Why Art?
The following is an excerpt from a message I recently delivered at Oak Hills Church in Folsom entitled WHY ART? This is Part 1 of a 4 Part series entitled, ARTFUL LIVING. For more on this first dis…
2 min read
Manuel A. Luz
Artful Faith
Most of you know that I’m a Creative Arts Pastor for Oak Hills Church in Folsom, California. Each summer, we traditionally have Arts Month, a time when we feature our local artists through ou…
3 min read
What Makes a Good Worship Song?
I’ve had the privilege of speaking at a good number of worship conferences, workshops, podcasts, etc., over the years, as well as lead an amazing group of worship leaders, bands, and congregations at my church for decades. And one of the ongoing dialogues I’ve had in all these situations is: What makes a good worship song?
8 min read
Starved for Mystery
There’s something that itches at me occasionally. Something perhaps emotional, spiritual, and certainly soulful. It is the desire to dwell deeply in The Mystery. I think we all have this. Dee…
4 min read
My Strength and My Song
Tens of thousands of songs. Dozens of albums. Scores of scripts and screenplays. Hundreds of blog posts. Thousands of worship services. A few books and manuscripts and patents. No small amount of time well beyond the 10,000 Hour Rule. Did I waste my life? Does my work matter? Have I expressed my faith well? Have I stewarded the talents God gave me in a way that actually made a difference—in the lives of people and in the furthering of His Kingdom?
3 min read
The Things God Made
One of my superhero powers—at least when I was the father to young children—was making up bedtime stories. While my wife read from a variety of our kids’ favorites—The Very Hungry Caterpillar…
3 min read
Art, Jazz, and the Christmas Story
One of the best things about Christmas—and this is just my personal opinion—is being able to play the music of Vince Guaraldi. For those who don’t know, Guaraldi is the iconic jazz pianist and composer whose work flavors “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” In fact, the music is so integral to the story that one cannot hear his music without thinking of Snoopy dancing his weird little happy dance.
3 min read
Sabbatical Reflections 2022
I’ve been pretty quiet the last two months, primarily because I’ve been on a 10-week sabbatical from my role as Creative Arts Pastor at my home church, Oak Hills in Folsom. It’s b…
5 min read
Conflict of Interest
Over the past few months, I’ve been digesting a book called STORY by Robert McKee. McKee is a guru of sorts, an author, lecturer, and consultant for screenwriting. He’s consulted for th…
4 min read
That Was Weird.
Everyone seems to have an interesting story where one encounters a celebrity. I myself have met a few celebrities (and semi-celebrities) over the years, but the story I most love to tell is the time Weird Al Yankovic “opened” for me.
4 min read
Nightmare Gigs
Any musician who’s played any length of time out there has one—the nightmare gig. You know, that one gig where everything just seems to go terribly wrong. I had one just recently, and while I…
4 min read
Gently Down the Stream
My album, “A Different Kind of Love Song,” is now available on all streaming services, as well as available for download on your favorite devices. I went back and forth quite a lot, deb…
3 min read
A Different Kind of Love Song
There are a hundred thousand love songs in the world. And most of them get it wrong. There just aren’t many songs that move beyond physical attraction and simple emotion and speak to the …
2 min read
The First Artist of Faith
There are lots of Bible stories. Adam and Eve, Samson and Delilah, Noah’s ark. There is Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Joseph and his coat of many colors, the brothers Cain and Abel, David an…
5 min read
Seven New Year’s Resolutions for Creatives
If you’re like me, 2021 was a year of dormancy. In the midst of a long Covid-hindered season, I saw music gigs dry up, conferences cancelled, speaking engagements go away, and other opportuni…
4 min readSinging Loud for All to Hear…
During this time of the year, I like to quote one of my favorite theologians, Elf, when he stated: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.” But the wor…
3 min read
The Divine Imagination
Before you read any further,do this one thing. Put your open hand in front of you, close to your face. Now tighten your grip slightly. Now close your eyes, and as you do,imaginethat you have just grabbed a handful of crayons. Do youfeelthem roll around in your palm? Do youseethe different colors of each crayon?
7 min read
BEING THE PIANO MAN
My wife and I recently downsized. Smaller house, smaller mortgage, smaller debt, and a small but cozy home where we can begin a new empty-nesting chapter to our lives. We’re really loving the neighborhood, with friendly neighbors and nature trails and a decidedly slower pace of life. There’s a catch though. My grand piano, which
3 min read
Practice Makes Imperfect
There’s no getting around it.Learning to play the piano is hard.The narrative of my life is punctuated with countless hours sitting on a piano bench learning thecraftof the piano.I am still scarred by an amalgamated childhood memory of me looking out the window, watching my brothers play in the front yard, while I stayed inside
6 min readFive Dollars in Change
In a perfect world, every artwork that we create—whether it be a painting or play, film or poem, gourmet meal or modern sculpture—should be a labor of love. Of course, the reality is that we live i…
3 min read