Are You In A Rut?

I came across this website that's pretty funny. Check it out if you are in a creative rut and need some suggestions on how to get out:

Ten Steps for Boosting Creativity

Yes, there is nothing overtly spiritual about this post. But hey - not all posts can attempt extreme levels of deep spirituality :0)

Grace, peace & lot's o' fun! ~ deAnn

Beauty Matters: Part Deux

I've been thinking a lot about beauty since my post yesterday. Going way back to Genesis, everything God created was beautiful. Yes, even spiders...to God they have to be beautiful. I don't think He said, "well, I've created all these beautiful trees, rivers, planets, horses, kittens and now I'm just tired of beauty. I believe I'll create anti-beauty. Yes, this little critter here, the cricket (that is what Adam will name it later, I'm sure) will be ugly. Yes, ugly - because this world is just too darn pretty."

No, I have to imagine that everything God creates is beautiful in His eyes. (Notice I said, "in His eyes?" Crickets are not so beautiful to me. But maybe I need to look at them through His eyes.) So, ugliness entered our world at the time of the Fall. Fertile soil gave way to barren ground. Pretty trees died. Animals and people became violent. Ugly entered our lives due to the affect of sin.

So, as artists and creative souls, we are hard-wired to create beauty, just as God does. Sadly our world has become rather full of anti-beauty due to its brokenness. I believe that as we live into our creative image of God, which is in us, we can offset the ugly as we create and appreciate beauty.

The photographer captures the gentleness of a father holding his new little girl. The painter splashes colors upon a canvas to imitate the ocean's courageous breakers. The musician records onto paper the melody that has been laying quietly in his mind. The potter gracefully forms a slender vessel that one day will support a handful of fresh cut flowers. The poet's words dance across the page as an expression of her tender heart.

Each of us have the ability to create beauty through our creative voice. We can make our beautiful - yet broken - world sparkle like the night sky as we bring forth the beauty that is in us and longs to be expressed through the arts.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir

grace & peace on the creative journey ~ deAnn

Beauty Matters

Aristotle called beauty, "the gift of God."

What do you feel when you see beauty? Does it soothe your soul? Does it's whisper grace into your ear? Do you catch your breath over beauty that overwhelms your senses?

Can you consider that God is beauty.

As the Triune God pondered creation, He pondered the beauty that would pass before our eyes, nose, skin, ears and taste buds. For our pleasure (and His) He made the universe full of wonderful lights, colorful gasses and planets so vivid that even though they are millions of light years away, we still behold their beauty through the genius of today's technology. He didn't have to do that. But He did.

Our own precious planet encapsulates His glory with each sunrise and sunset. The sweet sounds of bird songs and the whistle of the breeze through pine trees shows His thoughtful attention to beauty.

We don't have to be convinced that, to God, beauty matters. Everything beautiful is created through Him. It's a gift to us from our Creator. Luci Shaw says in her book, Breath for the Bones,"Beyond His primary creation of our vividly beautiful universe, with its sounds and colors and smells and textures, God also seems to be interested in helping His people create and appreciate beauty." How aware are you of noticing this gift to you? Do you take time to literally, stop and smell the roses? Do you drink in His presence as you stand wide-eyed before a rainbow?

Dallas Willard suggests that we "cultivate the beautiful."

Listen to the whisper in your heart, it's there, honestly. How is God wooing you to cultivate beauty through your own creativity? The gift is there for you to enjoy. All you need to do is receive it from Him.

grace & peace ~ deAnn

Reflections on Fear

This past Thursday was our gathering, Reflective Souls, (writing for women). Carol led for me and her focus was on the "F" word ~ fear. You know it, that paralizing feeling that we have all too often that ruins more of our existance than we care to imagine. Fear cripples our creativity. Fear causes us to live diminished lives and that is not the way God intended.

