I will be posting an indepth update up date on my journey of the Oak Tree's intervention story from March of 2010....( please read the posting it will make the rest of this make sense.) for now here is the update in short form...
All of the strangler fig that was incasing the oak tree, had fallen off and had been stripped away...along with some minor intervention, the tree is back to what it was intended to be, a thriving healthy, strong live oak.
Ok, so what does that mean? What a show & tell image..... It tells me that NOTHING and NO ONE is too late for God's intervention...this week He gave me a miracle....He saved the life of a friend!
.... to be continued.... and gave an encouraging sign that He would restore this person just as tenderly as was witnessed by the show & tell of the oak tree. God is sooooo faithful. Lazarath...Come forth!!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Life's Strangler Fig
Hum, ever think about how subtle sin really is? not to mention how subtle compromise can be! How vulnerable are we to wrong thinking or actions when things don't go our way? I had a show and tell incident while driving into work one day.
I stopped for some coffee so it caused me to take an alternate side street there I came across the images you see here below. The one image was so compelling that I stopped my car and parked it in order to take photos of what caused me to" turn aside " to stop and notice what seemed very unusual.
As you will see the images are based around a very large Florida Live Oak tree as well as what was around it. This very old live oak tree, was nestled right in the heart of the small local community and growing tall and strong near the highway. The Florida Live Oak had been compromised on a large section of it from its original purpose which was to be a safe haven for birds, squirrels and other animals.
Over time, the tree had subtly been attached by a strangler fig. For those unfamiliar to a strangle fig tree, this tree is a parasite tree...this parasite starts small by attaching itself to the host tree ( in this case a live oak) and over time slowly begins to dissipates the life of the host tree of life.
The goal of the Strangler Fig is to envelopes the host tree, so that it is no longer recognizable!
The irony is that when the strangle fig has done it's work, what will be left or evident to the natural eye appears to be another green healthy tree...when in reality... the host tree was swallowed up by the fig tree. The Strangler Fig existed only to steal and ultimately destroy the life of the host tree.
I had to ponder could the "strangler fig" be a symbol of what sin and compromise are like in our lives???? huh...sin and compromise begins so slowly it too can go virtually unnoticed for years?
Could we become like the poor host tree over taken by the strangler fig subtly decieved and overtaken finding ourselves NOTHING like we were intended to be?
As I was musing all of this suddenly along came a man, (seen here in the photo)...who appeared out of nowhere and began to talk "to" me... asking me if I knew about all the good the live oak does for everything around it. I thought I did know, however, instead of speaking I merely encouraged him to share what he knew. I marveled as I commented to this stranger how awesome it was that "someone" had seen fit to intervene to restore and reclaim this marvelous tree. When we finished I thanked him for his brief illumination on the subject of Live Oak trees.
Funny, I am also reminded that in God's word for those who love him are called "oaks of righteousness." While instead the counterfeit similar to the strangler fig , "Satan poses as an angel of light” comes with his real aim is to “deceive...steal ...kill and destroy."
This thought also prompted me to ask God ...if there were any areas in my own life the enemy had crept into
I asked the Lord....would he please do to me…what I noticed what the unseen gardener had done for this live oak... "intervene” and cut off any damage caused by sin, or subtle compromise...any area that I may have been unknowingly vulnerable to Satan's schemes...
The, I also asked if He would do the same thing for those, that were on my heart that morning.
a ha! I think that is the focus for the week... GRACE.....the joy of knowing a God who clearly is a God of redemption and restoration.
There is a God who wants to bring life to any area where the enemy has attempted to kill, steal or destroy.
God wants to unleash his gentle hand and his power to cut off all that the enemy has stolen. I know too...he did all this by someone who was nailed to a tree for just that purpose!
( below is the stranger and the strangler fig)
Thankfully....it is spring....and a time of new beginings... a time to remember Passover and an empty tomb.... resurrection power and for me... well I have a birthday on April Fools Day coming up......
so YES, LOL I agree with the Apostle Paul...I will be a fool for Christ's sake and yes, I will again and again choose LIFE and Blessings....and be thankful that someone paid for me to inherit the blessings...
...I will also choose be thankful for His intervention and his "passover promises" .... how about you?
