Advent: Blessing the Christmas tree

Advent traditions vary but the reasons remain the same: to prepare our hearts for welcoming God's gift of light and love, his son Jesus. Here is one idea to help connect a visual symbol to the message of the season....

The use of the Christmas tree is relatively modern. Its origins are found in the medieval mystery plays which depicted the tree of paradise and the Christmas light or candle which symbolized Christ, the Light of the world. We see the evergreen tree as a reminder also of God's everlasting love for us.


According to custom, the Christmas tree is set up just before Christmas and remains in place until the solemnity of Epiphany. Whether the tree is in a home or in the church we like the tradition of a tree blessing after the tree is decorated and before the tree is illuminated. Here are two suggestions:

Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we illumine this tree.
May the light and cheer it gives
be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.
May all who delight in this tree
come to the knowledge and joy of salvation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

God of all creation,

we thank you for this tree,

which brings beauty

and memories

and the promise of life to our home.

May Your blessings be upon all that gather

Around this tree,

And who keep the Christmas festival by its lights.

We wait for the coming of Christ,

the days of everlasting justice and peace.

You are our God, living and loving,

forever and ever.

Amen

About the pictured stole. This limited edition is a reminder of the folktale story of The Three Trees. At Carrot Top Studio we enjoy creating uniquely themed stoles that help celebrate the church year calendar and draw us closer to God in worship through visual images. 'The Three Trees' stole has sold out but you may go here to see our current collection of ministry overlay stoles and deacon stoles.

Advent: The Light

This Advent stole is seen in full here.

Advent traditions vary but the reasons remain the same: to prepare our hearts for welcoming God's gift of light and love, his son Jesus. Here is one idea to help connect a visual symbol to the message of the season....

This year I seem to be very drawn to scriptural images of light and therefore candles. We use candles in community worship but why not in private worship also? Be still and combine the visual image of the candlelight with a breath prayer for a time of meditatio . Breathing slow and deep as you meditate on a verse of Scripture can be a special way of being restored in his peace.  Breathe in slow and deep as you whisper or think on a Bible phrase and hold your breath…then exhale. Here are some Advent suggestions:

• To model Mary's prayer- “Let it be to me… according to your word” (Luke 1:38)
• Remember the reason for the season- “Jesus, my One Thing… nothing else” (based on Psalm 27:4)
• For when you get caught up in the frenzy of the season- “Peace… Be still”  (Mark 4:39)

On the subject matter of light and candles I'd love to also share this title with you written by a dear friend. Dave pastors in an urban Pittsburgh neighborhood. I Will Hold My Candle is a wonderful book that is a culmination of Christmas Eve stories Pastor Dave has shared in worship over the years. I am finding the stories enjoyable for all ages and each contains a lesson or message that can be applied to your own life no matter what your life circumstances are. Shhhhh......it's my gift of the season for everyone from the letter carrier to my mother in law's caregiver to my mom. It can be purchased on Amazon here and Lulu here.

What is your book recommendation for the season? Have you published your writings? Tell us about your recommendations and work because we'd love to read what you've written! 

Advent: The Crib

Advent traditions vary but the reasons remain the same: to prepare our hearts for welcoming God's gift of light and love, his son Jesus. Looking beyond Carrot Top Studio's, pastor and deacon stoles here is one idea to help connect a visual symbol to the message of the season....


At one time the making of the Christmas crib was as important a part of every household activity as that of the church where we still see the annual preparations.Tradition tells us that it was St. Francis of Assisi who created the first crib, in honor not only of the infant savior but also of the animals who had come to worship in the stable. This crib was reportedly made with the wooden materials St. Francis had on hand...reminding us that Christ was born in a place that was "on hand"....he didn't come to the palatial palace that this king was anticipated arriving in. Why not create your own nativity scene without store bought, mass produced elements, using just whatever you have on hand? And think about giving special place to the animals, perhaps including more than the traditional ox and ass. 


Seeing this photo by one of our favorite college chemistry students reminded us that using what you have on hand can work!

Sustainability

I am being more and more awakened to how much better we can do at taking care of God's creation. At home, at work, and in our faith communities. Whenever possible at Carrot Top Studio we try to use eco-friendly fabrics or re-purposed fabrics. We label the stoles as such on the website so you are aware that you can make purchases that support these endeavors. For example, this white labyrinth stole was crafted from bamboo fabric. We love this fabric because it has luxurious softness. The growing process of bamboo is very environmentally friendly. The manufacturing processing of bamboo has room for growth to become more chemical free but we like to offer this fabric to say to the fiber industry that we support the direction you are going (or growing-ha, ha!)

