Confessions of a Quirky Christian Artist

A drink with Dan Weyandt

I had a great night last night. I went to a concert with one of my favorite bands: the almighty ZAO! (Which is greek for 'Alive'.) Their last album is one of my favorite albums ever, and I've been developing an idea for a sculpture based on it. The lyrics are very dark and convoluted, but also very visual. There are several ways to interpret many of the songs, so I thought it would be cool to talk to the man who wrote them about my project and get some feedback on my interpretations, and what he was thinking. So I made sure to get to the show early and check the bar/restaurant that is part of the venue to see if I could see him. There were 3 bands playing before them, so I knew they had to be hanging out somewhere. Sure enough, Zao was eating in the bar. I had written a little note for Dan, (The songwriter and vocalist) on the back of a picture of one of my sculptures that said who I was, and about my project, and that I'd love to talk if he was intere...

I'm going to get grandiloquent and voluble for a while here. Because that's what dreams are for… My name is Joshua Caleb Foreman. In the Bible, Joshua and Caleb were sent into hostile territory to survey the land that God had promised them. Out of 12 spies, they were the only ones to say "We can take it!" Not because they felt like they had superior forces, but because God told them they would. Joshua is best known for the battle of Jericho. God used his leadership to destroy what was thought to be an impenetrable wall. Well, today this Joshua sees a wall that needs to be knocked down. This wall is keeping a nation, and much of the world hostage. I'm talking about Hollywood. Who has the power to shape the culture? Politicians in government? A little. But rules never change hearts. Religion? Most of it is fake, and the stuff that isn't has been marginalized. The media? Sure, they have a big impact. They show us the world through their own distorted lens. But I...

Lionheart

I'm so pleased with this thing I made at Christmas. Not so much because it's a great piece of art. But because it's the first time I've successfully pulled of a replicated sculpture. I made a good mold of the original, and I've been making copies as the need arises. I must have made at least a dozen of them now. I've been giving them out to those who have captured my heart or imagination. My pastor, our church's Benevolence Ministry coordinator, my nanny's family, a teenager I've never met but know from an internet forum; who I wanted to encourage to follow her artistic and spiritual calling. It is so great to be able to do this. I think I'll make it a yearly tradition to make a small sculpture that I can reproduce and give out as God guides my heart. I can hopefully sell some as well. (I've already got two sales on this one.) The one pictured is not my favorite paint job. Most of them I make either silver and red, ...

My arms are empty and my chest is bare. Where is the delicate mind ensconced in silken skin to adorn it? To rest upon my heart. To resonate with the rhythm of it. One moment to the next, adrift in timeless bliss. This gift. A gift that God hath bestowed upon my bosom. The breath of another sweet child of His against my worn and battered spirit. A sharpening of kindred goals, hopes, and dreams. Please God, don't take this from me.

Dear Mr. Knowitall, I'm thinking of getting a pet snake. Do you have any advice? Snakes are rare, and intriguing creatures. Found only on one continent, they are prized for their fine pelts, and winning personalities. There are three basic kinds of snakes that the beginning snake collector should consider. Try to think about which kind fits your lifestyle and needs the best. First, there are the pathetic, lame, wimpy ones. These are the kind that no one really wants. They don't have poison, and can hardly kill anything. The only type of people who would want this kind of a snake would be infants, and possibly really old people. I'm not certain of this; I've never talked to any really old people so I can't be sure. The second kind are the really cool ones you see in movies such as King Kong, and… Well, that's the only one I can think of right now. These are like having your own personal monster. They can crush prett...

Dear Mr. Knowitall, I'm lost in the woods. Do you have any advice? There are several ways to save yourself from death when you are lost in the woods. I happen to know of a few ways that might work. Here are a few suggestions to start you off with: Forest fires can be your friend. If you burn down the woods, you won't have anywhere to be lost. Just make sure you stand in a lake or river so that the fire won't consume you along with the evil forest. But stay away from water if there is a lightning storm. If you have already started the forest fire, and then a lightning storm rolls in, then you are being punished for making fun of that retarded girl in 3 rd grade. Moss always grows on the outside of trees and rocks. Use that to guide you. Water seldom travels uphill. Try not to drown in any of it. Remember, it takes fewer calories to scream and run around in circles flailing your arms than it does to think. Y...

