Piloting Faith: Humor as our greatest inspiration...

A Word for the Day...

I am in Rome, Italy this week. Steeped in the art that has shaped our sense of beauty for the past 2,000 years, Rome is one of the most magnificent cities in the world. As I was taking it in once again on this trip, I was reminded that the artists of the Renaissance period, in particular, were unparalleled in their talent but also quite playful with their greatest works.

Michelangelo painted himself into scenes in the Sistine Chapel. You can spot him by a pair of hideous boots that he wore...and painted for history to remember. He also painted into some of our most famous works the men he considered his enemies. Of course, he portrayed them in the worst possible light - the ultimate revenge. Similarly, Raphael painted himself into the far right corner of The School of Athens in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican. He is the ever-youthful artist in the black hat.

These men were painting inside of the most famous building in all of Christendom. I can't imagine the pressure of knowing that your work would be revered and preserved for centuries to come. Yet they maintained their humor, perhaps not just because they could but because they had to. Their humor was the source of their brilliance.

Perhaps all great art comes from a balance of talent, vulnerability and cunning humor.

How many of your own creative ideas do you dismiss in a single day as trivial or unproductive? Is it possible that your growth and healing requires impractical, playful and daring creativity?

- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Prayer for the Week

Enlighten my mind with truth,
Enflame my heart with love,
Inspire my will with courage,
Enrich my life with service,
Pardon where I fall short,
Sanctify what I am,
Order what I shall be,
For thine shall be the glory,
Forever and ever,
Amen.

- Author unknown