Blog — A Sanctified Art

12 Hymns for our "Unraveled" Worship Series

12 Hymns for our "Unraveled" Worship Series

We create so that YOU will create. Creativity begets creativity, after all.

When we released information about our Unraveled customizable worship series, a member of our community, Rev. Stephen Fearing, was inspired to write a hymn for each of the 12 scriptures in the series. He has graciously offered PDFs of these hymns (set to familiar tunes) for you to use in congregational worship and ministry settings. These hymns beautifully parallel the visual art and worship resources in our Unraveled bundle.

28+ Creative Resources for the Lenten Season

28+ Creative Resources for the Lenten Season

Lent is not just the season for giving something up. It’s an opportunity to lament and look inward. It’s an invitation to pause and regroup—to shake off old dust and take new steps. As a creative team, we have crafted resources to help you walk through the season of Lent with intention, reflection, and creativity.

Here’s a fun compilation of ALL of our Lenten resources over the past few years. If you are a busy pastor or church worker, we hope these materials offer you comfort and inspiration in the midst of your preparation.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityFebruary 6, 2019Comment

Faces of our Faith Art Mobile—How To Create a Fun & Easy Worship Installation

Faces of our Faith Art Mobile—How To Create a Fun & Easy Worship Installation

As many churches all across the map join us in using our Faces of our Faith materials, we wanted to offer a creative way to help you name the faces of our your own faith communities.

As a team, we crafted this simple art installation using found objects in less than two hours, so we think you can create something like it too. Just follow the steps below or adapt them based on your own materials and ideas—the possibilities are endless!

Lisle Gwynn GarrityMay 9, 2018worship art, art installation, mobile art, faces of our faith, summer series, crafting, craftivism, creative worship, intergenerational worship art, community artComment

Let There Be LIGHT Paper Lace Banners for Advent

Let There Be LIGHT Paper Lace Banners for Advent

The feeling was visceral—people gasped when they walked through the double doors to worship that first Sunday of Advent. I (Lisle Gwynn Garrity) worked with a small team at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church to blow up our Advent banner designs to 30' and suspend them above the congregation, allowing the light above to pour through the shapes cut away. The result was breath-taking, transcendent, majestic. Our Advent theme, "Let There Be Light" became known and felt beyond simply cerebral conviction.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJanuary 23, 2018advent, paper lace banners, banner art, liturgical art, paper cut out banners, let there be light, worship art, sanctuary art, community art, installation Comment

Prayers on Canvas—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Millicent Thomson

Prayers on Canvas—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Millicent Thomson

I still do not consider myself to be a creative person. My pastor always identifies me as creative, but I am not sure I can see that yet. I have come to recognize that I think in pictures. Sometimes I hear words strewn together so beautifully that I can see those words come together as a whole in the form of a picture. It is new to think of myself as an artist.

Recently, I read Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” That to me is what helps me to claim my prayers on canvas as art.

Lisle Gwynn GarritySeptember 20, 2017millicent thomson, wholehearted, painting, creativity, creative identity, fear, self-doubtComment

An Expression of Self, Truth, & Love—wholeheARTed guest, Kit Song

An Expression of Self, Truth, & Love—wholeheARTed guest, Kit Song

Art is an expression of the self—there are as many ways of expressing a truth as there are people. Probably more. Art leads me to wholeness in the same way God breathed life into a lifeless being: it defines my identity and gives me purpose. Without art, I’d exist, but mechanical would be a better word to describe that existence. With art, I am able to be passionate, to define what makes me feel whole, and own the liberty to pursue it. Art allows me to depart from the world of materialism and find value in something rich and intangible. It’s what I’ve been circling around this whole interview. It’s the thing that saved me in Iowa, saved me again and again in my darkest moments. It’s what brought life into my existence, whether it be through writing or something completely other. The art isn’t as important as what it expresses.

It’s called love.

