what if

last week i was talkin to one of my instructors, her name is Heather Protz and she is an incredible artist, i was expressing to her my lack of inspiration as of late. dont get me wrong its not that i don't love grabbing my camera and goin out to shoot, or putting images together, or making prints or my work, or anything else that goes along with my art. its not even that i feel that my art just sucks. i simply feel uninspired.

webster defines uninspired as - Having no intellectual, emotional, or spiritual excitement. i am not depressed or upset, i am just not excited! really i feel utterly normal, and i dont do well with normal. i feel mundane and unsure how to get out of my apparent funk?

as i shared these thoughts with heather, without hesitation she said

"micah art isnt always about inspiration lots of times its about just doing it."

wow that hit me like a semi! who could have thought it was that easy. who could have imagined that i simple can press forward and create? i mean really why must i be on some whimsical high to produce great art? i think in your life and in mine if we waited around till we were i some state of magical euphoric thought to live and create there would be alot less change and beauty taking place and much more self loathing(which might explain why we wear black some days)! but for me many times i sit on my butt and wait for some lighting bolt of innovation to hit me in the face.

its like that in my art in my life and in my walk with God. i feel as if i sit around and wait on someone else to move then i can do my best to ride their wave/to be their partner in the race/a game of leap frog. but what if instead i decided that the only thing between me and great art is my willingness to go. the only thing stopping me from knowing and loving Jesus more is me. the only thing that stops me for living life with all ive got is myself!

what if today we picked up or tools(camera, brush, song, pen, computer, guitar) and started living a life worth talkin about? what if we quit living in stories that are small and insignificant, and started to experience BIG life changing stories? what if we stop waitin on heavenly bombs of creation, and instead got off our couches and started being a part of the beauty that ever surrounds us!

what if right now we reaized that we need not wait on catalyst for you and i have in deepest parts have be given the essence of inspiration!

GO.LOVE.CREATE.

see ya soon

micah

journey to a unknown course

im back home for almost a month now and i dont yet know to the full extent what ive seen an heard and felt but i do know ive been changed. by the western standard im not sure my change is for the better, but i know that i have seen a clearer picture of who Jesus is and therefore i can not be the same i as once was.

the world is big and beautiful and God is found in all of it. i have seen Him in tent meeting and tattoo shops, boat rides across africa and bar tenders in las vegas, in the faces of missionaries and misfits, it rings so true of what peter say in John6 "where can we go from Your spirit? You alone have words that bring eternal life." i have seen and driank deep in eternal life! and just as many times ive pushed away from that table and drank shallow in what i thought was better! my sad attempts at self-preservation result in neglecting the beauty set before me!

how can we judge a days worth until we have seen the end of it? i think i find myself more times than not seeing the bad in mess im in, and completely over lookin the kingdom God is creatin here in the midst of our lives, its dirty/messy/sloppy/glorious!

i feel God is doing something in new in me an overhaul/transformation/reshaping. right now i feel the eagerness/angst like seein a empty canvas, or a brand new photo site, but i sense life is changin directions my exit is comin close, with every turn of the wheel my heart shifts. what if today is the day we look back and see that we got off I-15 and hit I-70 and now we arent far from where we are but our corse is drastically different? what if today, why not today, what if us, why not us!

in my experience ive had many more "still small voice" times than "fire/light/earthquake times", our road sign may not be huge with flashy lights, but i also trust that it will be just small and insignificant to never be missed. life is comin its here fight and laugh and cry, get ready change is near to us keep both hands on the wheel. open your eyes there is a glorious messy heaven that you can live in right now.

only at the end of a day can we judge its worth!

thanks billy

see ya soon

micah

take heart

friend, Jesus is alive and at work! i am being transformed by the gospel! wow God is BIG!
friends take heart "He has the words that bring eternal life"
love someone like Jesus would today
i have to run
you are missed
i love you all
micah

bring the RAIN

it has been a wild week here in Joburg. we have seen heard and done so much. i have been overwhelmed by the power and love us Jesus.

friday they took us to game park one of the few places in the world that you can play with loin cubs. these guys were like 1 month old and i saw one pounce and also kill this 3 year old (it was awesome/terrifying) then i got to feed a giraffe that was crazy too, their tounges are forever long. i saw a real african loin... it was a monster, me and ben keep saying we were gonna fight one while we were here... we lied, i mean there is NO chance (Mr Lion im sorry for talkin smack- You sir are king. but ben said you a chump, eat him!)

