Sunday Devotional With Mr. E: My Issue With Art History

I know I've written about art history in the past.

 It could probably inspire a whole devotional book! ha ha  

I love art.  I love history.  I do not love art history. I know that sounds completely random & contradictory.  However, art history was truly a struggle for me during my college days.  There was so much information, so many works of art, so many names, so many dates...I truly felt crushed by the amount of information I was expected to know.  The fact that I had to have four semesters of art history compounded my disdain.  It wasn't till I was out from underneath the weight of it all that I started contemplating how I'd do it differently.  How would I teach someone like me that struggled with the conventional way of instructing art history.  I feel/believe the best way to learn is by applying the information given.  If I were to have a sketchbook/project & create/recreate in the style of an artist, movement, time period...I'd have greater retention of the information.  When you put into practice what you are learning....you go from knowing about something to truly KNOWING something.  

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it- not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it- they will be blessed in what they do.  James 1:22-25

I think there are many people setting in churches today that are hearing a great deal of information, but are putting little of it into practice.  They might be able to quote scripture.  They might be able to sing every hymn...and know the page number it is on.  They might even be able to pray eloquent prayers.  However, the information is in their heads & not in their hearts.  They know...but don't KNOW.  I am guilty of this in my own life.  I have information that should move me, motivate me, call me to action...but I do nothing with it.  I know that I'm called to love others...but there are many times I hardly like others...let-alone "LOVE".  Yet we are told they will know we are his disciples by our love(John 13:35).  DO THEY?? Can they see that in me? Am I living it out, and going from knowing to KNOWING?  The church needs to be about the business of living out our faith...and not just knowing about our faith.  I am writing this as much to me as anyone else who might stumble open this devotional. I hope in my preaching to myself...you might be able to take away something as well.