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Sparking your inner missional flame with weekly inspiration, equipping, and sending exhortations.

💥 INSPIRED BY

Redeeming Graffiti to the Glory of God – An Outlet for Artistic Expression and Worship

CBN just released this story about Aric Diaz. The segment features Diaz's conversion story and how God has helped him turn his gift of graffiti into kingdom use. Small world, my wife and I met Aric and his wife years ago way down on the border of Texas. Glad to see this brother using his gifts for God's mission!

🛠️ EQUIPPED BY

How Do Worship & Culture Connect?

As the world becomes more globalized, so the need to understand one another heightens. This is especially true in our Christian worship contexts.

If you're apart of a church where one culture's aesthetics and convictions dominate even though you see the congregation make up of many cultures, you might resonate.

To address this issue, The Lutheran World Federation's Study Team on Worship and Culture met in Nairobi created this statement in 1996 and identified four central principles:

1. Worship is transcultural (Worship has certain dynamics that are beyond culture).
2. Worship is contextual (Worship reflects local patterns of speech, dress, and other cultural characteristics).
3. Worship is counter-cultural (Worship resists the idolatries of a given culture).
4. Worship is cross-cultural (Worship reflects the fact that the body of Christ transcends time and space).

Here is a the full length version of the statement.

In what ways could your artistic gifts help your church engage with its culture more authentically, without compromising the gospel?

🚀 SENT WITH

In 1962, Calvin Seerveld exhorted college students with these words:

“If there is anything the Christian community needs it is leaders, scholars, trained artists and writers who, because they virtually live out of the hand of our heavenly Father daily, stay close to the uneducated followers and untrained readers doing the same, living out of the Scriptures.”