saturday was our last night at our tent meeting we been part of all week. and God gave us the most beautiful sunset ever to let us know He was coming to meet with us. our time of worship was incredible as we sang in "Ndebele" its so amazing to sang to God in words you cant understand, but know that He hears you, and loves it. it has been awesome to see the people change of the corse of 4 nights. just before we left the Pastors wife said that God had brought us here just for them. what great perspective! i was reminded of the barbarian way, and that God has called me to be part of a tribe called FORWARD. we were blessed by those people.

sunday we went to Lattex Rain Church in Kwaggafontein. when we started the service Pastor Sibanyoni said "God doesnt visit the praise of His people, He inhabits the praise of His people."

so we sang and danced and shouted and gave and prayed and encouraged and loved on Jesus! and He came down and meet with us. i got to teach after all that for a few minutes and once again, told the people Jesus offers us a chance for rescue for new life. He came the He might speak restoration into our brokenness. after me Rogers got up and brought the rain like WOW! we prayed for vision and life to be on the people and God moved.

after church we had to say goodbye to dirk and rogers, and it was hard. these men have guided us, thus far on our trip, but more over they have loved on us! these men are HEROS of the faith, and i am honored to now them, and blessed to call them friends.

God has brought me 16,000 miles from home. i have spoken His life into darkness, hurt and despair. we have seen and heard and done great things.... but greater thing are yet to come. if i have learned anything thus far in Africa, it is that God brought me here not to change Africa, but to transform me

i love you guys

see ya soon

micah

lotjani

LOTJANI = HELLO

day 1 & 2 are now in the books and wow it has been incredible/breathe taking/terrifying. i have seen children intrenched in poverty, but overwhelmed by happiness; i've seen special needs kids in great need, but with smiles like the sunrise; and today my heart more than broke at the sight of bloodstained hospital hallways. i've never seen anything like this, our Jesus is alive and well and He is moving here. even in a place like Vegas where God is workin in big and miraculous ways things are different in Africa, Jesus is alive in peoples faces and He is moving in their hearts!

day 1 was incredible we got to pray with 800+ students, teachers, police, prisoners, orphans, pastors, and countless others. we've been able share at many schools in our 2 days and on day 1 i was given the chance to talk to about 50 high school kids, i spoke from john 4 & 5 a lame man i need of healing and the woman at the well. both in desperate need of life, but both not realizing who they were standing with. the man answering Jesus' offer for help with i can't, and the woman said You have nothing to draw with. Jesus stands in from of them... and us saying do you want rescue, while we just set in our junk/sin/death, sayin "Jesus You cant" and then i was able to share that Jesus still wants to free us/ heal us/ restore us. it was incredible as may students responded to the chance for rescue.

day 2 was equally amazing we had opportunity visit to a hospital. we were able to encourage the staff, people that see death and brokenness everyday, we shared that Gods story is one of brokenness being restored. then we went to pray with patients , our hearts wept as we cried out for Gods favor and healing. my faith has never been tested like that i found myself praying over and over like Peter "God i believe but help me with my unbelief"

i have been praying that God would unite my heart with the people here, even when i dont understand their language. tonight at a service i felt that God began that process in me as my "mfooth" (aka brother) Rogers taught completely in Zulu but i felt strangely connected. it is blowin my mind to see God at work and His kingdom expanding all over the world.

friends, God is alive and at work, join Him where You are! join His restoration and bring new life. You are in my prayers!

see ya soon

micah

im in the South... of Africa

as David Crowder plays in my ears we come up on hour number 14 of the flight and Africa greets me with the sunset. it has been long I won't lie, but i've watched Benjamin Button, taken, and two lovers; I have slept and read Larry Crab, Shane Caliborne, and CS Lewis; but I have only stood but once (thus I have cankels)
I have know idea what the next 6 weeks will hold, but I am reminded that just for me Jesus came. if I share that love with simply one person I feel like my trip will not be fullfilled.

as I prayed in the months leading up to Africa I had a chance to pray with one of mentors named Stane Gibson. out of the hundereds of prayers I prayed his stands out. Stane said over and over "God, You are worth it... moving to Vegas or Delware, or stayin in the place you are now, servering right where you are, or going around the world, talkin to everybody you meet or spendin time tell one, God You are worth it.... " as I land in South Africa those words run through my head and heart.
dear God, use me, work in me that You might work through me! my I stand amazed that I might love You more & love people more!

