Hello Again,
This is Allison Roth, Director of Children’s Ministry. This week’s Spiritual Practice is called “Creative Expression”.
When brainstorming what to talk about in this video, you would think I would go directly to the masterpieces by Michelangelo that depict images from the Bible. The celling of the Sistine Chapel, David, and the Pieta are a few of my favorite pieces.
Ironically, my first thoughts of creative expression went to my husband’s 96 year old grandfather who is still creating works of art to benefit others, make a statement, or depict a favorite scripture. Whether it is throwing a pot, or using his lathe to bring out another masterpiece from an old log, his creativity is still very much alive and being put to use.
Then I thought of how creative people have been through this pandemic to spread joy to others. Our own church member, Rachel Johnson has painted beautiful watercolors and mailed them to loved ones during social distancing. Josh and Jennifer Melcher with harmonies from Brianna Brown brought me and many others happiness when they held an impromptu Facebook Live concert on their back porch a couple of weeks ago. Kellie Ochsner recently compiled pictures of our congregation, church building, and crosses into a video to remind us all that we are not alone, and we are still the church.
Sometimes it is tempting to believe that only some people are creative like these talented people mentioned above. I know that when I recently wrote a list of attributes to describe myself, the adjective “creative” was not one of them. But Genesis 1:26-27 states “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take care of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth”
The word used for image comes from the same root word used for “imagination”. This leads us to believe that our ability to imagine and be creative is part of how we are made in the image of our creator.
We are creative people made in the image of a creative God. We all have an imagination, and that imagination and faith are a powerful combination for spiritual creativity!
This week, think about ways that you practice creativity in your own life and world. It doesn’t have to take shape through the arts, but maybe in the ways that you use your imagination to create solutions at work, develop a new recipe, or even teach and raise your children.
Some ideas to use with your kids:
- Imagine yourself (or your kids) into a story or book read in the evening.
- Ask them “How do you think this device or machine works? or “Could you imagine a tool that would do a better job?”
- Make an area with a few supplies to initiate dramatic play. A restaurant, flower shop, Bubble factory, Fairy garden, or classroom are a few of my girls’ favorites.
- Give your children some blocks or legos and see what structures they build. Ask them about specific details about their creation.
Tell us how you use your innate creativity in the comments, or share with others on social media with the hashtag #chapelhillpractices.
For videos of the previous 5 practices- Presence, Prayer, Silence, Discernment, and Unplugging they can be found on our Facebook page by clicking the “Videos” tab at the top and scrolling down to the section called “Spiritual Practices”.
For more info about my husband’s grandfather, Paul Friesen, check out Positively Kansas Paul Friesen Interview-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpSbLPxYBGs&feature=youtu.beor read this article “The Shattered Pot”: An Interview with Art Professor Paul Friesenhttps://mla.bethelks.edu/ml-archive/2007spring/friesen_interview.php