New Stuff We Do: Part 6

I haven't disappeared, I've just been busy.

Yesterday I spent the day with my dear friend Kelsey shopping for art supplies for The Daniel Academy. I will be teaching art 4 hours a week at TDA to grades 1st-8th. I am so excited about this opportunity on a number of different levels.

For one, The Daniel Academy is the place where my children will receive an incredible education this year while being surrounded by marvelous comrades and being encouraged to run hard in the place of prayer and fasting. The Daniel Academy is rich with educators who are gifted in knowledge and are also called to a life of prayer.

In addition, I have the privilege of teaching art to this amazing bunch of children. I left a teaching position that I loved when the Lord spoke clearly to us to move to Kansas City. And with that, I thought perhaps I was laying down the possibilities of ever teaching again in that capacity. It wasn't a hard surrender. And I love that I'm able to teach the Word of God to children here on Sundays and at our various conferences throughout the year, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to teach art again.

I told John and the kids the other day that I was nervous. They just rolled their eyes at me and said, "Mom, you're like the best teacher we know." and stuff like that... you know the stuff your family is supposed to say to you! But the point of my nervousness is this. For the first time, I have the opportunity to teach art beyond the principles of color and design, beyond the history of great artists, and beyond the varieties of media and expressions available. For the first time, I can talk about the beauty of expressing the Creator God through the visual arts, the power of expressing a prophetic utterance with pencil or paint, and the pure act of worship that can take place when an artist puts hand to brush to say "I love you, Lord."

So this is one more thing I do. I teach. I teach art. And I ask for grace from the Lord to embrace this and hear His heartbeat.