In the studio we also are mindful of using our materials in ways that don't create excess waste. Thinking about this in combination with the upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States makes me wonder how we do in not creating things that just get thrown away after use in our worship spaces. My home church will host a meaningful Thanksgiving Eve community worship service tomorrow night. The sanctuary will be embellished with plants and vegetables that are reflective of the harvest in our local area. For example, the wonderful color and shapes of many pumpkins will be in abundance. I suspect many of our clients do something similar. What do you do with the pumpkins afterward? Of course you can bake them down for pies (even if they aren't what the grocery store labels as "pie pumpkins".) Here's another suggestion that is a favorite in my household:

Pumpkin-Apple Bake

1 small pumpkin (so it will fit in your oven)
raisins
sugar
butter
chopped apples
nuts
cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Mix chopped apples, raisins, nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. (Filling may be varied to include walnuts, pecans, apricots, dates or cranberries.) Pour mixture into the pumpkin, and dot with butter. Replace the top of the pumpkin. Bake it on a cookie sheet for one hour and 15 minutes to on hour and 30 minutes.

Scoop out some pumpkin with each spoonful of the apple mixture. The bonus gift is that the pumpkin, which will darken slightly while baking, will look beautiful on your Thanksgiving table!


Blessings for your Thanksgiving....Thursday if you are in the USA and in every situation, everyday!

A Pause for Thanksgiving

A week from today, the United States of America will pause for a time of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for this day with family and friends that allows us a breath and a pause as we break from our normal routines to just simply enjoy each other's company breaking bread together.   

At Carrot Top Studio we are thankful for all the believers that we get to interface with. You and your ministries never cease to inspire and encourage us! 

In the spirit of thanksgiving I thought I'd share a favorite hymn  to our God and creator. The text is from the 1920's written by Katherine Davis. The tune is a charming Welsh folk melody.

Let All Things Now Living

May we carry on, giving thanks always (Eph. 5:20)

Advent Wondering

Advent traditions vary but the reasons remain the same: to prepare our hearts for welcoming God's gift of light and love, his son Jesus. Looking beyond Carrot Top Studio's, pastor and deacon stoles here is one idea to help connect a visual symbol to the message of the season....


An "I Wonder" board is a wonderful visual tool in a church hallway, a Sunday School classroom or the home. It could be as fancy as a cork bulletin board gussied up with Advent symbols or as simple as a white board or a large piece of paper taped to the front of a refrigerator. Designate the space, provide a writing tool and invite the wondering to cascade as we move through the season and work our way through the story that led up to Jesus' birth. The 'wondering' thoughts will help some people to pause in the midst of the rush and others to think deeper as they read what others have written. Seeing the 'wonderings' all grouped together will create a visual testimony to the mystery of the birth.


Of course we love stoles, paraments and worship banners but we also believe in using unique visuals such as the "I Wonder" board to draw us deeper into our spiritual formation. Try a new visual idea during this Advent season!

Christ the King Sunday

Christ the King stole is seen in full here.

Wow! The last Sunday of Ordinary Time is peeking at us from right around the corner! How will you recognize and embrace Christ the King Sunday in worship? How can we praise Christ's loving and merciful authority? How do we realize that the crown Christ wore was ultimately full of thorns? Do we recognize that the traditional symbol of authority of a king (the scepter) was actually a cross for our king?

Description of these symbols are here.

If you focused only on the evening news you might think that Christ’s Kingship may be in dispute in this world. Thankfully our faith tells us that His reign is sure. We can trust Him! How we respond to events and people around us must reflect that trust. This could be a better symbol than any that Carrot Top Studio could place on a stole! There's no reason to not show that we celebrate Christ the King everyday--it's not just on the last Sunday before Advent. Obeying Christ as King and living lives of servanthood and humility might look revolutionary to some people and that could certainly be the message they need to be knocked on the head with. A message we probably all need to be reminded of from time to time.

It is simply glorious to be able to recognize and worship Christ as King of heaven and earth for all time! May this coming Christ the King Sunday be a reminder of the journey we've been on the past twelve months and an enlivening glimpse of what is ahead.

