Open soul moments- should we cancel worship?

should we cancel worship

Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:23-24 NKJV)

There are moments in time — I call them open soul moments — where something so significant happens; it feels as though heaven itself is peering into your soul, depositing something of eternity. Time stands still as you absorb the backdrop of details surrounding the moment. These details are etched into the fabric of lives often to be retrieved by a single thread of memory at a later time: the recollection of a feeling, sighting an item of clothing worn on that day, seeing the same landmark or the familiar scent in the air. Even the change in season can bring back a rush of memories that draws you back to a specific moment in time.

One of these open soul moments happened for me in January 2008. Newly married, my husband and I ventured off to South Ballina on the East Coast of Australia to camp with some friends. Continue reading

What is Art?

What is Art?

She looked up at the painting, brows furrowed with disbelief making it clear she didn’t agree with my admiration for the piece hanging on the wall.

“That’s not art!”

She was only five but already our world had begun to shape her perception of what was worthy to be deemed ‘art’ : an image that reflected perfection and accuracy.

This was the first time her perception had been challenged. Continue reading

The school of creativity

Art

While there is a number of things that have been less than ideal as we’ve homeschooled one of the things I’m most grateful for is the time we’ve had for creative projects.

I’m the best version of myself as I become the facilitator of creativity. The frazzled mum fades as the house fills with pots of paint, drying racks, paintbrushes stacked in the kitchen sink and the addition of the accidental but inescapable splodge of paint on the furniture. Somehow those details seem unimportant, as does time, as we become engulfed in the wonder of creativity.

I’m a primary teacher, homeschooling my children should be easy… But I’m also their mother and many lines are blurred when it comes to living, working and schooling in a small two-bedroom apartment. Continue reading