A while back I wrote about a blind visual artist from Denton Texas named John Bramblitt. He just finished a new series of paintings and has a show coming up in Lake Charles, Louisiana August 1 - September 8, 2007 at Gallery on the Lake. The name of the show is called Perceptions. Check out John's artist’s statement on his website.
After John realized he was going blind he struggled to understand and adapt. He overcame many obstacles. One can see in this new series that the process goes on. John has gained an understanding of perception that is expressed in his new work. The new art challenges our perception of what it is to see and to know. John confronts our misperception of blindness and the negative connation the word has in our language. His paintings ask us to rethink how we think about seeing and knowing.
John is also going to be a guest artist at the Special Arts Festival, November 10th in Garland Texas that explores the creativity of people with special needs. The Special Arts Festival will showcase the accomplishments of people with disabilities and educate the public to “the amazing possibilities that may have been overlooked where people with disabilities have achieved great things and overcome critical barriers to their success.”
How can you get involved?
Visit John’s website and be challenged by what you see and read.
Support the arts, go to see John's exhibition in Lake Charles, LA.
Attend or volunteer to help at the Special Arts Festival. Contact Jacqi Serie at jserie@unt.edu.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Impact
The American Heritage Dictionary defines impact as “the effect or impression of one thing on another.” Chelsea Heckathorn of Plano Texas was impacted by a mission trip to Zambia this summer. She is no stranger to world missions. Chelsea and a group of teens went to Zambia with Global Expeditions part of Teen Mania Ministries for a month in June.
Chelsea has been to Romania and Mexico with her Willow Bend Church youth group. The mission oriented environment of her church has impacted her. And she in turn wants to impact others.
The trip this summer consisted of two weeks of VBS (vacation Bible school) in Zambia. The first week she stayed in the secluded village of Chibebe where the teens roughed it. They slept in tents under primitive conditions. During their stay they ate simple foods like "mealypop," which is something like grits and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The second week of vacation Bible school was in Livingstone, a small city-type setting. It consisted of daily singing, lessons from a Bible story that the children acted out. The children were then asked questions. Next come craft time followed by lunch and the activities were repeated.
Chelsea was impacted by the singing. She says, “Some of the most amazing worship comes from the country of Zambia. They are all very passionate about singing.”
The conditions never dampened Chelsea’s enthusiasm for what she was doing. She quickly bonded with the kids, the other teens, her interpreter and the other people she met. In her own words:
“It was definitely a life-changing experience. There's just something about being surrounded by incredible Christians who love the Lord and are on a mission to tell the world [about Jesus] that really causes amazing bonds to be formed. I met some awesome people from all over the country”
Would Chelsea do it again? Yes, “I just can't afford to have an ordinary life in the States while there's a world in need of a Savior.”
Chelsea plans to attend an international nursing school in Spain with the hopes of returning to the mission field one day.
How can you get involved with Teen Mania Ministries?
· Visit their website at Teen Mania Ministries
· Donate to Teen Mania Ministries through their website.
· Support a child from Zambia. The children Chelsea met in Zambia all need sponsors. It cost $43.00 dollars a month, and it provides education, health care, and food for the orphan. If you are interested email me at goodnewsnow@goodnewsnow.com and I will have Chelsea contact you. She has seven sponsorship cards.
· Go. Contact Global Expeditions through the Teen Mania Ministries website.
Posted by Ruth Eshbaugh. Ruth is the webmaster for Good News Now. She writes about Ministries for Lifted Magazine.
Chelsea has been to Romania and Mexico with her Willow Bend Church youth group. The mission oriented environment of her church has impacted her. And she in turn wants to impact others.
The trip this summer consisted of two weeks of VBS (vacation Bible school) in Zambia. The first week she stayed in the secluded village of Chibebe where the teens roughed it. They slept in tents under primitive conditions. During their stay they ate simple foods like "mealypop," which is something like grits and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The second week of vacation Bible school was in Livingstone, a small city-type setting. It consisted of daily singing, lessons from a Bible story that the children acted out. The children were then asked questions. Next come craft time followed by lunch and the activities were repeated.
Chelsea was impacted by the singing. She says, “Some of the most amazing worship comes from the country of Zambia. They are all very passionate about singing.”
The conditions never dampened Chelsea’s enthusiasm for what she was doing. She quickly bonded with the kids, the other teens, her interpreter and the other people she met. In her own words:
“It was definitely a life-changing experience. There's just something about being surrounded by incredible Christians who love the Lord and are on a mission to tell the world [about Jesus] that really causes amazing bonds to be formed. I met some awesome people from all over the country”
Would Chelsea do it again? Yes, “I just can't afford to have an ordinary life in the States while there's a world in need of a Savior.”
