Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Green Sprouts in Spring

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I've been reading Luci Shaw's latest book, a collection of her reflections on creativity and faith. It's titled BREATH FOR THE BONES: Art, Imagination and Spirit. Her words are baptising my mind, renewing my love for creating; and inviting me to return to my love of poetry, visual art, music . . .
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Here are a couple of paragraphs that seem particularly apropos today as green shoots are sprouting in my yard, the park, and my soul:
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I find it fascinating to note that as we allow the created universe and the Scripture to illuminate us with their primary and secondary revelations, what we deeply believe will push up through the fabric of our writing or painting like green sprouts in spring, bursting the earth's crust.
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When the artist lives in the house of faith, her consciousness is suffused with and informed by Christian images, and when that imaginative intelligence is allowed freely to describe life experience, the images and words supplied and shaped by the artist will reflect Christian belief even when there is no overt effort or intention to do so.
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And so I become more aware of a number of correlations between faith and poetry. These intersections, as I call them, are elements of trusting God and making art not only as parallel to each other but as forming a network of connections that touch and interrupt, interlace and reinforce each other like the fivers in a woven fabric. For me poetry and faith are interdependent. Each affects the other as they embrace and interpenetrate. Faith in forms art, and art enhances faith.

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