From time to time I hear said, “it was a case of life imitating art”. Oscar Wilde stole the phrase from a Roman poet who was around when Jesus was a teenager. (I wonder if Jesus heard it? Was Jesus interested in poetry?)
Usually we think of art being an imitation of life, as in a painting of a bowl of fruit. Ovid and Wilde realised that it can also happen the other way around. Like the huge increase in young people taking up playing guitar after the virtual-guitar “game” Guitar Hero came out. O…
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Added by Mark Pierson on December 30, 2009 at 6:00am —
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This week I have been identifying strongly with the young and very pregnant Mary, taking that long ride in the heat on the hard back of a jolting and boney donkey. Not that I am young, female, or pregnant. Its more the heat and the hassle I identify with.
While many parts of the Northern Hemisphere are snow bound, in the South we're gridlocked in the heat of summer by travellers heading away on holiday and meandering around on the roads doing last minute shopping. So when my computer died as I…
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Added by Mark Pierson on December 23, 2009 at 6:00am —
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I think the sacraments are really important in the worship life of any community. Regardless of what style or theological torch you shine on them, Communion or Eucharist or Lords Supper, call it what you like, is central. Baptism of some sort is also right up there. After that we might get into some debate, but the big two most of us would agree on. At the very least Jesus was present at both and had one done to him.
So why do we so often seem to do them wrong? I’m talking about worshipping com…
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Added by Mark Pierson on December 16, 2009 at 5:00am —
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Wow, the ripples have certainly travelled rapidly around the world since I outlined my “Ripples in Time” service. On and offline I’ve had a number of responses from people planning to re-frame it for their own context. And Linda has started a franchise! Excellent. I’d love to hear how it goes for anyone who uses it. May your ponds hold firm and the leakage be minimal.
Last week I curated worship for a group of people I didn’t know. This is not something I like to do, and wouldn’t usually agree…
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Added by Mark Pierson on December 9, 2009 at 6:00am —
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One of the most enjoyable services I have curated during Advent was called “Ripples in Time”. I repeated it for 4 or 5 years in different forms and wish I had an appropriate setting to curate it in again this year.
“Ripples” was built around a large blackwater reflecting pond as the centrepiece. I’ve built a lot of ponds for worship and nearly all of them have leaked! Some expensively. A small pinhole can leak a lot of water, and a little water goes a long way when it is being drawn into carpet…
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Added by Mark Pierson on December 2, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Today the last of the main Advent in Art cards have been posted out, and most people should get them before the first Sunday in Advent. I am just glad to have them gone! Its been a difficult birth.
The response so far has been universally very positive and enthusiastic. Despite this being my 10th set I am still surprised by that. It’s such a simple concept.
This morning we had our first Advent Chapel. (World Vision runs its own Christian Calendar on the Wednesday before the Sunday, all year. T…
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Added by Mark Pierson on November 25, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Tis the season to be jolly, almost. Well I’m jolly tired already so I suppose that means I’m getting in the mood for Advent and Christmas. It’s a strange time of the year, and when I am most aware that I live in the southern hemisphere (the dwelling place of God). I am looking forward to sun and beaches, and house-painting, and bbq’s on my pocket-handkerchief sized lawn. And all this while my friends in the north are putting on more layers of clothing.
But the emphases in northern and southern…
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Added by Mark Pierson on November 18, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Ben lurks around Creative Worship Tour reading what people post, and I had the pleasure of meeting with him in person last week. We talked about his church and how to bring change to the style of worship they use. I liked Ben’s approach. He wanted to talk about how he could help them move to a way of worshipping that would engage people more and be attractive and sustaining to the younger people in his congregation. He was also thinking how to do this over the next few years, not months.
I don’…
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Added by Mark Pierson on November 11, 2009 at 6:00am —
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I mentioned earlier that I would be speaking to a group of creative arts people at a large Auckland church. I did. I said all I wanted to say about the “make or break” role that the senior pastor and leadership have with artists and the Church. I stressed the need for the senior pastor to stand between artists and critical congregation if needed. Not necessarily to defend the art, but to protect the artist.
I particularly stressed the need for all involved to become aware of four things.
1. th…
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Added by Mark Pierson on November 4, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Tomorrow evening I’m speaking to a first-time gathering of artists and creatives at one of the larger churches in New Zealand. While they come into the charismatic, evangelical category of worship, the categories are much less rigid in NZ than they are in the USA.
The brief is to “talk about your experience of the interaction between art and worship in a Church such as ours. How can artists be incorporated more...anything that might inspire people!”
I have been invited by the senior pastor, wh…
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Added by Mark Pierson on October 28, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Last Sunday night I went to a church in the USA that I had long wanted to attend. I was both delighted and disappointed.
