queeringlent—wholeheARTed guest, Slats Toole

This past Lent, our wholeheARTed guest for this week, Slats Toole, embarked on a daily spiritual practice of writing poems and then sharing them publicly via Facebook and social media. Each day, these poems broke beyond the noise and frenzy of social media to offer moments of truth so visceral it's as if you could feel them lift from the screen and come to life. So many of us were moved by these poems, as they arise from the personal, but point us toward the whole—of the journey of faith, of our identity in God, of life itself.

As a recent Princeton seminary grad, Slats shares their gifts widely through hymnody, preaching, poetry, and sound/theatrical design. They also work to resource and empower the Church at-large to break beyond the binary of gender in liturgy and worship.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 30, 2017slats toole, queeringlent, poetry, lent, theater, gender identity, creative writing, soundscapeComment

"Yes, and . . ."—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Marthame Sanders

As a team, we at Sanctified Art often find ourselves consciously—and subconsciously—thinking about the practical and big picture implications of the art we create. Our creative process often revolves around these questions: How will this art be used? How will it stir imagination, invite participation, and offer space to heal? How might what we create become life-giving for others?

These questions are rooted in a bigger, more philosophical question: What, exactly, does art do? There is no one answer, of course, but we can't deny that art does something. It affects us, even if we create it with no greater intentions or expectations.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 22, 2017improv, marthame sanders, aijcast, podcasting, pastor artist, creativity, fear, songwriting, music, yes andComment

Poetry, a Tool for Liberation—WholeheARTed guest, Hannah Landgraf

This week's wholeheARTed conversation couldn't have come at a better time. After the white supremacy rallies in Charlottesville, we're ever reminded of the undercurrent of racism that rocks our nation—in slow and steady tides, and in extreme, raging storms.

In a world where guns and money and hatred and fear often have such a strong grip, why art? Why spend time nurturing our creativity when we could nurture broken bodies and institutions instead?

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 15, 2017poetry, hannah landgraf, enneagram, creative writing, creative liturgy, creative process, fear, creative identityComment

Better When Writing—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Martha Spong

Our wholeheARTed guest this week lives out a creative calling that roots her in collaboration—with inspiration, words, and people. As the Executive Director of Rev Gal Blog Pals, an online platform connecting women clergy all around the world, Rev. Martha Spong believes in the power of words to create sacred space and common ground. As a pastor to pastors, clergy coach and author, Martha lives into her multi-vocational calling with her creativity by her side.

Turning Thoughts into Things—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nicole Farley

Many of us self-proclaimed "artists" and creative types often profess a common creed. EVERYONE'S AN ARTIST, we say—to strangers, to friends, to unknown readers on the internet. Despite the disbelief we're bound to face, we proclaim what we've found to be true: our identity as creators is not determined by WHAT we create, only by the fact that we DO create—being alive is inherently creative.

From Scraps and Scribbles—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nadine Ellsworth-Moran

Scraps and scribbles. The corners of receipts and the edges of envelopes. Idle moments in traffic. A stroll down the grocery aisle.

Inspiration has no grand arrival—she shows up in spurts, often beyond the realm of convenience, announcing herself to you. The question is not if inspiration will show up; the question is if you'll be attentive enough to notice and courageous enough to respond.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 25, 2017creative writing, poetry, faith, wholehearted, inspiration, gospel of thomas, creative worshipComment

"Coming Out As Myself"—WholeheARTed guest, Leslie Cox

A wholeheARTed life integrates all the parts of who you are so that you might welcome each day with courage and compassion, giving your whole heart to God, self, and others. Leslie Cox, our WholeheARTed guest this week, shares about her journey of becoming, of living into all that she was created to be. She cannot separate her creativity from her sexuality, her ministry from her love for storytelling and photography. Her journey reminds us all of what it means to navigate critique, vulnerability, and authenticity to truly come home to yourself.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 18, 2017 Comment

Thinking and Praying in Images—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Scott Bryte

A few months ago, we received an email that went something like this:

"I am a Lutheran pastor and artist who has been feeling a strong pull of the Holy Spirit to express the Gospel through the visual arts.

I would like to talk with your group some time, simply as people who seem to share the same calling. I understand myself as a preacher who paints, or as a drawing theologian. I think we have that in common."

