So to help infuse creativity into the chaos, here are five questions for worship leaders to ask as the songs are being chosen.  These are not meant to strap you in, but to set you free.  So if they don’t give you a feeling of freedom, toss them and stop reading this blog altogether.

WHAT AM I ASKING MY CONGREGATION TO RESPOND TO? In Scripture, our worship is always a response to something God has done, or is doing.  So much of the time, we hope people just respond to the music we prepare.  But there’s gotta be something more.  Pick a characteristic of God, and help people respond to that characteristic in their worship.  Become a Tour Guide, not just a Music Leader.

WHAT OLD SONG SHOULD WE PULL OUT AGAIN? So many people connect past God-moments with past lyrics.  Pick a song that you used to sing all the time.  Put a different dressing on it, and sing it loudly.

IS THERE A NEW SONG I WANT TO INTRODUCE? I always used to introduce no more than one new song per service.  Then, I’d always try to repeat that new song for three weeks straight.  If there’s a song that’s been ringing in your heart, make sure you’ve got the right band to introduce it well, and go for it.

WHAT SONG WILL PROVIDE A DOWN MOMENT OF QUIET? Our lives are so loud, so every set should include a down time when everything “bottoms out”.  Pastors shouldn’t be scared of these moments.  What song helps provide a moment like that?

WHAT WILL YOU INVITE PEOPLE INTO DURING THE QUIET? At the bottomed out moment, what will you invite people to think, pray, or do?  Make no mistake – these can be transcendent moments in the lives of worshippers, and worship leaders have the rare opportunity to help establish a spiritual marker in their hearts.  For so many people, this IS the service take-away.

So as you recreate this thing called “worship”, and as you do it over and over and over again, I pray that these questions launch you into creativity and inspiration.  And I pray that each week begins to look and feel differently on paper, in your services, and in your creative heart.

Create.

Our paintings, and our songs, and our web designs, and our short films, and our blogs, and our poems, and our public storytelling, and our motion loops, and our photography, and our script writing, and our editing, and our sketches, and our dancing, and our screenplays…

All are a response to something previously given to us.

“We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  He did something first, and we are now able to go and do something that looks and smells a lot like what He’s already given to us.

We create art because He first created art.

And the art He first created is you.  It’s me.  It’s anyone who has been made alive with Christ (Eph. 2:5), anyone whose life has been “picked us up out of the pit” (Psalm 40:1-2).  He’s the One who has placed a new song in our mouths, and we simply sing it.

And once that redemptive act has taken place – once that grace has done its saving – we respond in “…good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).

And for artists, our good works become the lives we live, which cannot help but include the art we create.

At first, the guys and I were going to go with a funny video idea called “Witnessia”.  But the more we talked about it, the more we felt like we wanted to say something really important.  While some Producers use humor to do that, it’s never been our forte.  For us, the answer was to create a short film called “The Least”.  For me personally, it’s the film that’s been haunting me for a couple of years.  I’ve felt like I was supposed to create it, but I kept putting it off.  The urgent kept winning out over the important.  Happens most days to me.

So we invited a few key people to participate.  Then, we invited everyone who follows us on Twitter and Facebook to participate as extras.  We had to create a church service dismissing, then walking to the parking lot, and then to cars. We shot from 10:00am – 1:00pm in the Fresno heat (106 degrees that day).

We also had to find the perfect church building.  We found it in a neighboring town.  Pastors Paul and Greg were extremely gracious to us, allowing us to use their more-than-perfect facility.

The short film debuted at the Echo Night of Film on July 29, 2010.  As hundreds of people watched it, I felt like my heart was gonna jump out of my chest.  The three of us were interviewed afterward (live).  I muddled something like, “Mama got dogface in the banana patch”.  I was too nervous to speak with any coherence, so Dave and Jason saved the day, speaking very plainly and confidently.

So that’s the back story.  Now you know.

As you watch this film, I’m wondering if you could answer just one question?  Below, could you please tell me and other readers who you believe the sign-holders are?  We’ve already had quite a few varying opinions.  I’d love to know how you interpret this film.

And whoever the sign-holders represent for you, our prayer is that we all make a decision to do something for them.