I was delighted by the abundance of art around the space, mostly by the congregation. I loved the central “pulpit/leading” area surrounded with lounge chairs and couches for the 150 adults present. The music and original songs were excellent. The lyrics were strong and real. And children were obviously welcomed and involved.
I was disappointed by there being no-one to welcom…
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Added by Mark Pierson on October 21, 2009 at 6:00am —
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The responses are coming in from the New Zealand and Australian Days of Prayer that I curated for World Vision staff. They are very positive and all that I could have hoped and prayed for. God did turn up in significant ways for many people.
The Australian worship stations were installed over multiple buildings and acres of grounds. To help draw people from one venue to another we created 30 “camera” and 10 umbrella stations. These were visible form one station to the next and drew people aroun…
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Added by Mark Pierson on October 14, 2009 at 6:00am —
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I’m just “home” from curating the World Vision Australia Staff Day of Prayer. 90 minutes of non-singing worship. I use the word “home” figuratively as I am in Melbourne, not Auckland where I live. But before I comment on today, I’d like to talk about last week in New Zealand.
I said earlier that I believed I had prepared good worship and, based on my preparation, I made that judgement before it was delivered. Judging by the comments from participants, it was good worship, and God did show up –…
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Added by Mark Pierson on October 7, 2009 at 2:30pm —
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Today we packed in for New Zealand World Vision staff Day of Prayer, where I work. Its happening tomorrow. (Last week I talked about Australia. Different country. Different event. That happens next week and is another story.)
The pressure has definitely been on but late last night I suddenly hit a very calm spot when I realised I had done all I could do to prepare. There were no outstanding tasks under my control. (A few out of my control, like the last minute addition of a speaker, which will…
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Added by Mark Pierson on September 30, 2009 at 6:00am —
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Today I printed off the production file for the World Vision Australia worship I am curating in two weeks time. 90 minutes of non-singing, art installation-based stations worship built around the theme of “Lingering With Intent” – the intent to hear from God, to give thanks to God, and to seek God’s guidance for the year ahead. More than thirty pages describing “what I want to say”, the site locations, concepts and design for each station, equipment lists, station notes and so on. Fifty iteratio…
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Added by Mark Pierson on September 23, 2009 at 6:00am —
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A couple of weeks ago I mused about what creativity was and wondered if being depressed watered or drowned that process. I quoted Robert Fritz’ idea that creativity comes out of the tension between a current reality and a desired outcome. In other words the process of wanting to get from one to the other produces creativity.
Off-blog Alison wrote to me, “I really like your defining of creativity ‘cause… it's about tension and dissatisfaction, not just accepting things as they are. (It’s about)…
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Added by Mark Pierson on September 16, 2009 at 6:00am —
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This week I am in the midst of coordinating a New Zealand wide speaking tour with UK author, speaker, and Church of England (Episcopalian) vicar, Dave Tomlinson. Dave wrote the groundbreaking, “The Post-evangelical” in 1995 and recently published “Re-enchanting Christianity”. Both are very well worth a read if you want to understand some of the shifts going on for people inside and outside the church. Dave is currently vicar to the very creative and engaged-with-contemporary-culture church of St…
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Added by Mark Pierson on September 9, 2009 at 6:00am —
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I’m still working away at fine-tuning the worship for World Vision Australia concurrent with the less intense but more diverse worship for World Vision New Zealand. Nothing interesting to talk about there yet, but I’ve been thinking about a comment Jim posted earlier. In response to my struggling to maintain equilibrium he said, “ (T)hose of us who expend ourselves creating experiential worship for others - our own worship experiences so often seem almost barren... devoid of a tangible presence…
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Added by Mark Pierson on September 2, 2009 at 6:00am —
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I’ve been struggling this past week. With external forces and with some within.
I have watched helplessly and very sadly while the lengthy marriages of two sets of friends have disintegrated, and a friend has been forced out of pastoral leadership in the church he had led, very ably in my opinion, for just a couple of years.
Internally I am very weary. Too much working, with too many deadlines and too many balls being juggled, over too long a period. Eventually it catches up and the body and m…
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Added by Mark Pierson on August 26, 2009 at 6:00am —
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There isn’t much more to say about the World Vision worship gig at present. In the last week I have spent many more hours refining and reviewing the stations and their locations around the venue ie contents and contexts. I am basically fed up with the project and need a break from even thinking about it let alone working on the stations. With 6 weeks to run and having sent the extensive gear list off to those who will source it, I can afford a break.
I’ve had a number of conversations recently…
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Added by Mark Pierson on August 19, 2009 at 11:00am —
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