The Sanctified Imagination

Why did God create our imaginations? Our ability to dream, to make up stories, to play make believe?
Surely if He made it and put it in us He intends that we should use it as we interact with Him.

Sometimes though, we're scared to engage our imaginations when we pray or read Scripture because we fear our creativity will push us into the realm of heresy. We might create a make believe Bible-ish scenario that contradicts what Scripture teaches and so... well we just don't even want to go there.

The result is often a flat and one-dimensional faith. We read our Bibles but never glean anything that captures our hearts or minds because our hearts and minds are simply not engaged. We are not grabbed by anything (but our grocery-list-in-progress) when we come to the Lord, because we put more imagination into what we're cooking for dinner than we do into what it must have felt like to be lowered down a city wall in a basket with the enemy army close behind. Or a Hebrew child watching our first blood sacrifice in the Temple courtyard.

Years might even be spent in the Kingdom wondering if this is really all there is to Christianity and secretly yawning behind our devotional books. May it never be!

Of course we need to be on our guard against false teaching and trying to twist the Bible to say things that it doesn't say. Lots of preachers, teachers and Bible readers fall into that. It's the nature of our flesh. But I think we're missing out on a gigantic portion of the thriller/romance/drama/suspense/horror/comedy/poem that our Lord desires to share with us. He is, after all, the world's greatest storyteller.

Let's approach the Scriptures with sanctified imaginations. With our creativity primed and at the ready, submitted to the leading and correction of the Holy Spirit. Praying before we jump into the action, asking the Lord to keep us from making up our own comfortable truth- but at the same time to engage all of our senses, all those parts of us that love a good role play, and every fiber of our story-loving spirits.

And then let's imagine how it must have been to...

A Spoonful Of Sugar

We recently got a clothesline at our house. As I helped my daughter hang her clothing on the line last week, she informed me that she has a very particular way to organize her clothing on the line. It's like file folders. All blue jeans and slacks on the first line. All short sleeved tops on the second line. Next, come the long sleeved shirts. Behind that is the sock and underwear row. (So the neighbors won't see her delicates. Smart thinking!) And finally, her sweatsuits, pajamas and jackets on the rear row. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
She was quite adamant that I hang her clothes in this and no other fashion, or I'd be relieved of my duties as "laundry hanger upper helper."

My middle daughter likes to hang her clothes like there's a party going on. Her dresses want to mambo with her jammies. Short and long sleeve shirts waltz together in the breeze, holding hands and bobbing up and down. Her socks would never dare to hang together in matched pairs- this IS a get-to-know-your-neighbor kind of affair, after all. She finds a pink knitted poncho and plays matchmaker with her green camoflauge cargo pants. The match made, they tango on the line for the rest of the afternoon. She twists the legs of her jeans tight so they can unwind and twirl from the clothespin- just because she thinks her jeans might enjoy the ride.

You would never, ever find either of these children hanging her clothes out to dry like her sister does it.

(Me? How do I hang out my clothes? Oh, I thought you'd never ask. I color code the clothes line. I wash all of our clothes in color groups so I've been having fun hanging out my many colors of the rainbow. But within the parameters of ROYGBV I'm also trying to be efficient and balance the weight on each line so things don't drag in the grass. Who wants to wash the same piece of clothing twice just because it dipped in the mud?! Not me. No sir.
Look and see... you can tell precisely where one wash load ends and another begins.)

I've been pleasantly surprised at how willing we've been to wash laundry around here lately- all because we get the giddy pleasure of hanging and organizing our belongings in the way that pleases us. (I have taken so many photos of our laundry hanging in the sunshine this week, that I know the neighbors are beginning to wonder.)

It all makes me think of Mary Poppins and her spoonful of sugar. It really does help the medicine go down.

In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

And ev'ry task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see...

And so I thought we might help each other here on SoulPerBlog.

What is your least favorite household, school, ministry or work-related task? Something you can't escape but find completely mundane? The thing you dread beyond all other things? The job that brings out the groans and full-body convulsions when you know it's "that time again"?

Share it here in the comment section we can help each other brainstorm a creative approach to our mundane tasks. Sooner than you can say "supercalifragilistikexpialidocious," our creative selves will be engaged in transforming those jobs we detest into...

A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see...
(and now you'll be humming for the rest of the day.)

In the Mood

I'm a sucker for color. Bold and vibrant. Calm and soothing. Festive. Elegant. Riotous. Innocent. Color can bring such emotion and storytelling to a work of art. (And your kitchen, if you paint the walls in just the right hue.)

Recently, I found the blog, Snippet & Ink. The blog's creator, Kathryn, puts together daily "inspiration boards" to lend viewers a hand envisioning weddings, big events, and- I'd even go so far as to say, a sweater and skirt combo from their own closet.