I stopped for some coffee so it caused me to take an alternate side street there I came across the images you see here below. The one image was so compelling that I stopped my car and parked it in order to take photos of what caused me to" turn aside " to stop and notice what seemed very unusual.
As you will see the images are based around a very large Florida Live Oak tree as well as what was around it. This very old live oak tree, was nestled right in the heart of the small local community and growing tall and strong near the highway. The Florida Live Oak had been compromised on a large section of it from its original purpose which was to be a safe haven for birds, squirrels and other animals.
Over time, the tree had subtly been attached by a strangler fig. For those unfamiliar to a strangle fig tree, this tree is a parasite tree...this parasite starts small by attaching itself to the host tree ( in this case a live oak) and over time slowly begins to dissipates the life of the host tree of life.
The goal of the Strangler Fig is to envelopes the host tree, so that it is no longer recognizable!
The irony is that when the strangle fig has done it's work, what will be left or evident to the natural eye appears to be another green healthy tree...when in reality... the host tree was swallowed up by the fig tree. The Strangler Fig existed only to steal and ultimately destroy the life of the host tree.
I had to ponder could the "strangler fig" be a symbol of what sin and compromise are like in our lives???? huh...sin and compromise begins so slowly it too can go virtually unnoticed for years?
Could we become like the poor host tree over taken by the strangler fig subtly decieved and overtaken finding ourselves NOTHING like we were intended to be?
As I was musing all of this suddenly along came a man, (seen here in the photo)...who appeared out of nowhere and began to talk "to" me... asking me if I knew about all the good the live oak does for everything around it. I thought I did know, however, instead of speaking I merely encouraged him to share what he knew. I marveled as I commented to this stranger how awesome it was that "someone" had seen fit to intervene to restore and reclaim this marvelous tree. When we finished I thanked him for his brief illumination on the subject of Live Oak trees.
Funny, I am also reminded that in God's word for those who love him are called "oaks of righteousness." While instead the counterfeit similar to the strangler fig , "Satan poses as an angel of light” comes with his real aim is to “deceive...steal ...kill and destroy."
This thought also prompted me to ask God ...if there were any areas in my own life the enemy had crept into
I asked the Lord....would he please do to me…what I noticed what the unseen gardener had done for this live oak... "intervene” and cut off any damage caused by sin, or subtle compromise...any area that I may have been unknowingly vulnerable to Satan's schemes...
The, I also asked if He would do the same thing for those, that were on my heart that morning.
a ha! I think that is the focus for the week... GRACE.....the joy of knowing a God who clearly is a God of redemption and restoration.
There is a God who wants to bring life to any area where the enemy has attempted to kill, steal or destroy.
God wants to unleash his gentle hand and his power to cut off all that the enemy has stolen. I know too...he did all this by someone who was nailed to a tree for just that purpose!
( below is the stranger and the strangler fig)
Thankfully....it is spring....and a time of new beginings... a time to remember Passover and an empty tomb.... resurrection power and for me... well I have a birthday on April Fools Day coming up......
so YES, LOL I agree with the Apostle Paul...I will be a fool for Christ's sake and yes, I will again and again choose LIFE and Blessings....and be thankful that someone paid for me to inherit the blessings...
...I will also choose be thankful for His intervention and his "passover promises" .... how about you?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Death of Alexander McQueen ...Do we nurture today's talent?
Open arms
Pondering at a tombMy immediate internal reaction was " oh dear God, this young man took his own life " Now I am not fatalistic or morbid or even a sensationalist. In fact I tried to push this gut reaction out of my mind hoping I was wrong... but I know my gut.... so I set out to gain the facts about his untimely death ... Alexander McQueen who's real first name was Lee had in fact taken his own life. Such a tragedy he was such a young man, he was only 40!
McQueen rocketed to icon status in the fashion industry thanks to his muse a former editor, who sadly also took her own life less than three years ago.
Therefore, I found myself rivited the story as I set out to search for what lessons might be gleaned for the tragic loss of this young man, who was also known as one of fashion's "la enfant terrible."
As I was musing the details of his death online, I came across a poignant interview by an older industry peer who pondered the question of "do we nurture our young talent???" Sadly it seems as if to imply we do not, instead we exploit them to fuel our own fashion fantasy.
