All posts filed under: The Arts

Famous abstract art hung upside down for 75 years

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Apparently, a famous painting by abstract artist, Piet Mondrian has been hanging upside down for the past 75 years. The Dutch artist created the picture, by putting strips of black, blue, red, and yellow adhesive tape on canvas in 1941. The artwork called New York City 1 is currently part of the collection of the German state of North Rhine-Westaphalia in Dusseldorf. An expert has recently concluded that the artwork, which has hung in galleries and museums around the world since 1945, is being displayed upside down. Now to be fair, they can’t be absolutely certain, since the famous artist died in 1944. But this guess is based on a similar adhesive tape painting that Mondrian constructed that is apparently hanging the other way. Of course, it is entirely possible this other painting is upside down, and New York City 1 is being displayed properly. Whatever the case, New York City 1 will not be hung the other way because of fears this could destroy the abstract art constructed of now dried-up adhesive tape. READ: …

Woman holding an iPhone in 1860?

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Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s painting, “The Expected One,” shows a woman in a purple dress strolling down a path holding something in her hand. Waldmüller who was from Austria lived between 1793 – 1865 and painted the young girl in 1860. The painting actually gets its name from the young man who is hiding in the foreground near the path holding a flower for the girl. Recently several viewing the painting online are convinced the young woman is scrolling through an iPhone, and certainly, it is eerily similar to what we see every day walking down our streets. Of course, along with that comes suggestions by those with a sci-fi bend that this painting is evidence of time travel. But it is a sign of how much things have changed. As the experts point out, most people in 1860 would have known exactly what that woman was holding. It was a prayer book that contained prayers, Bible verses, liturgy, and devotionals that people could recite privately or even together with others. While some commentators sarcastically asked …

How a Jewish pop ‘Idol’ star in Israel found Jesus after being bitten by a snake

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If you have ever been a fan of American Idol, you may enjoy this story about a Jewish woman, Birgitta Veksler, who finished eighth in Israel’s version of the program, ‘Kochav Nolad’ (Pop Idol). Birgitta was born to a Jewish family in Sweden and lived much of her early life in Estonia before her family decided to move to Israel when she was 12. But before she left, Birgitta had believed in Jesus for her salvation. However, when her family joined Israel’s Jewish community, Birgitta quickly learned that Jesus was an unacceptable, even taboo, topic, and quickly quit talking about her relationship with Christ. She became famous in Israel at the age of 17, when she finished in the top ten in the country’s equivalent of the American Idol. As her popularity grew, she was drawn into the partying scene of alcohol and boys, which left her feeling empty. But things would soon change for Birgitta. Israel has compulsory military service and at the age of 18, young men and women are drafted into Israel’s …

From ‘ashes’ to a ‘crown of beauty’: The story behind Anne Wilson’s ‘My Jesus’

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Nineteen-year-old Christian singer, Anne Wilson, expressed her shock and gratitude on how here inaugural song, “My Jesus,” climbed to No. 1 on the Christian Billboard after its release five months ago. In an interview with Billboard, Wilson who co-authored the song along with contemporary Christian singer Matthew West, and music producer Jeff Pardo stated that she has been overwhelmed by the response to the song: “I’ve been blown away by how God has been using My Jesus to impact so many lives. I’m so honored that He chose me to be His vessel for this specific time and season. My favorite part so far has been seeing people sing My Jesus at shows to the top of their lungs and hearing stories of how they’ve been impacted by the song. I would’ve never dreamed that God would use this song in such a mighty way.” The song has ministered to people’s hearts, because it addresses the struggles that many have faced over the past year and a half. But there is more to this story. …