see ya soon
micah

on the road.... again

dear friends its been much to long since last i wrote. and now even as i write this i am excited and very busy as i have and continue to to have friends arrive. we have, for the last few months gearing up for our summer camp which starts on monday. today however im stoked today because my friend from athens, frankie is coming in town tonight, which is always exciting because frankie is one of the most fun people know, and i cant wait see her.

so with sumer camp almost underway i find it hard to focus on anything else, however the day we get back from camp i pack my things again and fly to southern africa for six weeks. i cant even being to tell you whats goin on inside my head (but i struggle to do that almost always). i cant wait to see what God does in the next week to rock my world, and to even start to talk about Africa is way out of my league at this point.

so i guess i write to you to say that by plane. train, and automobile im on the move goin who knows where, doing who know what, but i couldnt be happier i thrive in being spontaneous! as my friend tyler wrote so brilliantly "come hell or high water ill find you, ill find you" that is my goal that is my mission!

see ya soon

micah

bye bye

my 21st year is now almost completely in my rear view and i have no clue what lies down the road called 22. it has been incredible journey thus far ill talk about that tomorrow.

as 21 comes to an end i couldn't imagine leavin on such a great note.

today i have:

loved on Jesus

poured my heart into others

driven with the top down

worn some new toms shoes

laughed alot

right now i am:

with my close friends

sharing a good meal

watching tommy boy

and just hide a metronome in my roommates bed room (hahahaha)

so 21.... goodbye, i love you, you were great!

LA love

so as i type i'm one block off hollywood blvd and right across the street from the famous Knickerbocker hotel, once home to hollywoods who's who, capital records is in my view and the spirit of art surrounds is very present. but people aren't smiling. i'm overwhelmed by my surroundings, by the history but the people don't realize it, or maybe are simply over looking it.

my heart this morning as i was talking with God, i was almost in tears. i was reminded that my of the story that im a part of.... and that daily i don't smile about or realize or overlook. have i forgotten that my Jesus is bigger than hollywood? once wrote so beautifully the prayer that my heart sang this morning

Terry Macalmon

once wrote so beautifully the prayer that my heart sang this morning.

"Jesus, YOU are great,

you do miracles so great,

there is no one like you,

there is no one else like you"

smile and remember and soak up Jesus today.

away... but not today

april..... a few days
so can i tell you how my heart has broken because i could not write to you. the last 3 days have been phenomenal. i have been a part of our student spring break mission opportunity called EXPOSURE and now i am spent.

i have served and washed and painted and sang and played and talked and danced and thrown and walked and listened and moved and burnt and driven and sat and laughed and seen and cryed and cared and felt and learned and changed and and and loved.

i have seen Jesus: in the hand of a student bent over to wash the car of a stranger for free, in the brush strokes of an unlikely artist as she cleaned city walls, in the laughter of a game of frisbee, i the song of my Deliver, in the voice of richard a homeless man, in the wind and sunshine of an open jeep flyin down I-15, in a water bottle given to a dry mouth, in love given without expectation, in the name of a friend written in ink, and in a message to explore and think and live as BIG as you can.

so today i challenge you to live and love and serve. be a hippie and enjoy a sunset. look for Jesus in unlikely places. think bigger than you might want to. be spent!

see ya soon

micah

wings and Jesus

so had a bit of a late night coupled with a it of an early morning thus i am bringing you saturdays blog right now...

saturdays are great it is my only day to lay in my bed for most of the day.... and that i did first watching into the wild, and the a complete climate change to madagascar.

but saturdays are also alot of work i go to this great chruch in Vegas called hope. we meet at silverado high school, so saturdays at 2 we being to setup a full on rock show. its a pretty big job but we always manage to have a pretty good time.

so after church i booked it down to freemont st. ithe ACM's are in town this week and so there have been free concerts this weekend. last night i got to see zack brown and kelly pickler. i always enjoy goin down to freemont just to see the people, its almost lilke being home as las vegas turns out its own brand of redneck. hahaha i was surrounded by people of all shapes and size some rockin there college gear, nascar jackets, all different shades and combos of plaid, i was in between football mugs and HUGE boots of beer, and of corse you have your redneck girls proudly wearing there halter tops to show a tattoo proclaiming they are "daddys girl" however im not completely sure daddy knows and im very confident that he would not approve (hahahaha). all of us somehow united by songs about our toes in mexico's sand and fried chicken.... incredible.
aftre the show i very happily agreed to some chicken wings and some great conversation with the durhams, ben, and our new friend lindsey.