As we seek to live into our creativity, fear will creep in and stop us in our tracks. I belive this is because as we express our creative voice we are connecting intimately with God. And the dumb evil one doesn't go for that. So, fear sets in so that we walk away from our God given creativity.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine" Isaiah 43:1b

Think about that. Your name is on God's lips and you are His child. As a Father would have it, God longs for you to play, to create, to feel freedom from the grip of fear. Remember what the Lord says through Isaiah...and when you sense fear lurking around the corner, ask God to be present and to remind you of His words.

To read more about the Reflective Souls gathering, "Reflections on Fear," please visit the site.

May you be encouraged to express your creative voice because the God of the universe has summoned you by name.

grace & peace ~ deAnn

The Three "C's"

"Creativity takes Courage." Henri Matisse

I read a chapter on creativity in the book written by Nancy Beach, "An Hour On Sunday." This book is created for those on the production teams for Sunday morning worship services in the Christian church. (Great book!)

Nancy has observed that the creative person has three significant traits:

• Confidence
• Curiosity
• Courage

All three must work in harmony in order for one to live fully into their creative life. If you are missing one of these traits, your creativity will not flourish.


Confidence is having trust that you can be creative. It's realizing that the Holy Spirit already knows the "answer" or "solution" or "design" to the situation. Our job is to ask for His guidance, and be open to hearing His voice to receive what He has for us.


Curiosity is the ability to slow down enough to observe the world around you. When out for a walk you point out neat things, like a toadstool growing in the grass, or pulling your car over at the sight of a sunset. Maybe even laying on your belly in the wet grass attempting to capture the perfect drop of water on a single blade of grass. Curiosity is asking "why?" Traveling, going to shows, getting together with friends, doing something out of the ordinary spurs our curiosity. (A home-body like myself was really convicted by this one!)



Courage is taking the step to move forward with your creative ideas. Often we are scared of what others may say or think. We've been hurt before so we figure, "why bother?" Or we are afraid to take the risk. It could mean a financial struggle if it falls through? We're not sure, but we're not brave enough to even try.



Here's the deal: We may have a fabulous idea that we feel originated in God's mind ~ next, we curiously explore that idea and develop it ~ then we courageously move forward with it and the excitement begins as we watch to see what happens...Sure, it could be a flop...but it could also be a huge hit! You'll never know until you try...



So, out of the three areas of creativity listed above, which is your strong point? Which could use a little nurturing? For me, I'm a hugely curious person. I always have to know "why?" and I enjoying stopping to take a closer look at silly things like toadstools. I'm amazed by them!



Curiosity is my strong point. Now, I need a LOT of nurturing in the courage-area. I'm a chicken. In fact, I know my lack of courage is holding me back from living into the creativity God's given me. So, I've begun to sit with that before God - asking Him why (see, there it is!) I have that tendency and then I surrender it to Him. Every time I do this (which is a lot) I feel released from the burden and I feel my courage growing little by little.


I believe God longs for us to create beauty, to develop the creative gifts He's given each of us. But often we put little or no value on our personal creativity. I feel this saddens the heart of God. He created us in His Image. If we ignore our creativity, we are ignoring a magnificent facet of the image of God in us.


What do you need to nurture your confidence, curiosity and courage? How can Vertical Creativity encourage your creative journey?


grace & peace ~ deAnn

How to Discover Your Creative Voice

Several people I know took the "Right Brain vs Left Brain Creativity Test" and were surprised by their result. One sweet friend in particular emailed me and said the following: "I took the right and left brain test and, of course, came out 60% right and 40% left. The question I have is...every test like this I take it leads me to being very artistic, however I do not know how to express that side of me. Any suggestion on finding out how???"

Great question! I totally know you feel! There are a few things I'd like to suggest.

First, sit down (you must be seated) and rewind your memory as far back as you can. Write down the artistic tendencies you had from childhood. Maybe you filled the front of refrigerators of every living relative you had with your masterpiece finger painting or pages pulled from a favorite coloringbook nicely decorated with Crayolas. Maybe after a nice spring or summer rain, you were the first one to the garden where you make enough mud-pies for all your siblings. Or, maybe you were like my son is now, no matter where we are (grocery store, restaurant, at a stoplight with the car windows down) his head is bopping to any audible musical grooves withing ear shot. Did you make up plays then grab some neighborhood friends and put on a performance for your parents?