Christian woman flagging outdoors in Banff, Canada

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In the midst of the lockdown, Claire Shieh, a Christian woman, took to the streets of Banff, Alberta, Canada, to worship God in dance and with flags. God TV writes: A woman worshiped with flags and danced in an open street in a Canadian town. The woman, Claire Shieh, hopes to bring peace to the tension of pandemic by inviting the Presence of God through her worship. Called to Flag, is a ministry in Canada that aims to equip the Body of Christ with techniques and teachings of praise for worshiping with flags. Claire and her husband, David, founded the ministry with the heart to serve and see people restore their identity in God. And just last Sunday, they took their flags and boldly worship at the heart of downtown Banff. READ: Woman Worships With Flags At Open Street In Canada Mesmerizes Viewers On her YouTube Channel, Claire explains what happened in Banff: Everyone in the downtown core is required to wear a mask. I can feel the tension from the moment I checked into …

How a small, radical-left minority intimidates those holding Conservative views

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If there was any group in society that I would broadly classify as anti-conservative, it would be those working in the arts and culture. You know artists, actors, musicians and the like. One only has to look at Hollywood to see the strident anti-conservative views espoused by several actors and actresses and you are left with the impression that most Hollywood elites are the same. But if the results of a survey conducted in England are any indication, this first impressions might be deceiving as it exposed the power and tyranny of a small minority of people who control the arts. ArtsProfessional (AP), an organization providing a news service for those in the arts, recently surveyed over 500 arts professionals in England and discovered that over 80% hide their Conservative views to avoid being attacked by their colleagues and those in the public. In other words, 20% of those in the arts have successfully intimidated the 80%. And you can be sure of one thing, that not all those in the 20% were actively silencing …

Book Release: ‘Captivating Creative Craftsmen and Study Guide’

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We don’t normally do this, but Myrna Petersen, a popular author on opentheword.org, has just published a book on Christians and the arts and we decided to provide a bit of an overview of the book for those who might be interested in purchasing it. Inspirational stories behind Biblical artisans. As we draw closer to the Creator of the universe, we’ll be inspired to create new works. Written by Myrna Petersen with editing and graphic design by Open the Word’s Dean Smith, this is a great read for individuals or in a small group study. It is not how-to-instruction in the art of one’s choice but rather, a book to help crafts people, artists and musicians draw closer to the creator of the universe to release one’s creativity. When you know and work with the Creator of the human spirit, you’ll be inspired to create new works. In the beginning God created man in His own image. Since human beings are created in the image of our Abba Father, we should function as creators, making new …

Restoring the Tabernacle of David worship in the Church

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ESPAÑOL: Restaurando el culto del Tabernáculo de David en la Iglesia I have written articles in the past about the Tabernacle that David set up in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 16:17). This tabernacle or tent existed for less than 40 years and was taken down shortly after the Ark of the covenant was transferred from David’s tabernacle to Solomon’s temple. 31 Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark rested there. 32 They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem; and they [a]served in their office according to their order. (1 Chronicles 6: 31-32 NASV) It needs to be pointed out that God did not want David or his son to build a temple, God preferred to stay in the Tabernacle of David. But because of its brief existence, it seems that David’s Tabernacle played a minor role in Israel’s religious life. But that …

Chinese Christian tourists displaying the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount on April 11, 2018

Israeli flag displayed on the Temple Mount for the first time in over 50 years

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It hasn’t happened for over 50 years, but an Israeli flag was proudly displayed on the Temple Mount on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. The only significant difference is that it wasn’t Jews holding the flag, but a group of Chinese Christian tourists. Though, the Temple Mount is the former home of the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and is located in Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, the Muslims basically control the Temple Mount that features the Muslim Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They even have their own Jordanian Islamic security that works with Israeli police to enforce order on the Mount. For the most part, the Muslims have successfully prevented Jews from praying on the Temple Mount and even displaying symbols of the Jewish religion or Israeli nationalism such as the Israeli flag. The last time an Israeli flag appeared on the Temple Mount was shortly after the 1967 six-day war, when Israel captured East Jerusalem where the Temple Mount is located. The Israelis flew their flag …