Liturgical Vessels

Joyful Feast stole

Yesterday our Facebook post was just for the fun of it....in case you hadn't heard, November 2nd is "Look For Circles Day". This led us to make a photo album of stoles we had in stock that contained a circle or two. This Communion stole that is an interpretation of "A Joyful Feast" was a perfect addition to the album. Coincidentally, shortly after making the post our trusty letter carrier delivered us our copy of Basket, Basin, Plate and Cup: Vessels in the Liturgy edited by David Philippart. Our designing and stitching was set aside for a bit as we could hardly put this little gem down. The book is a collection of essays that encompass scripture references, history, an examination of the work of contemporary artists, instruction on care for liturgical vessels, blessings for Eucharist vessels and a surplus of beautiful photographs. 

Just be skimming the first chapter I am wondering how those in ministry leadership select the vessels that are used in worship. Are they selected from artists that have created them in a praise response to God? Are the vessels created in a manner that they seem invitational to come as a community and celebrate the mystery? Likewise we reflect that ministry stoles and worship banners can be thought of in a similar way. It is our intention at Carrot Top Studio for our work to be a response to our faith and for it to be used to help make a visual connection with the words in liturgy to worship the great I Am.

If this thinking about vessels has opened Pandora's box in the ideas that dance in your head you might also like the symbolism and meditations in the book The Cup of Our Life : A Guide for Spiritual Growth by Joyce Rupp. In the studio we're obviously visual learners so this book that uses all different types of ordinary vessels to make symbolic connections and draw one closer to God is appealing. I think both of these titles would be great in the Sunday School classroom, Bible study or small group to initiate thought provoking conversation and learning.

Creative Energy

A stole for Lent

When you need to stir up creative energy where do you turn? Occasionally we need to step outside the studio to find inspiration. Here are a few of the places we've been stirred in the past. 

I shop my local farmer's market weekly partly because I believe in buying as much local produce as I can. The bonus is that the colors and textures never fail to motivate me! When in season the deep purple of an eggplant always captures my attention. It has so much depth and mystery. This is probably why I feel compelled to use this purple for Lenten stoles . 

A peace stole inspired by the city

City streets have a wonderful pulse of energy. In contradiction to that this drums up a type of peace within me. Part of what draws me to the city is the architecture and the order. This may be one of the reasons why stoles like this peace stole can to be with its blocked, pieced architectural sense. 

Garden centers and nurseries are also a source of creative inspiration.  Awakenings from the many hues of green and a multitude of shapes and lines often translates into new ideas particularly for stoles for Ordinary Time.

A recent commission

Judging by your inquiries regarding commissions we know YOU have creative energy also! Do you have inspiration for a stole design that you can't find in the commercial market? For example, at left is the border of a stole we created for a pastor who's church strives to be a beacon of light and peace in the midst of her city. Because of the church location she is involved in many events/situations within the community. We created this stole for her to wear as a symbol of her ministry within a city that is surrounded by the ocean with a backdrop of the mountains. We might be able to help you also. Email us your thoughts and we'll be glad to converse about the possibilities. Commissions are never given the green light until both parties are in agreement regarding the design, the estimate and the amount of time it will take to complete the work.

What Do They Look Like?

An angel previously designed by Carrot Top Studio

Who? What? Angels of course! I'm working on a project for a client that will include angels. Artistically there are several themes that consistently challenge me. The first is Easter. How does an artist do this marvelous celebration the justice and magnificence that it deserves? Another is angels. Angels are spirits.The Bible tells us they sometimes appear as men, sometimes with wings, sometimes with blazing glory and are as white as snow. When I become "blocked" I often turn to master artworks for inspiration. Thought you might enjoy a little bit of the variety that artists have portrayed when depicting angels....

Byzantine image of Michael, 1000 AD

Angel Acabucero, 17th c. Peru

Yoshitoshi Taiso, late 1800's

Herbert Draper, The Lament to Icarus, 19th c.

Do these images connect you with any particular pieces of scripture? It's interesting to note that all of these artworks have angels with wings on them. This is not always mandated in scripture. Thinking about this makes me particularly wonder what the angel looks like that is referred to in Hebrews 13:2--Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Now what did THAT angel look like? So now it's to the drawing board for me....we'll see what I can conjure up!

