Jesus, Savior of Mankind!

AB collaged element--j. N-L

Ihs is the abbreviated name of Jesus in the greek (Iasous).

Some erroneously assume that this symbol means "In His Service". It's a common error I suppose....

Last March, I began a Christian altered board book round robin. The picture above shows a small collaged portion of my last AB spread. It's proving to be a wonderfully abstract page of glowing greens and golds....

There is still some work that remains on this page, but I hope to have it completed and delivered to the book's owner by Tuesday. It feels good to be creative again. It feels especially good to be engaged in such a prayerful kind of art; but then, all art for me seems prayerful somehow.

I cannot help but think whenever we enter into the process of creating something, whether that "something" be a painting, a batch of chocolate chip cookies or planting a planter box, we enter into something sacred. Somehow, without even meaning to, we touch and merge with our Creator.

I cannot make bread for my family, or scrub the toilet or weed the garden, without feeling the presence of God. Ok, so maybe scrubbing the potty is a reach; but truly, even the process creating order within my home has become a place for the sacred to quietly reach deep within and touch my soul.

I think this must be what the scripture means when it says that we are to "pray without ceasing." (I Thes. 5:16-18)

Anytime we open ourselves to the sacred, we enter into prayer.

Yes, I know that there are some who insist that prayer must be experienced as some sort of rigid formula; but the God I know is not the God of rigidity or formulas. If He were, there would have been no need for Christ.

Ok, enough spiritualizing for one morning...