The way to know where to begin exploring your creativity is to listen to you history, your life. See if there are any patterns or themes. As you look back over your creative life, you may remember something that sparks an interest now. That is a good place to begin!

If you are still stumped, during your quiet time with God, honestly ask Him to show you where your creativity lies. Go before your Creator and express your hearts desire to live into your God-given creativity. No doubt, He will reveal it to you in time.

Second is to listen carefully to your creative voice today, the one that we tend to ignore or push off. It's sometimes hard to detect because we taught ourselves not to listen to that silly childish nonsense. What passion is buried in your soul? Writing a book? Playing that instrument you dream about? Taking a pottery class? Or a painting class? Creating a gorgeous landscaped yard? Learning to cook that amazing recipe with no doubts? Learning how to use all the buttons on your digital SLR camera? Deciphering your creative voice of today is another place to begin.

But that is the key here ~ to begin. Just try something. The first attempt may not be the perfect creative venture for you, but you tried it and that, you can be proud of. Then try dabbling in something else. Often, it takes a couple tries to find out what really feels right to you. Expression through the arts is a delicate discovery. But, don't be afraid. As with most new things, getting started is the biggest challenge!

If your pull is to write (and if you are a woman), join us for our writing group for women, Reflective Souls. We meet tomorrow, Thursday, 9/25. It's an inexpensive creative endeavor as well - invest in a notebook and a pen or pencil, and 90 minutes - that's it. You may be surprised by what you discover about yourself...

So, what creative endeavor are you going to jump into?

If you have an idea for an Arts Community focused around a particular skill/craft and would be nice to offer at Living Word, shoot me an email and share your idea. We won't know what the desires are unless we hear from people's hearts.

Grace & peace on the journey ~ deAnn
[more on this topic to follow...]

Corporate Worship Music

Ahhh...just what I needed. A good laugh first thing on a Tuesday morning.

Grace & peace ~ deAnn

The War Inside

The War Inside

Obvious to some, and not to others
Is the war inside each
Battles are won, battles are lost
Who will win this war?
Daily I am torn & struggling
Conflicts abound in me
I know this too well

Two sides are raging inside me

One is pure evil, corrupt and unjust
Loving hate, destruction, self indulgence,
Deceit, lies, lust, greed and unforgiveness.
For me sometimes subtle and elusive
Making me think it is me
But I can choose
Why does this side win some battles?
Shamefully, perhaps my pride

The other side is pure love, restful and refreshing
Loving peace, justice, truth, joy,
Selflessness, kindness and forgiveness
For me this is the side I long to prevail
I can choose
Why does this side win some battles?
Perhaps my humbleness

This is real life hidden in each of us……
Without exception
Unseen, unspoken, unheard
No clanging of sword and shield
No gun shots or physical wounds
Just felt and sensed,
and most often not fully understood

We love to deny this, but life goes on…..
Which side will win the war inside?
This is yet to be known, but
I can choose…….I hold the key…….
It is the one I feed

~ Andrew, 2006

Thanks to Andrew for sharing his poem on a struggle that about every oxygen inhaling being can relate to. "Which side will win the war inside? This is yet to be known, but I can choose....I hold the key...."

Grace & peace on the journey of finding and expressing your creative voice ~ deAnn

(brain) Matter of Fact

We need not argue that we have a right brain and a left brain carefully wrapped and placed on top of our necks. We need not argue that some people tend to function more out of one brainular hemisphere than the other. This is one element that makes us humans so uniquely different from one another. Would you like to take a fun little test to see which hemisphere you tend to use more frequently? Click on the image above and you'll be instantly transported to the Art Institute of Vancouver's web page where you'll find their creativity test. (btw, if you do a Google search on "right brain vs left brain," you'll get many web pages offering similar tests. The results are only a guide, not Gospel.)

