This week I got to attend a Poetry Party as part of UMC LEAD, a conference I was speaking at in Charlotte, NC. In the midst of hearing speakers and learning about new aspects of ministry, it was so lovely to have time just to nourish our souls. I could feel myself relaxing as the words of Dale Fredrickson and the music of Dobsy washed over me. For a moment I was able to surrender myself, to stop thinking and just be. It was such a holy gift, especially the night before my talk. I slept well, not worried or anxious about the morning. Art has such power to help us touch something so vast beyond ourselves.
The next evening at UMC LEAD we got to tour the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. 45 minutes there transformed the stereotypes I wasn’t even aware that I held about African-American fathers through. The photographs of Zun Lee spoke so profoundly of fatherhood and broke my heart wide open with their beauty and power. I dreamt that night of the work of DeShawn Dumas and Brenda Youngblood, abstract artists whose work carries a weight long after I have stepped away from the gallery.
Art helps me to see others more fully and challenges me to see more of God’s imagination at work in the world. I am so grateful to be able to be a docent at the Portland Art Museum and bring what I learn there to our table at SFC. This spring I will be leading some tours on spirituality at the museum, so that together we can all have some time to nourish our souls.
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