by Cathy Baker | Faith, Prayer |
It wasn’t the first time God has used a piece of wood to speak to me. Years ago, it was the story of His Son hanging on a tree, taking on all my sin, that gave me true hope for the first time in my life, resulting in eternal life. And an abundant one, too.
Part of the abundant life, I’m learning, is celebrating the small but creative ways God personally makes Himself known to us.
By now you know the unfolding story of our upcoming move, Lord willing, to the country. We believe He is leading us to a spacious {not in terms of square footage, but opportunities} place for His purposes and plans. For months, I’ve held fast to this⎯ to the point of purchasing rubber boots covered in chickens. Yes, chickens.
But we’re not the only couple on the move. About a month ago, Robyn, a sweet friend of mine, posted a picture of her holding a wooden cutout of our state on Facebook, revealing an upcoming move in their near future. I was encouraged by the picture. Thomas and Robyn’s smiling faces reflected their excitement and some of that enthusiasm naturally spilled over onto our story. I daydreamed about hanging our own SC cutout on a future wall, except our arrows would point upwards, towards the foothills of SC.
The following weekend was an especially discouraging one as the to-do’s seemed endless in this hundred-year-old house. For the first time, my steadfast chicken-clad boots slipped, and I felt despair trying its best to settle in and make itself at home.
Before daybreak on Monday, I asked God if He was still leading this move⎯that I was struggling to stay encouraged⎯almost to the point of questioning everything about it. Quite frankly, I asked Him to let me know in some way if we were still on the right track. {I have no problem asking my earthly dad if I need something so why would I hesitate to ask my heavenly Father, owner of the cattle on a thousand hills and keeper of every bird in the forest?} That quiet moment before daybreak wasn’t anything spiritually dynamic. It was simply a daughter asking her Daddy for an acknowledgment of His leading.
On Tuesday, the following day, Allison Martin, her two children, and sweet mom, Jane Green, drove over from Hickory NC for lunch. I’d not seen them since they attended our writer’s group years ago, or since Allison’s novel Finding Grace debuted in February. As soon as they pulled up in the nearby parking lot I walked over to greet them. We exchanged hugs while Allison continued pulling kiddo things out of the back of her vehicle. As she reached up to close the door she leaned over for one last thing. “Oh!” she said. “My husband handed this to me as we were leaving. He said to give it to my friend in SC.” With that, she pulled out the loveliest handcrafted piece of art I’d ever seen. Her husband, Ryan, had used various colors and lengths of wood to piece together the shape of my state, South Carolina.
I was stunned, not remembering if I’d mentioned my desire to have one on Facebook after seeing Robyn’s picture. I asked Allison if she knew the story behind my wanting a SC cutout but neither she nor Jane knew what I was talking about. I could only smile.
At that moment I recognized the wooden gift exactly for what it was⎯a quiet, but creative, confidence booster from my Father. From His heart, through Ryan’s gifted hands and Allison’s willingness to deliver it, God spoke fresh hope into my heart with this gift made of wood, much like he did in 1989.
I’m not sure where you find yourself today but I want to encourage you by reminding us both that the ultimate source of all hope is found in the person of Jesus alone. And through Jesus, and His sacrifice, we have access to the Creator. Not a pie-in-the-sky kind of Creator but One who knows and meets our deepest needs, as well as our smallest ones.
Is there some way I can pray for you, or someone you know, who is in need of hope today? If so, please feel free to share in the comment section, or if it’s something you’d prefer not to post, that’s fine too. Simply fill out your contact information above under the tab “Contact”.
For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. Psalm 50:10,11
If you want to check out my chicken boots from Tractor Supply {thanks for the heads up, Melody Crawford!}…
If you enjoy what you read in this little corner of the blogosphere I’d love for you to subscribe to the blog. Simply insert your email address {no spam!} in the right sidebar. It only takes a moment and in doing so, a NEW weekly post will automatically show up in your inbox.You can unsubscribe at any time. Thanks for stopping by! {There won’t be a post next week as I’ll be attending the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.}
by Cathy Baker | Writing |
Notice anything different? Hope so! I’ve made some changes to this place I’ve called home since 2008.