The left brain specializes in analytical thought, structure, time sequences, logic, mathematics, rationality and deductive reasoning. It's also responsible for details, knowledge, planning, goals, productivity, words, science, technology, and the like. You get the picture (oh, that would be using your right brain!!)

On the flip side, the right brain specializes in the softer aspects and is responsible for intuition, feelings, sensitivity, emotions, creativity, color, visualizing, daydreaming and spatial awareness. The right brainular hemisphere is also popular for spontaneity, risk taking, variety, impulsiveness, relationships, play and sports, motor skills, humor and the like (to read more about the right and left brain traits, snoop around on the web page link for the test, above).

I know as you read this you see that you have traits from both sides, which is good. That means you have a complete brain. But, you may have a tendency to use one hemisphere more than the other. You may want to develop one hemisphere a little better too.

Several friends and I took the above mentioned test and had fun talking about the results. We found that overall, it's pretty darn accurate, describing us. I'm a little more in touch with my right brain than left, but pretty balanced. One very logical friend of mine hangs out more in his left brain. No surprises there. But it was encouraging for him to see that he has creative abilities waiting to be uncovered in his right brain too.

Because we are all created in God's image, we have His creative power living in our right brain. How often to you tap into it? What creative endeavors are you working on?

It's awesome that God gave us both hemispheres jam packed with all the things He knows we need in order to work and play in this world. Never forget, no matter if we gravitate towards left brain living or right brain living, we are equally valued in His eyes and loved more than we could imagine.

If God had a fridge, your photo would be hanging on it.

Grace & peace ~ deAnn

Male Voice

With each new gallery exhibit at Common Grounds, a collection of written expressions are published in a little, but meaningful, booklet called Inklings. You can pick up a copy in the Common Grounds Coffee Bar at LWCC. It offers poetry, reflections and short stories by the voices of Living Word, typically women's voices. I'd like to see that change and find more men to submit their works of written art. Amazingly, right after Inklings was published for the August exhibit, I received poetry from two men of LW. My heart sang.

Here is a piece by Ryan Johnson. We thank you, Ryan, for submitting your heart's expression in the form of a beautiful poem.

Prayer

He fights for the Words to express
The direness of his distress.
Plagued by his fear
He longs for someone to hear.

Softly it starts as only a whisper
The air becomes crisper
The sound of a prayer
How could anything be fairer?

While small in length and size
It's heartfelt with tears in his eyes.
Every word chosen with care
So his story, he may share.

For it is Him that will listen
To every problem and everything missin'.

Written by Ryan Johnson

If you have a written piece you'd like to share and have published in the November Inklings, please email it to deAnn Roe.
Grace & peace ~ deAnn

A Quote to Cure the Monday Blues

"Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives... [and] when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life. " --Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Omg, I can relate to that quote. When I feel the creative impulse bubbling up from within and I just ignore it, pushing it back down, I feel alive but numb. Comfortably numb (you Pink Floyd fans know what I mean). But when I obey my creative voice, make a date with it and draw, paint or write, slowly the feeling comes back to that which was numb. It's mysterious and wonderful. Have you had that experience?

Be risky - it's Monday, what do you have to loose? Get lost in your creative voice today...

grace & peace, deAnn

Little Words

Several years ago I purchased a Magnetic Poetry set for my younger son who is a budding artist. I purchased the optional black metal board so he could begin his career of assembling words together in harmony. Over time, many words were sucked up the hose of my vacuum cleaner. The few remaining words and black metal board were eventually stuffed deep under his bed...until recently. I was excited to find this treasure! Dusting them off, I began placing words together with precision. I was hooked!

Quickly I determined I needed to replace the missing word magnets so I ventured through the rain today and ended up at Borders Bookstore (where I originally purchased the set for my son). I had saved my 20% off coupon specifically for those little magnetic words. However, I was disappointed to find out they no longer carry them. I was forced to use my coupon on (another) fabulous book on writing (I can't remember the title and I'm too lazy to get the book. I'll mention it in another post.)

