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Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Blog Posts for Feb. 2013

March 6, 2013 — Leave a comment

Here are the Top 10 Art, Life & Faith blog posts for February, 2013. As I meet with artists and art leaders from across the country, I see a growing intentionality among artists to cultivate their spiritual growth and the creative gifts God has given them. As artists pursue the beauty, truth and goodness of God, the natural outflow influences their creative and imaginative gifts. I’ve seen an enthusiastic response of artists spending more time on Art, Life, & Faith watching the artist interview videos, reading and posting comments. Last month, the average time spent on the site was 21 minutes per visitor…the highest ever. Most important though, is helping you cultivate a deeper relationship with God and how to pursue excellence in your given craft…all to the glory of God. Read on…

artlifefaithtop10blogpostsfebruary2013 Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Blog Posts for Feb. 2013

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Joey Passes Out, Hits Head on Curb, Doesn’t Die

January 14, 2013 — 4 Comments

If I’ve been a bit radar silent here on Art, Life & Faith for the past week or so, I have a really good doctor’s note. You’ve just read the Cliffs Notes version of my past week: Joey Passes Out, Hits Head on Curb, Doesn’t Die. Has all the makings of a bestselling book, doesn’t it? After two and a half days in South Coast Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, I have a whopper of a story for you. It all started with that wee little flu bug that’s going around… Read on…

joeypassesouthitheadoncurbdoesntdie e1358195515651 Joey Passes Out, Hits Head on Curb, Doesnt Die

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Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Posts for 2012

December 31, 2012 — Leave a comment

Thank you for your support and encouragement on Art, Life & Faith in 2012. I want to share with you the Top 10 posts for 2012 read by you and the rest of my friends. This past year, I saw more visitors and new subscribers to Art, Life & Faith than ever before. In writing about God, creativity, faith, the arts and the daily challenges of life, I hope you were inspired and encouraged to live a life of deeper meaning, creativity and purpose. Here’s a peek at the 2012 Art, Life & Faith posts that you and others enjoyed the most. Read on…Top10Artlifefaithpostsfor2012 Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Posts for 2012

 

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Thomas Merton: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing

November 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Thomas Merton is my favorite spiritual writer. This now-dead Trappist monk and brilliant writer who lived a quiet and creative life of prayer at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, is one of the keenest theological minds of the 20th century. His thoughts and theology on creativity, the writing life, the restorative work of the Trinity and the kingdom of God on earth are elegant, weighty musings.

merton 1 Thomas Merton: Thoughts on Creativity & WritingThe best way I can describe reading Merton is this: Imagine Thomas Merton holding your head in a bucket under water for a few minutes. Suddenly, he pulls you up for air—a moment of brilliant clarity! You take a deep breath and then, he plunges you back down again! You don’t speed-read Merton. He has many thought-provoking thoughts on creativity and the writing life that I’d like to share with you today. I hope you find them as encouraging and insightful as I do. Read on…

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A Wedding and A Funeral

July 22, 2012 — 2 Comments
I hope you’re having a great summer! Now it’s my family’s turn! I’ll be on vacation and off the grid for the next eight days. I wanted to leave you with one of the most popular posts that I wrote last year. It struck a nerve with many people who read it. I’d love your thoughts too. It’s about Kelly my niece, her wedding and some things I learned after attending a wedding and a funeral. Here’s a happy little ending…Kelly and Nick have been married for almost a year now…and they’re now expecting a little baby! If you know someone attending a summer wedding…or funeral…I hope you’ll be inspired to pass it on. I think there’s little reminders in here for everyone.


Last Saturday, I went to my niece’s wedding. It was an event our family has eagerly been waiting for all summer long. Kelly Dale, the bride, was gorgeous and Nick Giuni, the groom (a San Clemente City Lifeguard) looked smashing! The next Monday, though, I attended a funeral. A wedding and a funeral in three days…that’s a whole lot of emotion! Each gathering was filled with beautiful moments, but for different reasons. Allow me to explain…Kelly Parker 228x300 A Wedding and A Funeral

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Introducing Sound of A Spine: Poetry & Performance of Nick Macedo

June 27, 2012 — 1 Comment

I am so pleased to announce a new video poetry ebook called Sound of A Spine: Poetry & Performance of Nick Macedo published by The Grove Center for the Arts & Media. Nick Macedo is an incredible twenty-five year old slam poet (one of Hollywood’s best) with an incredible grasp for ideas, language, symbol and the spoken word. When I saw Nick perform just over a year ago, I said to myself, “This guy’s phenomenal…I have to meet him.” At the time, I didn’t know how we’d work together, but I knew God had put us together for a special reason.