Book Review

Have you read anything recently that makes you want to tell others about it? Well, we've just stumbled upon Bead One, Pray Too by Kimberly Winston and thought you might like to know about it. At Carrot Top Studio we often reach to history to find just the right symbol or color for our stoles. So we could relate to, Winston opening her delightful book with a bit of history regarding prayer beads. For example I learned that the word "bead" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word bede, which means "prayer" and how counting beads for each prayer in ones pocket led to prayer beads on a string as we know them today. 

Secondly, practical instruction is shared for using prayer beads. The author touches upon contemplative praying, memorized prayers, praying the psalms, to praying hymns and much more. 

And lastly if you enjoy crafting you'll appreciate the instructions for making your own prayer beads including the traditions of certain colors and particular symbols. This is an activity that could be adapted for many ages and could be done individually or incorporated into a bible study, retreat, and much more!

I'd recommend this unique book. I learned a lot and because I tend to be a tactile learner I'm looking forward to adding prayer beads to my prayer life. Prayer beads will be a new tool that I'm guessing will help me focus during prayer and meditation.

The bonus of this book are the quotes sprinkled throughout. I'll sign off with this one that touched me:

As it is the business of tailors to make clothes,

and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, 

so it is the business of Christians to pray!

-Martin Luther

Is Your Stole a Yoke?

Riding for Ride Solar

Did you ever have one of those weeks when you came across something repeatedly but in different formats? That happened to me lately with the word 'yoke'. First, I had the pleasure of attending a benefit ride that my son and his college roommate were in to raise funds for solar panels to be installed in a village in Haiti. The event was an hour from campus so it was a treat to have the time to get caught up while in the car taking the boys back to school. I don't know how we got talking about it, but my son started explaining Carrot Top Studio to his roommate. The roommate is a fine man of God who worships faithfully but in a setting where the ministry leaders do not wear stoles. So I added that those in ministry wear stoles as a symbol of leadership and the yoke of Christ that is taken on at ordination. This points back to the scripture:

Come unto me,

all ye that labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;

for I am meek and lowly in heart: 

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11: 28-30

And this fine young man quickly wondered, "then why don't they just wear yokes?" We all got a chuckle out of this as we individually conjured up Far Side cartoon images of pastors wearing the type of yoke that an animal does.

Find this on eBay this week!

Then, my yogi, before last week's practice, was sharing that the word yoga derives from sanskrit which literally means yoking or he yokes. This is akin to the Latin word jungere to join. There it is again....to join. Leaders in worship have joined in by saying that they will be slaves to Christ. In this thought string it is also interesting to note that the stole is reportedly the work-cloth that slaves wore around their necks.

Lastly, a recent devotional reading referenced Matthew 11:28. In the inspirational commentary the author told of seeing a farmer and his yoked oxen walking together....harmoniously. This was likened to God fitting us with a yoke equal only to our tasks and that he will always be walking alongside us.

When you go to 'stole up' for your next worship service maybe you will pause and think about why you wear the stole. In the studio as we design, stitch and ship we will be praying for you as you have answered the call to wear the yoke.

World Communion Sunday

This stole is sold here.

Do you celebrate World Communion Sunday with your congregation? Many denominations celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of October to promote Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. Of course anytime we observe Communion we show our participation in the body of Christ. This makes me think of the scripture from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17...Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 

Marietta gets supplies organized for a day of dying silk.

With this in mind we've added a new stole to our Haiti collection using silk that is hand dyed by a group of women that run a small business to be able to further their education in LaCroix, Haiti. 


Whenever I have the opportunity of partaking in Communion outside my home congregation I am struck by the symbols of bread and wine and the gift of their universality. This hit me a little further away from home this summer when I was able to work in Haiti for a week. I thought you might enjoy the below photo of the LaCroix New Testament Mission choir helping us prepare our hearts for Communion with song as they sing around the table where the elements are prepared, covered and waiting. 

....and yes, that's a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer on the Communion table!

It's Back to (Sunday) School Time!

Visiting my childhood church with Mr. Carrot Top Studio

This week many congregations are beginning new Sunday School classes. It's an exciting time for all that are involved. Those that feel the call to teach are a blessing.This summer my family worshiped in the church that I grew up in. Afterward we walked the church hallways and many memories washed over me. They included sitting around tables exploring lessons, laughing, a feeling of comfort, learning how to use my first Bible, and interestingly a lot of mini-dramas acting out Bible stories --maybe my inner actress is wanting to still emerge!

