Excellence in the Arts
All art should arouse in the beholder an appreciation for the beauty of the Divine.
My first encounter with art like this occurred when I was at the Louvre in Paris, standing a foot away from a Rembrandt painting. Tears flowed—my emotions were overwhelmed. Another time, when I was touring the Met at NYC, I stood in front of an 8-foot-stained glass window crafted by Louis Tiffany…again, tears began to flow because I had never seen beauty like that before.
Can you imagine what it will be like when we see the beauty and majesty of God for the first time?
Beauty and excellence in our life and work are two of the greatest forms of worship and evangelism. The more we grow in the intimate knowledge of God, the more beauty and excellence will broaden into our homes, our work, our churches, and our communities. As our lives become attractive, the doors of evangelistic opportunity will open. As an author, beautician, electrical contractor, plumber, doctor, graphic artist, nurse, cashier, actor, teacher, or whatever pursuit we have in life, we need to gain the knowledge and skills to become the best. When this occurs, doors open, and a natural bridge is formed to share the gospel. Why? Because people are attracted to beauty. As they are attracted, they naturally are curious and want to know more.
What is needed in the Christian community is the image of God, clearly seen in us. You see, we were created to be the image bearers of God. As our life and work reflects the beauty and excellence of our creator God, opportunities to serve the Lord begin to flourish. If we are going to get serious about cultivating a life of excellence in our children, then video games, tv, and media saturation needs to be non-existent, especially for children 8 and under, with minimal amounts for 8 and up. Videos and video games lower a child’s vocabulary and intelligence. As I write this article, I am two hours into a three-hour flight. There are two children in front of me who have been watching a video prior to take off.
Using the media may be a convenient babysitter for parents, but its negative influence will last a lifetime. With a little preparation, these parents could have brought a book that was started the night before, leaving the children on the edge of their seats, or coloring books, an audio drama with headphones, or even Highlight magazine-type games to challenge the mind and strengthen vocabulary.
It only takes a moment of thought to provide the spark that will ignite the flames of passion in our children’s lives. When our children were young, we took them to art galleries, Philharmonic concerts, and stage performances. Thirty years later all five of us remember attending Jack in the Bean Stalk and Charlotte’s Web stage performances. The creative excellence of those actors remains with us until this day.
This Summer, we invite you to experience a week of beauty and excellence unlike anything you’ve seen before. Introducing: the 2022 Lamplighter Guild. Designed to awaken a renaissance of creative excellence through a partnership with the Divine, the Guild will inspire you to know God intimately, proclaim Him passionately, and enjoy Him infinitely!
