Artistic Theology

                                                  "IMAGO DEI" is Latin for the "image of God."   This term materializes in my mind whenever I think of the beginning of a human life.  It comes from Genesis 1:27, where it says  "So God created man in his own image..."           In recent years, the exponentially increased scientific ability to look inside the womb and qualify what an unborn human is has rocked the world.  Studies show that the unborn has a unique, human, genetic signature,  DNA distinct from her biological parents, and is an organism whose parts work together for the good of the whole (rather than mere tissue), among a myriad of other new information about amazing things such as facial recognition, sleep patterns and senses.             The verses that com...

         When you look closely at the face of a flower, the evidence of design is not only apparent, but outright stunning. From its beautifully intricate structure and radiant color to its perfect internal synchrony with time, light, heat and season, evidence of a divine creator is observable. The order, the mathematical sequence, the exquisite beauty in complex detail - these elements articulate a truth beyond aesthetics.            I find it so interesting that Jesus described flowers as clothing for the grass of the fields and declared that just one wildflower is more glorious clothing than that of King Solomon.  "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27 Why did Jesus tell us this?  He explains in vs 28,  "If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and to morro...

 A few days ago, on January 11th, we recognized National Human Trafficking Awareness day.  This mixed media sculpture is one I created for a Destiny Rescue charity event a few years ago. Destiny Rescue is an organization that works to rescue children out of sexual slavery around the world and also provides aftercare and vocational programs. I was challenged to create a sculpture that would represent the 1,000 rescues Destiny Rescue had accomplished so far that year, but at the time of the event, the total rescues were over 1100.  I chose to represent the rescues through 1,000 butterflies that had escaped a rusty cage. The cage contained the problems keeping children enslaved, symbolized by greed (a gold snake with world money scales and symbols) and lust (venus fly traps with eyes).  The butterfly trapped in the web symbolizes the thousands still left to rescue. Click the link below to learn more. https://www.destinyrescue.org/us/  

       This was my view this morning when I realized I had not stopped and climbed out of "the hamster wheel of life" in a very long time. It is day 4 of my covid isolation, and this time around is a breeze, so I was in my sunny studio, reading and working on a few art pieces.  I wanted to read my Bible, but was feeling too tired to climb the stairs again to get it, so I opened the beautifully illustrated St. John's Gospels I keep in the studio and began reading.  After several pages, I stopped reading and just sat there.  It had been a while since I just sat still.   I felt so aware, so deeply quiet in my spirit and excessively thankful for the beautiful sunshine falling across my face. Both yesterday and today, I gave myself some time to just sit without an agenda, without a to-do list or task; and this morning, it hit me that I have not allowed myself to truly come to a stop mentally in far too long.       I'm a thinke...

      The second Christmas hymn I illustrated was similar to the first one in that it was written by an American pastor/writer in the mid 1800's.  Edmund H Sears wrote "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" in 1849, after the end of the Mexican-American War and amidst the turmoil leading up to the Civil War.  In this hymn, Sears juxtaposes peace on earth with a world being torn apart by violence and suffering.  In the third stanza - the one most often left out of modern hymnals - he calls upon mankind to stop long enough to hear the angels message.                                          “But with the woes of sin and strife The world has suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not The love-song, which they bring: O hush the noise, ye men of strife, And hear the angels sing!”  ...

                                                                       The hauntingly beautiful tune that accompanies Phillips Brooks "O Little Town of Bethlehem" slowly unfolds the story of the nativity from different perspectives.  First, we are looking from a distance at the little town of Bethlehem, with its dark streets and dreamless sleepers, far beneath the silent stars.  Suddenly, there is a timeless, hope-fulfilling, everlasting light shining out from within it.  Then we are taken right into the stable, where a newborn baby is lovingly held in his mother's arms, while the angels above give praise to God and proclaim the good news of Christ's birth.  From there we are brought into the inner heart of every human, and indeed, even into the heart of a benevolent God who lovingly ...