Credit: Markku Sandberg/Flickr/Creative Commons

Temple Incense Spices

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Incense and Intercession [by Helene Rudolph] Alongside the fragrant precious anointing oil was the Temple Incense.  Incense is associated with intercession in scripture. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; thee shall be an equal part of each.  And with it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure (and) holy.  And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I shall meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.  And the incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD”. Whoever shall make (any) like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people”. (Exodus 30:34-38) Pleasant Smells Revive the Soul The priesthood of old burned incense daily as a fragrant offering unto the LORD.  The Jewish Talmud records that women, as far …

Credit: Ram Balmur/Flickr/Creative Commons

Skillful Musicians or Musicians of Snobbery?

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While there has been much discussion that  musicians must excel to be part of a worship team, one wonders if Christian leaders often revert to snobbery rather than skilfulness when selecting musical players. Biblical Pattern In the first book of Chronicles we are shown the selection pattern used in David’s tabernacle to determine those who were to have a ministry in music. “And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.  And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then waited on their office according to their order.” (I Chronicles 6:31-32) The musicians selected were Levites, those separated to the work of the LORD. “And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethern to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.” (I Chronicles 15:16) …

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The Lost Art of Story Telling

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For thousands of years, the Elders of a people have verbally passed true life stories down to their children.  This was a major way for history to be recorded before the time when individuals began to record events on writing materials. Today, with the invention of the printing press and the explosion of digital technology, communication is transferred, more often through electronic means than from the voice of a loving father. This makes one question, ‘Who’s voice are your children hearing?” Story Telling is an Elder’s Duty The Israelites understood it was their responsibility to pass true stories from one generation to another.  In fact, they recognized it was the way the Lord God would make His ways and acts known to the nations. Even within the Song of Moses, this reality was communicated to the congregation. “Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations.  Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you:” (Deuteronomy 32:7). Not only was the Song of Moses sung to the …

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Craftsmen in Captivity

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Coveting Works for Gain History records that craftsmen, artists and musicians have been consistently targeted by their enemies.  They are often taken into captivity since those who carry a Babylonian spirit desire to make merchandise of their creative gifts. Multiple stories of coveting works for gain are documented repeatedly throughout the Bible. “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!” (Habakkuk 2:9) They Only Want to Worship Moses was called to bring deliverance to his people the Israelites, who were slaves to Pharaoh (Exodus 5).  Pharaoh became furious when he discovered the Israelites wanted to go into the desert and sacrifice to the most High God.  Ever consider that it was a Jewish workforce who helped build the Egyptian Pyramids? Today that Egyptian spirit still runs rampant. Have you wondered why anointed musicians and artists who only want to exalt the most high God are targeted in our modern age?  It all has to do …

Credit: Alan Cleaver/Flickr/Creative Commons

It All Begins with a Story

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The Bible is a collection of 66 Books containing hundreds of stories.  It starts with, “In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1), and ends with John’s vision of Jesus declaring, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13). These biblical stories record the history of mankind from Adam to Abraham and the birth of the nation of Israel.  It gives a chronicle of Israel from generation to generation.  It tells us of the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, unto the early years of the church age. The Bible contains prophesies, some fulfilled within the context of the entire Bible, some fulfilled the past 2,000 years since the New testament writings.  Still others of these Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled today and some will be fulfilled in the future. More copies of the Bible has been sold or freely distributed than any other book in the world.  It is recognized world-wise as the greatest Book ever written.  It …

Blind leading the blind by Francesco Pieter Brueghel the elder (1525-1569) Credit: Choo Yut Shing/Flickr/Creative Commons

Insight into Riddles

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Webster’s Dictionary defines riddle as,  “Something proposed to be solved by guessing or conjecture; a puzzling question; an ambiguous proposition; an enigma; hence, anything ambiguous or puzzling.”

