AN INVITATION TO WONDER

I once heard about Pablo Casals, a world-renowed cellist who was still practicing four to five hours a day at 81-years-old. When asked why he still continued to practice this much at his level of critical acclaim and advanced age, Casals answered: “Because I think I am making progress.”... Astounding!!!!

Music is an incredible thing... heck, art of any form carries this little built-in benefit: there is no end to the depth of experience. When you learn more about art, about a song form, about how to play a new musical technique, or learn to make art with a new medium, something incredible happens. Your depth of enjoyment is expanded. The more you know, the more you can encounter. The more you know, the greater your experience. And... this is where it gets fun... the greater the depth of encounter and experience, the more, in turn, you are able to comprehend about art and the more you are able to learn about it. It’s a never ending cycle. You learn something new, that new skill allows you to immerse yourself more fully in the encounter and experience of art. And as a result of your fresh encounter and experience, you are able to pick up new knowledge and skills; skills that weren’t available to you until you had reached a new stage of your encounter and experience. This is what allows an 81-year-old cellist to still answer “I think I am making progress”.

What you then become painfully aware of is the vast multitude of things you could learn and keep learning through all of eternity. There are so many instruments I want to play, so many languages I want to learn, so many forms of art I want to become proficient in, but alas, time races forward and we get no ‘do-overs’. What are we to do with this existential dilemma?

Each one of us is only given a finite time on this earth. No one gets more time. We don’t get to control the quantity. But we DO get to control the quality. And how do we maximise our quality? How do we increase the depth of experience? We live with eyes up and ears open. We live with an anticipation and expectation of wonder. unsettling or delighted surprise, for no one can adequately explain the mystery in which one finds oneself immersed in every moment.”

It is an invitation to experience wonder. Huston Smith takes us further with this thought in a mystical direction when he writes: “A spiritually realised being is simply a person with an acute sense of the astonshing mystery of everything.”

I wanna be that person, eyes open to the astonishing mystery, eager to encouter the suprise of every moment of wonder in this existence. This is the greater motivation for my aspirations as an evergreen student. I want to constantly push back against the temptation to become a professional, that is to “rest on my laurels” and think that I have done the work so now I can produce art and people can tell me how good it is.

No, I constantly want to be in a place where I’m making art that relies on new, untested skills, skills I’m not good at it. Like learning to play the trumpet over 2020. I wanted to do it because I would be forced to embrace my role as a student. A squawking, stumbling, brass student.

The ego often needs little reminders that it is not in charge. I wanted to do something that I could be embarrassed about if people wanted to see me demonstrate my skills on that instrument. I wanted the wonder, not the safety of already attained skills. I wanted the mystery, not the certainty. I want to feel like I’m being diligent with the time I’ve been given, and at the end of the day, I think I’m still making progress.

David Andrew is an overly ambitious artist who, in an attempt to practice what he preaches, is recording eight albums this year of varying genres and musical approaches, collaborating with some of his favourite musicians from around the globe. He describes his upcoming album release Being, Consciousness, & Bliss as a Post-Classical Underwater Rave, contending with the ground of reality, the infinite and the need for bodily motion using “fully sick beats”. You can follow his endevours over on instagram at @davidjandrew, and by listening to his current release, “Modern Hymns”, on your streaming music platform of choice now.

David Bentley Hart, in his book The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, and Bliss offers to us a thought, that “the begininng of all serious reflection on the world begins in a moment of

My question: What are God-worshipers like? Your answer: Arrows aimed at God’s bull’s-eye.

Psalm 25:12 (MSG)

INTENTIONAL MEDIA USE

Words: Janae Janik

There is power in media. From the movies we watch, to the social media sites we interact on, we are constantly engaging with content that speaks to our interests, values and belief systems.

So what does it mean to consume media responsibly in today’s day and age? How do we stay in control of the messaging that we are receiving while also being intentional about the narratives we are telling?

From the creative mind of Ben Field, Director of Programming for Hillsong Channel, here are 10 ways you can engage with your screens effectively both as a consumer of media, and as a creative.