so now im off to church on this sunday morning to enjoy a totally different atmosphere, which is awesome. but i the thing i love the most about Jesus is that i can enjoy His family here at a church where im "supposed" to but also in the middle of thousands of people, good country music, and chicken wings. wow im so thankful for friends that push me to love God...... and chicken wing.

bringing things together

april 3

i started a new book call "the safest place on earth" by larry crab. i love starting new books, almost more than i love finishing them.. is that bad? we anyway the premiss of the good is experiencing genuine community, which is very interesting to me because im a VERY relational person. thus far my favorite part of the book says: "we must not only turn our chairs in a circle, we must also turn or souls together." what a great concept what a great practice. i hope today you and i can open our soul to someone, that we might enjoy authentic connection.

this morning i got to hangout with my friend billy arndt. we spoke about thinking freely and imagination and how we want to encourage that follow Jesus to do both more often. it was a great time.

today is also first friday and later im goin downtown for some great art, and some good music with some good friends.

happy friday, im glad your here!

see ya soon

micah

sorry i no its tomorrow already but i forgot to publish this yesterday.... dont hate me

happy windmills and coffee... in excess

so can i start by saying that im watching happy gilmore right now with my buddy jeff, and its at the part where he sings into the door monitor "i want to kiss you all over and over and again, i want to kiss you all over. till the night closes in." as a little boy listens super confused and that crazy Chinese lady go up to happy room and (burrrrbbb). hahahaha what a great movie.

last week a bought a holga toy film camera and im still learning to use it but here is a shot from yesterday with no photoshop just me+holga+film= really cool (i think)

april 2

so today was great. i have some awesome roomates, we get to live life together and talk about girls, Jesus, school, and work... not necessarily in that order, but often in that order(hahaha) ever week as a group we practice Psalms 119:147

"I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words."

today was that day for us, it was so refreshing to ask God to give us a platform to love and serve our community we prayed Jeremiah 29:7
"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper"

we prayed for creativity and imagination so that we might "Shine like Stars" as paul writes in Phillippians 2:15. it was an incredible time for us to focus and connect our hearts with Gods.

thank you Jesus for calling us your children

after i spent the morning with a good friend Dwight Watson. dwight is a guy who believes in the power of the Gospel to transform Las Vegas and the whole world. he pastors several groups of simple faith communities that meet in homes all over the valley they collectively are called The River. we shared a cup of coffee and some conversation and i was so encouraged to follow the passions God has given me, thank you dwight for letting me see Jesus in you.

finally on thursday nights i get to meet with some college student for my church at the TABLE. we talked tonight about community, and how valuable God's family is in our lives it was a great time.

i believe this verse in Colossians 4:6 tells the story of my day

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

april 2 you were great tell you're friend to keep the good times comin!

see ya soon

micah

come with me

so i realize its been awhile.... sorry, i love you forgive me.

this is a big month for me and by the end of it i will be 22 the big double dueces! that means a have very little time left to be 21,which is sad but also very exciting. i want to go on a pilgrimage, everyday this month i want to blog maybe alot maybe just a little. i want to see and document where i go and what i do in the last days of my 21st year.

april 1

i started the day at springs perserve (which is a wild life museum kinda thing) taking pictures for my newest project called the Las Vegas the wild side... great images cool place more details on that to come.

but anyway, most of my wednesday are spent talkin about Jesus with some friends(i love it). first with cameron and ross, 2 guys i mentor. we ment at saxbys coffee, great joint. we talked about Isaiah 43:25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again." we asked why God would help us for His sake, like what does He have to gain? great talk ending with God does that so we can love Him way more(that is the real fast answer but pretty right on) p.s. cameron ross and i are coffee shop thugs hahaha

after that i went to hangout with a guy named billy combs, he mentors me. hes the man so basically tells me everything i suck at, like hes readin my journal! (i hope you have someone like that) its awesome. i always leave so encouraged and challenged to go love and serve and study and live its incredible... so today i shot great images and enjoyed Jesus and His family. simply wonderful im sooo lucky

so thats day 1. i hope the whole month is great like today. so here goes our 1 month odyss i promise if you'll sick with me we'll have a good time. until tommorrow....