Now, it’s my pleasure for me to introduce you to Nick’s videos, written poems and performance photos.  If you’re looking for a really cool ebook gift idea or if you have a love for poetry, Sound of A Spine is a wonderful ebook experience optimized for the iPad, Kindle & Nook. Below, I recently interviewed Nick about his poetry and life as an artist. In the introduction to Sound of A Spine, I also tell the story of how Nick and I first met. If you’re open to the artistry and serendipity of God, you never know who you’re going to meet…read on…

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Introducing Create: Transforming Stories of Art, Life & Faith for the iPad, Kindle & Nook

June 19, 2012 — 1 Comment

After two and a half years of working with 21 artists, I’m very happy to announce the official launch of our dynamic new video ebook optimized for the iPad, Kindle & Nook. It’s called Create: Transforming Stories of Art, Life & Faith. Create offers essays, artwork and video from 21 artists. Yes, 21 artistic points of view. My design team and I think it’s a compelling product worth your attention. If you have a love for story, art and a desire to see the arts flourish in the Church for this world, I think you’re really going to enjoy Create. For many years, I had this idea stuck in the back of my head, “How could we help and inspire artists who were struggling in their creative lives by offering hope and perspective through the stories of other artists? As artists, how could all of us better learn to integrate our art, life and faith? What if there was a good book or tool just to nudge us all a bit further down the path?”  So after six REJECTIONS from publishers, I could have easily thrown in the towel and said to myself…

CreateTransformingstoriesofartlifefaith Introducing Create: Transforming Stories of Art, Life & Faith for the iPad, Kindle & Nook

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4 Lessons Triathlons Teach You about Life

May 15, 2012 — 3 Comments

Last January, I shared that one of my 2012 goals was to train and complete in the multisport world of triathlon. I’ve been a runner for years, but as you might have read in my earlier post, Learning to Swim, my swimming skills were less than adequate for triathlon competitions. After several years of being tired of going to the gym and the inspiration of my good friend, Scott Rigsby (the first below-the-knee double amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona) I decided I needed a new challenge to push me mentally, physically and spiritually. Whether or not you consider yourself an athlete, an artist, a follower of Christ, or someone who is just interested in living well, there are plenty of things triathlons can teach you about life. Read on…

photo 1 768x1024 4 Lessons Triathlons Teach You about Life
Click here to watch a funny video of Joey’s son mocking his running shorts.

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Is One Banana Worth A Cage of Regret?

April 25, 2012 — Leave a comment

Note from Joey: If you missed my short story, The Monkey, The Banana, & The Bamboo Cage, you may want to read it first to see where our story began.

Once the monkey was plopped into the brown burlap sack by the owner of the banana plantation, he found himself in quite a conundrum. If you remember correctly, our little monkey wanted that banana in the small wooden box so bad that he grasped it tight and refused to let go. If he had had any monkey brains about him, he would have simply let go and freed himself from the cage that surrounded said banana. Now, imprisoned inside a scratchy burlap sack and all caddywompus upside-down, our monkey became quite angry. Infuriated was the word, though he could care less about word usage or proper English diction. He was an Indian monkey and not an English monkey. Not that any of this matters at this point. Read on…

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Isaonebananaworthacage Is One Banana Worth A Cage of Regret?

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Top Art, Life & Faith Posts for March 2012

April 3, 2012 — Leave a comment

Here are the Top 10 Posts from my Art, Life & Faith blog for March 2012. In writing about the arts, creativity, spiritual growth, writing and relationships, my goal is provide you with relevant, practical and inspirational content. In case you’re wondering where I found this cool infographic, visit Wordle! See what people enjoyed reading here on Art, Life & Faith…

Top10ArtLifeFaithPostsMarch2012 300x182 Top Art, Life & Faith Posts for March 2012

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