participants, about 1/2 from the refuge, 1/2 from joshua station, with a wide range of ages (from 8 to 69 years old!) and backgrounds (the best part). the common thread that wove us together was a desire to express ourselves in ways that some of us aren’t used to, to connect with our artistic side, our story. sam used a great combination of videos, conversation, and all kinds of mediums to help people connect. one tool he used was a template for an “i am” poem that people could use to add to their piece. you can check out the template here if you want to give it a try on your own.

you can check out a gallery of pictures from the afternoon here

and some other blog posts with some highlights: here and here

we definitely hope to offer more experiences like this in the future so people of all ages, backgrounds & spiritual journeys can have an opportunity to express themselves through art. thanks, sam!

Jesus as friend, playmate PDF

Jesus as light PDF

Jesus as obedient son PDF

Jesus as our savior, healer, good shepherd, etc. PDF

Jesus as our advocate PDF

Jesus as living water PDF

More photos of our evening are posted here.

right now at the refuge we’re focusing in on the trinity—God the father, the son, the holy spirit—their wild and crazy relationship with each other and what it means for us individually, corporately. it’s always interesting to me how in our spiritual journey, what we’ve been taught by certain pastors & leaders greatly impacts our theology. we take certain things at face value, assume what they are saying about it is 100% accurate, and often unintentionally automatically integrate their thinking into the way we approach our faith. when it comes to the trinity, i was always taught God the Father was the harsh and powerful boss & God the Son was his subordinate who was the go-between for us, the middle man that would make sure the boss didn’t fire us today. the Holy Spirit was his assistant now and then, kind of like the trainer who was making sure we knew what we needed to know to do the job. i don’t mean to be mocking what i had learned (well, maybe just a little) but thinking about this reminds me just how much man tries to squeeze God down into a manageable, explainable box. some of the teaching i received over the year made my relationship with God quite linear. known. predictable. workable. i am not saying that some of the things i learned earlier in my christian walk were bad, but i find God opening up my mind and heart to a bigger story, a more mysterious story, a radically more expansive view of the bigness and beauty of God’s character. It all feels a lot more wild, and sometimes a little more scary. i admit, I sometimes miss the A-B-C’s, 1-2-3’s of a relationship with God.

at the same time, I wouldn’t trade the last few years of my spiritual journey for anything because i am learning to rest in an important beautiful reality: i don’t know it all. i’ll never get my head fully wrapped around God. this side of heaven i can never fully understand all that i wish i could know so this crazy life would all make so much more sense. (i wish i was taught more of this thinking early on because what i learned is that if you read your Bible enough and understand the scriptures and integrate them into your life the way you are supposed to, you will know.) now, i am much more apt to read the scriptures with awe, questions, and wonder. they stir my heart and make me think.

last week i was hanging out in the book of john, chapters 15, 16 and 17. in the upper room Jesus shares so much about his relationship with the Father & how the holy spirit will help us. their intimate connection with each other reflects their desire to be in intimate connection with us. in john 17:22-23 Jesus says, “i have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. i am in them and you are in me. may they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” when it comes to my spiritual journey, i don’t need to parse which part of the trinity is which and when—this time it’s God, the next time it’s Jesus, this time it’s the Holy Spirit. they are all reflections of the One. and i believe the One is always at work trying to get our attention, to permeate our hearts and minds and lives with this radical truth—he loves us. God loves us. he made us in their image to be in relationship with us the way they are in relationship with each other (and yes, we never fully can grasp all that that means and looks like but we can get a taste when we see Jesus connecting, submitting, and talking with his Father).

so what’s the big idea of the trinity? in this moment, my take is that it is a reflection of the fullness of God’s heart for us—that it was and is and will always be about relationship. that through relationship we learn more about his radical love, his heart for us as his children, his presence with us in the deepest parts of our story. God, fully divine, fully human, fully present. a beautiful mystery.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Blessed Trinity, hear us
Adorable Unity, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.

Father from Whom are all things,
Son through Whom are all things,
Holy Ghost in Whom are all things,
Holy and undivided Trinity, Have mercy on us.

Father everlasting,
Only-begotten Son of the Father,
Spirit Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
Co-eternal Majesty of Three Divine Persons, Have mercy on us.

Father, the Creator,
Son, the Redeemer

Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, Have mercy on us.

Who is, Who was, and Who is to come,
God Most High, Who inhabits eternity,
To Whom alone are due all honor and glory,
Who alone does great wonders,
Power infinite,
Wisdom incomprehensible,
Love unspeakable, Have mercy on us.

Delliver us, O Holy Trinity

From all evil,
From all sin,
From all pride,
From all love of riches,
From all uncleanness,
From all sloth,
From all inordinate affection,
From all envy and malice,
From all anger and impatience,
From every thought, word, and deed contrary to Your holy law,
From Your everlasting malediction,
Through Your plenteous loving kindness,
Through the exceeding treasure of Your goodness and love,
Through the depths of Your wisdom and knowledge,
Through all Your unspeakable perfections, deliver us O Holy Trinity

We sinners, Beseech You, hear us.
That we may ever serve You alone,
That we may worship You in spirit and in truth,
That we may love You with all our heart, with all our soul, & with all our strength,
That, for Your sake, we may love our neighbor as ourselves,
That we may faithfully keep Your holy commandments,
That we may never defile our bodies and souls with sin,
That we may go from grace to grace, and virtue to virtue,
That we may finally enjoy the sight of You in glory,
That You would vouchsafe to hear us,

O Blessed Trinity,
We beseech You, deliver us. save us. have mercy on us.

Blessed are You O Lord, in the firmament of heaven
And worthy to be praised, and glorious, and highly exalted forever!

–modified from www.theworkofgod.org