A Coffee Filter Creation Story

Hey friends,

One of my classes this semester is called "The Earth Is the Lord's: Ecology, Theology, and the Church's Witness." (Which is quite the name...I usually just call it Earth Class.) For this particular class, one option for our midterm "exam" was to turn in journal entries responding to class readings and discussions. We'd spent some time on the idea of creatio ex profundis, and I wanted to respond to that with a journal entry that involved more than just words.

First, a little context: creatio ex profundis states that creation happened out of chaos (as opposed to creatio ex nihilo, which says creation happened out of nothing). Take a look at Genesis 1:1-2: 

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. (NRSV)

I've also been taking Hebrew this fall, which despite its tendency to frequently overwhelm me, has actually been one of my favorite classes. The Hebrew word used here for "wind," ruach, can also mean breath or spirit (and probably some other things that aren't on my flashcard...). 

I'm a visual person, if you didn't know, so ever since these class discussions I'd been trying to figure out what that creation out of chaos might look like. As I mulled it over,  it always seemed to be this churning mess of dark blues, greens, and purples, maybe with the smallest sparks of brighter color or light, out of which and over which the ruach would emerge, an equally messy and captivating presence, but full of more color and light. This ruach would snake its way in and out of the void, gently and mysteriously calling together creation. 

So I dug around my apartment (and my friend's recycling pile) to come up with supplies for my art project. The “canvas” I used is some recycled cardboard, on which I painted the background with blue, teal, and black paints (and some of my trusty blue glitter glue). Then I used Sharpies for the Hebrew and English writing (which are both Genesis 1:1-2). The “breath” itself is made of three coffee filters that I dyed with water color paints before crumpling, twisting, and gluing them to the cardboard. Splatters and drops of blue, black, and gold paint make up the final layer. 

Here are a couple pictures of my artistic endeavor. Here's to hoping I'll find more excuses to throw paint around and get school credit for it...

The colors are a little darker in real life, but you get the idea.

Love,

Allison.

Into the Woods

Hey there, friends.

This past weekend my housemates and I headed to a couple of cabins near Poplarville, MS for a weekend retreat. We settled ourselves into the woods, on a chunk of land that also happened to feature a pond and a tiny lake (or bigger pond...take your pick).

I spent the majority of our Saturday afternoon free time sitting by myself on a bench swing behind the main cabin. Now, first of all, choosing to sit by myself for an extended period of time is a new thing for me. I've always enjoyed being around other people, and for about half a second I felt guilty for not heading towards the lake with the majority of my housemates. I still enjoy people time, but I was so content on that bench with my thoughts and the woods for my only company. I s'pose that's yet another thing that's changed since I started this adventure as a YAV.

What struck me the most as I sat on that swing, however, was how noisy it was out there. I'd thought a lot before we left New Orleans about how nice it would be to get out of the loud bustling city and have some peace and quiet. Our little Mississippi neck of the woods was far from quiet, but the traffic noises and incessant sirens that surround our house on South Derbigny Street were replaced with the chirps of countless different birds, the ribbits of frogs and splashes of fish jumping in the pond, and the occasional buzzing of assorted insects all gathered together by the breeze that was gently making its way through the trees. I'm pretty convinced that those moments were my own little slice of heaven. Just laying there with my eyes closed, I could've spent all day just picking out each individual sliver of nature.

On Sunday morning before we departed for New Orleans, we were led in a short devotion on some benches outside. We were directed to observe our surroundings--the sights, sounds, smells--and to focus on something that stood out to us, good or bad. My thoughts and attention landed on a bee. It was one of the big furry ones, and was flitting back and forth between small purple flowers. Then, our instructions continued, we were to imagine that God was looking at that very same thing. Woah. God is so infinite, and yet She's looking at the same Mississippi bee? God is so big and important and at the same time He has the capacity to look at that bee and those little purple flowers at the very same moment that I was? I don't know that I can completely describe my feelings about that, but I just found myself in complete awe of the idea.

Now I could've told you before we even left New Orleans that the time outside would make me happy. But I don't think I realized just how much I needed it. This weekend was emotionally taxing for me (some reasons I can put into words, some I can't), to the point where I'm not sure I can say I feel totally renewed and refreshed as is sometimes the post-retreat condition. But the chance to breathe in the fresh air and to bask in a small corner of glorious creation certainly fed my soul.

With the arrival of Sunday morning, we were back to New Orleans and our "normal" day-to-day lives. If you're the prayin' type, I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I live out these last 3.5 months in Louisiana. It is my hope that I can be fully present here and that I can make the most out of the quickly dwindling time for which I will be able to call New Orleans home. I am still incredibly grateful for my housemates and the chance to get to know this vibrant city, but as it turns out, it's increasingly difficult to keep my mental focus here the more excited that I become about things to come in the fall.

Love,
Allison.

PS - Into the Woods is also a pretty neat musical. Check it out sometime.

Oh hey, God.

Hey friends,

Last weekend as we remembered the events of 9/11, many of us listened to meaningful sermons at church Sunday morning. During the one I heard, the pastor briefly mentioned the increase in practicing religion after 9/11. This was something I don't think I'd heard before, but it made sense. 

Tragedy in this world can be so completely and utterly overwhelming sometimes. It seems these days that every way you turn there's something. Whether it's global issues like war, poverty, and bigotry or more localized issues like a loved one with a serious illness or a natural disaster destroying a city. I mean even those commercials with the neglected kittens and puppies can get to you. There's a reason I hardly ever watch the news.

But how wonderful that there is a God that cares so much for us that he (or she) can be there for us when we need it. The tricky part, at least for me, is remembering to spend time with God when we don't need it. I stumbled upon this website the other day that listed letters children had written to God. One of my favorites: "Dear God, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?"

I'm pretty sure it's just a trick. The way I see it: God is always all around us, just sometimes not right in front of us. As hard as it is to remember that in the midst of trial and tribulation, to know that can bring tremendous comfort. And just when you think it's been a bit too long, God shows up right there on your proverbial doorstep. I don't want this to seem like I'm saying that everything is just perfect all the time because God is there. It's not. I'm not saying I've got it all figured out, and I'm certainly not saying that I can explain why bad things happen. Just having been at work for two weeks I can already feel how working in a hospital can wear on a person's heart. But I've also seen how truly present God can be in that place.

It's one of my goals this year to put more effort into spiritual practices and disciplines, whether it's praying in color, reading the Bible more, or simply spending more time listening to God. I'm not much a fan of spiritual practices that involve being by myself, but maybe I'll just have to give those a try too. All I know is that it can't hurt to me a little more intentional about connecting with God every day, especially with all the junk going on in the world.

Through it all, as someone said at work last week, there's "nothin' you can do but walk the good walk."

Love,
Allison