For me, I think art finds its truest center when its creator attempts to make visible the invisible.

Yeah.  That felt good to write – Making visible the invisible.

Love is an invisible concept.  So is patience.  So is forgiveness.  In its purest form, art enables people to taste love, to experience patience, and to see forgiveness.

Christian art takes that primary purpose, and adds one word to it.

God.

Making visible the invisible God.

The artist who also fears God expresses arts’ truest purpose when she attempts to make visible the invisible God.  And that’s really what we’re doing in our art.

Art is making visible the invisible God.

God’s beauty is something that’s difficult to define, but it’s something we can point to.  We can point to grace, and to love, and to forgiveness.  In our art, we can point to His wrath, or His discipline.  In art, we can proclaim, “There’s God.  Over there.  Take a look.”  His mystery isn’t stripped or lessened.

It’s proclaimed.

Art doesn’t claim to make comprehensible the incomprehensible God.  It doesn’t claim to shrink the mystery of God into a two-liter bottle.  It simply gives us eyes to see differently.  It creates a window frame that we’ve never looked through before.

God’s mercy is made visible in our stories.  His beauty is showboated in our watercolors.  His desire for brokenness is sung in our songs.

And something that was invisible is now made visible, even if it’s just a shot in the dark at such a vast and holy mystery.

Freedom.

Any real artist needs freedom.  And our need for freedom is something we tend to express.

But when most artists express their overwhelming need for freedom, they’re not really talking about complete freedom.  They’re talking about creative freedom.  They’re talking about not being micro-managed, and about not having the scope or the vision of the project changed the night before its deadline.  They’re talking about being trusted by their boss, their pastor.

But that’s not complete freedom.

Complete freedom is the guy who moves to Paris with no money, just to paint.  Complete freedom is the woman who quits her job at the church, and makes a living doing freelance design work.  Complete freedom is someone who’s not only willing to take the risk – it’s someone who enjoys taking the risk.

I find it very rare to discover an artist who is able to manage the gift of complete freedom.  We don’t run into artists who literally have the ability to wake up every morning and creatively answer the question, “What am I gonna create today?”

Because in order for that to work in the real world, that same artist must also be wired as a self-starter, an initiator, or even a leader.

I personally know a couple of people like this.  Rob Thomas (RT Group) is an amazing artist who loves answering the “What am I gonna do today” question.  Pat Callahan (New Covenant Community Church) is an artist/worship pastor, and so much more.

You probably know other people who fall into this category.  They don’t exhibit an absence of fear – they just know how to push through it.  They create AND they initiate.  And the people around them are inspired.

So if you’re thinking about quitting your day job and going freelance, you’ll definitely experience freedom.  But it’s important to prayerfully and reflectively look in the mirror and discover whether or not you’re ALSO an initiative starter.

Because there will come a day when the freelance jobs disappear, but the bills don’t.  And in that moment, an artist with complete freedom needs to relish the opportunity that stands before him.

And that’s a rare thing.

********************

A weary artisan traveler has been wandering in the desert of creativity for days.  Her heart is dry, and her lungs are lined with sand.  She desperately needs to discover some notion of some idea that is, in some way, creative.  Her village elders are counting on her to create – to bring their ideas into emotional existence.

In the distance, she sees the beautiful image of a well. She drags her sand-caked feet toward the image, and reads the hand-carved sign on an old piece of wood, propped up against the well.

The sign reads, “Creativity”.

She places her wind-burned hands against the circular cobblestone wall that surrounds the hole in the ground.

She cups her hands, she leans down, and she fills her palms with…

Nothing.

The air from the empty well whisks upward, through her hands, through her hair, and into the sky.

The Well of Creativity is empty.

She’s desperate, so she continues her journey.  She discovers four, then five more wells.  All have a sign near them that promise “Creativity”.  And all are empty.

And only after severe disappointment and extreme thirst, there appears one well in the distance.  Any hope for finding the Creative Idea has been reduced to ashes, and she questions whether or not to even approach this well.  Her heart is weary, her lips are dry, and her village needs her to return with that sacred gift, soon.

