Barbara Nicolosi had me snorting coffee. She began with this statement:

There are two kinds of people in the world--people who are artists and people who are supposed to support them. Figure out which one you are and do it with vigor.

Tell me, how can you not love this woman? When the mean old time keeper looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows, we shushed him and told Barbara to keep talking. We would've listened to her all night.

(Barbara, can you hear me?)

(Great, now I have that song stuck in my head.)

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

--Emily Dickinson

The middle son in my WIP uses a Magic Eight Ball to make decisions. In light of that, I found this article at McSweeney's highly entertaining:

The Magic 8 Ball Amended by My Mother for My Middle School Years 

I realized the other day that against my better judgment, I've become fashionable.

Artists often live a solitary life. We struggle with loneliness. We struggle with being misunderstood. We struggle with rejection. So on this journey, who do we turn to? Who are our allies?

This is a prayer from the Transforming Culture symposium. On Monday,  I'll continue my interactions with it, namely with our allies in the artistic journey. In the meantime, let this prayer bathe you in the clear, baptismal waters, and get down with your creative self. (Did I really just say that?) 

The sunlight sparkles on the water, speckles the path, and dances with the trees. I sit on a log bench and meditate on the memory verse for my Bible study:

Two articles that just happen to resonate with what's knocking around in my brain these days:

I added some new links to my Incarnating Christ page:

Under Social Justice--

Global Girlfriend, fairly-traded apparel and accessories handmade by women and communities in need

This month, I have all sorts of fun stuff for you.

Heather Jamison writes about ministry in Africa. She's involved with humane ministries, such as establishing primary schools and water wells and working with AIDS and HIV victims as well as working with her husband, Brian, planting churches and training leaders.