I got to go to a church retreat this weekend. My mom came up and sat on my kids, so my brother and I could both go. It was a group of about 30 twenty-somethings. We drove 3 hours over the Cascades to a ranch with some really nice facilities. We had a speaker, but he didn't do much speaking. It was mostly a group sharing and exploration of topics kind of thing. His name is Phil, and he seems like a really cool guy. He's in some kind of leadership position at YWAM Seattle. One of the topics was the interrelation of faith, (or the lack thereof) and sin. How much of our sinful actions are spawned from our desire to do things our way because we don't believe that God has a really great plan for our lives. I know I feel that way about my future romantic possibilities. I honestly don't think God wants me to be happy in that regard. Not that He maliciously wants me to be sad and lonely; but I'm just paying the very natural consequences of getting ...

::Swing in on rope from stage left:: Thank you, Bremerton !!! ::Audience cheers wildly:: ::Band kicks in:: Baby, yeaaaaaaah!! It's in your eyes The way you walk Tangled in your hair And the way you talk Ooooow! ::girl throws a bra onto stage:: And my heart!... My HEAAAAAAART!!!! Yeaow! My heart keeps beating my brain up, baby My heart keeps beating my brain up! ::Pyro FX shoot flames skyward:: Yeah! I could drown in your eyes. I could swim in your sooooooooul! I wish I could stop it but my heart is in controooooooooool! Ow! ::Blazing guitar solo:: Baby yeaaaaaaaah!! ::Audience throws 4 bras on stage:: Yeah every time I see you… A tsunami of clichés washes over me! I would die for you! You bring me to my knees! I can't get you out of my mind! You're driving me crazy, girl! Like an angel… one that drives people CRAZEEEEY!!!! ::Audience th...

One of the very first lessons on our journey towards wisdom is the concept of delayed gratification. The idea that to be happier later, we must sacrifice some happiness now. This is a universal rule that has application in every sphere of life. You see it in movies, books, and games. You practice it in a multitude of forms as you grow up in school. (Hopefully!) Most religions resound with it. I want to explore these different manifestations, and see if I can discover why our society has apparently decided that this rule is no good for our love life. I'll start with an area I'm familiar with: game design. I've been in the game industry for around 9 years, and I've been playing them since I was tiny. So I know a thing or two about games. First of all, a game is only fun if it taps into some primordial impulses. If the core mechanic fails to do that, any amount of bells and whistles you pile on top of it won't make the game fun. Different ...

I love my church so much. And by that of course, I mean the people in my church. First, I hire a nanny from the local Assemblies of God collage. She turns out to be the most amazing nanny I could have wished for. She is the perfect godly, caring, patient, funny woman to have in the lives of my children. Then it turns out her whole family is amazing and loving. They pray with me, and even helped me with childcare when I desperately needed some nights out. Next I find the pastor is crazy-in-love with God, AND is intellectually challenging. I've read his Ph.D. homework and found so much cool, thought provoking stuff. "Church History in Pneumatological Perspective" and stuff like that. I quoted a particularly obfuscated and sesquipedalian portion of his writing to him and he got a huge kick out of it. Later I would bump into a super gregarious girl who quickly befriended me, ended up bumping too close to me, prayed with me about it, and retreated out ...

"I'm old Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin… sort of stretched; like butter scraped over too much bread." Bilbo's lament resonates with me. I've been through a hell of a winter. I might call it 'the winter of temptation'. I've been pushed to my limit on so many fronts. I've found the path of my own making crumbling around me. My strength failing me over and over. It seems like it should be such a simple lesson… To rely completely on God. Yet I've found myself in the same situation repeatedly, counting on my own strength. I guess I have to become completely frustrated in every single area of my life before I will apply the rule. The rule? Yes. The one about relying completely on God. But what does that mean exactly? What does it look like? How do I know when I'm doing it? Until I can honestly answer those questions, I don't think I'll...