AS CONSUMERS

1. BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU COMMIT TO

Field says that doing research is extremely helpful in deciding what to spend his time on. He gets recommendations from trusted friends and looks up the filmmakers on IMDB, which can give a good indicator of the type of content and quality of a specific movie. He says that if he’s unsure, he will watch the beginning of a movie or TV show and then decide if it’s worth his time to continue watching.

2. HAVE AN OPEN CONVERSATION POLICY WITH KIDS

While Field does set up parental blocks on the kid’s devices to monitor what they are watching, He also says that he wants to foster an open conversation with his kids. He acknowledges they seem to be aware of things happening in the world a lot younger than he was at their age, and through conversation wants to create a safety net within his home to explore confronting subjects.

3. HAVE YOUR OWN CONVICTIONS AND OWN VALUES. LOOK AT THINGS WITH A LEVEL OF DISCERNMENT.

Field says if the media he is watching doesn’t sit well with his soul, then he makes a conscious choice to not watch it.

“I think the only way to do it on an individual level is really, search your heart for you know, what your own convictions are, what your own values are. And then as content comes through and as you’re watching things, it’s registered against that.”

4. FIND THE REDEMPTION

Even though he is very intentional about what he watches, Field doesn’t only stick within the ‘Christian’ genre. He believes there are redemptive qualities to be found in every medium and it’s not fair to generalise a whole category. It comes down to personal conviction. A personal favourite of his is crime documentaries because he finds himself being drawn towards the character’s pain and wanting to understand them holistically.

“I have moments where I’m watching the person standing up on the stand in a court you know, court room scene, and my heart and empathy is for them. How did you – how did you get to a place in your life where this became your reality?”

AS CREATORS

1. TELL REDEMPTIVE STORIES

In keeping with the last point, as creatives, we have to understand that every story has a message that is being shared. We must ask ourselves why this story needs to exist and be told. Not in a way that is forcing a perspective, but to enlighten and enlarge empathy around a particular subject matter.

“There’s opportunity to challenge people’s thinking and challenge their heart condition towards things.”

2. USE CREATIVITY TO UNITE PEOPLE AND CREATE

UNDERSTANDING

Media is often a powerful tool to help fuel conversations about issues in our current world. Movements like Black Lives Matter and MeToo ended up being starting blocks for filmmakers to further engage with audiences on these topics through media. Field says that we need to be cautious that we are asking the right questions in these scenarios and using our skills to bring unity amongst people.

3. BE OPEN TO TWO SIDES OF EVERY CONVERSATION

Ben talks about how as creators, we have to understand the power of the messaging we can be sending through our films and programs. It can be easy to have an agenda and there can be a danger if we are stuck in our pre-conceived ideas rather than seeking to understand the other side of the story we are trying to tell.

“When you take time to understand the other side. When you take time to look at it through their perspective...you’re able to then come together. And that doesn’t mean that you have to agree…but at least your perspective is going out understanding the bigger world in which it exists.”

4. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Field says we need to know the audience that we’re creating for. For instance, if we are making a movie for church, then doing it in a way that feels more like a sermon is fine. However, if we are trying to reach people outside of the church, then we need to find a way to do that. There is often a disconnect because filmmakers see their films as a way to preach, but there needs to be an intentional pursuit of cinematic excellence if we want to reach a universal audience. Ultimately, as a filmmaker, we need to know the type of content that we are called to create.

“That’s where I think the conflict is…when we abandon the art form of cinema and we just have a message about it…that’s not what people are drawn to.”

5. KEEP THE ART FORM

Field is passionate about the art of filmmaking and believes as Christians we often do it a disservice. People go to the movies to escape real life. They want to be immersed in a world and in an engaging story. Therefore, as storytellers we have to be intentional about creating an experience that will engage our audience.

“Story telling in movies is a craft; it’s an art form that allows you to think and explore. It’s a form of escapism, and it also challenges our thinking and creates empathy for others.”

6. INSPIRE HOPE IN THE DARKNESS

Field says that faith-based films often lack the depth of true valley moments in their attempt to paint a clean picture of the Gospel. They are often afraid to show certain uncomfortable scenes because the messiness doesn’t feel Christian. Unfortunately, this can create stories that don’t feel realistic of the authentic challenges of life. Field believes we can explore darker elements if our intention is to tell stories of hope and grace in the midst of it.