One thing I enjoy about looking through Kathryn's boards are the places my mind immediately goes when I see her color and textural choices. My body relaxes with her pale green and cream combo. I'm slicing into a knife and fork BBQ sandwich when she pairs rustic red with tidy white. I'm bundling up for a sleigh ride when she pulls out the cool whites and Nordic blues. Each board is a scientific and artistic sampler of a slice of human experience.

Here are some lovely examples of Kathryn's colorful vision:

Board #60: Rebeckah's Miami-in-Toronto Wedding

Board # 57: Blue's Clues


Board #48: Autumn on the Beach


Board #13: Curious George

Engage the Senses

If anybody can sniff out a good article, Kelley Mathews can. She sent us a link to this piece by Lauren Winner on connecting smell with doctrine: i.e., aromatheology. Check it out.

Change of Scenery

There's nothing like a vacation to refresh your mind and body - and creativity! We just returned from a great vacation on the east coast of Florida.

A change of scenery and climate can breathe fresh ideas into your art. It had been too long since I had seen an endless horizon, dug my toes in warm sand, smelled the salty air, tasted lobster and listened to the rhythm of lapping waves.

The colors and life of the tropics are distinct just as the desert of New Mexico and the mountains of North Carolina are - each offering their own palette and textures. With every picture I took, I saw a painting.

Do you have a memorable vacation or location that refreshes your creativity?

5 Senses: Part 2

Below are some examples of how SPS thinking, with the senses and art, have been used to express a spiritual subject. These are just a small sampling. To see more on a wide variety of subjects, be sure and visit the web site.

The subject of for all of these cards is Worshipping God.


Becky says,

I've heard it said that the blood of martyrs is the fuel for spreading the gospel. When we let go and allow God to consume us, all of us to the core of who we are, we are refined and we burn for others to see. How terrifying it is to say we are God's fuel - when a match is lit and it is near fuel, the reaction is immediate, explosive. What would it look like if we really lived as though we were God's fuel.

Can you smell the sulphur? the smoke? the wood? Can you feel the splinters and heat? Can you hear the striking of the match? the crackling fire?


Trinh says,

I absolutely love the garden. My husband and I... worked feverishly the past month to put in a perennial garden. It was such hard work! We live in an area that is filled with huge rocks and stones so digging even the smallest holes was a challenge.

I feel this way a lot of times about my relationship with the Lord. My heart is the earth filled with so many hard rocks and stones that are so difficult to work with and remove. The Lord is so gracious though - with His love for me, even as a sinner - He plants those seeds within us and as long as we are willing to nurture them and care for them by living by God's plan, in time, we will grow with much wisdom and love and in our own right become the beautiful flowers in our Father's garden.

Can you smell the rich earth? the sweetness of flowers? Do you feel the damp richness of the earth? Ever heard a trowl hit rock when you're digging? Ever tasted a garden fresh tomato or strawberry?


Dena says,

Simple and elegant.

Make it "pop out" as it should in my heart. Keep the visual close and I stay closer on my path. I wanted to add color and when adding the green, they reminded me of the nails - not pointed, not round - painful.

This card represents the brightness I can look for at the cross. The nails Jesus took for me are illustrated in the green paper.

Have you ever heard the cross described as "bright"? or that it should "pop"?

5 Senses

To get into the SPS way of doing things, you need to learn SPS thinking. Instead of just using a verbal or written means to communicate spiritual truths and insights, use all five senses. This allows you to think about everyday things in a new way, trigger memories you may have forgotten or communicate things that are hard to put into words. Let's take an example.

When I say the word SUNSHINE, you all know what I'm talking about. But each of you would describe it differently. Everything about SUNSHINE for me has to do with all our great family trips to Florida when I was a kid.



What does SUNSHINE LOOK like?
You wake up from dozing off on the warm sand. You open your eyes and you're blinded by the bright, white sun. For several moments, all you can see are white dots. You wait for your eyes to adjust, walk down to the water to cool off and do it all again.

What does SUNSHINE TASTE like?
Salt, of course. But not just salt. A mouth full of ocean also has a tang algae. The flavor lingers on the back of your tongue and it's hard to wash away except with an icy cold Coke.

What does SUNSHINE FEEL like?
Ever had sand under the elastic of your swimsuit? While you're in that suit, you just have to live with it because nothing will get rid of the minuscule rubbing grit that is everywhere. Also, have you ever stood at the shore and looked straight down at your feet as the waves come in and out? It always gave me this dizzy feeling.

What does SUNSHINE SMELL like?
For the length of my existence everything Florida, vacation, ocean, beach, and getaway will smell like coconut oil. I love it! And Piña Coladas.

What does SUNSHINE SOUND like?
It's a rhythm with a beat and measure. Hypnotic and soothing. The ocean waves lapping on the shore play my favorite song for naps and relaxation.

Using SPS thinking, how do you describe SUNSHINE?