Hello dear ones,
We were in Philadelphia this past weekend for volleyball and had the best visit! I lived in Bangkok for two and a half years in my early 20s and love the energy and creativity of big cities. I got to visit the Philadelphia Museum or Art and was nearly in tears getting to see such beautiful art up close. It was so inspiring for my own work. We also got to shop at the Blick Art Store where I bought some new materials to try out, including some chalk colored pencils and ink crayons. Also, the philly cheesesteak I had was dreamy!
To keep me occupied while driving and waiting during tournament, I use the Libby app and borrow audio books through my local library. This past week, I listened to all of nearly 21 hours of the newest Martin Luther King, Jr. biography, King: A Life by Jonathan Eig. The book is long and comprehensive, starting from King's grandparents' lives and ending at his murder, but it moved quickly and I found every chapter riveting. At the end, I felt I knew the man and was deeply grieved to lose him.
Jonathan Eig tactfully, but truthfully, handles King's weaknesses and failings, but also reveals a man of deep faith, integrity, conviction, and unbelievable courage. I learned so much about the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement as it moved beyond its initial successes with the bus boycott in Montgomery. I think we have so much to learn from their struggles and example. At its core, this was a movement born out of the church.
I was also struck by King's prophetic gifting. He spoke truth to powers and authorities no matter who held it and what it cost him. He saw clearly the worth and dignity of every human. He listened to people's struggles and showed up in the middle of conflicts. He literally had President Lyndon Johnson's phone number and the encouragement of Johnson to call when he needed, and yet he took a very controversial stand against Johnson's war in Vietnam, out of that persistent conviction that every life had value.
He was a prophet and we killed him. That makes me think of these Scriptures from the Gospels:
""O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"' (Mat 23:37 ESV)
"Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,' so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation." (Luke 11:47-51 ESV)
That makes me wonder where the prophets are today, if God in his mercy chooses to give them to us? Who will speak the truth about justice and righteousness, no matter who wields the political power? These are the questions I am asking myself these days.
The book is excellent if you have a chance to read it! You can listen to an interview with the author HERE.
In other news, part 1 of my new Spring Collection is here! In the shop now are:
- 12 new mixed media bird prints based on my January show
- 7 new bird stickers
- a new hymn postcard set (also available as individual cards)