She moves toward the well, and sees a wooden sign, propped up against the stones.  But the sign says something different at this well.  Rather than “Creativity”, this sign says…

“The Living God”.

She leans into the well, barely.   She cups her palms together, reaches down, and is immediately flooded with the cool waters of a Creative Idea.  She’s finally discovered what she’s been searching for all along.  And now, her fruitless searching has borne sweet fruit.

A Creative Concept that will benefit her entire village.

She arrives back in that village, and her elders question her about the creative idea she’s returned with. Her explanation is simple.

She respectfully speaks:  “I found The Well of Creativity to be empty – time and time again. While there were many people seeking to drink from it, there is nothing there.  It may have even been a mirage.”

But she continues…

“When after many days, however, I discovered The Well of the Living God, I was supplied with the Creative Idea I was searching for, and that our village needed.”

Two of the village Elders simply stared, but one smiled.  He had been on the same journey years before.

********************

Some of you actually have the privilege of making your living because you’re creative.  You are the media creators, the storytellers, and the musicians.  You write blogs, you lead people, and you challenge our hearts.

My motivation for writing this short story is simple.  I hope to remind both myself and the reader that we will create the most impacting art when that art is a byproduct of time spent with the Creative Source.   When we run to a well that promises creativity, many are empty.  When we seek creativity, sometimes there is none.  But when we run to deep and intimate interactions with the Living God, creativity is given to us, never as an end…

But as a gift of the relationship.

I’ve always experienced a version of low-grade depression at certain times during my week.  It’s not the kind of depression that encouraged Van Gogh to cut off his own ear.  And it’s not the kind of depression that anyone needs medication to resolve.  It’s not clinical.

It’s that debilitating feeling that I don’t want to be doing whatever it is I’m doing right now, and I can’t really think of anything else I’d rather be doing either.

It usually lasts two or three hours, and on rare occasions, I’ve experienced it for an entire day.  During these times, I lose any notion of mission or direction.  I can also get quiet and inwardly critical.

I thought I was alone until I started hearing similar stories from other artists.  I can’t believe how common this is.

And for me, I’ve figured out what to do when I’m in that pit.  That’s really the problem, isn’t it?  It’s easy to look back and analyze what happened.  But I want to be able to figure out what’s happening sooner than later, mostly because it sucks to be in that place, and it’s good to climb out.

So when I’m in that place, I’m learning to ask myself a simple question: “What triggered this?”  I usually go back to the last time I felt joy, then hunt around that time to figure it out.

* I could have received some bad news.

* I could have created a mini-movie that received harsh criticism.

* I could have been blasted on a blog somewhere.

* I could have been invited to coffee by someone I’m uneasy with.

* I could have experienced the disapproval of an important authority figure or mentor.

There are hundreds of triggers I could list, but you get the idea.  And in the case when I can’t identify any specific trigger, I figure it’s just the Enemy stealing my joy.  The Author of Confusion is just that.

Once I’ve identified the trigger, I can’t just move on.  I need to do something extremely important.  I need to invite Jesus into that trigger.  Something simple like this:

“Jesus.  I invite you into that feeling of diapproval, and ask that you bring healing at my core.”

“Jesus.  I invite you into the feeling of anxiety, and ask that you bring healing at my core.”

That’s what I do.  If you’re an artist and struggle with this stuff, I’d love to hear what you do when you’re at the bottom of this pit.

First, it can communicate truth.  Music can do this.  Video bumpers can do this.  A masterfully crafted story can do this.  Sermons can do this.

I think the North American church has become really good at using art to communicate truth.

Secondly, art in churches can create fresh and unresolved cravings.  I wish churches would become more open to this.

“A work of art introduces us to emotions which we have never cherished before.  Great works produce, rather than satisfy needs, by giving the world fresh cravings.”

Abraham Heschel

At church this morning, we talked about legacy.  Our legacy.  I left with a fresh craving to go create a far better legacy.  It was the result of a masterfully crafted sermon, based on a Scriptural narrative (David and Solomon).  There were certain “how to’s”, but I most likely won’t remember them.  I will, however, remember that I was given a fresh craving.  I felt it deep in my gut.

