Painting Prayers

I want to be an artist, but I never seem to find the time. My craft has become sermon writing, but it doesn't seem to be enough. I need something visual. I need to get back to painting.



There never seems to be enough time and too many excuses abound. My too messy house. My too busy ministry. My too lazy self.



I wish I could do it as a discipline. As a way to exercise prayerfulness.

I get inspired by the blog Painted Prayerbook http://paintedprayerbook.com where Jan Richardson paints liturgically and then blogs on it. And yet I haven't picked up a paint brush for about a year.

Part of my problem is inspiration......it comes when it comes and sometimes it comes at the most inconvenient times. I used to drop everything and respond to it, but I haven't had that luxury for the past three years.

I am so much better in touch with my self and my feelings when I can visualize them, physically exercising them out on a canvas or some other material. Crafting pain, joy, or wonderment through color and lines, smooth and rough surfaces. I can craft these things with words but it doesn't produce the same sort of satisfaction and expression that the visual arts gives me.

I'm writing this as a reminder that perhaps I'll look at this on my blog to remind myself to get out the paints and the canvas and get started.