This week in cMusicMail, we offer a review of a book that has given us
plenty of insight over the past year. Not only does it struggle with the
question of who God made each of us to be or do, it gives insight from some
of our favorite musical artists themselves. Check out this book and read
remarks from Sara Groves, Ginny Owens, Ashley Cleveland, Phil Keaggy, plus
members of Jars of Clay and Over the Rhine. And, of course, no book with
such content is complete without a forward from the amazing Charlie Peacock.
Don't miss this week's new releases including John Reuben and Matthew West.

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BOOK: THE ART OF BEING BY CONSTANCE RHODES (2004)
Review by Hollie Stewart

As a young twenty-something, I'm approaching a stage many people enter much
sooner or never at all: personal definition. I am learning "who I am," and
this definition needs to come from the Creator rather than the creation. So
often our jobs, marital status (or lack of it), children (or lack of them),
and various hobbies label us. We do all we can to carve ourselves a niche so
that others will see us as happy/successful/cool/sexy/worthy of value. We
seek significance outside of the kingdom of God and put our entire focus on
the temporal world surrounding us. It's not healthy behavior, especially
since everything inhabiting this earth will vanish like a distant memory
(see 1 John 2:17).

Author Constance Rhodes mirrors my dilemma (and the dilemma of millions of
others) in her book The Art of Being: Reflections on the Beauty and the Risk
of Embracing Who We Are. Even the title on the inside jacket cover, "Life is
Not a Résumé," speaks hope to me. Rather than identifying themselves as
"grown-ups" who have decided "what to do," this book documents the thoughts
of fifteen musicians navigating the waters of their own identity.

Rhodes believes we can miss "the most thrilling part" of life while striving
to climb higher and higher on the cultural ladder: the journey itself (2).
God took her out of the corporate world for some time to learn what it meant
to "be." (Yes, think Hamlet here.) During this sabbatical, she felt God
begin to transform her thought patterns: "God was doing some deep heart work
on me at the time, leading me on a journey toward freedom from a lifelong
obsession with performance, appearance, and achievement" (3). How does she
define the art of being? She says, "It's learning that we are not defined by
what we do, or how we look, or what we have. It's learning how to be
comfortable in our own skin and accepting that life isn't about the trophies
on the wall or the Mercedes in the garage. It's about discovering who we
are, beyond the stuff, and learning how to be content with that person, for
this is the key to be living fuller, richer lives that we ever imagined"
(7-8).

Each artist invited to contribute to this project has their own definitions,
but they all center on the thesis. Sara Groves says, "When you know how much
you are loved, you are free to 'be'" (14). In knowing God loves us
unconditionally, we can have the freedom to discover ourselves and love who
He created us to be.

Gabriel Wilson from The Rock and Roll Worship Circus writes about his
struggle with the general population because of "strange" external
appearance and artistic sensibilities. Yet in the end he knew he needed to
stay true to God's definition, for "at every point of opposition to who we
are or to what God has called us to do, we are presented with the options of
either conforming and giving in or standing our ground and becoming stronger
in who God has made us to be" (24).

We could choose to weave our own existence through the mind's imagination,
but Ginny Owens advises against this. She says, "I will never survive by
imagining my story to be better than it is, because God will always imagine
it better than I can" (36). Instead we need to surrender to God's story for
us, as Matthew Odmark from Jars of Clay says. His definition for the art of
being is this: "To consciously choose a story that is big enough and
beautiful enough that we not only believe it but are courageous enough to
live it" (63).

Tammy Trent's tale of learning to be courageous in a story that kills her
husband provides sobering food for thought. She admits that we won't always
comprehend who we are, but these moments are allowed, because "being who God
created [us] to be is not as simple as fitting into categories" (82). We
have to step beyond the categories and really learn to live. Ashley
Cleveland reflects this believe with a simple statement of truth: "it's
difficult to be when you are so busy doing" (96).

So instead of rushing without purpose, we need to find truth in the moment,
even if it's a "wasted" moment in the eyes of our cultural rat race. Lori
Chaffer from Waterdeep deals with this balance every day as an artist, and
she writes, "Jesus is the great I AM. He's not the great I DO or the great I
WILL. His life began with an almost total silence that lasted for thirty
years" (118). Shouldn't we, as our Savior, be unafraid of the same moments
of waiting? Linford Detweiler from Over the Rhine mirrors this passion to
savor the moments that may lack "importance," for "it's the so-called
mundane that is most often chock-full of the eternal" (129).

Perhaps it all boils down to simplicity. Charlie Peacock wrestles with these
thoughts in the book's forward and finds his own revelation:

"The art of being is about cooperating with the ways of wellness that Jesus
set in motion. Those who follow Jesus have put on a new self, a new way of
being that's continually "being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator" (Colossians 3:10, NIV). Followers don't work at it like men pulling
plows in cracked, dry soil. They cooperate with it, like swimming with a
river's current. God is doing the work. He's making that art of being in us.
Our part of the bargain is to live in agreement and cooperation with this
wonderful grace. This means peace before productivity. There's an art to
being anxious for nothing." (vi)

If we choose to define ourselves by the kingdom of man, numerous
classifications will smother us. Once we've updated ourselves into a
culturally correct figure, we will hear the call of a new humanist movement.
There will never be an end to change.

But by choosing to rest in His definitions, we find finality in His embrace.
Once there, we can take His yoke upon us—a gentle, light yoke—and learn from
Him. By staring into His face, into His being, we observe a mirror for our
own souls, and this mirror reflects our true nature.

The book ends with the verse, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm
46:10). In light of everything written in The Art of Being, I can see no
other statement more fitting. To be still is to know; to be still is to be.

Read more about The Art of Being at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/features/artofbeing


MORE NEW STUFF ON cMUSICWEB.COM

Review: I See Things Upside Down - Derek Webb
http://cMusicWeb.com/folk/derekwebb/iseethingsupsidedown.shtml


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, JUNE 21 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

THE BOY VS. THE CYNIC - JOHN REUBEN
If Professional Rapper was a bit more bland and lacked that zip of an album
doen with the help of a talented producer, you will like this onw. But on
the other hand, if you're looking for straight-up rap, you may not enjoy
this disc as much. For this PICK OF THE WEEK, John Reuben actually penned
two albums worth of material: the more standard John Reuben rap and some
artsy, experimental rap with a bit of rock guitars thrown in. Reuben tells
it how he sees it in this album, and he even goes into the unknown of
politically charged lyrics.

HISTORY - MATTHEW WEST
Matthew West has lead the recent revival of pop singer-songwriters. With his
second album, Matt West continues to create that acoustic-based music that
is so popular today.

ON A SEARCH IN AMERICA - DIZMAS
Rock band Dizmas have been traversing the independent scene of Christian
music for a number of years. With their first major-label debut, they
deliver a fun brand of straight-up rock that's bound to turn some heads.

SON, I LOVED YOU AT YOUR DARKEST - AS CITIES BURN
The latest from Solid State Records finds more melodic hardcore for those
who like labelmates like Emery and Underoath. Also, don't miss them on tour
with labelmates Showbread and Dead Poetic.


Thanks for reading this week's cMusicMail, and we'll be back next week with
even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
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Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
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