As one might do in this situation, I headed to the world wide web. Googled, "Magnetic Poetry" and now I have several kits in my online "cart" just waiting interact with the long line of numbers on my credit card. While perusing their fun site, I came across something I wanted to share with you. Check this out: Online Poetry Kits. You can play with the words online AND you can even submit your own poetry.

Sometimes when writing, I lock up because there are so many words to choose from! With these little magnetic words, you have to work with what you have. Normally, I don't enjoy working "inside a box," but with these kits, it forces my creative mind to kick into high gear! I can't wait to receive my new kits (I only ordered two: Artistic and the Green words).

I hope playing the online Magnetic Poetry spurs your playful and creative side.

grace & peace ~ deAnn

Wilderness Exhibit

Photography by Beth Smith ~ The Sonoran Desert
Fused Glasswork by Michael Novak
Chris Gold's pottery display and the hallway filled with beautiful images of the wilderness.
Fused Glass Pendants by Michael Novak.

The August-November gallery exhibit is in full swing at the Common Grounds Coffee Bar of LWCC. Be sure to pick up a copy of the companion booklets that shares the story behind the art of the artists, called "the Heart Behind the Art." Also, for writers and readers, pick up the new edition of "Inklings." This publication is filled with written pieces; from poems, reflections and short stories.

The theme of this exhibit is "Into the Wilderness."

For more photo's of this exhibit and to read an excerpt from the companion booklet, please go to the LWCC Gallery's web page.

Failure or Success

Okay, so my new found desire of creative cooking led to a failure one evening. You see, I'd rather not try a new recipe with anyone other than my family - but a good friend was over for dinner and I thought I'd try one anyhow. I believed she would not humiliate me if it was a flop.

"Panini with Brie Cheese, Basil and Chocolate." Yes, you read that line correctly. A recipe that got a ton of rave reviews... a chocolate and cheese grilled sandwich (panini) that included basil. Sound strange, huh? I asked my friend if she was up to the challenge of trying something so odd and she didn't shy away from the opportunity (probably because she knows Roma's Pizza is walking distance from my kitchen.)

As I assembled the panini I kept thinking "this is so weird!" I bet my friend was thinking the same thing - but she kept a bright and happy smile on her face so that her real thoughts would not show through. I placed the sandwiches on the grill and waited for them to become all toasty brown and melty. Finally, the anticipated moment arrived - we sat down to try this confusing combination. "Okay, here we go. Are you ready?"... "As ready as I'll ever be." CRUNCH-ooooze... Chocolaty ~ cheesy ~ basily. A few wordless moments went by as we both attempted to assess the combination of flavors and then decide whether or not we liked it.

The verdict was in. The jury has concluded: That is one STRANGE sandwich. It wasn't horrible. But it wasn't good, either. We finished them up though. Would I make it again? Not so sure... The saving grace was a big of Frito's corn chips. We peeled open the gooey thing and heavily layered the Frito's between the bread slices. That made them a tad better.

Shockingly, we didn't call Roma's Pizza that night.

In that moment, the moment when the brie, basil and chocolate danced across my taste buds, a thought passed through my mind, "You can not cook, woman! What are you thinking?"

It's easy to have our creativity squashed like a bug (oh, bad visual after eating that panini...) I felt like I failed. Part of me wanted to give up on cooking and go back to my non-cooking life - a life where creative failure never happened, at least, not in the kitchen. Then I made myself realize that I didn't fail. The recipe failed me. It just wasn't a combination I liked.

Every creative effort does not end in brilliant success. Creativity is not the final product - it's the journey getting to that final product. And in that creative journey of building the strangest sandwich that's ever crossed my lips, my friend and I experienced real community as we chatted about life, laughed at one another and tried something new...A panini we'll probably never eat again.