Being around the fashion industry so long, I have witnessed other untimely deaths of other talented young men and women such as Patrick Kelly, Willi Smith, Franco Moschino, Versace ( Lady Di) and others. I personally had providential encounters with a few of the older designers who also passed in recent years; Bill Blass and YSL.
Perhaps this why I related so much to my students who were in shock over the loss of an icon. Each generation has its own set of icons and the last two men I listed, had been my inspiration in my youth and during my years of producing knitwear. ( But those God-sighting stories are for another day )
Today, my attention and focus is about all the young "pups' I teach fashion design to that are struggling over the loss of someone like themselves who was so young and vulnerable..... it is about their reaction to death of an icon.
Since the news broke, speculation has been rampant. It appears now as the facts have finally come to light, ...what triggered his hopelessness had been a combination of several tragic losses. First it was the suicide of his muses in recent years, coupled this with the recent death of his beloved mother ( he died before he could even attend her funeral) and sadly the crushing blow was being jilted by his male companion... all together these isolated incidents and rejections formed what seemed to be the perfect storm of loss and tragedy that were far to deep to bear for such a solitary young man.
Here is a copy of my original posting my FACEBOOK which I posted for my students:
The link (no longer available) I provided was the best video tribute I have seen that poses the question...are we really nurturing todays talent?
The interview shows a depth of compassion from an older peer that explores and conveys the vulnerability of artists and the lonely isolation of the top, and implies the need for a strong belief system beyond... the realm of fashion when the storms of life hit....no one is immune...it causes us to reflect who will you turn to when the storms of life hit? Who will be your rock? (end of my Facebook post)
We are all vulnerable to rejection, and loss...it would not take much for any of us to crumble if the perfect storms of life hit us....so I repeat the question to you, as much as I challenge myself....who or what are you serving?
Let's be honest...where your time is, where you money goes, that is where your heart and passion lie. The big question is.... Is your "idol" a safe haven for life's perfect storms?
This young man seem to have had what most of my students crave, ....talent, fame, fortune... but in the end...fashion proved to be not "enough" to save him.
What came to my mind as I ponder the impact on my students as they processed McQueen's death ...were the words of King Solomon...3,500 years ago wrote about looking back over his own life, in the world's eyes one of fame, fortune and success... in his own word he admitted that he had succumbed to the futility of chasing vanity,
Ecclesiastes 12:1
"Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come..."
Upon first reading you might thing there is no comfort in Solomon's words.....But I ASSURE YOU...This is not a morbid reflection...
Instead it IS one of consolation, in a world of "free will" to "choose who or what we will serve" Solomon concluded like other men of God that the "sun does shine on the good and the bad, as does the rain fall on both" the question is... can God be enough in good times and in tragedy? Did he really "pay a ransom for souls???"
Having walked through my own valley of the shadows of death, I have found myself saying again and again to my own soul...."Lord either answer my questions or BE the answer" "Reveal yourself to ME" "Comfort me,.... be enough!"
As I look back on times where I wondered if God really was far off from my pain, and when I was doubting his wisdom and seemingly lack of intervention, yet I can state with confidence that time and again He has proven to me the value of this passage over the losses and tragedies I have faced. Once when I was really angry with him over the death of a dear artist friend he made the following passage actually make sense to me...it reads
"oh death where is thy victory or death where is thy sting."
In other words, loss and tragedy do not have to have the last say in my life.
That is the beauty of an intimate relationship with God, no one else can reach you where it really hurts...know one knows you like he does...time and again He proves himself to me in ways that no one else can understand...he meets me where I am at and where my need is.
So that is why I am sharing my thoughts today to those dear ones reading this now who may be struggling and feel shattered by the loss of this fragile young man, we may not know until eternity what decisions were uttered by McQueen with his last breath...I can say for sure my hope is that Lee cried out to God...
....but I must turn my focus NOW to the living and my prayer is for those young designers like Lee who are building a life on sinking sand...please what you are really pondering is your own mortality...I urge you to learn from Solomon...learn from McQueen's death .....choose Jesus.... while you are still young. God does want you to be successful .....He does want you to use your talent to the fullest, and He does want you to enjoy the fruit of your labors, but it is all about HIM...eternity is so long to be wrong...our life really amounts to the dash mark between the date of our birth and the date of our death....eternity is so long to be estranged from someone who died for you and loves you so much, he deserves first place in our lives.