Encyclopedia Britannica describes a riddle as a, “deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous question requiring a thoughtful and often witty answer. The riddle is a form of guessing game that has been a part of the folklore of most cultures from ancient times. Western scholars generally recognize two main kinds of riddle: the descriptive riddle and the shrewd or witty question.”

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary calls a riddle, “a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed.” Hebrew Definition The Hebrew word ‘hdyx’ (chiyah) is the original word translated to ‘riddle’ in the Old Testament.  ‘Hdyx’ is also translated in some scriptures as, ‘dark sayings’ and ‘difficult questions’. The Hebrew word ‘hdyx’ is  translated into English as, “riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing saying or question”. Form of Entertainment In today’s society it is common for family members to watch television and play video …

Rembrandt and Me

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Passover (Easter to some) is almost upon us again, and it’s time to reflect on God’s great gift for all of Adam’s lost children, Jew and Gentile alike. Old Testament prophecies and New Testament accounts of Christ’s death and atonement on the cross show very clearly who is to blame. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24) All of us – rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, even Rembrandt, and me – we are all the cause of why “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16). We are all guilty of putting Him on the cross so that we can all share in God’s redemption through it and be at peace with God. But how does Rembrandt fit into this. Rembrandt  (1606 – 1669) was one of the greatest classical Dutch painters. He had personal flaws like any of us, but he embraced the Reformation and his Christian values …

How Leonard Knight’s dream became Salvation Mountain

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If you ever wander into the Colorado Desert, Northeast of Niland, California, you will come across a strange place called Salvation Mountain. It testifies of one man’s faith, dream and determination. (Click here to view photos of Salvation Mountain.) After accepting Christ in 1967, Leonard Knight (1931 – 2014) had a dream to build a hot air balloon with the message “God is Love” emblazoned in bold red color on the fabric. After failing to raise enough money to buy one, he decided to sew his own. While working as a truck driver in Quartzite, Arizona in 1984, Leonard tried to fly it, but the balloon wouldn’t hold air. Defeated, he was preparing to move on when he decided to stay an extra week and build a small monument to Christ along the banks of a now dried river bed across the border in California. He grabbed a bag of cement, some paint and set to work. This was the beginning of Salvation Mountain and until his death, Leonard never left.

Did Shia LaBeouf become a Christian?

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[by Dean Smith] I have always enjoyed Shia LaBeouf as an actor — from his childhood acting career in the TV comedy series “Even Stevens” to his role in “Transformers.” He is a great actor, but his life of late has been troubling. Over the past year or so he has been accused of plagiarism for a short film he produced and even arrested for criminal trespass and disorderly conduct during a New York Broadway show — Cabaret. So, I was a bit surprised to hear he had become a Christian during the filming of his most recent film “Fury,” a World War II epic. In the movie — which also stars Brad Pitt who plays “Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier,” the tank commander — Shia plays  “Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan” a member of the tank crew who is a Christian.

Redemption Box

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Often in Scripture, God teaches us deep spiritual lessons about His kingdom by comparing them to the natural world, sometimes even to the mundane things around us. When Jesus wanted to teach about His kingdom, He talked about lost money, lost sheep, farming, fishing, things that the common person could relate to.  Even the Old Testament has such examples of God using common things to teach and extend His kingdom.  An example of this is found in Exodus 4:2, where God uses the rod in Moses’ hand to show His power and be a confirmation of who He was. Some time ago I experienced such a thing and I want to encourage others by what God revealed to me, saying, “What is that in your hand?”

The lost coins of Jesus?

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Dr. Ronald Stewart, using special imaging equipment, believes coins dated to 33-47 AD depict the life of Jesus. Stewart says the hand-struck coins were part of a popular art form called “Portable Coinage Art”  first introduced by Grecian emperors in 336-300 BC and later popularized by Roman emperors. People of financial means would have sets of coins created to memorialize significant people. These coins would depict notable events of a person’s life in pictorial form starting on one side of the coin and continuing on the other side.