“And we were put on earth a little space
To learn to bear the beams of love.” — William Blake
Patheos is great at words. We bring you lots and lots of them here at our site (which, incidentally, is celebrating its 5-year anniversary next month!) and they’re really, really good. They make us think harder about the big questions of our faith. But we can all only take so many words before we need a break from theologizing, philosophizing and pontificating! At least that’s what I’ve been feeling lately. Fortunately for me – and I hope you, too – I met a lovely songstress named Heatherlyn in the middle of the longest and coldest winter EVER here in Denver, and she made my heart sing.
At this fantastic conference filled with big ideas and an abundance of words (again, truly wonderful words), Heatherlyn sang to me (and the others gathered) and moved me in some powerful and healing ways. After one of her sets, I rushed up to her, and blurted out: “We need more beauty at Patheos!” I told her I wanted to do a new thing at Patheos and I wanted her to help me. And as she nodded her head, and smiled her warm, generous smile, I knew that something beautiful was being born.
Truly, Eastertide is the perfect time to launch a new thing at Patheos, especially one that speaks and sings and shines of beauty. So once a month (and maybe more), Heatherlyn and I will bring you a “beauty break” in your otherwise scheduled day, as we invite an artist to join us to share their art (and heart) with us. We’ll ask them what inspires them, what their artistic process is like, and what the role of the artist is in the world. We’ll experience art and beauty together.
And what better artist to start with than Heatherlyn herself? I hope you’ll join us for these dialogues on bearing beauty in the world, and why it’s important for our lives together. As we launch this series, we’ll be finding our way together, and would love suggestions from you for artists to interview and experience. But for now, I hope you’ll simply allow yourself to take a break from whatever it is you’re doing, and enjoy a bit of beauty with us.