Hey Readers, I mentioned a while back that I really dug the poetry of my Portland brutha, Robert Bruce. He has realeased a .pdf version of his book, The Well-lit, Freshly Paved, Six-lane Boulevard to Nowhere, and it is a collection of some really good word-meat to chew upon. Poetry has taken a backseat in the world of our largely image-based culture, so it is really nice to see another guy (especially a Christian one) promote, protect and provide an ancient artform. Plus, its nice to sit with some words and use your imagination to provide the imagery rather than have it forced upon you. My church has taken a few weeks to look at the idea of "calling", particularly as it relates to our vocation. Robert has a couple dealing with his struggle with the calling to be a poet with my favorite being "The American Dream". Check it out and support your local poets.  

As the lead worshiper in my church I am often the de facto go-to-guy for questions concerning Christianity and the Arts. This is understandable since I am a musician, painter, and of course, a Christian. Over the years I have been steadily building my library and searching all over Al Gore's Superhighway to find meaningful ways to express a Biblical philosophy of the arts as a means of understanding, encouraging and spurring on other Christian artists. 

I came across an article today by Professor Jerram Barrs entitled Christianity and Arts that I highly recommend. Professor Barrs has been greatly influenced by Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis, and served for many years at L'abri Fellowship in England while also pastoring the International Presbyterian Church. He is the resident scholar of the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary. Click here to read.