Dream In Soul – Creativity for the Kingdom:

A few years back I attended a college ministry retreat, the Harvest Institute, and that’s when I first heard about Jim Munroe’s creative show the MAZE, which tours across universities around the country sharing both illusion and truth. Jim shared his story with us of facing serious illness and skepticism and overcoming the loss of a close friend. Below in a video from I Am Second, Jim recounts part of his journey:

Jim entered college with a skepticism about life. The idea of God seemed “silly”. He poured his life into a successful career in magic where a lot of his skepticism was confirmed. There really are “trap doors” and “smoke and mirrors.” But despite doubts, radical things were happening in Jim’s life to turn his world upside down. And then, just when he thought he had it all figured out: Leukemia. When faced with the choices of how to proceed, Jim knew his best chance of living was to allow himself to die first. Chemotherapy to destroy blood cells. New blood to replace his own. Yet how could he allow himself to endure the agony? And why was this happening?
– From I Am Second

Jim Munroe on Life Today

Jim appeared on Life Today a few years back and shared one of his cringe-worthy (and hilarious) tricks, watch below:

More About MAZE

MAZE is an experience that escapes the boundaries of any single definition. In stark contrast to the typical “magic show”, MAZE presents a unique blend of illusion, intuition, psychology, humor, mystery and danger.

The events that happen during a MAZE show leave you entertained, bewildered, distrubed and inadvertantly pondering the question “How can I know what is really true?”

MAZE exists to make waves in the ocean of the widely accepted, rarely challenged, cultural definition of truth.

Designed to evoke emotion, provoke dialogue regarding what you believe to be true, and to expose the rampant deception that exists in present day culture.

To learn more and for booking information visit: http://whatisthemaze.com

Watch a preview of the 2011 MAZE Tour below

“I have been reminded yet again that just because something is not known, celebrated, prominent, or esteemed on earth does not mean it does not have the attention of heaven.

“Never confuse prominence for significance or obedience.”

– Christine Caine in a blog post, “The Prominence Trap”

Here’s another conference geared toward creatives in ministry, from artists, filmmakers, musicians, authors and designers, among others – the STORY Conference in Chicago, Sept 15-16, 2011.

From the amazingly eccentric website, created by a design studio that continually inspires me, Pixel Peach, to the list of speakers, I’m mesmerized and hoping I can attend in the future. If the audio clips on the website (of last years speakers’ presentations on creativity and story) were not enough to satisfy your curiosity, check out photos from 2010 and a recap here.

I was really inspired seeing some of the works of some of the visual arts who are working on STORY, check out some of their projects here.

STORY is a conference for the creative class in ministry, held at Park Community Church in Chicago for two days of inspiring sessions and helpful content from creative practitioners.

Theme

The theme of STORY this year is Imagine Nation. It’s based on Exodus 28 where the creatives of the nation of Israel came together to imagine a place for God in the desert. The artists, sculptors, engravers and weavers all came together to make a beautiful place for God. There were an Imagine Nation.

2011 Speakers

Here are some of the presenters this year:

• Kyle Cooper – founder of Prologue Films, leading VFX company in Hollywood
• Tom Ryan – CEO of Threadless.com
• Ed Saxon – producer of The Silence of the Lambs, Adaptation, Philadelphia
• Santino Stoner – principal of Dot&Cross, director of Nooma film series
• Esther Havens – humanitarian photographer for orgs such as Charity: Water
• Ed Dobson – author and advisory editor for Christianity Today
• Lauren Chandler – musician, mother, blogger and other half of Matt Chandler
• Ian Morgan Cron – Episcopal priest and acclaimed author of Chasing Francis
• Ann Voskamp – best-selling author of One Thousand Gifts, farmer and blogger
• Mark Pierson – New Zealand author of The Art of Curating Worship
• Skye Jethani – author of The Divine Commodity, mg editor of Leadership
• Darren Whitehead – teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church

More speakers will be added in August

Musical Artists

• John Mark McMillan – singer & songwriter from Charlotte, NC
• Daniel Bashta – worship pastor at RiverStone Church in Atlanta
• All the Bright Lights – ethereal band from Charlotte, NC
• Sons & Daughters – worship duo from Nashville, TN
• Listener – unique “talk music” performers
• Meredith Andrews – worship artist at Harvest Bible Chapel

Festival Envrionments
This year, STORY will feature three unique environments for conversation:

• Naima Lett – producer, writer and actor in several major motion pictures
• Gary Dorsey – co-founder of Pixel Peach Studio in Austin, TX
• Ted Dekker – New York Times best-selling thriller author
• Nathan Corrona – super-8 filmmaker and one half of Mars Ill
• Matthew West & Angela Thomas – authors of the The Story of Our Lives
• Kate Schmidgall & Abi Byrd – creators of Bittersweet Creative & Zine

Click here to read more about some of the visual artists behind STORY.

To find out more about the conference and to register visit http://www.storychicago.com/11.

A beautiful declaration of love, from the Hillsong United album Aftermath.

“When we give our dreams to God, putting them all in His hands, and realizing that we need Him, that’s when He begins to work in mighty and powerful ways through us. Let us be a generation who stands for Christ, and love as He loves us. Young and old, let’s make an impact on the world together, as we join as one in Him.” – Tiffany Stanley

In SOAR’s Artist Snapshots Series we love to feature young upcoming artists who have inspiring music ministries. I came across Tiffany Stanley’s music one day and was encouraged by the candid messages in her songs, and the soft acoustic sound she brings.

I especially loved the lyrics of “Break Me Down” the first track off Tiffany Stanley’s new album ‘Revival’:

Visit Tiffany’s website at http://tiffanystanley.com to learn more about her ministry and to purchase her music. You can also connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

Tiffany will be singing at an upcoming event, The Dream Girlz Gathering, hosted by music artist Melinda Watts. If you are in the Seattle area August 26th and 27th be sure to visit the Dream Girlz Gathering Facebook page to get updates.

More About Tiffany Stanley

Ever since she was a little girl, Tiffany dreamed of being more than a musician. It was in growing and developing a close and personal relationship with Christ that she knew music was more than the lyrics, chords, and notes. “To me, music is lifting up songs of worship to the Lord.” Tiffany is a musician in pursuit of Worship. “I want this music to promote the most important thing: Jesus Christ.”

Tiffany longs to share the love of Christ in her music, and show others His goodness, grace and mercy. She believes God is going to pour out revival among the nations, and prays that we as believers would rise up to encounter Christ in a whole new way. At 18 years of age, she has spent her first year after high-school enrolling in worship classes and letting God make the dream of making this album come true. She is extremely excited about what the Lord has planned, and knows it is all in His hands for the glory of His name.

Her independently released album Revival talks about exactly what it’s named: Revival. It’s about being justified in Christ, surrendering to His will, letting Him open your eyes, and coming boldly into His presence. “I didn’t want to just make an album, I wanted to tell a story of what a life in Christ is. Of needing Him every second of everyday, knowing one can’t be fulfilled without Him.” She believes in dreaming dreams, surrendering to Christ, and living in His love. “When we give our dreams to God, putting them all in His hands, and realizing that we need Him, that’s when He begins to work in mighty and powerful ways through us. Let us be a generation who stands for Christ, and love as He loves us. Young and old, let’s make an impact on the world together, as we join as one in Him.”