Moses said it clearly...."I set before you life and death, blessing and curse...choose life!"
I leave you with one last thought... to not choose...is to choose!
May God comfort and instruct your hearts as you have the courage to confront where your are building your hopes and your future on.
Till next week...
Kathleen
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Macedonian Call
My Macedonian Call continues...
Macedonia what a special place...the country is small land-locked country boardering Greece that first came on my radar well over 25 years ago when I read the amazing story of the apostle Paul's first visit there.
The story is recorded in the book of Acts in chapter 16. In the account Paul was given a vision of a man in Macedonia pleading for Paul to come and help. However, if you carefully read the account, the first person Paul meets in the land is a "woman" not a man... She was one of the more wealthy and prominent business woman she was outside in the countryside with her friends praying and seeking to understand more of God. The woman's name was Lydia and she is referred to as a seller of purple! In layman's terms this is a textile/fashion designer selling high end fabrics to the wealthy.
As someone who has spent her entire adult life in the pursuit of textiles, fashion and of course wanting to know more about God...this caught my attention. I had to laugh to myself as I read....even the great apostle Paul had to have God work within the confines of Paul's obviously religious mind-set...( I guess this means there is hope for me and my " mindsets" to : D
You can read it for yourself....God had to give Paul a vision of a "man" pleading for help! No doubt if the vision had been of a woman, Paul would have rebuked the vision and dismissed the vision as not being from God.
BUT, the good news is, that once he arrived, Paul clearly recognized it was God's prompting after all...you will discover that after a brief conversation with the woman, Paul could see that these women were seeking something more than they had been taught all their life. Well, this story made me laugh and wonder what extremes does God go to in order to get my attention...it also caused me to ponder what is so special about Macedonian women?
At the time I first read the book of Acts I had never visited Macedonia nor had I even met anyone from this country...so it only seemed appropriate for me to ask God to send me a student from there so that I might have a better understanding, of what makes this place so special that he personally sent the apostle Paul there!!! He answered this prayer about 10 years later, I received my first student from Macedonain that came to the college where I taught fashion and textile design. Her name was Tanya and she was delightful, talented, kind and generous. We spoke often about her country, the political situation and of course the struggles with the neighboring countries. You can go online to the http://www.worldfactbook.com/ for more info on the country. From a bible stand point if you are unaware, Macedonia has been listed in the bible since the ancient days of Daniel and is referred to as the bronze portion of Nebuchadnezzar's vision in Daniel 2:23, 39. It is also refered to as the leopard with 4 heads Dan. 7:6, 17 and as the male goat in Dan. 11:4. In recent years the country peacefully gained independence in 1991.
Macedonian Call Fall 2009 & Feb. 2010
The images you will see below, are a continuation of my Macedonian call story. It continues in the fall of 2009 when I was invited by some providential circumstances ( due to my expertise as an educator and textile artist) to personally meet with the Ambassador from Macedonia to the US.
Naturally, prior to meeting this man, I sought God to discover what God wanted me to do or say at this meeting.
As a research junkie ( I have actually written a college textbook on how to do research) ( after reading my blog you will also see why I needed an editor...LOL ) and as a woman who loves to talk (pray) to God, I immediately researched the latest happenings in Macedonia and I also searched my archive for one of Tanya's drawing that she had made for me back in the 1990's while she was my student. It was very special to me and I kept is a visual token for all the prayers I had offered up for this country. The image was of a Macedonian bride holding what appeared to look like the cross...it seems to be held all most like a scepter or sword in her right hand. Sensing the prophetic nature of the image I had determined that THIS is the token I should give to the Ambassador from me. I reprinted a digital copy for the Ambassador, along with typing and sharing the story from the book of Acts of the "man" in Macedonia seeking help. I noted to him in my letter the similarities to our meeting. I shared with the Ambassador what I perceived ...that here once again, may be it was God using a "man" (him) to plea for help for his country on behalf of many sectors of the Macedonian economy, but the fashion world in particular!
Nothing, seemed to transpire as a result of our meeting, only a few polite email correspondences along with my offer to come and visit...but nothing more.
