Some Thoughts for the Church Regarding the “Ghost Ship” Fire

by | posted in: Art, Artists, Arts Ministry, Creativity | 0

(This post originally appeared in edited form as “The Most Ignored Gifts in the Church” at Relevantmagazine.com) Just before midnight on Friday, Dec 2nd, an artist’s collective in Oakland, CA called “The Ghost Ship” was rapidly and without warning engulfed in flames.  A ramshackle, graffiti-covered warehouse in the rough Fruitvale area, “The Ghost Ship” was home to a colorful collection … Read More

10 Lessons from Colombia’s Incredible Cultural Transformation

by | posted in: Art, Calling, Creativity, Uncategorized | 1

How Creativity Rescued a Nation The TV program 60 Minutes ran a segment last week that made my heart sing. It was the story an ad agency in the South American country of Colombia that used creativity to help end a 52-year-long war between the military and rebel guerilla fighters. The conflict had cost the country 220,000 lives, but now … Read More

Creative Church Conference Update

by | posted in: Art, Arts Conferences, Arts Ministry, Christian Art, Christian Arts Conference, Church Art, Creativity | 1

The idea for a conference about embracing the power of the arts in and through the local church was born from impatience. Jessie Nilo, director of VineArts Boise, and I were working on the book that would eventually become Creative Church Handbook, but it was obvious it would take quite a while to complete.  We were bursting with ideas and … Read More

Photo of a walkman, cassette, and headphones for J Scott McElroy's list of soul soothing songs.

Top 15 Soul Soothing Songs: My Personal List

by | posted in: Art, Creativity, Music, Uncategorized | 2

This list “Top 15 Soul Soothing Songs” began because of a new Facebook friendship. I “friended” author David Dark (The Sacredness of Questioning Everything ), which led me to think about the exceptional music of his wife– Sarah Masen. I found one of my favorite Masen songs on YouTube, “75 Grains of Sand” (# 4 on this list), and the … Read More

John Clesse silly walk in J Scott McElroy article. (Photo is fair use from wikipedia)

The Ministry of a Silly Walk

by | posted in: Art, Arts Conferences, Arts Ministry, Church Art, Creativity, Uncategorized | 2

In the Creative Church Handbook: Releasing the Power of the Arts in Your Congregation there is a story about how creativity brought healing in an unusual way through a silly walk contest during one of my seminars. Here is the story, found in Chapter 2 “Ten Ways the Arts and Creativity Support the Church’s Mission”: 9. Bringing Healing and Illumination … Read More

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