An encouraging  read for parents (and clergy)!

I know that church and our faith aren't supposed to shut down in the more laid back days of summer, but I also recognize the reality of the renewal of the change of seasons. For us in the United States this means many adults and children swarm "back" to church at this time of year. There is much energy! And hopefully this also means children in worship. As a young parent I learned a lot by reading Parenting in the Pew and was greatly encouraged by those around me that were worshiping with older children. As an artist/educator I believe in the importance of including the visual in worship. Children today have shorter attention spans than generations past because everything moves much faster for them. I'm not saying worship needs to move 'quickly' but I do think including visuals and using colors and symbols and changing these throughout the seasons will help keep children engaged. Worship is a verb isn't it? It should be active.

Confirmation stole blanks-available in white and red.

Are you now brainstorming ways to include the visual? Carrot Top Studio liked this idea....one of our clients let us know that she'll be using our confirmation stole blanks to commission the church's teachers this coming Sunday. Lovely and symbolic, indeed. 

What Ever Does That Mean?, Part 2

What symbols make a connection to the Word for you during Ordinary Time? Continuing last week's blog post of defining a bit of what we do at Carrot Top Studio I thought we'd look at a few symbols that we might find in a worship space or on a stole or worship banner and figure out what they might mean. This group includes symbols for God:

All -seeing Eye. A Symbol of the omniscience of God (Ps. 33:18) The eye is shown within a rayed triangle.

Circle. This is an ancient symbol representing eternity and completeness because it has no beginning and no ending.

Creator's star. A six-pointed star, made from two equilateral triangles, symbolizing the Triune God. The six points are reminiscent of the six attributes of God: power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, and justice, and also of the six days of Creation.

Hand of God. A symbol of God the Father, the only symbol for God used during the first eight centuries of the church. The hand symbolizes God as creator and sustainer of all of creation, and comes from the many references to the "hand of God" in the Bible (e.g., Deut. 3:23-24, Ezra 8:21-23, 1 Pet. 5:6) The Hand may be shown in any of the following postures:

• reaching down from the clouds.
• descending from the clouds, and holding five tiny human beings, representative of being held in God's hand (Ps. 139:10).
• in the Latin form, reaching down from heaven in blessing, the two first fingers and thumb extended, and the other two bent to the palm. This image is superimposed over a three-rayed nimbus enclosed in a circle, a symbol of Deity.
• in the Greek form, with the hand pointing to heaven, the forefinger extended, the middle finger and little finger closed in a half-circle, and the thumbs crossing the ring finger. Reading right to left, this form spells ICXC or Jesus Christ in Greek.

In times when not everyone learned to read books, symbols were used as "the language" to tell the story of our faith. Therefore in literate societies today we have lost some of the knowledge of the meaning of these images. In the studio we're all for artistic interpretation but we also appreciate historical symbols and their meaning. Next week we'll explore a few more!

What Ever Does That Mean?

"What Ever Does That Mean?" is a phrase I often hear my teenagers and their friends rattle off. Sometimes they're being funny or flip but sometimes they really just don't understand. This phrase has made me wonder how often Carrot Top Studio writes a description of a stole and we use terminology familiar in an art studio that might need some further definition. Here are some of those terms defined:


Applique-a decorative design made of one material sewn over another. The gold cross on this Advent stole is appliqued onto the purple fabric base.

Machine embroidery-for our work this involves using a satin stitch (a tight zig zag stitch) around the edge of an appliqued symbol or image. This gives a finished edge and prevents the applique from fraying. The star on this Christmas stole has been finished with machine embroidery.

Machine free motion stitching-involves simultaneously running the machine and skillfully moving tightly hooped fabric under the needle in unison with the machine to create even stitches. We think of this as drawing with the machine needle instead of a pencil. A specific repetitive pattern could be followed (like quilters use) or it might be appropriate to be more free and abstract. The details in the crown of thorns on this Lent stole is an example of this type of detailing.

Hand painted-simply put....we're putting a brush in our hands and painting on the stole. This Easter stole depicts a little of our work.

Stamped with textile paint-stamping with a commercial or in studio created stamp can often add just the right detail or special accent to a stole. This ordination stole wasn't complete until the Trinity symbol of the fleur de lis was stamped on the hem.

