Here is a encouraging story that I received. Artists in Christian Testimony is a ministry that is dedicated to binding Arts and Missions together.

Artists in Christian Testimony actually exists to facilitate the important role of the artist in ministry. But many of the church leaders still wonder what that is. In talking with Byron Spradlin recently he pointed out the following realities:

One, the best word in the Bible for what we know today as artist is the term "craftsman" (e.g. exodus 31, exodus 35) the word in Hebrew simply means "someone unusually wise at imaginative design and expression." This term craftsman really can include all Bible of the various categories of the arts we know today (including music, storytelling, drama, dance, and even film and technology, and literary arts). Every time you see these people in the operation in scripture you see them involved in creating environments where finite people are stepping into environments (designed by artists) wherein they meet with the transcendent God. Spradlin underscored the purpose of the arts as laid out in scripture: "to lead the human community and individual into touching the transcendent realities of life and God." From that we can see that God intended the artistically enabled person to actually be the facilitator for all of human community in putting handles on non-material but real transcendent things like beauty and goodness and love and kindness and appreciation and honor and reverence and worship.

Also he points out that when you take a hard look at the scriptures you will realize that really what the arts are is the imaginative rearrangement of human metaphors, symbols and expressions. Spradlin pointed out, "Isn’t that exactly what a worship service is made of?" We basically take human symbols and metaphors loaded with biblical truths and we enter into practices of activities that in themselves are not transcendent but in participating in them with faith focused on God, God actually comes to us and interacts with us and our lives are changed. That is also what we do when we pray by our self or have devotions by our self or sing a song by our self.

The artist is absolutely essential to human flourishing because the artist puts handles on realities that are not material but are absolutely essential for our life. So really the artist is much more than an entertainer, much more than some kind of solo critic commenting on culture. The artist actually reflects the heart of the people and creates those contexts – songs, poems, pictures, stories, films dances – that literally create envelopes wherein we hold these transcendent realities and interact with them.

These reasons lay out some of the expressions of why artistically capacity people are absolutely essential in church leadership, in missions leadership and in the Christian community engaging the mainstream community and the cultures in which we all live.

Artistic expression and artistic specialists "human expression specialists or imagination specialists” were designed by God. This is not something the church or others even have the option to vote on. God intended these specialized people to help facilitate the rest of humanity in first of all interacting with him and then secondly embracing and interacting with the transcendent realities that make our lives more fully human.

Dear friends and family,

J.G. is changing lives. We are seeing teenagers turn to God for affirmation, love, forgiveness, hope, and someone to place their trust in. Its been a great sight to see teens reach for the love of God and encounter Jesus.

One night we talked about belief. That our lack of belief in God's characters and abilities is hindering us from growing closer to Him.

We as a group put aside our disbelief.

We were free to surrender, worship, unashamedly express our love for Jesus. Some ran, some danced, some sang, some simply sat in His presence.

God gave one girl forgiveness for her father for calling her fat and walking out on her. She has been absent of a father for many years but God came to her in the form of a Dad.

The students were moved by God to a new style of prayer. They named it "Prayer-Bombing". All of the guys were so over whelmed by Gods presence that they would run up to staff members and start praying for them!

It was a great victory to see students break free and express their love for God with freedom.

There are 68 other students that have stories of God moving deeply in their hearts. Its been full filling to serve and give life away to young people. J.G. is changing lives for eternity.

Thanks for reading!

Jordan

Dear Family,

I went out to shared the love of God to Boston. I was shared with many but many refused Gods grace at that moment.

I prayed for a man who was homeless. He told me "you can share with me if you give me a dollar." I quickly asked people for a dollar and I got three dollars from a women passing by. I walked up to the man and said "Not only did I get you a dollar but three, now I will share with you the love of God." Before I gave him the money I began to share but I quickly realized this man did not need someone to preach to him, he needed love! So I began praying for him. I wasn't alone my friend Luke was praying for him too. Luke got a word for him and shared it with him then I got a word to share with him. Luke and I together encouraged our brother in Christ. Together, as a whole message, this is what was said to the man
"God loves you, he wants you to know your are his child, his son and you can share with him all your anger, all your disappointments with life because he can handle it. He can handle all your junk. He loves you."

We asked him can you sense something, he said yes. We quickly told him that it was God's presence then gave him the three dollars. God so loved him in this moment. This man needed the presences of God, not the sharing of the gospel and I am grate full to be apart of giving him a piece of Jesus.


Kyle is another person I spoke to whom received Christ again into him heart. I told him the story of God and how Jesus wants a relationship with us. He said I am not ready for that and I need to work on myself more before I can go to God. I told him about some darkness in my life that God had worked out of me in the last 6 months. I told him knowing God more and giving God more is not about saying more "yes", "amens", and all that but resting in his presence because only the presence of God can change a humans heart.

I love sharing the heart of God with people on the streets.

I am personally doing good. Enjoying life.

Thanks you for walking with me.
Love you.



Go to http://www.youtube.com/dropraisegogo

Dear Friends and Family,

Friday, the team went out to share the love of Jesus with people. It was very cool because 14 people came to know Jesus in 2 hours. We cared and played with children, we played basket ball with young men, we did dramas and dances for families and we shared our stories with individuals. Its a joy to give Jesus to people.

I really enjoy telling people about him and sharing his love with them. I don't wait on people now I just tell people about Jesus on my own time.

Yesterday I went to a artist/missionary event. There was a good crowd of people at the event, majority artist then pastors and teachers. I met many people there and it was really fun to share our stories, our art with each other. I met many people and at the end of the event I was socially tired.

Go see the artist represented at the event!
margemalwitz.com
jensreulecke.com
arthobbs.com
swetcharnik.com
richardhardenart.com
makotofujimura.com (one of my personal favs)


It is sunday and I am resting today. This week was filled with a lot of changes and new responsibilities. I am resting.

CHOW!

Hi Y'all

This Saturday is the artist/missionary conference. Meeting these people at the event is exciting and a great opportunity to get contacts for Youth With A Mission.

Good things are happening around me. I am getting better at fund raising, making friends around Boston, knowing Jesus more.

Pray for me to keep going deeper with Jesus and know him. Pray for Boston too, people need love in this cold city.

Thanks for reading. Love you.

Dear Friends and Family,

I am presently working on some financial things. I am understanding how to raise support again because I need help in clearing out my misconceptions of raising finances.

I am living day by day. With every passing day I am built in confidence of whom God has created me to be. I am standing up for myself, finding I do not need to feel insecure about thinking how I live or what I think about life. I am being taken cared of by Jesus.

I am presently looking up Macbook Pros because of the direction I would like to take my life. I want to direct films, make animated movies, make comic books to inspire people to live life and know God. This is my love and how I communicate to people.

I am excited to live in my calling. I am trusting in Jesus to supply the path for his creation to walk in what he is meant to walk in.

Thanks for reading.
LOVELOVELOVE

J.E.M

Hello

I am doing good.

I have been praying for Boston sufficiently more. I know God is doing great things around Boston but I am not seeing it presently, I allow these moments to help me trust God.

On April 30th I will be in a "conference" for artist and missionary. It will be a three day event that is field with conversations on how to reach people through arts and missions. It is not a YWAM event but a group of people who are passionately following Jesus and want to use their art to lead others into knowing Jesus.


This week will be a conference for finances where I will be equipped with new tools, imagination to invite people to support me as a missionary.


I am developing a social life. It is really nice to have people to call, be friends with. I was invited out to drink, I was so excited tho I can not drink I was still invited.

God is moving and I am waiting, trusting I will see it.

Thanks for reading. Love you.