REFLECTIONS ON FAITH & ART

It's totally worth it. Seriously. P.S. If you click on the video it'll take you to it's YouTube page where you can watch a higher res version.

Yes, I realize it's Tuesday.  And it's slightly past noon.  But I'm fighting through my second bought of strep throat in four weeks (after not getting it for years ! )  So it's on hold.  I have the text ready to go but really want photos to go along with it and I haven't had a chance to take those photos yet. In the meantime, I received an email from Teresa with some song lyrics she picked for part one of the challenge.  If she allows me, I'd love to post it here as an example of words that create a feeling and/or image that brings God into our little worlds. Take note, though.  Part two of this challenge is the most artsy we've done so far.  Be prepared.  Gather the stuff I mentioned last week.  If you don't yet have your stuff, look around and see what you can find (if you have no idea what stuff I'm talking about, go back and read last week's post!)

I briefly mentioned a "situation" we were dealing with when I apologized for not posting challenges over the last few weeks.  I've finally gotten to a point where I can write more about that situation and it's over at the Art Chick blog if you're interested. As for Faith & Art, the challenges are back and I hope you'll join in.  Check out last Tuesday's post for part one of the most current challenge.

Edited to add: I mistakenly posted this to the Art Chick blog today instead of here.  And I was so excited to be back in the groove... oy. I apologize for not keeping up the challenges over the last two weeks. We've had a bought of strep throat, friends in from Maryland, a new nephew born, a trip to Indianapolis, Rusty's mom visiting from Maryland. I'm so glad to be back to thinking about the connections between faith and art and how they can benefit our relationships with God and with each other. I fill you with Naming. Be! Be, butterfly and behemoth be galaxy and grasshopper star and sparrow you matter you are be! Be caterpillar and comet Be porcupine and planet sea sand and solar system sing with us dance with us rejoice with us for the glory of creation seagulls and seraphim angle worms and angel host, chrysanthemum and cherubim (O cherubim.) Be! Sing for the glory of the living and the loving the flaming of creation sing with us dance with us be with us.

I just don't know what to say.  We've loved Katie since her first concert as a teenager at the Vineyard back in the day.  I'm sorry for Karen and their boys and for the entire Reider family. Katie Reider 1978-2008

We're going to go ahead and work on last week's challenge again this week.  I got an email from one person saying they liked the challenge but couldn't work on it because they were out of town this week for July 4th fun and frivolity. Add in that we have friends in from out of town (YAY, DEEDIE AND BETSY!!) and my youngest sister is due to have a baby any minute now.  So go forth, make art and pray for someone then send it.   (I'm not asking anyone to send photos this week in case you're uncomfortable sending a photo of mail you're going to send to someone you don't like.)

So, yeah.  That's a cow in a mailbox. You know what that means... it's time for a mail art challenge! Now seriously, if you've followed the blog at any point over the last few months then you can't be all that surprised. So here it is. But this isn't really about livestock going postal (though the cow was glorious.) This is about building on last week's challenge and using an altered point of view in your thinking about another person. Show of hands, how many of you love getting mail? I don't at all mean catalogs, ads, random mail for people who used to live at your address or the worst of it all... bills. No. I mean real, old school, not-electronic mail. My younger sisters used to send me sticker-covered envelopes full of love when I was in college. When I saw one of their works of art in the mailbox it honestly made me feel remembered.  It was just a piece of paper and to anyone else at any given time it wouldn't have meant as much. B

I received an email from Heather earlier this morning. In it she included a photo and the point of view that gave her the inspiration to take the picture. I wanted to post it before I get the week two challenge up. In her email, Heather wrote: "I then noticed the tufts of grass - which are not just surviving within this concrete jungle, such as it is, but are thriving in their environment. We're called daily to bloom where we're planted and to THRIVE - not merely survive." So is there anything "magical" about the little clumps of grass Heather photographed? No. I mean, on a technical level I love the contrast between the dirty gray bits of gravel and the healthy green grass sprouting up (I really like the vertical lines of the grass against the rough background of the rocks!) But the magic is in that it made her pause and think instead of passing by a little scenario most of us walk or drive by every day. And the thought she had is something th