Paintings and sculptures can do this.  A beautifully designed table during the Eucharist can do this. Silence can do this. Stories, music, or an unsettling video piece can all do this.

And while there are a myriad of qualifying questions to ask in the planning of our worship services, it could easily boil down to just two:

* What are we hoping to communicate?

* What fresh cravings are we hoping to ignite (not to answer, but to simply ignite)?

And the really cool thing is this – God has already hardwired the arts to truthfully, and beautifully provide the answers to both of those questions.

It can be so much more than some music, and a lecture.

YOU SHOULD GO.

Worship pastors.

Media guys and gals.

Techies.

Church volunteers.

Senior pastors who think the Creative Arts aren’t satanic, or irrelevant.

Children’s ministry workers who have a hankering for creativity.

Anyone else who can use the word “hankering” in a sentence.

YOU SHOULD GO.

Here’s why…

The Echo Conference isn’t about giving you a bunch of ideas to go home and copy.  The Conference is about equipping and training you to go home and create the best original media you can envision.

The Echo Conference is a place where artists are in a room full of people like themselves, and where senior pastors and executive leaders can feel the uniqueness of the artist’s heartbeat.

The Conference is more about inspiring, and less about informing.

Donald Miller is a keynote speaker.  I’ve heard him twice, and the guy is brilliant.

The Breakout Session speakers are largely accessible, and you’ll be able to sit down with many of them, just to talk about media, creativity, church, and other stuff.

The Conference will top out at 500-600 people.  It’s big enough to have a party, and small enough to be intimate.

Chick Fil-A Sweet Tea.

Jon Acuff was just added as a keynote.  Acuff blends humor and truth like no one I’ve ever read.

Being a Christian and drinking a beer is more okay in Dallas than in many cities.

The Conference provides a deep well of fresh water for thirsty church workers.

The food is the best at any conference, anywhere, at any time.

I’m no big deal, but I’ll be there, and I’ll be speaking, and I’d love to meet you (seriously – I could be working for you one day).  I’ll be the tall guy with no line waiting.  Scott McClellan, on the other hand, will be the tall guy with a swarm of people around him.

Floodgate will have a booth there, and I’m pretty sure we’ll be giving you something for free.

If you type in “floodgate” during the checkout process, you’ll save 20% off the TOTAL cost of your registration (you gotta do this before July 1).

Here’s the bottom line.  When I was a pastor, I attended almost every conference known to man.  As a media guy, I’ve been to the other ones. And I can honestly say that the Echo Conference is the most unique, and most inspiring Conference I’ve attended in the past ten years.

YOU SHOULD GO.

Really.

The bomb seems to detonate when the creator of the media presents the final product to the organizational leader.

Boom.

For years, Creative Artists have been told to come under the authority of the Senior Leader, which means they go back and change (or even recreate) the entire media piece.  And they do it with a smile, in the name of submission.  But if you ask any Creative Artist, they’ll tell you that  even though biblical authority and submission is the goal, resentment can creep in and overtake an Artist’s heart.

I’m more interested in defusing this bomb, than in teaching Creative Artists to be quiet.  So I’m suggesting two questions for the Creative Artist to ask at the beginning of every project.  In a sit-down with the Senior Leader or Teaching Pastor, it becomes more crucial than ever for the Artist to ask these two questions.

Question #1: What do you see? Simply ask that question to the guy in charge.  Do you see images or themes?  Are you inspired from another church, another video, another branding concept?

Question #2: Where do you want this to end? In the case of video (and sometimes music), the Creator of the media needs to know how to end the piece.  Is the piece resolved, or left hanging? Does it end with a question, a bold statement, a series graphic? Should people feel inspired, doubting, wondering?

The Pastor/Teacher’s responsibility is to be prepared to answer these two questions with as much detail as possible.  The Creative Artist’s responsibility is to ask these questions, and take notes as answers and ideas are given (writing things down also helps diffuse any potential explosion).

When information like this is exchanged before the project begins, it heightens trust and builds the relationship between leader and artist.

And in the end, isn’t it far better to defuse this bomb, rather than letting it explode?