A few months ago our family had the gift of spending a weekend in the Northwoods of Wisconsin with some good friends. One morning I headed out for a walk all by myself. I breathed in the incredibly pure air, investigated some intricate bright green ferns, delighted in an exquisite spider web, and paused to examine a periwinkle wildflower. As I walked, I began to recognize the beauty and presence of God. I started to inhale and exhale more deeply. Then I reflected on some situations I face in ministry, and saw with clarity and shame how I've been pushing too hard in some arenas, and how I have been seeking to control some things I need to actually release. The Spirit of God reminded me that my Creator is FOR ME and WITH ME. I felt the wonder of God's companionship. I rested in the knowledge that I am His treasured daughter, and nothing I do matters as much as who I am. When I walked back into the cabin just an hour later, I said to my friend, "If I could take a walk like that every day, my soul would be in a very good place."

I am still surprised by the sad truth that many of us – even those entrusted with artistic and leadership gifts in the church – don't carve out consistent times of solitude and silence. When we fail to regularly withdraw, to be still before God and examine our hearts, we are far less likely to love God, ourselves, and others with increasing passion. We react to situations with responses that do not come out of a centered, refreshed soul. The remarkable scientist and theologian from the seventeenth century, Blaise Pascal, once wrote that "all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own room." If people in the l600's fought busyness, diversions, and distractions, how much more are we challenged today!

I am learning that there are no shortcuts to true inner transformation. All my life, I've been looking for shortcuts. It's like the Olympic games that so transfixed us last August. As we sat on our couches, munching snacks and drinking soda, we SO wanted to be like those outstanding athletes! But we just didn't want to pay the price they paid for superior performance. On prime time television, we witnessed, in many cases, two minutes or less of major moments. The 100 meter race is finished in less than 10 seconds; gymnasts are on that balance beam for only a few minutes; most of the swimming races are over in a flash. But what didn't we see? The hours upon hours upon hours of weight training, swimming laps, doing flips and falling off the balance beam, spiking volleyballs, running sprints, shooting free throws. We didn't see the sore muscles, the early morning workouts, the limited diets, the pain and exhaustion and disappointment. The athletes prepare themselves through training over a very long period of time so that in the moment when it matters most, facing the stiffest competition, their minds and bodies will do what is required.

The apostle Paul was a witness to the earliest versions of athletic competition in Rome and Greece. He used the analogy of physical discipline to describe what is required for our training to be like Christ. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (I Cor. 9:24-27)

Almost nothing in life is achieved without practice and discipline – including playing the guitar or cello, sculpting, learning a language, writing a message, or crafting a film. In our spiritual lives, it is no different. We must make plans to engage in regular spiritual practices such as solitude, silence, fasting, scripture memory, and prayer - if we hope to be transformed over time to the image of Christ. When we are intentional about creating a rhythm of life that is devoted to these practices, we are equipped to live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way (Colossians chapter one).

All the disciplines are useful. But solitude and silence have to be near the top of the list - especially for a Christian artist and/or leader. Rarely will any of us find a person displaying huge progress becoming more like Jesus who does not make room for solitude and silence as a regular practice.

What can happen in regular times of solitude? Each time alone, when we choose to get quiet, will be different. I have found that generally I am reminded of the outrageous love of God and His affection for me. I realize that I am really not alone. If I enter those moments feeling anxious, the Spirit often blesses me with a right-sizing perspective on my problems. I feel a greater sense of peace when I explore those challenges with God and ask for His wisdom and help. And because I still wrestle with so much sin and self-deception, solitude gives me the opportunity to examine my deeper motives, my attitudes and behaviors. I love these words from Ruth Haley Barton:

"In solitude we stop believing our own press. We discover that we are not as good as we thought but we are also more than we thought. As we slowly come in contact with our own dysfunctions, we unveil our need for security and all the ways we try to use God and others to get it. In solitude our illusions fall away and we see – sometimes with disturbing clarity – our competitiveness, our jealousies, our rage, our manipulations." (Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership)

Dallas Willard further inspires me with what can happen in solitude and silence:

When we stop talking, we abandon ourselves to reality and to God. We position ourselves to attend rather than to adjust things with our words. We stop our shaping and negotiating, our "spinning." How much of our energy goes into that! We let things stand. We trust God with what others shall think. (Dallas Willard, The Great Omission)

I can tell immediately when it has been too long since I have practiced solitude. I invest far too much time spinning, controlling, manipulating, worrying, and being afraid. How about you? Are you consistently making room in your life for Solitude and Silence? I'm not talking about Bible study, or even prayer, as important as those disciplines are. I am talking about taking a walk or sitting still in a quiet room, not DOING anything…simply listening and BEING. This is an enormous challenge for those of us who tend to be activists. Sometimes you may invest in solitude and wonder if anything significant happened (other than catching your breath). But other times, you will come away kicking yourself for not pursuing quiet more often.

This year I want to be more like David, creating a space for God. David wrote, "I have sought your face with all my heart." (Psalm 119:58) Of all people on the planet, artists and teachers need to be those who seek God's face with all our hearts. At the end of 2009, I am quite certain that you and I would be more loving, more just, more wise, more creative, and more effective if we simply carve out room for solitude. I truly hope you will join me in this quest…but not on my walks because I need to be alone!

Nancy Beach is a speaker, author, visionary leader, and champion for the power of the arts and artists in the local church. She served for over 20 years as the programming director for Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago, a congregation known around the world for creating culturally relevant, biblically based services that make full use of the arts. Dedicated to creating opportunities for artists in the church to use their gifts for effective ministry, her role at Willow included supervision of all aspects of the arts – including worship, music, drama, dance, photography, production, video, and design.

Today Nancy continues her role as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, while also serving as the executive vice president for the Arts at the Willow Creek Association, a not-for-profit organization serving over 12,000 Member churches and others, representing 90 denominations in 45 countries. This new responsibility allows her to focus the majority of her time on serving other church arts leaders and their teams in the U.S. and around the world, building a community of Christ-following artists seeking to serve God as they create transformational moments in Sunday morning church services.

A sought-after conference speaker, Nancy uses her teaching gifts to inspire, motivate, and cast vision, while skillfully relating themes of soul transformation with every day people and experiences. Her book, An Hour on Sunday, expresses Nancy's core vision and values for effective arts ministries.

Nancy will be one of the key presenters at Wonder, Willow Arts annual Conference, June 10-12, 2009.