That is creative success...

grace & peace on the journey ~ deAnn

(And yes, I'm still cooking up a storm, creating new takes on recipes...some good and some pretty terrible. But I'm having fun and stretching my creative culinary skills! Any other budding chef's out there? Interested in sharing recipes and cooking for a good cause? Email me at droe@lwccyork.com).

Deposits

I love www.flickr.com. It's filled with inspiration and creativity. Take a look at the above photo titled, "A Wonderful Day :0)" (click the photo to be led to the photographers "photostream.") Read the text on the drawing, look at the simplicity... a drawing of what is right in front of their eyes. Brilliant, just brilliant.

I think we often feel we need amazing inspiration in order to create, when all we really need is to slow for a moment, open our eyes and see all that is around us. Then draw it, paint it, photograph is, write about it. These little exercises make valuable deposits into our "creative banks."

I keep a sketch pad in my car and tiny spiral notebook in my purse so I'm ready when ever inspiration strikes. After an experience yesterday (totally kicking myself for not having my dSLR camera with me!) I am going to begin carrying my old "point and shoot" digital camera so that I can capture scenes that need to be remembered.

Inspiration is all around us. God created this huge amazing world. His creativity is longing to be captured by our creativity. Even the simplicity of sitting at Starbucks, walking in your favorite park, watching your kids frolic in the yard, or sitting in the airport waiting for your flight are places to be inspired to create.

How can you make a deposit into your "creative bank" as you slow down, observe and capture your next "wonderful day?"

grace & peace on the journey ~ deAnn

The Art of Food

So, I uploaded this flyer and it turned blue. It's supposed to be red. I'm not sure what's happening. Computers... But I hope you can read it - at least the important information anyhow, "Taste the World" this Friday, Lancaster's First Friday. TIP: Do you know where the Prince Street Cafe is? This event is on the 3rd floor of the building where the Cafe is located, as the flyer says (above the gallery). Stop in and enjoy a vast array of international foods at a very reasonable rate.

This week is the First Friday in Lancaster and I have heard many of you mention that you are heading over the river Friday night to downtown Lancaster. I will see you there! Enjoy the open galleries and make sure you stop in to the Prince Street Cafe for an amazing dessert and cup of coffee. Come on out and support the local art scene, be inspired to dive into your own creativity, and hang out with friends. It will be a good time, a hot and humid good time, so the Weather Channel reports. At least it will not be raining!

Grace & peace on the creative journey ~ deAnn

Divine Intersection ~ Chris Gold

Pitt Fired Deep Bowl by Chris Gold ~ Pots O Gold

This month's Divine Intersection artist is Chris Gold. Below she shares how she goes vertical with her creativity through beautiful pit fired pottery. To see Chris' work in person, stop by the Gallery @ Common Grounds Coffee Bar at Living Word Community Church. She is part of the current "Into The Wilderness" exhibit.

The Perfect Potter

"Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” Romans 9:21

"So I went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?...Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand'..." Jeremiah 18:3-6

Clay was brought to me later in life. After we moved to York in 1993, my daughter was blessed with the opportunity to work with pottery in high school. She brought her finished products home to share with us and I became fascinated with the thought of how she took a formless piece of "stuff" and molded it into something useful. Since she enjoyed her classes so much and I was clearly drawn to it, we decided to explore this form of art/craft together and began taking classes from a local potter, Jill Pelligrino.

I grew up in a Christian home, and our congregation frequently sang this old hymn with the lines, "You are the potter, I am the clay...Mold me and make me after thy will... " I sang that song in church without really thinking about the words because I didn't know what being a potter was all about. As I began working with clay, that hymn would creep into my mind and I started thinking about the real meaning behind the song writer's words. The more I meditated on the subject, the more parallels I could find between the whole process of making a pot and our relationship with God. I'm sure any Christian who has worked with clay has had the same line of thinking.