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 7, 2017Comment

Preaching with Sanctified Imagination—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Billy Honor

They called him the golden voice. He was tall and dressed to impress in his patent leather shoes and swanky tailor-made suit. He a carried a well-worn bible and displayed a formidable stride when he walked, which seemed in concert with his serious demeanor. After the choir finished their selection, he stood up to address the full-capacity crowd who had gathered to hear him preach. With skill and precision, he moved from introductory remarks and pleasantries into a masterful exposition of scripture in a sermon he titled, “What a little chicken saw.”

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 3, 2017Comment

Feeding the Hunger to Create—wholeheARTed guest, Daniel Heath

Some people are visionary creatives, seeing possibility for beauty and collaboration in the midst of what has become tired and all-too-familiar. Daniel Heath is one of these types, working graciously through music, people, and visual media to gently nudge communities forward into fresh ways of thinking, hearing, seeing, and worshiping. Daniel has both the imagination to dream and the determination to enact big ideas in real and vibrant ways.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJune 28, 2017Comment

wholeheARTed: A Summer Guest Blog Series

A Sanctified Art began with conversations around wholeheartedness. How could we as creatives offer a wholehearted approach to faith, and worship, and church? What would it look like to connect our hearts with our hands—to fully integrate art with our vocation and service to the world? How might we harness our creatives gifts to inspire others in living and loving wholeheARTedly?

This summer we're widening our circle to feature the voices of those who also find themselves blending creativity with their faith in a variety of ways and contexts.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJune 23, 2017Comment

DIY | Binding Your Summer Study Journal

Why use a stapler when you can use a needle and thread?! Binding a paper booklet with string makes it studier than with staples. Plus it looks cool. The Sanctified Art crew recently released a bundle of resources for summer (which, according to the Christian liturgical calendar, is labeled as part of “ordinary time”). The bundle is called Anything But Ordinary (see what they did there?), and the whole thing seems fantastic. But since most of my college-aged congregation is scattered for the summer, I settled for buying an individual copy of the Anything But Ordinary Summer Study Journal.

Allison WehrungJune 7, 2017summer study journal, ordinary time, abraham, genesis, exodus, devotional, journal binding, DIY, craftingComment

Creative Ideas for Lent

We are NOT interested in selling products for mindless consumption. We create resources to empower you to get creative in your unique context.

We create so that YOU will create. Creativity begets creativity, after all.

But here's the thing: creativity is hard—especially when we do it alone. Because creativity is always better when shared, we're offering some ideas and thoughts for how to engage each of our resources for Lent.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityFebruary 9, 2017lent, lent art, easter, worship resource Comments

Coming Home

We hiked a mountain at 5 am, in cold rain, and nearly froze to death for the sake of the art. The introverted among us needed breaks. The organized among us needed a plan, and the late among us, well, ran late. We worked through meals, neglected sleep and every ounce of self care, due to poor communication. We carried our egos too closely to the surface, grappled with disappointment, failed to see the hurt on one another’s faces, and had to find the strength within us to say,

“Stop, I need to talk.”

Can These Bones Live?

June 12th, 5:45 am EDT: Mass shooting in Orlando night club.

My alarm rang in tandem with the BBC news update.

Pause.

Sighing with a mix of fatigue and desperation, I felt ashamedly numb to the "news" that hardly feels like anything new. I set my phone and emotions aside, hurrying to prepare for my work later that morning at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian.

UncategorizedLisle Gwynn GarrityJune 15, 2016 Comment

Twirling

We sat together at a small urban table by the window, the leaves shuffling down the sidewalk like a fall parade led by the wind. And for two hours my hands stayed clasped around my mug, while Lisle’s hands moving freely through the space—painting pictures in my mind and sketches in her notebook—of this idea she could not name.

We talked about art, about the Spirit, about the church and what She needs. We talked about her training and my lack thereof. We talked about caffeine and seminary courses, and women in ministry. And all along, she was twirling.

Meditations on Trinity

In these ink meditations, artist Hannah Garrity explores the interplay between the three persons of the Trinity. Fluid and free, these abstract dancing figures express movement, intimacy, and connection.

A Trinitarian Call/Response Liturgy

(Feel free to adapt or use this liturgy written by Lisle Gwynn Garrity)

Father, Son, Holy Spirit,

God is both three and One, many in unity.

But how can it be?

UncategorizedLisle Gwynn GarrityMay 19, 2016trinity, art, faith, worship, Reformed Worship, creative worship, Creative Liturgy, liturgyComment