But the Spirit is the supreme artisan!

Exodus 31:1-5, 35:30-35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel … I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. … And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab the ability to teach their skills to others. The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine line cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.

It makes sense that the triune God who created earth in all its beauty and exquisite detail, and in particular created humankind in his image, would delight in our ability to create. I love this story, of God particularly gifting Bezalel and Oholiab, filling them with his Holy Spirit, to lead and guide the crafting of the Tabernacle, an oasis of beauty in the desert. I love the fact that God wanted this mobile place of regular connection with his people to be especially lovely.

Last Saturday our church held an Arts Collaboratives Retreat for people engaged in all kinds of creative pursuits. We have seven Arts Collaboratives: Writers J, Gardeners, 2-D Visual Art, 3-D Visual Art (pottery, knitting, architecture, glasswork …), Songwriters, Music Performers, and Drama. The retreat focused on Psalm 51 in four parts: Who am I without God? Who am I with God? What is my response to God? What is God’s response to me?

Each part included personal meditation on our response to questions related to our art, including toward the end, How am I through my art showing God’s greatness? How do I want to show God’s greatness through my art?

Our church enjoys the fruits of the Collaboratives’ labor in a variety of ways. The Songwriters regularly enrich our worship. A couple of weeks ago, the Music Performers offered a wonderful concert recognizing the in-between time we all live in. During Holy Week and Easter, 2-D and 3-D visual artists displayed thoughtful, intriguing interpretations of the Stations of the Cross. The Gardeners’ Collaborative helps keep our green spaces lovely.

The Writers’ Collaborative does not have a joint project at this point. But on a personal level, we share our work with each other and offer feedback and encouragement. Right now, as I’m working on Three-in-One, a member of our group who has kids the ages of my target audience is giving me valuable input. The book will be much better because of his own experience with writing for 9-12 year olds.

I depend on the Holy Spirit to help me every time I write something (including these blogs). In the case of this book, I have repeatedly asked for prayer that God will open my mind and guide me through his Spirit to accurately (if inevitably incompletely) represent who God is through this story. If you would like to pray for me in this, I would appreciate it! I am keenly aware of my own limitations, and at the same time I’m learning so much!

Please pray too for Lucy, the teenage artist who is working with me on Three-in-One. And pray for Aderyn, who is figuring out how to handle the challenging ideas I have for illustrating The Gladness Book. (If you’ve seen Campfire Song Stories, Lucy’s and Aderyn’s names are probably familiar to you). I hope both The Gladness Book and Three-in-One will be out by the end of the year, joining The Giggly Bug as this year’s new books.

Inspired by an attempt to help a three-year-old get over her fear of bugs,

now available in hardcover and paperback on Amazon (I don’t know why the cover image isn’t posted yet) and Barnes and Noble.

Thank you, Lord, that when you created us, you desired us to also be creative! Thank you that your Spirit inspires and gifts us in so many different ways.

One of the songs from the retreat keeps running through my mind: Your Labor Is Not in Vain, by Wendell Kimbrough, Paul Zach, and Isaac Wardell.