However, this seemingly unfruitful meeting, did not negate my heart for this country. Frankly, it caused me to step up my praying all the more. I found myself continuing to pray and ask the Lord to send SOMEONE who would once again turn the hearts to the good news that Paul had shared so long ago...I also prayed that all of the people groups representative of this precious country would be touched by God's deep love and concern for them.
To my surprise earlier in this week I had been invited to a local Macedonian festival...So last night as I attended the festival held in South Florida. I had purposed in my heart to search once again to "See" what God might be saying to me about this precious country. Here below are images from this event.
Take a look,
You will see my annotations of the images, and hopefully will also "see" for yourself what I "heard" from God's heart for this special country and people...dear ones that God personally still cares very much about!
The woman at the microphone named Dana, who is a very special local business woman who is serving with devotion the country of Macedonia, I have to smile again to myself, as I observe this precious unselfish Jewish woman being used by God to bless the Macedonanian people here in South Florida, just as he had used Rabbi (Apostle) Paul
.
Here in the photo is the "man" from Macedonia who came seeking help and support for his country... he is Ambassador of Macedonia to the US.
These images show the lovely native costume and fabrics of the Macedonian people.
There is also shown an image of the local dance, it makes me think of God's instruction for us to praise, dance and worship him in good times and in bad. Music is important to every culture it can define who they are as a people.
As I walked around the festival I read and continued to discover more about the culture. I also spent time with some dear women who brought their treasures from home of drawings, photos, books and crafts to share. I also noticed that there were other flags from many places that represented where the Macedonia people migrated too here in North America.
One of the highlights for me was meeting the two women shown here. I could not help but see in thier hearts were the passions and respect for the traditions of their forefathers, and I learned of the hope they shared for the next generations who too are seeking to learn more about preserving these traditions ...
my prayer is that God would raise up more and more modern day Lydias...who will seek God's heart and mind for this country!
Here is Dana again with a few key leaders of the local Macedonian community singing the national anthems of both Macedonia and the United States...and below...like the tiny country is
The humble simple stage where everyone gathered.
This image defined for me what God wanted me to see ...I could not help but admire how this dear older man stood for what seemed to be hours ....strong and proud holding the flags....It reminded me to pray that God would raise up in addition to more Lydia's, men and women of God he refers to as watchmen ( that is people who know how to successfully pray for the country the God's promises.)
Let's face the remnant of believers may be small like Gideon's army but I know they exist there and this dear older man standing strong aholding the flags of these two countries that seemed intertwined, ...served as a visual reminder of what God wanted me to be reminded of..... A flag or banner is a metaphor of God's word......here is what His word says "when the enemy comes in like a flood, God raises up a standard ( or HIS flag) which is Christ... and....all who look to HIM will not be disappointed or put to shame. Standing faithfully in prayer is a choice...holding up God's word in faith is hard when everything in the natural wants to cause us to doubt.
Faith in "faith" is futile and vain, "faith without works is dead"...but faith in in a God who so "loved the world that He gave his only son and personally sent the Apostle Paul!" is what we are called to do. So faith coupled with our action of compassionate acts and practical service can reclaim the rich inheritance that God had purposed so long ago for this country. God is not limited to the world's system of doing things. His heart is for people and nations...He sees Macedonia and my prayer is that the seeds planted by Paul and the faith of friends of Lydia will remind people once again that hope is not an emotion, it is a person...his name is Jesus...and hope does not disappoint.
My desire and prayer is that one day, the Lord will throw open wide for me the door to finally go and visit this country.....but until then I will pray for Lord will reach this new generation and to call forth the "Lydias" that will "seek" God....even in the most unlikely places as well as for them to listen and look for God's response in the most unlikely packaging!
Blessings,
Kathleen
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Haiti--- there is a way out
I can not stop thinking about Haiti...I have never visited there, however, I have so many students and peers from there my heart sinks every time I get an email update.
Yesterday's email was from a student who just discovered that her daddy died.
This dear one was alerting her faculty why she would not be in class this week. ..... Think about it...this kind of sorrow very few people have a grid for to contend and process something like this...my heart is aching for this young person still in their late teens living in here in the US...close... but yet so far...
