Page 3 - KOG Glory & Grace Issue 6 June 2022

18
From
PAGE 3
From
The Rev
In a 2006 TED talk given by Sir Ken Robinson, the story of a young girl, about six years old, who is in a drawing class is told. Robinson explains that in most settings this girl is unable to focus, but today (in drawing class) she is attentively sketching. The teacher walks over to the young girl and the following exchange takes place:
Teacher: “What are you drawing?”
The girl: “I’m drawing a picture of God.” Teacher: “But nobody knows what God looks like!”
The girl: “they will in a minute!”
Drawing or other means of creative expression allow us to take what is in our mind's eye and share it with others. The stories artists tell often transcend their own experience and speak into our stories as well. Sometimes artists find a way to peel back the mundane to reveal beauty, heartache, or joy. Perhaps we can even catch a glimpse of God revealed in the artistry of another.
In this issue of we highlight the importance of storytelling and the inspired stories told by artists from several different fields. We invite you to read and peer into these stories. As you do, wonder with us: how might God speak through art? How might God speak through you?
In the Bible, one of Jesus' disciples named Peter, calls Jesus the "Author of Life" (Acts 3). Authors, like other artists, find ways to communicate beyond any single moment as they create stories that jump off the page and help reframe how we see the world. YOU have a story to share that is not only your story, but part of a larger story woven together by the Author of Life.
Paint colors are chosen or layered to capture the beauty of a photograph, so that an animal or a landscape or even an emotion might "come alive" for others. We can give thanks to God for artists who invite us into the story and challenge us to consider what story God might be writing in our lives in this season.
As life progresses, stories accumulate and one great gift we can give others is to listen. By hearing the stories of a life that has been lived or of events that have occurred, we can tenderly learn about the past, affirm the value of the person, and even be a vehicle for passing that story into the future. As Maya Angelou once wrote, "there is no agony like having an untold story inside of you."
In hearing these stories we hope you are inspired
Sometimes our stories tell the beauty of God's creation and we share that appreciation through music or song. Other stories are harder to tell, but through forging metal or sketching characters, something comes into being and communicates without words.
story to tell and KOG is a community that will
to draw. Or paint. Or write. Or dance. You have a
accompany you as you tell it.
“To draw, you must close
your eyes and sing.”
Pastor Jen
Pablo Picasso