see ya soon

micah

chain me down

so last week i had a project called las vegas high up,
these are some of my results.

it was a cool task; climbing hills, going to tall buildings, jumping overpass barriers, peeking through fences, and getting kicked out of parking garages by rent-a-cops, i had a great time. the shots were very cool with angles we don't often see... these intrigue me. thus, it was a beautiful shoot. i mean how many days are we hundreds of feet off the ground?

having said that, i think i'm supposed to be on the ground. you know, its great sticking your head off a huge skyscraper, or shoving your camera through a break in the fence, but for me it was simply overwhelming.

how do i show intricacy when the whole city is before me?

i find it hard to see smallness when surrounded by bigness.

how do i get down in the dirt when i'm so far from it?

i felt caged "in" and "up."

i find in life i get the same way when i cry out to God: what's next, where am i going, what do i do? and then he shows me a little portion and i'm so overwhelmed that i miss the splendor of today. likewise i desire to be covered "dirty" in my work, but being far from what i love it's just not possible. do you ever get that way, does that happen to you? i feel like sometimes i "miss the the forest for the tree," and as life happens all around me i get selfish and long to be in the sky far from the ground, and there, because of me, i miss the joy of life.

heres my question,

what are you doing right now that you're good at, but not passionate about?

i've been trying to answer that lately and it keeps unwrapping more questions. thus i have come up with a great answer,

"enjoy the trees"

i cant see my way out, i dont know whats next, but i can climb and explore and rest here, in the trees.

so i've come to see that i love the ground it blessed me, and makes me feel at home.

so in turn i would like to share a list, of 5 things about the ground i love.

here we go:

1)trees (especially ones that are great for climbing)

2)puddles (i wish vegas had more)

3)sidewalks chalk (we're never thankful we have roads for our feet, and we can paint them)

4)TOMS (awesome shoes you should by some)

5)dirt (it is just fulfilling to be filthy from a day of hard work, made possible only by dirt)

so all that to say, the ground rocks(no pun intended). i mean i love flying, bridges, and even really tall climbing trees, but the ground is my fav so i'm gonna start trying to be thankful for the ground that i love but often forget about.

see ya soon

micah

empty bowls, full hearts

these are simply bowls. nothing special or out of the ordinary about them. however, just over a week ago they were made into something radical!

as my friend scott and i prepared to talk to around 140 students about questions they had concerning the bible, faith, and Jesus; to our surprise Jesus was about to ask us a question. a lady walked in with a small child, explaining to me that her family wasnt doing to well in the current economy(to put it very mildly). she went on to say that she and 11 family members(at least 8 under 18) were staying in one of those day to day motels right off las vegas blvd, but were unable to sell enough of their things(mainly a tool chest today) to make rent that night. so here i am completely astonished, and think like 1,000 things: it's sunday night we cant get them a check because no one is here. where is travis? what am i gonna talk to these students about? and i cant throw these people on the street.... just to name a few. so i pulled scott into a room and told him i didnt know how but we were gonna pay for this families room tonight, he agreed and so we told them to come back at 7 and we would have the money.(wow what were we thinkin?) so i jump on stage at 6:00 and explained the situation to a group of 6th-12th graders(not exactly the most wealthy part of a church) totally unsure how they would take it or even if they could help. i shared with them that we talk a lot about loving people, and meeting folks at their greatest point of need, and this was our chance to stop talking and start doing something! i told them i wasnt 100% sure that the cause was legit, but that we were asked to judge we were asked to help, and help, we would, to our fullest. after saying this we took the bowls and passed them around. i watched through misty eyes as students emptied their wallets, pockets, and bags, it was incredible. i saw money that was "supposed" to be in-N-out burger or taco bell, money for a new album or t-shirt, money that was theirs..... but not anymore. i watched as the bowls filled with dollars and coins, yes, but also with love, hope, and another chance. 

that cold windy las vegas night some students were able to see "even greater things" they were able to become Jesus to a family who was, as my friend jake says, "hurting, poor, weak, and marginalized", "just the people Jesus chose to hangout with." they showed them that they were loved and deserved something more. that night middle and high school students gave $250 to people they will probably never meet or even see. they were the Church. they saw the BIG picture, they got it. they didnt fill bowls, they filled hearts.

i was inspired!

see ya soon

micah