Joy In The Art of Faith

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Maquoketa artists Charles Morris and Rose Frantzen . They are a remarkably gifted couple who have created Old City Hall Gallery.

One of the pieces Chuck imagined and brought to fruition is titled "Reflections of Mailer." Chuck drew a portrait of author Norman Mailer and then Mailer selected images from Morris's books of paintings and drawings to be included around the bust of Mailer.

I was particularly attracted to "Picasso Showing Jesus How To Draw In The Dirt." Too fun. I can imagine Jesus rolling in laughter because here is an artist who understands the joy in faith. The experience of the holy has been taken so seriously over the eons that the relationship between Creator and created has been diminished.

For me the drawing reflects the is, was, and shall be of God incarnated not only in Jesus, but also in the artist. More than that, it suggests a relationship that has the Creator learning from the creation.

What if God is not as linear as so many have tried to maintain? How might you live knowing that you have something to offer God?

John 8:1-11

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”