“7” Virtual Art-Walk: Day 2

“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”               Luke 23:43

Note: the broken way in which this poem is formatted is purposeful. Imagine the broken, jagged breath of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus… gasping for every breath… just to simply form sentences.

Breath

Jesus, why are you

up here

with me,      why

is our blood

mixing      with dirt,

why do our lungs

heave out      as if

we have

the same spirit

in us

begging      to be      set free?

Why do we      keep

breathing,

each inhalation,

a gasp.

All      I want      to do

is breathe out

a final      time.

Are you      a criminal,

what have you

stolen, what law

have you broken? Exhale.

I inhale

your air.

The weight      of it

does not      rise

off      my chest.

Why must

this suffering

last                       so long?

God, just this

breathing

is agony—

guilt

and    grace,

guilt    and

grace,   guilt

and grace,

where    is

Your paradise?

~ Sarah M. Wells (C) 2010

“7” Virtual Art-Walk Posts by Day:

• Intro: What is the “7” virtual art-walk?
• Day 1: “Father, forgive them…”
• Day 3: “Dear woman, here is your son…”
• Day 4: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
• Day 5: “I am thirsty.”
• Day 6: “It is finished!”
• Day 7: “Father, into your hands…”

Blessings of ARTistry, CREATivity & BEaUty, Jody

______________________

What is Create-A-Day?  Just as One-A-Day® Vitamins help restore the nutrients we deplete in our bodies, so too do we need to refill, replenish and renew our creative souls. In 2015, watch for daily* posts to undergird your ministry; lead you to resources to nurture the creative spirit within; and draw you more deeply in worship of Jesus Christ. My goal is to provide you, the creative Christian, with over 250* resources to help you develop your ARTistry, CREATivity & capacity for BEaUty. Books, worship arts ministries, video series, websites, conferences—all geared towards artists, creatives, worshipers and people serving in worship and creative arts ministries. So, visit my blog every day* to see what creative resource I’ve hunted down for you. You can stay connected by following me on Twitter or Facebook. Or better yet, sign up to receive email updates by clicking the button to the left. We’ll watch the resources pile up as the year unfolds!

* I am a proponent of family time and Sabbath rest so don’t look for posts on weekends or Holidays.

Jody Thomae is an embodied spiritual director and the author of several books including God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist in You and The Creator’s Healing Power: Restoring the Broken to Beautiful, both devotional books with Bible studies to nurture the creative spirit within and to serve as a resource for creative Christians, artists, musicians and worshippers. She has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997, coordinating artistic involvement in church services and regional worship events through dance, drama, poetry and fine arts and has had the opportunity to perform, teach, choreograph, preach, coordinate and lead workshops in the area of creativity, spirituality and embodied prayer. She also has a devotional CD, Song of the Beloved available through most music outlets.

Her passion is for the revelation of God to be made more real through the prophetic use of the arts in church and formational ministry. It is her desire to portray the message of Christ’s desperate and unfailing love for His people to help sustain the hearts of the broken and weary. Life scriptures include Psalm 27; Isaiah 50:4-7; and Zephaniah 3:14-17.