“Rehumanizing my world through beauty” is our mission. How do we make this mission a vehicle for the gospel is the question that we as artists pursue.

Beauty can be expressed as “When things are as they ought to be.” The impact of such beauty is that Humans flourish.

Our view is formed from the “Genesis Story, which in itself is a magnificent form of storytelling art,” that describes the creation of the world, culminating in two statements: it is good, it is very good. At the core of that message is that out of chaos came cosmos.**

Now let us tell you about Art & Tea. Julia and I are hosting a monthly art event in our home. We asked a Christian couple that we are discipling to invite four non-Christians to The Tea, on a Sunday afternoon from 1:30-4 pm. Guests arrive for a High Tea experience crafted by Julia, plus we have elegant tea hats for the ladies. Then we adjourn to the studio, where I give a short talk about being a Mark Maker. I explain that it is the role of what we call artists. We make marks on canvas, on the piano, in writing, in sewing, in cooking, and on and on. We make marks with the nature of our life, and we are a mark, made at creation to make the creator's mark in the world.

Then I begin to paint, and after 90 minutes I finish. We have a drawing, and one guest leaves with a complete painting. Last month, we had a full house with 8 guests. After the event, people were hanging out. One guest asked if she could visit the woman's studio (our friend who is co-laboring with us). Just today I received a card in the mail from another guest and she is asking to spend time with me in the studio.

Our goal is to demonstrate how to talk about beauty and how beauty opens the door to the Kingdom.

We are bringing beauty into our guests' experience as a reality. Beauty penetrates our souls at a visceral level. It opens the doors for a meaningful and shared experience.**

(ornamental order- look at Julia’s tea set up- or think of a business that causes humanity to flourish)!