Back then, I began blogging at the prompting of Rich Butler, a friend, and fellow co-staffer at the time. Each week as a church staff we came together to design, if you will, our weekly services. It was my favorite hour of the week. To experience God bringing to life those creative ideas for His glory felt much like Eric Liddell must have felt when he said:
I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
Bringing creative elements into the telling of the Gospel has always felt natural to me. After all, the Bible is crammed full of examples of how God uses our senses to reveal more of Himself to us.
- Psalm 34:8 – Taste and see that the LORD is good!
- Proverbs 20:12 – The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, God has made them both.
- Matthew 8:3 – And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
- Genesis 8:21 – And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.
There are numerous accounts in the Gospel of Jesus using tangible “takeaways” when He taught. He was the Master of metaphors and multi-sensory teaching. The Tabernacle, Passover, The Lord’s Supper…the list goes on. Jesus knew the power of our senses {as our Creator} and He harnessed them all for the Father’s glory. And this is my desire as well.
You see, earlier this year, I sensed God nudging me to become more intentional with this little corner of mine. I prayed, I watched, and I expected. I soon realized that since becoming a student of the Word years ago, I’ve gravitated towards adding a creative element to the studies I lead, to the gifts I give, and often to the gatherings I create. That was it!
I could learn and share how to cultivate creativity in every day life, reflecting more and more of His image in the process.
From there, Fistbump Media {Dan King and Susan Stilwell} hopped on board, using their own creative gifts and talents to make this site feel more like home — a place where we can come together as a community of believers, bloggers, and whomever else God decides to bring.
My hope is that you will find this to be a place of encouragement and inspiration as we seek to cultivate creativity through our home and families, writing, meaningful gatherings, and our stories of faith…all to the glory of our Creator and King.
For a more detailed look at the “why” behind this intentional move towards creativity, visit my About Page here, or click the tab at the top of the page.
Beginning next week, I’ll post once a week and believe me when I say…you don’t want to miss next week. God revealed Himself in a subtle but meaningful way a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to share. Until then, thank you for stopping by today. I don’t take you or your time for granted. You are a blessing!
If you like what you’re reading, you can subscribe today in the right-hand margin. My weekly posts will be delivered to your inbox. Also, feel free to share with a friend! Thank you. 🙂
Suggested Reading:
Desiring God {John Piper’s site}, Make God Look Great. Create.
Stephen Altrogge’s e-book, Create. Stop Making Excuses and Start Making Stuff
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
A quote often says more than an entire essay. It’s a morsel, rich with perspective, cutting through all the fluff. For this reason, we’re bringing our July series to a close with five favorite quotes on creativity.
“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.” -Frank Capra
“It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life.”
-Barthold Georg Niebuhr
“The writer who possesses the creative gift owns something of which he is not always master—something that at times strangely wills and works for itself.” -Charlotte Bronte
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” -Erich Fromm
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” -Maya Angelou
It’s hard to beat a cup of Starbucks brew (cold brew, that is — my new favorite!) so simply share your favorite quote from above in the comment section below. Your name will be included in the random drawing taking place this Friday morning for a Starbucks gift card. A cup of coffee or tea is waiting to be handcrafted just for you by your local barista.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
“And by the way, everything in life is writeable about
if you have the outgoing guts to do it
and the imagination to improvise.The worst enemy to
creativity is self-doubt.” -Sylvia Plath
“Travel writing sounds awesome.” It wasn’t the answer I expected.
If you know me, you know that travel has been problematic ever since a car accident back in 1984. Back roads are doable, to a point. Highways, um, no.
|
| Graphic courtesy of Sound Valley |
So, when given the opportunity to pitch three ideas for a monthly column over at A-3 no one was more surprised than me to find that I’d scribbled the words travel writing on my page of possibilities. Surely it was a momentary lapse in judgment!
