the creative absence… February 28, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: art, church, creativity, culture, truth
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just home from speaking at a youth group in belfast tonight. was good fun because i brought a new friend along with me to do some art stuff. i met him earlier this month, when i was speaking at a youth weekend. during that weekend i’d asked him to do some stuff on stage together. he painted as i spoke. i suppose it goes well together, we’re both trying to paint a picture – he uses brushes and paint while i try to use words.
anyway, i invited phil up to belfast tonight to do some more art stuff alongside me on stage as i spoke. the whole visual element just added so much to what i was wanting to do, taking my mere words to another level as the concepts i was speaking on just seemed to really land with the young people there.
i love the visual element that art provides and how it unlocks the truth in a fresh way. i found it very powerful tonight as we brought this to a climax. even as i stood in front of this group and looked at one of the paintings, the truth of what i was sharing hit me afresh. it was special.
for me, the absence of art within our corporate gatherings is sad. add to that the lack of poets, dj’s, photography and creative writers and we begin to realise the gap is glaring and shocking. the church was once the most creative place on earth. culture looked to the church for guidance and inspiration. this led to the church shaping areas such as art, music, and media.
it seems the flip side of that is now true. how sad, especially as we have the marks of the ultimate creator and designer living within us. let’s try to continue pushing the boundaries. and let’s discover and rediscover ways in which we can share this amazing truth and help it connect with people in a real way. let’s catapult the church back into the heart of creative culture.
good conversations… February 27, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: good conversations, links
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there’s a few interesting conversations winging their way round blog world this past week or so on the blogs of some of my friends. i’ve added a few thoughts to each of them on their posts and rather than regurgitating what’s already been said, i just thought i’d direct you to them.
check out the twitter discussion which connor posted after we met up for tea recently.
or the musical worship question posed by emma
or the reading of ‘christian’ books by supersimbo
or the questions posed by matthew who has finally returned to blogging after a long absence!!
some food for thought…
standing on a peace of history… February 26, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: croke park, england, ireland, irish history, rugby, six nations
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i think i’ve always been fascinated with Croke Park ever since i saw the film ‘Michael Collins’ as a naive 12 year old. back then, the storyline of the film and the events that took place in the early part of last century didn’t make too much sense to me. but now, after A Level History, and watching lots of political coverage throughout the years, it all seems so much clearer now.
while the events make me very uncomfortable, you really do realise what a historic stadium Croke Park is, and on saturday i’m looking forward to standing there for the first time as i cheer on ireland to beat england.
being a huge northern ireland football fan, especially having watched them playing the Republic of Ireland before, the anthems will be a very strange moment, which i suppose goies to underline what a unique place our nation is.
i love huge stadiums and big sporting occassions and this is definitely going to be one of them. i’ve been to wembley, old trafford and the allianz arena which are all massive stadiums….but i think 80,000 people within a stadium at one time may just tip the scales as a record for me.
bring it on
more soon… February 22, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: inspiring quotes, nelson mandela
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i’ll pick up this quote soon in relation to my weekend. in my tiredness, this sums it up for me best right now.
“as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” – Nelson Mandela
you found me February 20, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.3 comments
really loving The Fray’s new album. there are so many good moments on it but i’m especially loving ‘you found me’.
here’s the video for it. i like what this song is communicating.
can’t wait to hear these guys live in the new ulster hall in a couple of months time. and big congrats to my wee cousin gillian who got engaged to adrain at a fray gig in london last week!!
the confusion of irony and sarcasm February 19, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: irony, magic eyes, sarcasm
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last year i wrote a post with my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek. it was a rather vain and feeble attempt to be ironic as i lambasted the futility of magic eyes for me and joked about the senseless advice i’ve received in the past to help me see them.
in the midst of my sarcastic onslaught, i also attempted to draw parallels between this shortcoming and my spiritual journey.
but reading the comments this post has provoked has made me laugh a lot! it appears not everyone gets irony…
lost in amazement February 17, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: lost in limavady, youth events
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kind of continuing the post below, the event i spoke at last weekend was called Lost in Limavady
arising out of the Foyle Presbytery, yet managing to spread its net much wider, Lost was put on by an amazing bunch of around 25 young people. they were beautifully steered by some older heads, but the promotional, content and delivery of the weekend was taken on by teenagers. the creativity, relevance and variety of the programme really made my job much easier!!
it was so refreshing and inspiring for me to be a part of this event. more than another date in the diary or another event to speak at, this was another privilege and highlight. to share in the weekend with so many passionate, willing and prayerful young people really challenged and shook me to my core.
and as we all watched in amazement and thankfulness, as several young people responded on Sunday night and made decisions to follow Jesus, it somehow felt that God was so pleased with the heart and effort of these young disciples.
it feels like i’m a better person as a result of encountering these people. how the church needs this passion, youthfulness and servanthood.
thin places February 16, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: ancient celtic spirituality, communicating the gospel, struggles, thin places
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every so often in life, i have what the ancient Celts used to call a ‘thin place’. what they meant was it was a holy moment. a time where God’s presence was so tangible that the gap between heaven and earth felt so thin.
i’ve had a few of these times in my life, but they are the exception rather than the norm. and i suppose this is a good thing. God cares more about how we live in the smaller moments. in the mundane and the ordinary.
but the last few days have been a thin place for me. it began on thursday night when i chatted to sarah about feeling weak and vulnerable in my faith. something that i struggled to put into words or comprehend. but as i tried to express what was going on inside my mind and emotions, i came to some sort of realisation that i felt burdened by weights of expectancy and fear of failure.
this weekend i was communicating at a large outreach event which lots of churches from a particular area had come together to put on. it had been months of preparation for them. hours of meetings. days of planning. weeks of prayer. their heart was simple for it – that young people would come to know Jesus.
i’ve never felt like a public evangelist. i love communicating God’s word, but it always has felt more about equipping than evangelising. add to this my growing frustration for a vocabulary i’m not sure i grasp when it comes to explaining the good news of Jesus, as well as my recent searching, even confusion, as to what the heart of God’s message actually is, among the myriad of opinion, debate and wide authorship from within Christian culture.
perhaps this is what i was wrestling with on thursday. but i’m not sure.
and so feeling unequipped for the task ahead of me, as well as the weight of responsibility of communicating the good news of Jesus in 3 short talks with over 200 young people, i stepped into the weekend, and into the thinnest of places i’ve known for quite some time.
thin as i wrestled
thin as i doubted
thin as i prepared
thin as i spoke
thin as i watched young people serve
thin as i saw young people respond
thin as i drove home worshipping Jesus in the car
thin as i rested
theologies February 13, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: random thoughts, theologies
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it’s not a theology of suffering we need but a theology of death
not a theology of prosperity but a theology of simplicity
not a theology of perfection but a theology of messiness
not a theology of neatly packed boxes but a theology of rough edges and dotted lines
not a theology of judgement but a theology of picking up the broken among us
something stirring, growing, rising… February 12, 2009
Posted by rickhill in Thoughts.Tags: Ministries, rise antrim
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sarah and i are hoping to be moving to a house bang in the smack of one of antrim’s housing estates when we get married. were both excited about this
…and it’s good to see God doing stuff in our town. i love what’s beginning at RISE antrim.
