© Mark W. Pettigrew
I've been a committed Christian since 1969, and even though there have been some rough spots along the way, I think I can honestly say that I've sought to serve God with my whole heart.
For roughly 6 to 7 years, I've been obsessively working on a project I call the Christian Arts Initiative. Now I'm starting a new project which I'm calling the Artistic Rescue Project.
Some folks might conclude that I'm one of those flaky individuals who just can't finish anything he starts. Au contraire!
The Christian Arts Initiative is as important to me as it ever was. Maybe even more so, because the more I think about it, the more I understand how many ways the arts relate to the broader mission of the Christian church.
As I see it, the Artistic Rescue Project should be seen as a subproject of the Christian Arts Initiative, which could be defined as an ambitious plan to more effectively use the arts, in every feasible way, to promote the values of the kingdom of God. That must by necessity include acts of charity and mercy which benefit hurting people in practical ways. And that often requires funding.
In all candor, I don't have much in the way of material resources at the present time. But what I do have is a creative mind and a willingness to tenaciously search for answers and solutions, and to implement those solutions if I am capable of doing so. With the help of other brothers and sisters in Christ, I believe that I am capable of doing so.
Unfortunately, that help cannot be taken for granted.
Too often, we Christians talk out of both sides of our mouths. We talk (usually from the pulpit) about how God owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" (meaning that God's resources are unlimited), and we talk about how "all things are possible" with God, but when we are privately presented with evidence of unmet needs in the human community, we often resort to defeatist language which suggests that both our faith and our imaginations are lacking. When there is a chasm between rhetoric and reality, it harms our "witness" in front of a watching world. It's a question of integrity or the lack thereof.
The best I can do is the best I can do. But I'm just one man, and a pretty weak and limited man at that, so I need your help, not only with regard to my own temporal needs, but also with regard to my fervent desire to leave a legacy of love and hope.
