when was the last time the media thought your life was newsworthy? well, for my friend, plein-air artist and underground co-conspirator, Rich Brimer, that would be today.

a few years ago popular christian author Os Guinness published a book entitled Fit Bodies Fat Minds: Why Evangelicals Don’t Think and What to Do About It, a somewhat typical rant on christians who are more concerned with how they look than how they think. when i first came across it i remember thinking that Os had missed the point. i still do.

of course, Os has lots of published books and popularity and press coverage while i have … well … this blog, so i’m sure that says something about who’s opinion really matters. nevertheless, far be it from me to let a good soapbox go to waste.

to truly expose the truth i think a far more appropriate title would be Fit Bodies Fat Hearts: Why Evangelicals Don’t Care and What to Do About It. when will the western church surrender the “reason is king” modernist idolatries that it stoleâ€â€?out of its own insecurityâ€â€?from Enlightenment athiests and admit that it’s neither a lack of looking good nor thinking that has ruined the world. in point of fact, humans cannot ever stop thinking. we may not do it well but we always do itâ€â€?even in our sleep.

caring, however, is another thing altogether. caring is not an involuntary act like thinking. it is a choice. the choice that heals or destroys everything.

if you’re reading this post you most likely live in the west (no disrespect to my millions of far-eastern subscribers. i’m huge in China. no, really, most of them are like only 5′ tall) and so you, like me, are immersed in a rich, entitled, self-consumed, whiny and emotionally fat escapist cultureâ€â€?and that’s just the church, the world is even worse.

here’s where my friend Rich comes in (you thought i’d forgotten him didn’t you).

the emotional “junk-food” of our day pours out in an endless supply of warmed-over, heart-numbing eye candy ads, shock tv and electronic drum loops. art? no. kitsch. kitsch, processed, packaged and re-heated. kitsch, as emotionally convenient as a McDonald’s drive-thru with the spiritual nutrient value of a Happy Meal. i know, i know, “but i can’t help it. i like it.” hey, i like the taste of quarter pounders too. why shouldn’t i? McDonaldsâ€â€?like any purveyor of kitsch in our cultureâ€â€?spends billions insuring that i like the taste. of course, we know that every McDonalds hamburger contains an apalling amount of fecal matter which makes it even more miraculous that we can be convinced to partake. yes, kitsch is shit, but hey, if that’s what you’re into, eat up. as for me, what a relief it is to be reminded that not everyone eats at McDonalds.

Rich loves to paint. We were at Leo Carillo beach together a couple of weeks ago (i was snorkeling, he was painting) and as we headed to the cars at the end of the day i remember asking him what he had accomplished. he said, “painting.” good answer Rich. i realized in that moment what i had accomplished that day, “swimming.” it was enough. I go under the water because i need to touch what’s there. Rich paints because he needs to paint.

but more important than his love and talent for painting is that Rich cares and cares to communicate that caring through his artâ€â€?for you see, kitsch is not kitsch for lack of talent or thought. kitsch is kitsch because it lacks meaning. Kitsch sells, in the multiple millions, but no amount of money or popularity will ever make Reality TV good, Justin Timberlake an artist, or Chicken McNuggets real food. Rich may never get rich on his art but he is an artist and i’m proud to know him.

what’s even more extraordinary is that his passion has solicited attention. here is a link to a Ventura County Star article on Rich that is running today: Artist to Demonstrate Painting at Festival. in it, Rich’s passions have made room for him to boldly share his love for art, his love for the world, and his faith. because he cares he was given a voice.

way to go Rich. you’re an example to us all.

Guinness, pizza and movies at my place tonight. I’m buying the beer.