In fact how do we each begin to process all the imagery we are seeing on the news??? It has caused me to wonder... did Jesus' disciples go through the same shock, sorrow and confusion when he was killed? Everything they thought to be true was put on the line and called into question. Did they wonder how did things seem to go so terribly wrong? Did they begin to question their faith...did they question IF they had made a mistake in following him? Did you know that there was even an earth quake at the moment of his death...
The truth is Everything - yes everything bad that happens to us can seem like an earth quake, are not the results are the same???
....bad things can turn our world upside down. We all have had things happen to us that demolish our trust or our faith... we also no one is unscathed in life ..no one.... like the images of Haiti's destruction...we all know people, may be even ourselves that have been traumatized by illness, death of a loved one, financial strain, divorce, abuse.. (1 in 4 girls are victims before age 18 and STD' statistics are no more encouraging ( between age 15 and 24 ) over 19 MILLION new cases were reported in 2008 !!! So what do we do???
It made me ponder this morning as I was setting aside time to reflect... do I question Him too? Do I, give up hope or get angry... when things don't work out the way I had hoped?
I suppose like Jesus' friend Pete...I don't respond that way I want to......so you can image my dismay when just moments ago as I was writing this blog... I paused to open and read an email from a artist friend who wrote to me her response to what has happened in Haiti... in her email she wrote "what kind of god would let this happen?
What should I say?
How do I offer comfort?
Would she believe me if I encouraged her to choose to trust...to choose to have faith that God does care ands that out of this horrible situation He could bring life and renew hope?
My heart ached, as I mused about what she wrote to me, and why she wrote to me. Did she write me because she really wanted me to help her answer the WHY ??? ... or perhaps ...I think she really wanted to hear from Him... you know, like when you talk really loud to someone about someone else all the while hoping that the "someone else" over hears you....
From my vantage, my friend is caught where many of us have been... wanting to reconcile her belief that God existed, but struggling to attempt to rationalize the events that made no sense, and only served to make him seem so capricious.
So I did what I knew to do, I listened,( yes I also had already put my money where my heart was.. I donated...we all donated...( if haven't donated...good grief what are you waiting for?)... http://www.worldvision.org/ ....
AND then I prayed....
I reminded God about how he captured my heart in my time of questioning when I was her age, I also reminded Him that may be.... it was her time... time for Him to reveal himself to her, just as did for me all those years ago when I too felt broken, confused, alone and fearful....I know He will....because He has ...over and over for me, each and every time life throws me what seems to be more than I can handle...
I remember that day so long ago when I really got in "his" face and began to really ask him the "hard questions" and I also remember how "he" tenderly and slowly began to put things into perspective for me. I used to think I was crazy for pressing so hard, even wondering if I was so kind of heretic...what helped is I came across a similar story that is worth reading, it is the story about two sisters. These women were also very close friends of Jesus, in the story is about how their brother died . They were angry and wanted to know where Jesus was and WHY he did not show up when they called out for his intervention. It is a really good story... I can tell you that it really spoke to my heart. Truly, I suggest you take a look and decide for yourself may be God will speak to your heart throught it as He did to mine ....
You know it is hard to make sense of death and especially the cross...yet perhaps the cross was part horizontal... pointing to you and me.... the part we play....you know like ....be practical and put your money where your heart is, ... find a place to donate to help all those dear ones in Haiti ....
AND the good news, is the cross was also vertical... God did come down and pay the price.... ....so why not remind Him of that through your own prayer???....ask for His comfort and intervention for Haiti...
Didn't He said " HE so loves the all the nations? Well this includes Haiti...He never stopped loving them and doesn't it go on to say that is why "HE GAVE His only son...."???!!!
It even records some of Jesus last words ...."paid in full"....he paid for it all.... tell him to reveal this truth to YOU...ask Him to do that for Haiti.
As for me....I know that in the book of Job it says.."everything Job lost was restored to him, when he prayed for his friends...." Sounds like a selfish prayer, but I suppose that is that horizontal part of the cross at work again...
So....What do you have to loose? PRAY .... is a good 4-letter word eh? and trust me I am using a lot of those 4-letter words in the last few weeks....
See you next week...blessings....
Kathleen
Monday, January 11, 2010
How do I begin?
Jan. 11th 2010
The image below is not an easy image to look at is it? It was taken on the street in India...in broad daylight and in plain sight. This is was one of the images used as a catalyst for me as an artist to take make the journey of publishing this blog. The title "the art of intercession" captures my desire to make visibly audible my prayers for the people and places that God has put on my heart....
