Some of you have asked me why I do art for Lent. It’s something I started several years ago, longing to do something proactive as I anticipated the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Somehow eliminating something felt less celebratory to me. It had become rote and drudgery, and I didn’t want to remember Jesus that way.

Of course, I know that his death is serious business, and it deserves reverence and awe. But I also knew that death is not the end of that story. It ends in life.

I’m not an artist. I play around because it’s fun and I enjoy thinking through how I will illustrate a verse or a thought. It’s challenging to me, and it takes time. And I find myself lost in the process, experiencing flow, where time loses its fascination, and social media loses its appeal. It feels pure to me. And quiet.

Some of you have asked whether I’d sell a piece or not. I don’t yet know. I don’t have a good printer (I may buy one), nor do I know how to do that without it costing too much to ship. But I know that folks do this on Etsy all the time, so we’ll see. If you have any simple solutions, I’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime, I am worshiping my Lord in a different way. As a writer, I’ve celebrated God that way, but now with a paintbrush, I’m exploring a new venue of worship. I’ve even found myself writing songs for the first time.

Sometimes spending time with God can become daily and rote, so this yearly practice revitalizes my interaction with Him. Perhaps it’s something you might try too?

Below are some of my small scale pieces. I buy this watercolor notebook, these paints, and these pens.

How about you? What do you do to prepare your heart for Easter?