Lisle Gwynn GarritySeptember 12, 2017Kit Song, storytelling, spoken word, dance, creative writing, writing, music, creativity, wholeheartedComment

queeringlent—wholeheARTed guest, Slats Toole

queeringlent—wholeheARTed guest, Slats Toole

This past Lent, our wholeheARTed guest for this week, Slats Toole, embarked on a daily spiritual practice of writing poems and then sharing them publicly via Facebook and social media. Each day, these poems broke beyond the noise and frenzy of social media to offer moments of truth so visceral it's as if you could feel them lift from the screen and come to life. So many of us were moved by these poems, as they arise from the personal, but point us toward the whole—of the journey of faith, of our identity in God, of life itself.

As a recent Princeton seminary grad, Slats shares their gifts widely through hymnody, preaching, poetry, and sound/theatrical design. They also work to resource and empower the Church at-large to break beyond the binary of gender in liturgy and worship.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 30, 2017slats toole, queeringlent, poetry, lent, theater, gender identity, creative writing, soundscapeComment

"Yes, and . . ."—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Marthame Sanders

"Yes, and . . ."—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Marthame Sanders

As a team, we at Sanctified Art often find ourselves consciously—and subconsciously—thinking about the practical and big picture implications of the art we create. Our creative process often revolves around these questions: How will this art be used? How will it stir imagination, invite participation, and offer space to heal? How might what we create become life-giving for others?

These questions are rooted in a bigger, more philosophical question: What, exactly, does art do? There is no one answer, of course, but we can't deny that art does something. It affects us, even if we create it with no greater intentions or expectations.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 22, 2017improv, marthame sanders, aijcast, podcasting, pastor artist, creativity, fear, songwriting, music, yes andComment

Poetry, a Tool for Liberation—WholeheARTed guest, Hannah Landgraf

Poetry, a Tool for Liberation—WholeheARTed guest, Hannah Landgraf

This week's wholeheARTed conversation couldn't have come at a better time. After the white supremacy rallies in Charlottesville, we're ever reminded of the undercurrent of racism that rocks our nation—in slow and steady tides, and in extreme, raging storms.

In a world where guns and money and hatred and fear often have such a strong grip, why art? Why spend time nurturing our creativity when we could nurture broken bodies and institutions instead?

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 15, 2017poetry, hannah landgraf, enneagram, creative writing, creative liturgy, creative process, fear, creative identityComment

Better When Writing—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Martha Spong

Better When Writing—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Martha Spong

Our wholeheARTed guest this week lives out a creative calling that roots her in collaboration—with inspiration, words, and people. As the Executive Director of Rev Gal Blog Pals, an online platform connecting women clergy all around the world, Rev. Martha Spong believes in the power of words to create sacred space and common ground. As a pastor to pastors, clergy coach and author, Martha lives into her multi-vocational calling with her creativity by her side.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 9, 2017writing, rev gals, martha spong, creative writing, fear, storytelling, creative process, creative worship, creative liturgyComment

Turning Thoughts into Things—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nicole Farley

Turning Thoughts into Things—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nicole Farley

Many of us self-proclaimed "artists" and creative types often profess a common creed. EVERYONE'S AN ARTIST, we say—to strangers, to friends, to unknown readers on the internet. Despite the disbelief we're bound to face, we proclaim what we've found to be true: our identity as creators is not determined by WHAT we create, only by the fact that we DO create—being alive is inherently creative.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityAugust 1, 2017community art, a new creation, nicole farley, crafting, sanctuary art, creative worship, creative processComment

From Scraps and Scribbles—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nadine Ellsworth-Moran

From Scraps and Scribbles—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Nadine Ellsworth-Moran

Scraps and scribbles. The corners of receipts and the edges of envelopes. Idle moments in traffic. A stroll down the grocery aisle.