Eyelash yarns-I often wonder if you think we've lost our mind when we write a description claiming that we've used these yarns. This yarn is a novelty item created for knitters. It looks furry or like a long string of eyelashes and adds a delightful bit of texture in just the right place on stoles such as on the stems of this ivy on this Ordinary Time stole. We stitch it onto the stole.

Variegated threads-last but not least we love using variegated threads. The way the thread has been dyed either subtly or boldly changing from one color to the next adds a wonderful bit of artistic interest. The cross on the back tip of this Communion stole was edged with variegated thread....dark on some edges then lighter on others.

We hope this tutorial is informative and if you're still saying "What ever does that mean?" that you won't hesitate to send us an email or give us a call to find out more.

"Looking At" Psalm 133

Continuing the thought from last week's blog post that visuals connected with worship don't always have to be stoles or worship banners here are two examples of art that could accompany worship. Psalm 133 is part of the lectionary for many worshipers this week. After I traveled to Haiti earlier this summer and lived in community for a week this is a theme I have thought of often since. Isn't it a beautiful how the Psalmist descriptively compares the living together in peace to that of the pleasantness of anointing with holy oil? I think you might also enjoy these two artistic interpretations....

Psalm 133, Ben Shahn

Ben Shahn's interpretation of this Psalm reminds me of two living together that outwardly appear to be different. But the dynamics of the illustrations around these 'birds' reflect the unity and joy of living in love and peace. This brings great delight, blessings and rewards for the now but ultimately scripture tells us that it will be for the forever. Ben Shan's art tends to have the sophistication of reducing an image to the simplest form to relayi the message. How does this relate to the message in Psalm 133?

Psalm 133, Mark Lawrence

Above we see a second interpretation of Psalm 133 by contemporary artist Mark Lawrence. The energy this artist has created in his depiction of unity is magnificent. The blessings definitely seem as infinite as the drops of dew as the Psalmist records. You can read more about Mark's work here. I find the artist's color palette to be interesting. As your eyes travel around the art work what types of emotions are conjured up? Do you feel a call to action to forgive one another as Christ taught us to do and strive harder for peace and unity? 


Using visuals can draw us closer to Scripture and help us grow in our faith. Just a reminder--if you use images such as the above to make a connection to the Word give credit where credit is due and if the images is contemporary then seek the artist's permission first. 

Integrating Faith with Art

stoles by Carrot Top Studio

Are you using visuals to enhance ministry, make connections to the Word of the Lord and encourage those around you to grow in their faith? Visuals can be woven into (no pun intended!) ministry in many different ways. If you are a traditionalist you might first think of the visuals of fiber art in worship such as in stoles, paraments and worship banners. Color and symbols --simple or complex--are great connectors to a message. Or maybe you lean towards worship that uses visuals on large screen projections or bold displays of color from creatively placed worship banners. That's just the beginning of the possibilities! Here's a little list of some additional ideas:

• include historical or contemporary works of art on worship bulletins or in your church newsletter that support what the message of the day or church year season is. If you do this it is customary to then give the artist and piece of work (name and title). If you seek contemporary images (i.e. from living artists) and don't have any within your congregation then approach a local art guild or look to the children or teens within your faith community.

The Sower, Vincent van Gogh

• likewise you can include this type of art in multimedia or large screen projections. Remember variety keeps people's attention and draws them into the message and if we only use one format of visual, such as only slick photography, we will be less likely to keep everyone focused.

• share art in Sunday School classes of all ages. All ages from the younger to the older/wiser set can examine a piece of art to start a conversation that relates to the Bible passage being studied. The art could be depicting the particular scripture or it could just be related to it. For example if you were examining the Parable of the Sower you might gather several different images of sowers to help you discuss the parable and associated metaphors. Textweek is a great online resource of such images. Additionally some libraries have art reproductions that can be lent and you might also have the gift of local artists that have work that could be borrowed (oh my wouldn't that be wonderful!)

• additionally there are wonderful children's books that use master works of art and lend you questions to discuss with the viewer. You might enjoy using any of the books from the Come Look With Me series by Gladys S. Blizzard. They are not based on Christian art but I have no doubt you can find a lot of artworks that relate to Biblical stories. Blizzard gives great background information on each piece and models interesting questions to ask the children to help guide a discussion one-on-one or in a small group.

The opportunities are endless! Don't neglect the connection.