Willow Creek Arts Conference - Glimpses #2

The first session speaker was photographer and filmmaker DeWitt Jones. I enjoyed all of the speakers, but this session was one of my favorites. It would be a fruitless to attempt to recap all of what he said, but Jones was brimming with enthusiasm, for art, for God, and for life. We were so moved by the stories he told and by the remarkable photos and video footage that he shared, that we purchased the DVD of the session. It is currently in circulation among some of our friends at church, but I hope to see it again soon.

He told the best stories from his own life's experience, it's joys and it's sorrows, and about how God worked through him in astounding ways that he never expected. He talked about how, if we are willing to be surprised by God, to take some risks, life can be a great adventure. Our lives can be a work of art, regardless of who we are, where we are, what we do, where we come from, or what we have or don't have. It was not about merely having a forced positive mental attitude, but rather an authentic attitude that is honestly and openly engaged first vertically, with God, and then laterally, with the people and circumstances that we encounter.

It has been a few weeks now since the conference, but there are two quotes in particular that continue to resonate and encourage me:

"Ask yourself, 'Is my view of the world based on scarcity and fear, or is it based on love and possibility?'"

and

"Don't worry so much about making a difference. Just take the
responsibility to make a contribution."

Good stuff, that.