Instead of pitching three ideas, I decided to agree on the one subject the editor wanted and needed at the time—grammar. I had the email ready to go. Problem was, my finger refused to hit the send button. In doing so, I felt I’d be settling for the known, and not trusting God with the unknown.
Rather than hitting the send key, the one ripe with guaranteed success, the delete key was struck instead. I started a new email and this time, travel writing was included as one of the three pitches. I glanced heavenward with a smile, feeling almost like a kid that had been double-dog dared. With one tap, the email was sent and all I could do was wait.
I found myself delighting in God’s sense of humor. Travel writing, really? I had nothing to offer on the subject
except my own reluctance.
In the hours that passed between the pitch and the response, I was reminded of Buttercup. Remember her? She’s the 1963 Shasta Airflyte my hubby bought me for our 25th Anniversary coming up in October. I purchased a domain name for her the day we were introduced, confident that God was up to something with me and the subject of travel. (We look forward to our maiden voyage very soon.)
As I anxiously awaited the editor’s response, I continued praying that God would guide him to make the right decision for me. Because I prayed this believing He would, I rest in the fact that He did just that—despite the self-doubt and relentless accusations within. For example, How can you, oh reluctant traveler (except for the mountains) be a travel writer?
I don’t know what God is stirring up but I know I’m not afraid to research, work hard, and pray for a mile-long dose of creativity to throw in the mix. So there, Satan! Get behind me.
Join me over at A-3 this Friday, July 24th for my first posting! It is sure to be an exciting adventure.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
A favorite childhood memory took place out back behind my grandmother’s house. There, on her scuffed red cement steps I concocted masterpieces in the form of mud pies. People came from miles around just to taste a morsel. Or at least that’s the world my only-child mind created.
“From the old lady who fills a page with doodling as she talks on the phone, to the man who welds dinosaurs in the middle of the desert out of wrecked car parts, all around us are examples of this mysterious, powerful urge to create, to be creative, to live out or somehow respond to the beauty of our creative Father. We are driven to create at this deep wordless level of the soul because we are all fashioned in the image of God who is an Artist.” – Michael Card, Scribbling in the Sand
“God is an artist and he is beautiful. He has woven his image into the fabric of our lives, which explains our drive to create things which are beyond us and which we don’t always understand.” – Michael Card
Try this: Consider the sanctuary of your church and other church sanctuaries where you have worshiped. Which space best expressed the beauty of the Lord and drew your heart toward him, and why? You may want to sketch the spaces to remind yourself of how they looked and the elements they contained.
Now suppose you have the job of designing a church sanctuary. How would you make it reflect the beauty of the Creator. Sketch out some plans. Don’t worry about the quality of your artwork. –Michael Card, Scribbling in the Sand Study Guide
How did your creative spark play out when you were a child?
It wasn’t the first time God has used a piece of wood to speak to me. Years ago, it was the story of His Son hanging on a tree, taking on all my sin, that gave me true hope for the first time in my life, resulting in eternal life. And an abundant one, too.
But we’re not the only couple on the move. About a month ago, Robyn, a sweet friend of mine, posted a picture of her holding a wooden cutout of our state on Facebook, revealing an upcoming move in their near future. I was encouraged by the picture. Thomas and Robyn’s smiling faces reflected their excitement and some of that enthusiasm naturally spilled over onto our story. I daydreamed about hanging our own SC cutout on a future wall, except our arrows would point upwards, towards the foothills of SC.
I was stunned, not remembering if I’d mentioned my desire to have one on Facebook after seeing Robyn’s picture. I asked Allison if she knew the story behind my wanting a SC cutout but neither she nor Jane knew what I was talking about. I could only smile.
Notice anything different? Hope so! I’ve made some changes to this place I’ve called home since 2008.
