Mike Jones recently completed his performance Hiding Place, Meeting Place, the second installation in a series exploring intimacy with God, voyeurism, mediated reality, public and private space, social interaction, and endurance in a performance-installation based on the nation of Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert after leaving Egypt. During that time they worshiped God in a large tent called the Tabernacle, or “tent of meeting.” For 40 days and 40 nights, Mike Jones lived in a three-room tent inside the B.K. Smith Gallery praying, meditating, and studying the Bible. Inside the tent was a three-camera video surveillance system connected to a security monitor outside the tent, and viewers were able to see his process as the monitor cycled through the three cameras. During the performance, Mike periodically packed up the tent and moved it to a different space in the gallery, as viewers were encouraged to write their thoughts, comments, and questions on the tent with the markers provided. Cool Cleveland contributor DJ Hellerman spoke with Mike about contemporary faith and the crisis of belief, as science and politics have left a void in the communities' collective self.

Why select a name like Hiding Place/Meeting Place to identify your artist effort and statement? What is its origin of inspiration?
It originated from an earnest desire for an honest, intimate relationship with God. In the last several years I have been very interested in how meaning is created and reality is mediated in contemporary image-based culture and, likewise, how understandings of Christianity are mediated in the West. Throughout the world right now a generation is being raised that will be greatly marked by intimacy with the passionate God of love, beauty and power. Time and effort will no longer be invested in churches or institutions that sound and look shallow and contrived. Hiding Place, Meeting Place is an attempt to explore this global shift and focus on the relationship with Christ.

How is faith relevant in a post modern society that doesn’t value the intangible?
More and more people are realizing their need for the intangible. Many call it spirituality. This is evidenced by the flood of interest in new age philosophies, occultism, etc. Science, politics, etc. — the tangible — has failed to meet all of our needs. We are designed with a longing for God’s presence in our lives. Every ache and yearning of the human heart is rooted in dissatisfactions with life that is void of a relationship with God. In such a climate, faith is relevant in that it provides hope. Faith is being sure of what one hopes for and does not yet see.

List some of the more impactful prayers that were answered for you during your 40 days of meditation.
Prayer is essentially a lifestyle of intimate communication with God. Much of my time has been spent thanking God for who He is, asking Him to reveal the motives of my heart, and asking Him to share his heart with me. Many people give me prayer requests, and I spent a good amount of time with those. Often times, though, one doesn’t see instant results during a time of prayer and fasting, as God answers prayers in His perfect timing. I also prayed for unity in Cleveland, specifically within the family of God. God promises that when His people dwell in unity there is a commanded blessing, justice is loosed, and the atmosphere of the city drastically changes. My heart is to see prayer lifted up throughout the city 24 hours a day. Cleveland is my home, and I love this city. It often gets a bad rap, but God loves Cleveland and I believe He has great plans for it.

What have you taken away from the 40 days of isolating yourself to God? More than I could ever begin to explain. One thing, however, especially sticks out: I have a much greater understanding of who God is and how He views me. There is an unfortunate tendency in the Western church - one I often struggle with - toward striving to earn God’s love and approval. People are taught to see God as One who says, "Get it right, then come to me" — a cold, distant taskmaster more concerned with rules than the heart. We have a skewed perception of God’s identity. Truth is, He burns with a passion that longs for us to come to Him with all our junk so He can do for us what we never seem able to do on our own. Weak and messed up as we are, He enjoys cleaning us up, calling us beautiful, giving us clean hearts, wholeness, and hope. We are designed to need and desire God’s supernatural love, and He longs to give it to us. I have known this in my head for a while but still often find it very difficult to believe God when He calls me beautiful in my worst moments. Over these 40 days, though, I have finally been learning to trust and accept God’s grace; his unmerited favor. I still have a ways to go, but I wouldn’t trade this joy and freedom for anything.

How has your relationship with God affected your identity? How has it affected how you identify with others and how you view yourself within the world?
The more I get to know God, the more I am awed at His beauty and the deeper I fall in love with who He is. That’s my identity: I am a lover of God. The really amazing thing is, that’s how He views me and everyone else in the world. That’s the good news that gets overlooked, next to the acceptance of Christ which allows one to have life forever; an eternity. Eternity is to know God, to have an intimate relationship with Him and gaze upon his beauty forever. That’s true, but what’s so good about it? The good news is Jesus is a man ravished and sick with love for humanity, and He desperately wants us to experience this love right now and forever. God views me as I will be. He looks at my heart, not my sin. And that is how I try to view others and myself within the world.

What is your take on the controversial topic of faith healing?
I very much believe in it. I also think doctors are good; they are a gift from God, and it is foolish to assume God does not use doctors or modern medicine. However, by the same token, people are supernaturally healed by the power of God every day all over the world. Unfortunately, many of us are so conditioned for unbelief we neglect to see or believe the miraculous healings that take place in our own cities. Throughout the world there is much evidence for daily supernatural healings and even resurrections. Just last month God used a close friend of mine to heal a young girl completely from cancer.

What is next on your life agenda?
I’m not sure. I would like to continue to make art, but I’m up for whatever God has planned for me. At the moment I’m working on starting up a business to raise money for the poor in Cleveland. Who knows? God’s plans for me are so much greater than I can think or imagine. Number one on my agenda is my relationship with God. I’m excited to see what He does in and through me.

Interview and image by DJ Hellerman
DJ_Hellerman@yahoo.com

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