If you haven’t been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see “Siena: The Rise of Painting,” I hope you will have a chance to do so. The exhibit focuses on works of art painted in that Italian city just as the Renaissance was beginning to come to life. Between the years 1300 and 1350, Sienese artists moved the art of painting into a new era of detail, color and perspective…..

When we take the opportunity to share with another person about what having a real and life directing faith in Jesus Christ means to us, what will we say? When the moment comes when God is depending on our voice to prepare the way for another person to come closer to God, will our voice be heard and what will we say? Will we share what is important or slide by with peripheral talk?

What a message for us at Advent, “Let every heart prepare him room….”

Last Wednesday evening, I had the privilege of attending a program at Carnegie Hall featuring work from participants in the Creative Arts Therapy Program at Rikers Island. It was a beautiful evening. Original artwork was all over the walls of the reception area. A short film featuring dance and music programs was shown, and then a panel including Arts Therapists, a former program participant, and someone working with citizens returning to their communities went deeper into the power of creative work in helping people find their voices….