Inspiration has no grand arrival—she shows up in spurts, often beyond the realm of convenience, announcing herself to you. The question is not if inspiration will show up; the question is if you'll be attentive enough to notice and courageous enough to respond.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 25, 2017creative writing, poetry, faith, wholehearted, inspiration, gospel of thomas, creative worshipComment

"Coming Out As Myself"—WholeheARTed guest, Leslie Cox

"Coming Out As Myself"—WholeheARTed guest, Leslie Cox

A wholeheARTed life integrates all the parts of who you are so that you might welcome each day with courage and compassion, giving your whole heart to God, self, and others. Leslie Cox, our WholeheARTed guest this week, shares about her journey of becoming, of living into all that she was created to be. She cannot separate her creativity from her sexuality, her ministry from her love for storytelling and photography. Her journey reminds us all of what it means to navigate critique, vulnerability, and authenticity to truly come home to yourself.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 18, 2017 Comment

Thinking and Praying in Images—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Scott Bryte

Thinking and Praying in Images—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Scott Bryte

A few months ago, we received an email that went something like this:

"I am a Lutheran pastor and artist who has been feeling a strong pull of the Holy Spirit to express the Gospel through the visual arts.

I would like to talk with your group some time, simply as people who seem to share the same calling. I understand myself as a preacher who paints, or as a drawing theologian. I think we have that in common."

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 7, 2017Comment

Preaching with Sanctified Imagination—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Billy Honor

Preaching with Sanctified Imagination—wholeheARTed guest, Rev. Billy Honor

They called him the golden voice. He was tall and dressed to impress in his patent leather shoes and swanky tailor-made suit. He a carried a well-worn bible and displayed a formidable stride when he walked, which seemed in concert with his serious demeanor. After the choir finished their selection, he stood up to address the full-capacity crowd who had gathered to hear him preach. With skill and precision, he moved from introductory remarks and pleasantries into a masterful exposition of scripture in a sermon he titled, “What a little chicken saw.”

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJuly 3, 2017Comment

Feeding the Hunger to Create—wholeheARTed guest, Daniel Heath

Feeding the Hunger to Create—wholeheARTed guest, Daniel Heath

Some people are visionary creatives, seeing possibility for beauty and collaboration in the midst of what has become tired and all-too-familiar. Daniel Heath is one of these types, working graciously through music, people, and visual media to gently nudge communities forward into fresh ways of thinking, hearing, seeing, and worshiping. Daniel has both the imagination to dream and the determination to enact big ideas in real and vibrant ways.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJune 28, 2017Comment

wholeheARTed: A Summer Guest Blog Series

wholeheARTed: A Summer Guest Blog Series

A Sanctified Art began with conversations around wholeheartedness. How could we as creatives offer a wholehearted approach to faith, and worship, and church? What would it look like to connect our hearts with our hands—to fully integrate art with our vocation and service to the world? How might we harness our creatives gifts to inspire others in living and loving wholeheARTedly?

This summer we're widening our circle to feature the voices of those who also find themselves blending creativity with their faith in a variety of ways and contexts.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityJune 23, 2017Comment

DIY | Binding Your Summer Study Journal

DIY | Binding Your Summer Study Journal

Why use a stapler when you can use a needle and thread?! Binding a paper booklet with string makes it studier than with staples. Plus it looks cool. The Sanctified Art crew recently released a bundle of resources for summer (which, according to the Christian liturgical calendar, is labeled as part of “ordinary time”). The bundle is called Anything But Ordinary (see what they did there?), and the whole thing seems fantastic. But since most of my college-aged congregation is scattered for the summer, I settled for buying an individual copy of the Anything But Ordinary Summer Study Journal.

Allison WehrungJune 7, 2017summer study journal, ordinary time, abraham, genesis, exodus, devotional, journal binding, DIY, craftingComment

Creative Ideas for Lent

Creative Ideas for Lent

We are NOT interested in selling products for mindless consumption. We create resources to empower you to get creative in your unique context.

We create so that YOU will create. Creativity begets creativity, after all.

But here's the thing: creativity is hard—especially when we do it alone. Because creativity is always better when shared, we're offering some ideas and thoughts for how to engage each of our resources for Lent.

Lisle Gwynn GarrityFebruary 9, 2017lent, lent art, easter, worship resource Comments