Immerse Blog
Still Going Deeper With Rustin Smith’s: St. Johnny
by Aaron Babyar on October 10th, 2011 -- filed under Arts and Culture
Artistry in music inspires me, but country music doesn’t typically thrill me. In 2003, CMT proclaimed Johnny Cash the “greatest man in country music,” and I honestly didn’t notice. Then something surprising happened.
On a gorgeous afternoon, while I was driving with all my windows rolled down, I stumbled upon a cover version of Nine Inch Nail’s song “Hurt” playing on a local alternative station. The song was raw. It was beautiful. It was Johnny Cash. And I loved it.
Long before he received the nickname “the man in black,” Johnny Cash was born and raised in the same state where my wife and I are raising our four children. Arkansas is both beautiful and rugged, much like his final recordings. This is exemplified in the fantastic music video he shot for the cover of “Hurt,” not long before his death.
In “Saint Johnny and the Artist’s Pilgrimage,” Rustin Smith essentially says that a main reason Johnny Cash had a musical career comeback at the end of his life was that Rick Rubin first helped him get back in touch with who he was as an artist. Johnny had to strip down to the basics and spend time recreating there.
I believe there is great need for Rick Rubins to coach pastors who have lost their way. I’ve known many ministers who started out in ministry with a bang of enthusiasm and lofty yet loosely defined goals for making disciples for Jesus. They may have even experienced some early…
Continue Reading ▶Going Deeper With Rustin Smith’s St. Johnny and the Artist’s Pilgrimage
by Aaron Mitchum on September 12th, 2011 -- filed under Arts and Culture
Smith identifies the calling of the Christian minister as that of an artist and the craft as that of forming human lives toward their intended shape. This is done through the use of mediums like sermons, meetings and questions, all undergirded by the Holy Spirit. Then, putting his finger on the integral need of this “communal artist,” Smith poses the question, “How do we become inspirited, inspired?” His answer comes in a three-part harmony articulated mainly through the device of story.
Getting Back
Renting the story of Johnny Cash, Smith highlights how that great artist’s journey is one of self-discovery with extreme ups and downs. For Smith, getting back is about re-finding oneself outside the narrative surrounding oneself.
I resonated deeply with this idea. I was struck with the realization that getting back is not something we do just once or even annually, like a checkup at the doctor. We are always getting back. Even while we’re getting this and getting going, in a way, we’re still getting back. It’s something we struggle with every day. Getting back is the means of grace that breathes into us a renewed sense of God-filled identity.
But, as seen in the story of Johnny Cash, getting back isn’t fully done in isolation. It requires community. Often this looks like someone calling out the shining image of God in us that we are too bogged down to see. Or perhaps more accurately it’s someone else creating the space needed for us to hear God…
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