C2008 MKC photo
The image below is not an easy image to look at is it? It was taken on the street in India...in broad daylight and in plain sight. This is was one of the images used as a catalyst for me as an artist to take make the journey of publishing this blog. The title "the art of intercession" captures my desire to make visibly audible my prayers for the people and places that God has put on my heart....
C2008 MKC photo
One of my art responses to the photo reveals that this scenario is not isolated incident...it is real, and it is happening in not just India. Abuse turns a child's worlds upside down, it distorts the truth. When confronted with such realities we can not longer dismiss the the truth of abuse, or the notion of human trafficking...
C2008 MKC Collage digitally printed on chiffon.
Art has become my form of advocacy... it empowers me to take what may be "true" about a given situation.
Art has become my form of advocacy... it empowers me to take what may be "true" about a given situation.
Statistics on matters of abuse, human trafficking, the AIDS epidemic are readily found online...but one has to wonder was does God have to say about such things?
Some might ask even where He is...does He even care???
...and if He cares....then why doesn't He do something???
That is how I started my journey to make art that has a voice...... like many others before me... I too have asked him...."if you had been here this would not have happened."
My blog is my personal journey to those answers...and my art is my response to what I discovered.
MKC - (images below are) ceramic hands, hands ...hand painted and hand beaded canvas, hand made book photos and narrative printed on card stock. (Front of book cover below)
The images seen above and below are images of the my handmade book response to what I saw in India. I love India...I love people from India....India assaults your senses when you visit it...it is alive with color and smells and people...lots of people! Sadly however, India is also know for human trafficking.
The images seen above and below are images of the my handmade book response to what I saw in India. I love India...I love people from India....India assaults your senses when you visit it...it is alive with color and smells and people...lots of people! Sadly however, India is also know for human trafficking.The statistics on human trafficking in India are staggering Just check out this fact on Google or on the CIA world fact book. (http://www.worldfactbook.com/)
The process of how I made this work came from my reaction and my quiet time of contemplation about what I had seen. The result is a hand made book.
You will notice that there are three sets of hands depicted.
The first are white hands which are made of ceramic,
The second set of hands are hand painted and hand beaded painted on canvas. (the front side of the double side painted canvas is shown above while the henna color
is shown below)
The third is a photo of a young girl holding the hand of another young child taken while in India in 2008.
The purpose is place the woman and children who are often the weak victims of these statistics into context and if only in my private prayers into God's unseen hands.
Close up of reverse of book cover, hand painted and hand beaded on canvas, images and narrative printed on card stock and ceramic hands that cradle the book.
So if you found your way to this blog or perhaps you were encouraged to visit it... I want to say Thank you for reading this far...I invite you to continue to become a follower with me on this journey!
Back Story #1 INDIA - Second Caste Citizen
The image was taken in India while I was leading a college study tour to one of the premier global apparel production portals. Something caught my attention when I heard what appeared to be the sound of someone clearly being summoned. Instinctively, I switched on my camera as the rush of small child whizzed past my peripheral vision.
For propriety sake, I have "edited" a portion of my photo so that it is a bit less graphic from the original. As you begin to study the image, I believe you will be struck by the intensity of the scenario as well as be able to discern what part of the image was modified on the older boy.
Inspiration for the blog.....
As you can see from the images above, my thesis is; that fine art can be a form of advocacy.
According to the dictionary: "Advocacy is the practice of supporting someone to make their voice hear."
While the term Intercession can imply the notion of speaking or pleading a case on behalf of someone else.... and in this case...it was my prayers or cry for intervention on behalf of both of the two young boys I photographed in India.
Clearly one can see the inspiration for the blogs title: The-Art-of-Intercession.
I have always been curious about the writings of a man named Habakkuk. According to this ancient text, he was instructed to "Stand his watch to SEE what God would have to say to him..." (this loosely translate that God expected Habakkuk to pray about the injustice and sins of his generation)
The text goes on to encourage Habakkuk to make a visible sign about what he heard was God's heart or response to what he saw was happening. God's response was he instructed Habakkuk to go and make the sign large enough for anyone passing by, to easily be able to read it what it said.
