How can calligraphy help make a more civil world?
Calligraphy means beautiful writing. How can I contribute to a more beautiful world?
We are created by a creative beautiful God. Beauty is the very essence of God. "Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his dwelling." 1Chronicles 16:27
"God is the perfection of beauty. God shines in glorious radiance." Psalm 50:2
Our Father, God of all Creation, the ONLY uncreated one is beauty. As God's created ones we are wired to desire beauty. The enemy of God knows this and sin perverted God's beautiful world with false images of beauty. The only way to avoid chasing after false beauty, is to seek after God's beauty. The right path is to focus on God and His beauty and we will begin to reflect His beauty by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can't do the transformation, but we can choose what we gaze at. If we gaze at Him, we gaze at truth not the false beauty of the world.
Intentional living can help make this world a more beautiful place...the way God intended. Instead of just scribbling a letter, take time to write a beautiful note. On your walk, open your eyes to see God's creational beauty. Look for the beauty in the person sitting next to you on the bus. Look for it.
God invites us to look up, open our eyes to the wonder all around us and seize the opportunity to encounter Him. Choose to search for Him and you will discover Him and His beauty. Live awake and aware because the wonder and beauty of Him awaits. God wants to be WITH you--He wants to show you HIMSELF and His Beauty.
This year at The Maker's Space, we have been exploring how we can be a part of the solution to making the world a more civil place, where we seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. We determined it starts with us. How can I be more civil and contribute to a more civil society? We aren't responsible for another's actions, but we have a sphere or influence--our co-workers, our family, children or people we happen to meet.
In September, in drawing, we tried to see another's point of view. By really looking and listening, we gain a different perspective. Our view is not the only right view. Other's see from another point of view.
In October, we made boxes out of broken mosaic pieces. By realizing the boxes we put people in, we can forgive them and go outside of the box. We are all broken and need forgiveness, but if we don't start the forgiving process, we won't be forgiven.
In November we discovered that gratitude is an attitude by making a word collage of things we are grateful. Gratitude takes our eye off of what we don't have and focuses on what we do have, opening us up to new possibilities.
In January, our narrative writing prompts of our hands and what they have done or seen opened us up to self-reflection. "An unreflected life is not worth living." Aristotle. Each of us come with a different history. Narrative writing helped us listen to one another's story. Everyone has a story but we have to take the time to listen.
In February we discussed how joy is a choice. Happiness is dependent on circumstances, but joy is a choice we can make despite our circumstances. Our tissue painting showed us hidden joy in the images that emerged without planning.
In March, our clay sculptures depicted how our hands have a language all of their own. What are our hands saying to others? What is my body language saying to others that I don't even realize? How is that influencing my interaction with others?
In April we focused on our part in making a more beautiful world by the things that we do that reflect a focus on God's beauty. There are many little ways that we can do things in our everyday life in a more beautiful way. Writing and calligraphy is just one of them.
We are created by a creative beautiful God. Beauty is the very essence of God. "Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his dwelling." 1Chronicles 16:27
"God is the perfection of beauty. God shines in glorious radiance." Psalm 50:2
Our Father, God of all Creation, the ONLY uncreated one is beauty. As God's created ones we are wired to desire beauty. The enemy of God knows this and sin perverted God's beautiful world with false images of beauty. The only way to avoid chasing after false beauty, is to seek after God's beauty. The right path is to focus on God and His beauty and we will begin to reflect His beauty by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can't do the transformation, but we can choose what we gaze at. If we gaze at Him, we gaze at truth not the false beauty of the world.
Intentional living can help make this world a more beautiful place...the way God intended. Instead of just scribbling a letter, take time to write a beautiful note. On your walk, open your eyes to see God's creational beauty. Look for the beauty in the person sitting next to you on the bus. Look for it.
God invites us to look up, open our eyes to the wonder all around us and seize the opportunity to encounter Him. Choose to search for Him and you will discover Him and His beauty. Live awake and aware because the wonder and beauty of Him awaits. God wants to be WITH you--He wants to show you HIMSELF and His Beauty.
This year at The Maker's Space, we have been exploring how we can be a part of the solution to making the world a more civil place, where we seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. We determined it starts with us. How can I be more civil and contribute to a more civil society? We aren't responsible for another's actions, but we have a sphere or influence--our co-workers, our family, children or people we happen to meet.
In September, in drawing, we tried to see another's point of view. By really looking and listening, we gain a different perspective. Our view is not the only right view. Other's see from another point of view.
In October, we made boxes out of broken mosaic pieces. By realizing the boxes we put people in, we can forgive them and go outside of the box. We are all broken and need forgiveness, but if we don't start the forgiving process, we won't be forgiven.
In November we discovered that gratitude is an attitude by making a word collage of things we are grateful. Gratitude takes our eye off of what we don't have and focuses on what we do have, opening us up to new possibilities.
In January, our narrative writing prompts of our hands and what they have done or seen opened us up to self-reflection. "An unreflected life is not worth living." Aristotle. Each of us come with a different history. Narrative writing helped us listen to one another's story. Everyone has a story but we have to take the time to listen.
In February we discussed how joy is a choice. Happiness is dependent on circumstances, but joy is a choice we can make despite our circumstances. Our tissue painting showed us hidden joy in the images that emerged without planning.
In March, our clay sculptures depicted how our hands have a language all of their own. What are our hands saying to others? What is my body language saying to others that I don't even realize? How is that influencing my interaction with others?
In April we focused on our part in making a more beautiful world by the things that we do that reflect a focus on God's beauty. There are many little ways that we can do things in our everyday life in a more beautiful way. Writing and calligraphy is just one of them.
Poetry by Tanya Davis
Civility
Play nicely.
Share your ball with the other children.
Say thank you when someone does something nice for you. Your children are so well mannered. Why are you surprised that they are well
mannered? Civility. Pardon
me, I did not mean to interrupt you, shout at you, or make you feel small. Or
less than, or invisible. I see you, and
I will help you my sister. I will help
you my brother. Would you like my seat?
I see you are carrying a heavy load. Civility.
Honoring spaces in the soul
of another.
Are you not playing nicely in the sandbox? Go to
timeout until you are ready to apologize and play nicely. Are you speaking
disrespectfully to the elderly man?
Civility. Mommy may I have some water? Say mommy may I have some
water PLEASE. Put a handle on that name.
That is Mrs. to you; that is Mr. to you.
The way I speak, the way I
worship, the way I dress, the color of my skin, the way I walk. Is it wrong or is it different?
Comealittlecloser, it is ok to comealittlecloser. What would you like to know to ease your
fear? Get to know me, as you want to be
known. Respect me, as you want to be
respected. Civility.
Don’t turn away. Don’t close your eyes. Empathy is waiting,
waiting for you to comealittlecloser.
Civility
trembles in the corner it was sent to
when Mama’s words of love and discipline no longer rang with the fear of God.
Apologize or…
Play nice or…
Say yes mam and no mam or…
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