In about two days, I'll hop on a plane to NYC. I'll be spending 6 weeks working with art students from all over the US in a collaborative environment, discovering new and creative ways to use art in ministry. Art and the visual both have this ability to open us up to talking about things we might normally avoid. They give us a point of connection, a place to begin a conversation or to dig deeper.

I'm excited to see what God has in store for this summer. As I've been packing and preparing, I've had two books to read beforehand. One of which is called Plowing in Hope, by David Bruce Hegeman. Here are some quotes from it that have really impacted me.

"Culturative history is God's unfolding purpose for man, in which mankind plays a chief role in the development and transformation of the earth from garden-paradise to the glorious city of God."

"The Garden of Eden was apparently devoid of architectural structures...Over all this man was to rule. He was not merely to enjoy all that God had made but he was to work it and keep it. This implied that from the very beginning, mankind was expected to bring changes to the creation, that some sort of transformation was to take place. And these changes were not to be only a rearrangement or reorganization of the plants and animal life in the garden. Artificial things (i.e. things made by artifice=human skill) were to be added to the mix. That non-"natural" additions to the original creation are divinely sanctioned is boldly affirmed by the arrival of the heavenly city. Walls, gates, and streets are not an evil intrusion into the natural ideal but are all part of God's plan, which will be finally brought into full completion at the consummation."

It's truly amazing to think of the incredible privilege God has given each one of us in using the skills and talents He's already provided us with for His glory.