~Book Review: Discovering God Through The Arts by Terry Glaspey~

 “When we ask little from the arts, we will likely receive little in return. But if we allow them to do so, they can enrich our walk with God in life-changing ways.” Terry Glaspey

This book is a great starting point to begin to experience various art forms as companions along our spiritual path. Chances are, most of us may have already experienced the wonder and mystery of God through books, paintings, music, film, and more. Terry Glaspey helps us pay more attention, dig for deeper meanings, find comfort, and even awaken a passion for justice through the arts. I particularly enjoyed his insights on famous paintings included in the book. I only wish the images had been full glossy pages. But this will motivate me to investigate them further through online sites and library books. I was happy to see that a list of resources were included in the final chapter. I will be referring to this regularly, as I look for books, music, poetry, and visual art. Hopefully this list will be updated at some point with more current musical artists. Glaspey’s writing is very accessible, like a knowledgeable, good friend walking alongside, pointing out what I may otherwise have missed. Highly recommended.

I received this book free from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. Grateful!

~Voice~

Day 30 Voice

Are you a fan of The Voice? It's my favorite reality singing competition TV show, hands down.

I’ve always loved music and enjoy listening to a variety of musical genres. But it’s not just the music. It’s the journey that the competitors are on. When I listen to their stories of where they’ve come from and what motivates them to compete, I begin to really root for them. 

It's interesting how many of these competitors started singing in church. Where else do children learn to sing, unless they are in singing lessons or perhaps in a school choir?   Are the arts valued in schools as much as sports are?

Whenever I look after my little grandson, I turn on the music and dance with him. He usually lets me know he wants to listen to music because he starts shaking his head and moving his little body side to side -- he's got MOVES! It is sooooo adorable!

 I can’t imagine a world without the arts, be it music, drama, dance, or visual.  I think it’s extremely important for children to be given some exposure to the arts when they are young, so they can learn to appreciate it. Through enjoying the arts, they will discover whether they have a passion for it, and then, hopefully pursue it further. 

Each of us has a unique contribution to make in this world, and for many, it’s expressed through the arts.

Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

~Capture~

Day 25 Capture

Capture- v.; to record accurately in words or pictures

If you are blogging, then you are probably trying to capture words or pictures accurately – trying to convey what you want your reader to understand, by using just the right words. 

Poetry captivates me. I’d really like to spend more time composing poems. The thought of using only the strong, necessary words to paint a picture intrigues me. 

During Lent a few years ago, I decided to go through a book called Writing to God:40 Days of Praying With My Pen by Rachel G. Hackenberg. It was an exercise in prayer, but in sort of a free verse way. Bible verse prompts and meditations were given. It was a very meaningful activity and I really felt connected to God during those 40 days. It definitely was a discipline to sit down each day and take time to ponder the words and then let my writing flow freely and honestly as prayer.

 Do you enjoy capturing your words and pictures to communicate with others? There is something about sharing together using the written word. I’ve always enjoyed writing. This challenge of freewriting for only 5 minutes has freed me from being so perfectionistic.  I don’t have time to be too fussy about how I say things.  I’d like to try 30 days of writing short poems sometime. Wouldn’t that be a great way to capture some thoughts and share them?

I'm enjoying being a part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Freewrites. Read more about it here.

It's Summer!

This is the time of year where it's really, really important to let everyday count. Enjoy the moments because in a very short time, the busyness of the Fall season is going to loom large.

And it'll feel like everything is moving ahead at a breakneck pace.

And it'll be hard to control.

I know that feeling all too well. It's almost like my heart constantly beats a little faster when the end of summer approaches. But enough of that! Time to focus on... SUMMER!

It's the NOW I intend to relish. Everyday, I hope to do at least 3 simple things that bring me joy (it's good for the soul!).

So far, today it's been...

A morning walk around the neighbourhood with Prince Enzo. Here he is on one of our hikes earlier this Spring. He's the best little companion!

Puttering around the pool.  It's been cool and rainy the last little while, so no pool days lately. But today, it's sunny-- it was relaxing and almost meditative to simply walk around the perimeter of the pool, manually vacuuming it, taking in the warm sunshine, and listening to the little neighbour girls happily splashing in their new above ground pool.

Number 3 yet to come.. tonight I'm heading out to the library for a FREE workshop on still life drawing. I'm really looking forward to that!

What simple little things are you enjoying today?