Chelsea plans to attend an international nursing school in Spain with the hopes of returning to the mission field one day.
How can you get involved with Teen Mania Ministries?
· Visit their website at Teen Mania Ministries
· Donate to Teen Mania Ministries through their website.
· Support a child from Zambia. The children Chelsea met in Zambia all need sponsors. It cost $43.00 dollars a month, and it provides education, health care, and food for the orphan. If you are interested email me at goodnewsnow@goodnewsnow.com and I will have Chelsea contact you. She has seven sponsorship cards.
· Go. Contact Global Expeditions through the Teen Mania Ministries website.
Posted by Ruth Eshbaugh. Ruth is the webmaster for Good News Now. She writes about Ministries for Lifted Magazine.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
You're going to love the film Ratatouille!
What do you get when you combine a mouse with a clumsy restaurant garbage boy and a 5-star French restaurant? The best chef in Paris! Rats aren’t known for their cooking skills in the kitchen, only their mischievous hunt for food, but the talented and innovative minds of the animators at Disney and Pixar Animation studios, have created an unconventional story with a more than unlikely little hero.
A sure-to-please, entertaining treat for the whole family, Ratatouille is a story that caters to both children and adults alike. Throughout the movie, kids along with their parents were sporadically laughing, as Remy and his friends were found in not so favorable predicaments. The humor is easily understood by young audiences and the story is sophisticated enough for their parents to enjoy. The plot is very well-developed and the characters are so cute (especially Remy), that you can’t help but cheer for them.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Kitty Kavey Inspires Us
Kitty Kavey's story is one which can provide inspiration for many. Despite a very rough childhood and a massively tragic motorcycle accident Kitty Kavey never seems to have lost the desire to live life to its fullest."I'm an eternal optimist," Kitty told us. "I always think it's going to be better, that somehow everything will work itself out. I always thought God was my Dad, and used to talk to Him as if He was just an invisible parent – not some sort of supernatural being. I felt that He thought I was special, and He'd make sure I got through whatever it was. Whenever it seemed something terrible was happening, I had faith that I'd get through."
Even her agent has nothing but kinds words, "She's never forgotten where she came from, and how hard a road it's been. She's a leader and a teacher to those who follow the same path. Always one to help others, she actively participates in charitable activities of all kinds, and loves to be of service to others. She prefers directing, writing and producing work of a comedic genre, and is on a crusade to include a more accurate representation of ethnic minorities in the media. She believes that anything is possible and dreams are attainable here in the land of opportunity. Her feisty nature and positive spirit transcend her circumstances, and remind us all that it is a great day to be alive!"
Read the entire interview online now
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The ever intense Shane Drake
Somehow even his name sounds dark and mysterious...Shane told us, "I think that I would be fairly accurate in saying that I am pretty intense. I take my life and the contents of it, quite seriously. I can definitely be a little whacky, sometimes witty, and often times paranoid. Plus it is probably a relevant thing to note that I have a fairly obnoxious dose of OCD which pretty much gives me the qualities of a delusional mad scientist."
To date, Shane Drake has directed over 50 music videos and co-produced 3 films. This year, he was awarded the MTV/VMA for Video Of The Year for his video "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" for the band, Panic! At The Disco.
Although you may be familar with some of his work, you may not know that he used to be a be involved with the youth in his community. "I was a youth pastor for a couple different churches a few years back," Shane responded. "It was a wonderfully enriching time in my life and I loved every moment of it."
To date, Shane Drake has directed over 50 music videos and co-produced 3 films. This year, he was awarded the MTV/VMA for Video Of The Year for his video "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" for the band, Panic! At The Disco.
Although you may be familar with some of his work, you may not know that he used to be a be involved with the youth in his community. "I was a youth pastor for a couple different churches a few years back," Shane responded. "It was a wonderfully enriching time in my life and I loved every moment of it."
Ministry Monday: Hillsong United
Hillsong United took over Lakewood Church Sunday night, July 15, 2007. They led worship for an overflow crowd in the arena size venue. Thousands of youth groups descended upon the Houston church from around the region to hear the wildly popular Christian worship band from Hillsong Church Australia.
There was a very enthusiastic crowd and an enthusiastic band with one message and that message was unapologetically Jesus Christ.
When I hear the name Hillsong I think of Darlene Zschech. It was my 18 year old son who reoriented me to the music of Hillsong United. They are a rock band and definitely much louder than Darlene; very high energy. We enjoyed their sound in the car on our road trip to the Houston area this weekend. Our adventure ended at the concert which was a great ending.
