Pieces of Truth.

My husband and I run an inspirational website for passionate creators: artists in all disciplines called Patchwork Veracity.  We chose that title because we believe that Truth can be found all around us.  From the most unexpected sources.  And often, for creative types, in their work.  This whole idea has also led us to believe that Truth leads to More Questions - and so... art that evokes questions is the art that is most excellent, and really, in my opinion, the closest to God.

I see God as the Ultimate Creator.  The Master of the Great Academy of Earth.  He creates more and more for us - ways to see him, ways to connect to him - more evidence to collect in solving the Great Mystery of Who He Is.  We see the stars - we want to know how far away they are, of what they are made, if we can touch them, if anyone else is out there... and on into infinity.  We see a tree and we wonder if we could climb it, how it gets it's food, how it can help us, what we can build with it...  Endless possibility.  Endless questioning.  Endless sensory experience and wonder out there for the taking.

There are many things that have been deemed "unChristian" or "Anti-Christian".  Things like yoga, marijuana, The Tao, The Moon Cycles, The Celebration of the Seasons...  I grew up thinking I needed to stay far from these things.  Thinking they were dangerous.  Meditation?  You'd better be talking while you're praying because in all that silence something might come up from Satan!  Yoga?  Chanting???  That's only for Pagans.  Solstice Celebration?  Stick with Christmas and forget about that evil summer festival.

But the older I become...  The more I see of the world...  the more I read and grow and pray and connect... the more I realize - these things I've been told to steer clear of...  these are ways the people are trying to answer the question of Who God Is.  These are ways that we understand Him.  The Seasons have been put into place so that the Story of Resurrection is ingrained in our hearts - the growing things bloom and blossom and thrive...and then they die...  only to come back to life in the spring!  Cycles of living and dying - the seed giving way to the plant, the caterpillar giving way to the butterfly - All of Creation sings of The Story of Christ!  And so why shouldn't I celebrate the Solstice with Thanksgiving and laughter?  The acknowledgement of the Gift from God to aid us in understanding his magnificent plan?

I practice yoga.  I ADMIT IT!  And it is amazing for my back, for my mood, for my LIFE.  Namaste - the acknowledgement of a Divine Spirit living in you...  that's JESUS!  We believe that we HAVE a divine spirit living in us as Christians!  How touching to say Namaste to another in greeting, in farewell, in well-wishing when we see Christ manifest in them!  The Ohm?  There is POWER in the unification of tone, of voice.  There is true connection with something bigger than ourselves and saying that it ISN'T The God of the Universe is selling everyone short!

I know that not everyone will agree with me - but I urge ALL of you to really take a look at the things you've written off.  Might they be connections you've been missing?  Claim it.  Embrace it.  Sew it into your growing patchwork of truth.