The text goes on to encourage Habakkuk to make a visible sign about what he heard was God's heart or response to what he saw was happening. God's response was he instructed Habakkuk to go and make the sign large enough for anyone passing by, to easily be able to read it what it said.
While this may seem to us living in the 21st century as some form of billboard advertising ...my interpretation I wondered how would God speak to someone today....how might he instruct them? I suppose He might suggest writing or making art, however I feel the most obvious would be both and the application would be the Internet.
Needless to say that this blog is about using all 3! It is about sharing my story and response to what I SAW and what I HEAR.
Needless to say that this blog is about using all 3! It is about sharing my story and response to what I SAW and what I HEAR.
It is my journey of asking questions, seeking answers and attempting to listen as well I follow in that Habakkuk's footsteps.
It is about my journey of listening for God's heart on matters of injustice and then it is about my humble attempt through art and journaling what I have discovered. It is my attempt to visible and easy to "read" for anyone passing by this site.
So if you found your way to this blog or perhaps you were encouraged to visit it... I want to say Thank you for reading this far...I invite you to continue to become a follower with me on this journey!
THE STORY BEGINS......Below is the narrative behind the original photo.....
Back Story #1 INDIA - Second Caste Citizen
The image was taken in India while I was leading a college study tour to one of the premier global apparel production portals. Something caught my attention when I heard what appeared to be the sound of someone clearly being summoned. Instinctively, I switched on my camera as the rush of small child whizzed past my peripheral vision.
For propriety sake, I have "edited" a portion of my photo so that it is a bit less graphic from the original. As you begin to study the image, I believe you will be struck by the intensity of the scenario as well as be able to discern what part of the image was modified on the older boy.
I believe there is a striking similarity to the color palette of Francis Bacon's image: The study after Velasquez "Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (if you are unfamiliar with this painting I have included here the link to view the image in comparison to my photo.) www.artquotes.net/masters/bacon/paint_study.htm
What you should have noticed in the photo, is the small child no more than 3 or 4 years old prostrate at the feet of an older boy. The older boy who was probably only about 14 or 15yrs. old.
What you should have noticed in the photo, is the small child no more than 3 or 4 years old prostrate at the feet of an older boy. The older boy who was probably only about 14 or 15yrs. old.
Like Bacon's painting, my photo freezes in time the silent scream of both victims...the abused older boy who became the abuse
r.
r. The photo is haunting tale of the vicious cycle for life of much of India's poor. I entitled my photo: "Second Caste Citizen."
It was from this image that I felt the tug of God's heart for these lives. Lives that seemed to hopelessly trapped in a cycle of pain and shame. I believe if you listen you will hear the silent whimpers of shame, as well as the silent scream for a deliverer.
That day I felt helpless too, especially as I was pulled back into another reality... as I too was being beckoned....this time back to my group. I found myself sobbing as I left the scene of these two young boys. Internally I was attempting to reconcile what I saw, while I was silently calling out for God's intervention.It would be later that day that I would find myself being encouraged by the power of God's hand of intervention, not in this scenario...but another that was played out in a different but strikingly similar scenario, only this time I was witness to God's immediate intervention.
It was from this image that I felt the tug of God's heart for these lives. Lives that seemed to hopelessly trapped in a cycle of pain and shame. I believe if you listen you will hear the silent whimpers of shame, as well as the silent scream for a deliverer.
That day I felt helpless too, especially as I was pulled back into another reality... as I too was being beckoned....this time back to my group. I found myself sobbing as I left the scene of these two young boys. Internally I was attempting to reconcile what I saw, while I was silently calling out for God's intervention.It would be later that day that I would find myself being encouraged by the power of God's hand of intervention, not in this scenario...but another that was played out in a different but strikingly similar scenario, only this time I was witness to God's immediate intervention.
I knew that no matter how disconcerting both events were....there was a reason that I was privy to them.... and the is a reason why you are privy too...
PLEASE consider this my personal invitation for you to become a follower of this blog... there is a function at the top of this blog for you to join...
I can be reached at: MKathleenColussy@aol.com I welcome your feedback, please write the words ART BLOG in the subject heading of your email to ensure a quicker response. Thanks!
To view more of my actual art permit me to direct you to:
More art and more postings...next week...till then...
Blessings,
Kathleen
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