Comments on: A Vineyard of One’s Own http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/ Artist and writer Jan Richardson explores the intersections of word & image & faith. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:35:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jan from Rhode Island http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-446 Jan from Rhode Island Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:58:17 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-446 Hi Jan - I found your website just a few months ago and since then have been reading it faithfully. Your "small" pieces of artwork have been illuminating my heart and mind week by week, so first of all, thank you for them. Their glowing warmth and invitational intimacy have been very sustaining to me recently and to where I find myself on my own journey. Now for your words...last night I found myself experiencing a bout of unexpected envy which left me going to bed feeling pretty unsettled. I woke up this morning feeling the need to read your blog, not knowing of course what your topic was. Needless to say I am filled with gratitude once again, feel a new direction for my prayer, and am much more willing to let this painful opening in me lead me in some new God -inviting ways. Thanks for your honesty...it was consoling to me and for sharing your very beautiful gifts. Hi Jan – I found your website just a few months ago and since then have been reading it faithfully. Your “small” pieces of artwork have been illuminating my heart and mind week by week, so first of all, thank you for them. Their glowing warmth and invitational intimacy have been very sustaining to me recently and to where I find myself on my own journey. Now for your words…last night I found myself experiencing a bout of unexpected envy which left me going to bed feeling pretty unsettled. I woke up this morning feeling the need to read your blog, not knowing of course what your topic was. Needless to say I am filled with gratitude once again, feel a new direction for my prayer, and am much more willing to let this painful opening in me lead me in some new God -inviting ways. Thanks for your honesty…it was consoling to me and for sharing your very beautiful gifts.

]]> By: Rosalie Nelson http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-441 Rosalie Nelson Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:08:20 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-441 Jan-- I just need to affirm how delightful I find your blog collages; as well as the thought-provoking meditation that accompanies them. I guess I was feeling some envy at your creativity, too! I found your site about 6 months ago, and have been reading/seeing it ever since! Thanks too, for having a blog that is easy to file a comment on! PS my area of 'creativity' is poetry, and envy of other poets can be found within a poet's heart, too! Jan– I just need to affirm how delightful I find your blog collages; as well as the thought-provoking meditation that accompanies them. I guess I was feeling some envy at your creativity, too! I found your site about 6 months ago, and have been reading/seeing it ever since! Thanks too, for having a blog that is easy to file a comment on!

PS my area of ‘creativity’ is poetry, and envy of other poets can be found within a poet’s heart, too!

]]> By: Beverly http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-440 Beverly Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:55:43 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-440 Hello there. My best wishes and appreciation to you, Jan. I have admired your work for some time. About two years ago I discovered your website while I was in the middle of enormous personal change...leaving my chaplaincy position to focus on full-time mothering without any crystalline vision of how that was supposed to work out. My husband was staying at home at the time. Two years later, I'm still working two days a week in my chaplaincy position, living in 1003 sq. feet of habitable space with my husband and nearly 6 yo son, and anticipating our next baby. While in seminary I wrote my major paper on envy because it has been a driving force (like it or not) in my life. I love the image of pharoah's skinny cows! I liked Ann and Barry Ulanov's book on envy. Don't remember the title. I discovered your blog through the link of the week from Textweek.org. What a life-giving place you have created here. A beautiful vineyard indeed. I will be adding it to my list of links if that is okay with you. Thank you for being a mentor in the ways of living with joy and integrity. God bless you! Hello there. My best wishes and appreciation to you, Jan. I have admired your work for some time. About two years ago I discovered your website while I was in the middle of enormous personal change…leaving my chaplaincy position to focus on full-time mothering without any crystalline vision of how that was supposed to work out. My husband was staying at home at the time. Two years later, I’m still working two days a week in my chaplaincy position, living in 1003 sq. feet of habitable space with my husband and nearly 6 yo son, and anticipating our next baby. While in seminary I wrote my major paper on envy because it has been a driving force (like it or not) in my life. I love the image of pharoah’s skinny cows! I liked Ann and Barry Ulanov’s book on envy. Don’t remember the title.

I discovered your blog through the link of the week from Textweek.org. What a life-giving place you have created here. A beautiful vineyard indeed. I will be adding it to my list of links if that is okay with you. Thank you for being a mentor in the ways of living with joy and integrity. God bless you!

]]> By: hot cup http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-439 hot cup Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:38:26 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-439 oh yes... Grunewald Guild. i spent a summer there once upon a time... how changing and enhancing that was! it's a great parable bout being loved for who we are, where we are, doing whatever work we are called to do.... large, small, or somewhere inbetween.... oh yes… Grunewald Guild. i spent a summer there once upon a time… how changing and enhancing that was! it’s a great parable bout being loved for who we are, where we are, doing whatever work we are called to do…. large, small, or somewhere inbetween….

