Celebrating what’s right with the world.

Dewitt Jones kicked the conference off this morning. He discussed the beauty and goodness in life when we allow ourselves to see opportunity in the ordinary. He provided us with many great quotes and a view into how an acclaimed National Geographic photographer finds and keeps his inspiration.

There were many facets to his talk, but for me it’s condensed in the grand idea of getting our passion for work and life by realizing that we are connecting with something far greater than ourselves.

“But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
Only where love and need are one,
And the work is play for mortal stakes,
Is the deed ever really done
For Heaven and the future’s sakes.”
–Robert Frost

Nancy Beach had some powerful things to say about “The Audacity of Hope.” Nancy’s session seemed to me to have 2 main points.

1. The duality of being a person of hope while being a person fully in touch with the pain and darkness that is very present in our reality. “Holding the news in one hand and the Bible in the other,” as she put it. I agree, Nancy. Let’s live in the hope we’ve been given by Jesus, but make sure our heads aren’t in the sand.

2. Keeping our head out of the sand led us right to a little kick in the pants for those of us that struggle so much in the world of church that we forget about being a friend of sinners. “Who are you intentionally building a friendship with that has nothing to do with your church, and who is not yet in the family of faith?”

I punked out of main session 3 because I needed to decompress a little bit, but the Arts Conference Blog more than makes up for the things I don’t write about. But I’m going to church tonight to make up for playing hooky.