During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is “A Beautiful Thing,” inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that “She has done a beautiful thing for me.” (Mark 14, NIV)

We are working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing–a creative offering to God–whether it’s gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so:

1. Would you call yourself “creative”? Why or why not?

I consider myself creative in certain areas. Ministry thrives on creativity, but it’s the quotidian sort—Which issues am I going to address today? How do I work with finite time and resources for the well-being of all? And it’s fun working in such a jill-of-all-trades profession.

I was talking recently to a friend at the church whose house is always brimming with grand creative projects. My creativity seems to come out more internally. I also think my particular gift is to draw connections, parallels, and meaning out of existing things: Writing a sermon that delves deep into the text. Putting together liturgy that brings multiple scriptures together. Writing a poem that reports on my day. Etc. It’s an analytical sort of creativity.

Creating ex nihilo (sculpting, fiction-writing) is not nearly as much my thing. That’s my term, not anyone else’s. Only God creates out of nothing. But people who just make stuff up really inspire me. I know they draw on experiences of real life; my point is that Clarissa Dalloway did not exist until Virginia Woolf created her.

2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you’d like to develop further.

I am an artistic dabbler, so there’s plenty to choose from here. I would like to learn more chords on the guitar, I would like to learn some fancier knitting stitches, and I would love to take some additional writing classes.

3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.

I would like to learn pottery.

4. Complete this sentence: “I am in awe of people who can compose music.”

5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has “called you to your best self.” (I’m pretty sure that’s from the Gospel of Oprah.)

I am inspired by other creative people—I can specifically recall leaving a David Wilcox concert and having an irresistible urge to go create something! My writing revs are inspiring in their own right and encouraging of me personally. There are many others.