]]> By: Doug Wiebe http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-438 Doug Wiebe Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:59:59 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-438 I appreciate your good insights. Thanks for taking the time to meditate and reflect and then to share. I love being part of your virtual community. I've been thinking about the wild generosity of God, of course expressed most profoundly in the cross, and how if we could be drawn more to that, have our eyes fixed more to observe this wild generosity in the cross and day to day experiences, that then we would be so overwhelmed with the observation and experience of His grace, that some deliverance from "envy" would be accomplished. Some old song writers caught it such as "Amazing love, how can it be?" "The love of God is greater far..." "How deep the father's love for us.." "O boundless salvation" "O the deep deep love..." etc. Peace. I appreciate your good insights. Thanks for taking the time to meditate and reflect and then to share. I love being part of your virtual community. I’ve been thinking about the wild generosity of God, of course expressed most profoundly in the cross, and how if we could be drawn more to that, have our eyes fixed more to observe this wild generosity in the cross and day to day experiences, that then we would be so overwhelmed with the observation and experience of His grace, that some deliverance from “envy” would be accomplished. Some old song writers caught it such as “Amazing love, how can it be?” “The love of God is greater far…” “How deep the father’s love for us..” “O boundless salvation” “O the deep deep love…” etc. Peace.

]]> By: Mad Monk http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-435 Mad Monk Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:37:37 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-435 What about the virtual vineyard? Check your webstats, Jan. You may be surprised to know how many people are "reading" your art, and sharing it with many people. As for your small apt, we live in 1000 sqare feet with me and my wife and a baby. Needless to say, it has brought us closer :-) Keep up the wonderful writing. And I am happy to see that you are engaging with other artists. It will always lead to a fruitful experience for those of us who visit you online. Peace. What about the virtual vineyard? Check your webstats, Jan. You may be surprised to know how many people are “reading” your art, and sharing it with many people.

As for your small apt, we live in 1000 sqare feet with me and my wife and a baby. Needless to say, it has brought us closer :-)

Keep up the wonderful writing. And I am happy to see that you are engaging with other artists. It will always lead to a fruitful experience for those of us who visit you online.

Peace.

]]> By: Carolyn http://paintedprayerbook.com/2008/09/14/a-vineyard-of-ones-own/#comment-434 Carolyn Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:57:07 +0000 http://paintedprayerbook.com/?p=318#comment-434 'You had me with the red in the circles' but your accompanying text sealed the deal as I began to go back into previous posts seeking how long it had been since I'd been smitten by the wisdom of the artist, who in applying for a particular commission, drew a smiple red circle as an example of his art [posted 2-10-08 'The Red Circle']; the image and the integrity and the grace of the gesture became a point of invitation to remember that whoever and whatever I am, wherever and however deep my creative bent, is sufficient - a week or so later [2-18-08 'Knock, Knock'] came a post with a similar vein through your text and some encouragement from the poet Rumi, that summons to peek over the thresholds of others, look inside their doors, but in order to do your own God given task a piece of the labor is to 'knock on your own door'...do your own practices....seek the creative joy and the Holy fingerprint in that personal landscape: certainly envy is no stranger to me, but then there is this: we do serve as mirrors for one another, don't we? An offering of gratitude, then, to all of the aforementioned for the counsel that has so resonated for me these recent and far-flung days as I keep learning to 'tend my own vineyard'. ‘You had me with the red in the circles’ but your accompanying text sealed the deal as I began to go back into previous posts seeking how long it had been since I’d been smitten by the wisdom of the artist, who in applying for a particular commission, drew a smiple red circle as an example of his art [posted 2-10-08 'The Red Circle']; the image and the integrity and the grace of the gesture became a point of invitation to remember that whoever and whatever I am, wherever and however deep my creative bent, is sufficient – a week or so later [2-18-08 'Knock, Knock'] came a post with a similar vein through your text and some encouragement from the poet Rumi, that summons to peek over the thresholds of others, look inside their doors, but in order to do your own God given task a piece of the labor is to ‘knock on your own door’…do your own practices….seek the creative joy and the Holy fingerprint in that personal landscape: certainly envy is no stranger to me, but then there is this: we do serve as mirrors for one another, don’t we? An offering of gratitude, then, to all of the aforementioned for the counsel that has so resonated for me these recent and far-flung days as I keep learning to ‘tend my own vineyard’.

]]>