Spirit-filled Beauty: a theology of creative design
Before I talk parties and color and design, I must nest it all in some theology. Mark and I can’t spend hard earned money on making a barn cute or designing our house with color and comfort, without having good theological conversations first. Wish you were a fly on our walls during those? Probably not, but I assure you they’re fun!
So, stick with me a minute…
We influence our environment, and our environment influences us. It’s the reality of being flesh, not just spirit. We’ve been created as physical beings deeply shaped by the material world we live in. In much of my writing you will hear me almost pitting flesh and spirit against one another in a continuous battle of good and evil. That’s because I believe the cravings of our flesh work against the longings of our spirit. And in our sinfulness, we over consume in our physical beings because we’re more in tune with what our flesh wants, rather than what our spirit needs.
But I don’t want to communicate flesh is evil. Because it’s not. Our bodies were intentionally and perfectly designed by a Creator. And all that God created is good. But sin changed everything. Our desire to know and be like God separated us from him, and his intentions for both our spiritual and physical beings.
Scripture tells us that the forbidden fruit was pleasing to Eve’s eyes. Her flesh wanted something the Spirit told her not to take. This is the moment when flesh and spirit disconnected, working toward conflicting desires. And since then we’ve been hiding. We’ve been clothed. We’ve been separated. We’ve been outside the will of our Father.
This sin in the flesh needed a savior in the flesh. Jesus, clothed in humanity to make all things right. To bring us back to the intentions of our Creator. To reunite our flesh and spirit as they were created to be — one, together with God, in a place of eternal and abundant beauty, life, and understanding.
Which takes me to the fun stuff…
This God of ours loves color and design. The physical is not lost to him. He created it! It has value and purpose. God’s hope for his creation is beauty and color and sweet aromas. That’s why he placed us in a garden, a creative, colorful and full of life home. Our very first environment of grace.
As people created in the image of God, we too desire beautiful and creative design. It’s etched in our bodies, it’s what we’re made of. But it is our spirit – the very breath of God – that gives meaning to our flesh. Without our spirit, our miraculous physical design would have no value.
This is true for people. And for places. It is the spirit that breathes the truest life into an environment. Color and design creatively enhance space, but without the spirit nothing will truly come to life.
So how can this theological understanding speak truth into the creativity of our hands? The visions we have for our homes? The plans we make for parties? The way we fashion our clothing?
How can we integrate the physical and spiritual in our creative works?
I refuse to let a proclaimed faith, Jesus talk and generous giving justify the spending of gross amounts of money on material possessions and images of status. But I also reject the notion that Christian simplicity is boring, bland and unimaginative.
Over the next three weeks, I am going to offer suggestions toward spirit-filled beauty. Design that is intentional rather than impressive. Color that reveals, rather than conceals. Beauty that is illustrative, not arbitrary. Fashion that reflects instead of mimics.
Today I give some tips on how to plan a spirit-filled party. Next week I will offer suggestions toward designing creative spaces that reflect your spirit and tell your story. The following week I will end this little series with a conversation on fashion.
So let’s talk parties…
I love them! Simply because I love people and I thoroughly enjoy gathering with them and creating special ways to celebrate moments worth the effort to make beautiful. Don’t let these pictures fool you — my every day life is full of paper plates, simple dinners, messy rooms, sticky tables and piled up laundry. But some days, some moments, some people deserve an environment of beauty to dine slowly and celebrate lovely….even if just for one night.
These are ways I breathe spirit into parties and gatherings.
Make the gathering about something of value. A person. An idea worth celebrating. Fellowship. Life. Let these values initiate creative design.
I recently planned a dinner party in our barn for my sister’s fortieth birthday. Who my sister is and what she likes inspired much of the design and beauty.
She is simple, but elegant.
She is humble, yet expressive. She is casual, with a certain beauty.
What you see in these pictures isn’t a barn party. What you see in these pictures is Julie. Truly, that is why it came off so beautiful. The colors and designs were a reflection of how I see my sister.
Make it a collaborative effort. Involve several people in the planning so others contribute their creativity and resources in the event. This fosters community and gives opportunity for people to work together toward something fun and valuable. If you’re particular and {a little} controlling like me, this might be difficult for you. But take my word for it – it’s a much more enjoyable {and affordable} way to throw a party! I couldn’t have pulled off such a lovely evening without the help of family and friends who gifted elements of the design and contributed to the night.
Friends designed the invitations and arranged the flowers and illuminated the night with candles.
One friend made these fabulous chandeliers.
And our creative sister-in-law fashioned these lovelies.
Others gathered to set up and organize during the days prior. It’s not always efficient to have a lot of people helping set-up, so discover who your “get-it-done” friends are in your life and count on them. I know who mine are!
Our mother cooked five roasts with potatoes and carrots. A friend gifted the Caesar salad with homemade dressing. Others contributed hors d’oeuvres, my sweet husband made cream of asparagus soup, and our grandmother baked this delicious chocolate cake.
This is why I can say the night was truly beautiful. Because it wasn’t me who made it so. It was the whole community.
Place more emphasis on the moment than the outcome. Invest your time and energy in creating a memorable and intentional event that blesses those present. As the host or hostess you care about the details more than anyone else. So don’t put so much pressure on everything turning out just how you want it to. {trying to convince myself more than you}. Let your vision become a reality, but be flexible along the way for changes and additions that you didn’t plan for.
The night of my sister’s party was so chilly. It didn’t stop the women from showing up in dresses!
The weather changed the way I wanted to do several things, but we adapted and made the best of it. We brought in heaters and incorporated grandma stitched quilts to keep everyone cozy. How cute are they? We would have missed these if it had been warm!
The little unplanned things along the way end up creating parts of the moment that are memorable. So embrace them because the spontaneous, uncontrollable elements are often more spirit-filled than all the planned and organized intentions!
Let music grace the gathering. There’s just something about music that brings people together. It sets a mood and fills the room with soul. On this particular night we drank in music while we ate, shared special songs, sang duets and joined together in worship. Music is always a welcomed guest in my home…or barn.
Now it’s your turn! How do you breathe spirit into your gatherings? In what ways do you incorporate intentional design and thought into parties? Please share, we’d like to learn from you…