   "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."      "And God said; Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day.        And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  And God called the firmament Heaven.  A nd the evening and the morning were the second day.        And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together ...

             Life is full of detours. As a child, I thrived on what I knew to be dependable, and resisted any change in plans.  I still remember my mother's exasperated "You're so inflexible!" at my barrage of complaints after a plan fell through.  Humans are hardwired to resist change, and we begin the difficult process of learning that change is a part of life as young children. Most of the  changes we encounter are slight, and require simple attitude adjustments to overcome them.  However, there are times when changes are earth-shattering and grief-inducing; causing pain, loss and a great deal of mental gymnastics just to comprehend our resulting new reality.         Yet, there is one who never changes. In Hebrews 13:8, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."  God himself tells us in Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I change not..."   God's character ...

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your  heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" {1} (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)         Often in life, I have wondered, and at times worried, about what the future may bring. While I look forward to good things and anticipate making wonderful memories with family and friends, I can also be tempted to feel anxious about future difficulties, losses and struggles. Sometimes, I think this comes from having "the bottom dropping out" experiences in life, past losses and trauma. Sometimes I think this is universal, just based on the state of our world, with sad and shocking evils reported daily. In any case, I find comfort in focusing on God - remembering that he sees me, loves me and cares for me.  This does not mean we will never suffer or have hardships - we live in a fallen world.            When Jesus was on earth, he spoke of ...

         Did you know that young sunflowers face the sun in the east each morning, and follow it around the sky to the west throughout the day?  Each night, they turn back to face the east, and the process starts all over as the first rays of light illuminate their golden, amber and rust colored petals. This time of year, as summer turns to autumn and the nights grow cool, the mature flowers stay facing the east, allowing them to warm faster and attract bees.       The sunflowers' rotation of 180 degrees to continually face the sun is due to the unique genetic traits that God designed within them.  The sunlight causes them to grow tall and mature into their full beauty.  This reminds me of how, as Christ followers, Christians should keep their eyes on Jesus.  In Hebrews 12:1, life is described as a race that is set before us, and how we are easily distracted and veer off course by the cares of this world and our sin.  At t...

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Genesis 8:22                                                                  I constantly marvel at the beauty of this world that God created.  As a small child of five, I still remember discovering the wonder of Autumn as I ran outside in the crisp air, flinging out my hands to the sky and twirling in a kaleidoscope of colorful fall leaves that tumbled about in the wind.  I grew up observing the natural world outside my back door, often outside for hours playing with pinecones, grasses, the little brook, and other such things.  Today I often wonder, with the younger generations growing up on screens - their eyes and hands often focused on their phones - if they will ever truly un...

        "Defend the poor and the fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.   Deliver the poor and needy:rid them out of the hand of the wicked." Psalms 82:3-4         When I created this piece, UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) estimated that every 26 seconds, a child is trafficked into slavery, many of whom are trafficked into the sex slave trade.  This statistic is still haunting the world today, with millions trafficked each year and over 49 million people in modern slavery today (International labor Organization, 2021).  It is a tragedy beyond comprehension that our present generation is witness to and part of.  Many of us wonder how we can help - how we can possibly make a difference.  One way is to support organizations that rescue these children out sexual slavery and then protect, restore and empower them to live healthy, productive lives.   ...

                                              A metaphorical self-portrait goes beyond the physical characteristics that people use to identify one another.   Beyond the surface of what other people see lies the inner-most part of a person that is inherently the essence of who they are.   When an artist creates a metaphorical self-portrait, the process of engaging in the search for one’s true identity is more important than the resulting artwork.       Many years ago, when I returned to university as an adult to earn my first degree, I was given a printmaking assignment where the goal was to visually define my identity.  I was particularly interested in and challenged by this project, due to a life journey in which my sense of self had been challenged, up-ended, and at times, lost.  I am certain that I am not alone in this ...