2009 Destinations

OK, here we go!

All of you who have taken on my challenge to stretch your artistic muscles and create, here are the topics we're addressing over the next several weeks.

If you have photos, essays, scripts, journal entries, drawings, dances, or songs that you want to submit for these topics either post a comment here or email the ideas to me at: Cypress Arts

Destinations

Money Town
Money Management
Giving to honor God

Lovers Leap
Relationships
Marriage
Sex

Angerville
Two weeks on handling and mishandling our anger

City of God
Two weeks on our relationship with God

Fools Paradise
What Proverbs has to say about foolish behavior

That should give you lots of food for thought as you create.

I'm really looking forward to your thoughts and creations!

New Year - New Direction

I was so overwhelmed and excited to work side by side with artists this past Christmas to create, edit and write the program for Wonder! What a fun creative process!

And it got me thinking... rather than have this blog/conversation just be about generating ideas... what I would REALLY LOVE to see is to see this blog generate new original art.

The reality is that, here at Cypress, we are surrounded by phenomenal artists. Writers, photographers, musicians, dancers, etc.

And I have been wondering for some time... what could happen if we unleashed the massive amounts of creativity hiding in the seats on Sunday mornings?

So, let's do just that!

Here on "Muse" I will be posting the series and topics that we will be covering over the next several weeks. If you have, or feel inspired to create, original art that relates to the topic, please send it my way or post it here as a comment. I will bring the art to the planning process and we will consider it for possible use in a service.

As always, we as a team of artists will need to hold our gifts loosely understanding that our art may or may not be used. But I do feel strongly that if we all participate and "spur each other on" we will not only improve what we offer to God and to Cypress on Sunday mornings, but we will improve as individual artists as well.

So, I'm in. Are you?

October 5 - God of This City

Clearwater FL. Tampa Bay.

Hundreds of thousands of people moving in millions of directions at once.

Everyone moving at the speed of life not stopping to breath, to think. All just keeping pace.

What does God want to do in that person's life? The person in the next office? The mom you sit next to at the ball field? How about the family down the street?

What does God want to accomplish in your child's class in school? In the company you work for? In your neighborhood association?

What does God want to accomplish in Clearwater and Tampa Bay?

And how does He want to use us to accomplish it?

Letters to the Next President Series

It's an election year. Conversation about politics, policy and political parties seems to be everywhere between almost everyone. But, what if you had the opportunity to talk with the next President of the United States? What would you say?

In, Letters to the Next President, we're going to take that opportunity. You'll have a chance to write your thoughts to our next president on our web site.  In our weekend services, we'll be addressing conversations such as, Stand up for what is right, Keep your promises, Lead us into a better future and Our Commitment to You.  As we'll see, it's not just about the tough issues of the economy or the war or health care, but also about other tough issues like leadership and character. And none of these issues are just about presidents, they're about all of us. 

September Series: Defying Gravity

Remember when you were young and you just believed?  We believed in lots of things:  magic, fairytales, even supernatural powers like the ability to fly.  

There is something about youth that allows us to believe in magic and the supernatural.  As we get older that ability to believe often gets taught out, reasoned out, controlled out and matured right out of us. But it is possible to capture that ability to believe again - to truly believe the One Who is not only Supernatural, but Who loves us with a crazy, almost unbelievable love.  

So, for those of us who so desperately long to spread our wings and soar like eagles, run and not grow tired and walk and not lag behind maybe there is a way to get past the teaching, reasoning, controlling and maturing that took our belief away.  

Maybe, we really can defy gravity.

September 7:  Bring it on!

September 14:  Pull

September 21:  Launch

September 28:  Fly

On September 28 during our services we will be hosting a mini-concert by recording artist, Johnny Diaz.

August 31 - Connect

We long to experience God. We long to hear from Him, worship Him, know more of Him... to Connect.

What does it look like in real time to connect to the God of the universe?

August 24 - Thirsty

Being thirsty can mean so much more than just feeling a need or desire to drink.

There are people in our world every day who are thirsty for water as well as thirsty for an education, thirsty for an opportunity to work, thirsty for the dignity found in providing for their own family. Things that seem to be givens in our lives.

Every year we partner with a church and school in St. Louis Du Nord, Haiti to do what we can to help people who find themselves thirsty. While we can't solve all of the global issues of thirst, we can make a difference for people in this community. For more information on our efforts to provide scholarships for students in St. Louis Du Nord and other ways we're trying to make a difference visit our web site:

http://www.cypressmeadows.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=151