In concert, Hillsong United holds nothing back, not in their sound, their dance, the energy nor the message. In the introduction videos that played on the big screen before the band came on, Joel Houston (vocalist and spokesperson) let us know he sees each concert as a privilege. He is given an amazing opportunity to reach a vast audience. He had one chance last night, for a brief time, to try to impact a generation.
In Joel’s words and then later in song and a sermon message, Hillsong declared that every generation needs a revolution. This revolution needs every one of the kids that filled the church last night to be sold out for Jesus Christ. Unafraid to speak his name outside the church. It was a call to step out of the safe places we hide our faith and let the world know in word and deed how great our God is. The youth were challenged to let God use them to glorify and magnify Himself.
As I looked around at the sea of youth before me last night and listened to their worship, I saw the message was received. The name of Jesus was lifted up, God was magnified.
How you can help Hillsong Ministries?
- Pray for this new generation of youth to be sold out for Jesus Christ.
- Speak the name of Jesus Christ boldly outside the church.
- Give your life over to God by placing your life in His hands.
- Read and study the Bible.
- Visit the Hillsong United websites to find out what they are about, where they will be playing next. http://www.hillsong.com/united/
and Hillsong United MySpace http://www.myspace.com/hillsongunited
Written by Ruth Eshbaugh. Ruth is the webmaster for Good New Now (http://www.goodnewsnow.com/) and writes about ministry for Lifted Magazine.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Watch out for some of our upcoming articles!
- Dr. George Phillies Interview (2008 Libertarian Presidential Candidate)
- Interview with Rue McClanahan of the Golden Girls
- Talking to director Shane Drake
- Meet the inspirational Kitty Kavey
- Laughing with comedian John Heffron
- Back from CineVegas
- Film reviews of La Vie En Rose and Ratatouille
A change in publications
Over the past two years, the staff of Lifted Magazine has worked very hard to produce PDF editions of our digital magazine for our readers to enjoy. But demand has dropped and we find that more and more people are just reading the articles online instead of downloading the PDF. Therefore, we will no longer be publishing PDF editions of Lifted Magazine but will focus on bringing more new articles to our readers throughout the month and publish a monthly newsletter highlighting our best new articles to make sure you don't miss the best of the best. We were pouring a WHOLE lot of time and resources into producing the PDF issues so it will be a lot more beneificial to everyone if we drop them.
Our newsletters will now arrive once a month and will feature the best of the best new articles we are adding online. We will continue to feature many of the new articles here as well so that you don't miss out on anything!
There will also be some changes coming up on the website which we will certainly announce here too so check back often or subscribe to this blog :)
Our newsletters will now arrive once a month and will feature the best of the best new articles we are adding online. We will continue to feature many of the new articles here as well so that you don't miss out on anything!
There will also be some changes coming up on the website which we will certainly announce here too so check back often or subscribe to this blog :)
Monday, July 2, 2007
New Releases: Sicko
Michael Moore is one of the most controversial documentarists of this time. He has made many friends and enimies with previous films such as Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 911. But now he has used his personal connections to take his research to a whole new level and perhaps make a positive impact on the lives of many individuals in America.
Although Moore is famous for being one-sided in his political plight, this film is made for the American people in a hope to promote understanding and encourage change in our system. The argument Moore makes is one of a moral and ethical tone. If the United States is one of the richest countries in terms of GDP and other health indices, why do we fall so low in our health care system? In his film, Moore uses juxtaposition to analyze the US health care system versus counties like Canada, Britain and France. Because these citizens pay for universal health care through taxes, doctors and health-aids are government employees and patients need not worry about their medical bills. Citizens can chose which hospital, pharmacy, and doctor to see – without paying any money. This may seem like a mythical utopia, but as Moore captures in his film, this is a reality. Read our full review online.
For more information on Sicko and local show times, please visit http://www.michaelmoore.com/Christian Music Festivals in July
July is now upon us and there are more great music festivals going on for you to enjoy!
July 11-15, 2007
Lifest 2007
Oshkosh, WI, USA
http://www.lifest.com/
July 14-15,2007
Luis Palau Heartland Festival
Omaha, NE, USA
http://www.palau.org/omaha
July 14-15,2007
Hills Alive
Rapid City, SD, USA
http://www.hillsalive.com/new2007/
July 25-28, 2007
Creation Northwest
George, WA, USA
http://www.creationfest.com/
July 11-15, 2007
Lifest 2007
Oshkosh, WI, USA
http://www.lifest.com/
July 14-15,2007
Luis Palau Heartland Festival
Omaha, NE, USA
http://www.palau.org/omaha
July 14-15,2007
Hills Alive
Rapid City, SD, USA
http://www.hillsalive.com/new2007/
July 25-28, 2007
Creation Northwest
George, WA, USA
http://www.creationfest.com/
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