You Start with a Lump of Clay....
There are different types of clay or "clay bodies." Some potters make their own from scratch digging it right out of the ground and processing it so that it can be used. Most potters I know use clay that is commercially available. Each clay body has unique properties. The potter chooses the type of clay based on what he/she wants to do with it and the finished product
desired. Sometimes clay bodies become contaminated with certain impurities that may not be known to the potter until the final phase of production. These impurities can have an undesirable impact on how the wares turn out and ruin the finished product, leaving the artist very frustrated!

We are God's clay! He created us from the ground up (Genesis 2:7) and uses us in unique ways as He sees fit. We all have our own clay properties. Some of us are made to be around people and are extroverted. Others are more introspective and shy. There are people who express their emotions openly and others who are more reserved. Some of us are driven and won't stop until we drop and others are laid back and easy going. God can use us as His clay to mold us into anything He wants.

We also have impurities! Our "clay body" can become contaminated with anger, jealousy, addictions, selfishness, and other sins that ruin us. However, God is the perfect potter and He knows how to use those impurities to His advantage. God's glory can be displayed when we give Him credit for helping us rid ourselves from sin. Of course, the ultimate cleanser of our clay body is Jesus!


We Are Made For a Purpose...
When I first stared working with clay, sometimes I would just put some clay on the wheel and whatever shape I was able to get was what I worked with. There are so many different things you can do with the medium of clay! I wanted to try it all. Now, before I even put the clay on the wheel, I usually have a plan for it. The plan may be for a mug, bowl, plate, or decorative piece. As I gain more experience, I am learning that "functional" pottery isn't my gift as a potter; functional being a term we use to denote pots that can hold food and water. More bowls, pitchers, plates, and tea pots have made their way from my studio to the trash than to people's kitchens! Instead, I use a set of techniques that lends itself to more decorative purposes.

As the perfect potter, God takes our clay and knows from the get go what he needs from it. He shapes us into who He needs us to be (and He can do it all). This is why everyone in His kingdom is important, from the person behind the scenes of a church congregation to the one up front in leadership roles.

Just as I've struggled with the type of pottery I create, I have struggled in recent years to find what kind of pottery I am. What is my role in His kingdom? I've prayed for God to show me what He needs me to be, and some of my confusion is most likely my resistance to His hands that are trying to shape me. I have faith that He's a patient potter and that He will eventually mold me into what I'm supposed to be if I allow it to happen!


The Stress of the Fire...
After the clay is shaped on the wheel, the excess clay is trimmed from the form when it dries to a "leather hard" stage. There is still enough moisture in the clay to allow fine tuning the shape or carving designs into the surface with various tools. As the pots dries further it gets to the "bone dry" state where almost all the water is gone from the clay. This is called "green ware" and has very little use because it would break so easily. For my decorative pots, I add another step at this bone dry stage called "burnishing." I rub a smooth stone over the entire pot that gives a shiny smooth coat to the surface. Then I do an initial bisque firing in my electric kiln, followed by a second firing in a 50 gallon oil drum with different chemicals and hard wood scraps. The purpose of the first firing is to make the brittle green ware stronger so it can take the harsh environment of the primitive barrel firing. If all goes well (and MANY things can go wrong for the less-than-perfect potter) my pots don't crack or explode and the result is a vessel with a varied, smoky, satin smooth surface that is strong enough to withstand decorative use.
Life happens and it's the fires in life we encounter that can make us stronger. If there were no challenges in our lives, we'd be as weak as the green ware pot, able to break with the smallest insult. All of us have been through fires of varying degrees. It may simply be the change of our daily routine as we set out on vacation or as devastating as divorce, being laid off from our job, or loosing a loved one. One of the blessings we have as Christians is the choice we have to lean on God when we're going through the kiln of life. If we have enough faith and we allow Him to hold us up, He gets us through the fire and we don't come out a "cracked pot." Instead, we come out stronger, able to stand and serve whatever purpose He has for us.

Chris Gold, “Pots O Gold” Pottery
to contact Chris email potsogold@comcast.net

Terra Sig Swirled Bottle by Chris Gold ~ Pots O Gold