Dream In Soul – Creativity for the Kingdom:

1 I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

4 Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 LORD, when you favored me,
you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

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Author, speaker and ministry leader Tony Snipes helps today’s gifted artisans answer questions about their purpose and creative calling through his initiatives Art Lessons From God and Kreative Kingdom.

“What is it that you love doing that you wouldn’t even have to have anybody pay you for… That’s your passion…the beauty of it would be that if you’re pursuing that and you’re getting paid for it then it’s not even like work.” – Tony Snipes

Be sure to check out the resource links at the end of the interview including a free download of Tony’s audio resource “How To Identify Your Creative Calling: Your CALLING, Your CAREER, Your JOB…What’s The Difference?”

Most everyone has asked these questions:

• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• What should I be doing?

Artists in particular, from painters to musicians, may ask these questions regarding their gifts:

• Who am I as an artist?
• Why do I have this talent?
• What does God want me to do with it?

Tony Snipes, a gifted artist himself and founder of Kreative Kingdom, Inc. a non-profit faith-based art initiative, began asking these questions and created a resource to help other artists discover their creative purpose.

Tony’s project, Art Lessons from God delves into these questions of gifting and calling. The blog, workshops, books and other resources were created with the goal of helping artists and designers discover God’s purpose and plan for their artistic talent. Watch Tony introduce the site below:

Though the site is targeted toward visual artists it has much insight that could inspire artists of any type from writers and performers to musicians and filmmakers. Many of the topics explored can apply to a variety of arts, like “Anointed versus Talented: What’s the Difference?” to “Discovering a “God” idea vs a “Good” idea.”

Often in our society we acknowledge the “how” regarding talents of individuals but may not always consider the deeper questions involved with “why”. In this interview Tony Snipes discusses his background in the visual arts and gives advice to other artists in figuring out their “why” and God’s purpose for them:

Dream in Soul: Hi Tony, thanks for speaking to me today. Can you tell us a little about who you are: What is your background in art and your profession?

Tony Snipes: Well prior to going into graphic design and illustration I have been drawing and painting all of my life but especially kind of training myself to draw and sketch from my comic books as a kid. So I did a lot of drawing back then, and am professionally trained as a graphic designer – graphic design and illustration…that’s pretty much my professional background with art.

Below is one of Tony Snipes’ pieces entitled “Endure.”

DS: What inspired you to start your website “Art Lessons From God”?

Tony Snipes: What really started challenging me is and kind of pushed me towards starting the site was based on a conversation that I had with a young man back in the late ‘90s. He was an artist as well and he was about to graduate from high school, and was contemplating going to art school or taking something else… We were talking in church and both of us started asking, where is the artist in the Bible?

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It’s often in the darkest moments in life where some of the deepest truths are revealed to us. Sojourn Music’s sound is raw, organic and emotional and their messages are inspired by the realities of life and classic hymns from Isaac Watts. Throughout their journey they have not been afraid to delve into the dark places of faith, and I love how they meld modern musical arrangements with the powerful poetic language of years ago.

Since launching in 2000, Sojourn Music has recorded 7 albums of original music, including “Before the Throne”, an album of songs that work through the movements of the liturgy, and “Over the Grave”, an album of re-written and re-imagined hymns by Isaac Watts. “The Water and the Blood” is their latest release, a dark Americana album recorded live in the studio and released in mid-2011.

Watch a preview for “The Water and the Blood” below to hear the story behind Sojourn Music:

Sojourn music began with a rag-tag group of musicians from a variety of backgrounds. The Bible talks about how the church should be one body with many parts, and this is evident in Sojourn music. Musicians with backgrounds in jazz, country, and pop come together with musicians from indie and punk rock backgrounds, seeking to serve the Church with a sense of unity and beauty.

“One way in which Sojourn is different is that we aren’t just a “band” of 4-6 people. We’re a community of songwriters, musicians and vocalists, all belonging to Sojourn Community Church of Louisville. We are a big family – over 50 people have contributed to the Sojourn Music songs and albums.” – Sojourn Music, via their Facebook Page, where you can also download free music.

Visit Sojourn Records at their website to find out more about their music: http://www.sojournmusic.com

Watch the video for Sojourn Record’s song “Death Has Lost Its Sting” below:

“Honor Begins at Home,” is the tagline for the new film Courageous from Sherwood Pictures, creators of the movie Fireproof. The movie explores the topics of manhood and a father’s role in the family; I think it’s commendable for this theme to be addressed both in a convicting and honoring light. Are you planning to go see the movie?

Courageous Film Synopsis
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God … and to their children?

Filled with action-packed police drama, COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Riveted moviegoers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That’s courageous.

For more information about the film and for theater listings visit: http://www.courageousthemovie.com

Watch the Trailer for Courageous Below:

I haven’t seen the movie yet myself but thought the first scene was captivating.

Watch the Opening Scene from the movie Courageous Below:

Above, Amena Brown, a poet, speaker and journalist, presents a passionate spoken story of the Master’s work in our lives, in a video from BluefishTV.

I love Amena’s spoken word work, and how she brings a fresh expression to how we are used to being inspired in the church. I’m also encouraged by the words she shares with other creatives through her articles; here’s a piece from “The Artist’s Dance” which appeared in the free collaborative e-book Creative Matters:

“The artistic journey is like this for many of us. We wrote, painted, danced, sang, played, until we were spent. Then, responsibility got the best of us. We “grew up” became “responsible.” Too busy for dancing.

Your desire to artistically dance will not go away. The Creator of creativity put it there. The question is will you come back to the dance floor. Will you endure the process of your feet clumsily rediscovering what to do? – Amena Brown (Click here for the full article)

Here’s an awesome example of artists melding their mediums – watch a clip of Amena at Gungor’s recent “Ghosts Upon the Earth” album release concert performing a piece, “This is Not the End” that introduces a song from the album by the same title:

More About Amena Brown

As a poet, speaker, journalist, and event host Amena Brown’s words excite, ignite and inspire. Whether in front of audiences as intimate as 50 or as sprawling as 20,000, she has something to say that matters.

As a part of a generation that is searching for the real and the genuine in an age of constant carbon copy, Amena is both regal and dramatic in her creative interpretation on the stage, and in her candid and expressive conversation one on one. This nonconformist lends her voice to finding inspiration, truth, and purpose and encourages those she encounters to do the same.

The author of a chapbook and two spoken word CDs, Amena has performed and spoken at events all over the country such as The RightNow Conference, Thirsty Conference, National Youth Workers Convention, Catalyst Conference, Atlantis Music Conference, and the 2008 National Poetry Slam Competition. She hosts a regular open mic in Atlanta every fifth Thursday at Urban Grind Coffee as well as hosting other poetry and music events.

Along with her spoken word recordings, Amena has participated in numerous professional and live recordings including the Caring Communities documentary, 97.1 JAMZ spoken word ads and a collection of video poems with Bluefish TV and Big Stuf Productions.

As a freelance journalist Amena has been published in Southeast Performer Magazine, Charlotte Creative Loafing, Atlanta Creative Loafing, and Atlanta INtown Newspaper. She also speaks at conferences and events for high school and college students, young adults, and women, where she has facilitated several workshops and breakout sessions on creativity, singleness, writing, and building artistic community.

You can connect with Amena and find out more about her work and events at http://amenabrown.com.

Hear how Amena was drawn to write and perform poetry in this video interview with StreamingFaith.com

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