Creative Expressions

Discovering the many expressions of His creativity demonstrated through individuals in community!

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Location: United States

Welcome to the Creative Expressions Small Group website! Although we are not currently meeting weekly like we did over the spring and summer, may you find encouragement through the Scriptures, quotes and thoughts of this blog!

Friday, March 17, 2006

Grief Observed


How did God the Father process the death of His Son . . . grief?

This was the question that began our small group discussion this past Wednesday night -not a theological one but one of finding community with one another and hope for our souls through our High Priest, God and Comforter.


The unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit responding to the sin of humanity and Their "community" so to speak, was brought up and how we were not designed to live isolated or alone ...

Yet the reality that God is not bound by time, therefore does not have the same emotional response as we humans, broadened our perspective and also reminded us that He is constant and unchanging - The Rock upon which we can stand.

Scripture from Isaiah 53:10 gave us hope of how the Lord has a bigger purpose of birthing life through us over time through loss, suffering, and struggles . . . "But the Lord Himself was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering; He will see His offspring; He will prolong His days . . . As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied..."

Could creativity perhaps come out of it?
...Is creativity perhaps a channel to process one's grief?

That being said we realize that we have a choice in how we respond to difficulty, sufferring... Do we become calloused, bitter and numb?? 1 Peter 1:6

Will we ask Him to put in us what we cannot buy with gold? . . .

1 Peter 1:7 "...the proof of your faith being more precious than gold which is perishable..."

Jesus Himself, experienced the lowest of the lows, and even when we hit what seems like rock bottom He went to the lowest of the lows in order to meet us and take us higher . . .

We also touched on how our mindsets often determine how we respond to heartache, grief, and perplexing situations . . . "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." ~ Romans 12:2

Oh so much to think and chew on . . . much that the Lord has to say about it . . .
Let us encounter You, Jesus, and better be able to recognize You in the various and unexpected ways that You come to us . . .

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Downtime

"An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing. Defending our right to such time takes courage, conviction, and resiliency. Such time, space, and quiet will strike our family and friends as withdrawal from them. It is.
"For an artist, withdrawal is necessary. Without it, the artists in us feels vexed, angry, out of sorts. If such deprivation continues, our artist becomes sullen, depressed, hostile. We eventually become like cornered animals, snarling at our family and friends to leave us alone and stop making unreasonable demands.
"We are the ones making unreasonable demands. We expect our artist to be able to function without giving it what it needs to do so. An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the healing of time alone. Without this period of charging, our artist becomes depleted. Over time it becomes something worse than out of sorts. . . . "

~The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

I think we all have felt these things at some point or another ...as it applies to more than just artistry . . . :)