Joey O'Connor's Blog, page 19
December 4, 2011
Welcome to Art, Life & Faith by Joey O'Connor
Maybe it's a bit redundant to say "Welcome to my new Welcome Video," but welcome! I thought it was about time to develop a more personalized introduction to my Art, Life & Faith blog, so I took a few minutes to create this video to engage with you in a different way. Whether you stop by on a regular basis or if it's your first time here, I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch this video to learn more about why I created Art, Life & Faith.
Here on Art, Life & Faith, you'll find that I love...
December 2, 2011
Top 10 Art, Life & Faith Posts November 2011
If you missed any of my posts for November 2011, here are my Top 10 posts on the Art, Life & Faith blog. To give credit where credit is due, I received this idea from Michael Hyatt whose blog, Michaelhyatt.com, I regularly follow. I met Mike years ago when he was a literary agent. If you want to glean great ideas on leadership, publishing, productivity, and social media, you simply must follow his blog. I can't say enough good things about it! His writing resources are so good, I even...
December 1, 2011
Holy is a Four-Letter Word
Growing up Catholic, I walked into a lot of old churches and cathedrals. The lingering smells of incense, the glow of red votive candles and the overwhelming presence of Jesus hanging on the cross front and center above the altar made it very clear that this sacred space was a holy place. You don't always get that walking into minimalist Protestant churches with bare walls or big screens in movie theater-like auditoriums. In Catholic churches, the idea or should I say "the sense of" holy...
November 29, 2011
Good Advice for Young Artists
How many young artists have abandoned the Church because they weren't offered any good advice, mentoring or a place to use their artistic gifts? Or, to put things in perspective, how often has the Church failed to acknowledge, affirm and empower young artists to use all of their creative talents to reflect the beauty, truth and goodness of God in this world? Imagine what might happen if young artists were given the very advice and help they needed to pursue who God has called them to be and...
November 25, 2011
All is Gift
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays because, unlike Christmas, I receive no gifts. Thanksgiving is all about being. Being grateful. Being with family and friends. Being around a table. Just being. Thanksgiving gives you and I the opportunity to consider and be grateful for all the gifts we've already received. So, I took some time to think about what I'm grateful for and these thoughts bubbled to the surface. I hope they encourage you in some way today…
All is...
November 15, 2011
Art, Life & Faith with AJ DeGrasse
I am loving SAFE, AJ DeGrasse's new CD, which is why I want to introduce you to my singer/songwriter friend. AJ DeGrasse has been a long-time friend, co-worker and artist-collaborator with the ministry I serve, The Grove Center for the Arts & Media. Like many musicians and artists, his path to pursuing his creative gifts has not been a straight path…
In my ministry with The Grove, our focus is developing the spiritual formation and creative vision of artists in the Church. These are themes...
November 9, 2011
Top 10 Writing Tools & Inspiration
I speak to a lot of people who write, who want to write or who like the idea of writing. What I've found is that people need both good writing tools and the inspiration to get writing. (I know I do!) The top two questions I'm always asked about writing are: 1) What do I need to submit a book proposal to a publisher? 2) What books will help me become a better writer?
In mentoring young or new writers, one of the reasons I started this blog was to put all of my ideas, favorite tools and...
November 5, 2011
Art, Life & Faith with Wayne Forte
I'd like to introduce you to Wayne Forte, an incredible fine artist and a remarkable man with a keen vision for the role of art in the Church. Without a doubt, Wayne is one of the most gifted fine artists I know. Wayne has the unique ability to integrate profound biblical understanding into compelling visual works of art. In this interview, Wayne speaks about…
The life of an artist.
The role of art in the Church.
The importance of Christian community for artists.
Wayne has been a good...
November 2, 2011
Do You Wrestle with God's Love?
Do you wrestle with the truth that God loves you? I mean, really? God's love for you? Are you completely comfortable with knowing that God loves you and accepts you one-hundred percent as you are? Not as you want to be or "should be," but really, just as you are today. Yes, I know it's pretty remarkable to reflect on the truth that God loves you unconditionally for who you are, but in our busy lives, I for one, don't stop to consider this enough. (Painting-Jacob & the Angel by Wayne Forte)
October 7, 2011
Scott Rigsby: Unthinkable Courage
What would you do if you lost both your legs? If I was an amputee, I don't think becoming a triathlete would be at the top of my list. (Let alone competing in the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.) Losing my legs would be unthinkable and competing in triathlons would require unthinkable courage. And strength. And perseverance. And an extremely high tolerance for pain.
But then again, I'm not an amputee and I'm not Scott Rigsby.
In the past four years, I've had the rare privilege...
