A New Canvas ~ For Jennisa

In the beginning God created…

The heavens and the earth.
The light.
The sky.
The dry ground and seas.
The plants and trees.
The sun. The moon. The stars.
All the living creatures.

Good things.

But his final creative act came with punctuation. Exclamation. Celebration.

You and me…in his likeness and bearing the marks of his image.

A very good ending to a very busy week.

As his image bearers, we, too, share his capacity for creativity. Our Father fashioned our flesh with a bent toward creative expression. All of us…every last one of us…are artists. We paint stories with…

Our words. Our writings. Our music. Our acting. Our dance. Our paintings. Our teaching. Our leadership. Our singing. Our speaking. Our conversations. Our silence.

No one escapes the need for expression, for within each one of us is the impulse of our creative God. He placed our lives upon this earth to put voice to a story…his story. And somewhere within the telling, he hopes that others will be compelled to add their own lines to the script.

I’ve been putting voice to my story for nearly forty-two years. Rare have been the silent moments. Expression has always come easy for me. Lavish and unbridled at times. Raw and unedited most days. Those who know me would tell you that my emotions have never failed to find their words.

Nearly two months ago, I discovered a new way to format my artistic bent. It is called blogging. I happened upon it quite by accident, but I rather like surprises…especially the ones that allow me to put voice to my thoughts. It has been a blessing to me, and my deepest desire is that this blog will be a blessing to others.

After surfing around to visit other blogs, I decided that mine could benefit from the creative impulses of another. She’s an artist in her own right. Her name is Jennisa, and she has created a new canvas upon which I will paint my words. The canvas came with work. With patience and with gentle kindness. Never once did Jennisa complain about my artistic pickiness. She simply listened, and then she crafted. What you see is the outgrowth of her tender creativity.

The elements of this canvas tell a story all their own. Over the next few weeks, I will be unpacking some of the elements that you see…letting you “in” on a little more of my story. But today, I ask you to sit back and consider Jennisa’s gift to me.

I cannot promise you as to the full extent of the stories that will eventually find their home upon this canvas. You won’t find a lot of humor here. There are tons of brilliant humorists in blog land. I’m not one of them. I am a funny person, but my writing finds its strength in contemplation.

What I can promise you is that I will always write from the heart. And this heart, my friends, is filled with Jesus. He will be painted onto this canvas. His story overrides mine and is the only one worthy of my fragile attempt at words. I won’t always do it perfectly, but I will always endeavor to do it well. Creatively and with my God-given bent toward artistry. Humbly, under the shadow of his illuminating light.

May you seek to do the same with whatever creative outlet that God has scripted into your gifting. He celebrates your story, and he applauds your effort at expression. How I pray that your canvas, alongside mine, will always boast the presence of our Lord.

Thank you, Jennisa, for your brilliance. You have painted well. A very good ending to a very busy week. May God continue to script your mind, your heart, and your hands for all things sacred. Be blessed and as always…

PS: For those of you looking to jazz up your blog, please visit my new friend, Jennisa, at “Once Upon a Blog” — http://jennisajoy.blogspot.com/ . Her artistry is worth the wait!