Welcome to CommunionArts
CommunionArts lives at the intersection of theology, artistry, and culture. We exist to equip the church with training and creative resources and to empower artists to create fulfilling works that enrich their communities.
CommunionArts lives at the intersection of theology, artistry, and culture. We exist to equip the church with training and creative resources and to empower artists to create fulfilling works that enrich their communities.
For centuries, Christians have used the stations of the cross to meditate on Christ’s journey to His crucifixion. During this Holy Week, we invite you to meditate on the stations of the cross using the artwork of Tim Bauer.
You’ve always done things differently, and they’ve never failed.
Like the time you turned water into wine.
Or like when you rubbed mud on the blind man’s eyes so he could see.
Or when you healed the paralyzed man because his friends truly believed. And like the time You entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a colt,
Marked with what we will become,
Wearing the weight of where we've been—
The words we've spoken,
The seasons we’ve endured,
The roads we’ve traveled. …
While we are just reaching the end of February, January may feel months away. And, if you are someone who sets goals at the beginning of each year, you may be coming to terms with the fact that you are already behind on your reading goals. Well, we’re not here to judge, but we would like to help, so we came up with this list of five short(ish) books that might just help you get back on track.
Daily Lectio is a daily resource created by CommunionArts to help you slow down and meditate on Scripture. Each day's meditation will guide you through praying a portion of Scripture in the style of Lectio Divina, an ancient spiritual way of reading Scripture.
When I look at the church and the body I belong to in Grayslake, IL, I am so thankful. We are blessed with many kind, hardworking, compassionate brothers and sisters who know the Bible and love Jesus. Then, when I step back and ponder the big “C” worldwide Church, I am…
And then, waiting became welcoming,
as creation’s cry was answered.
All that came before led to the moment
when far came close,…
“Mom, can we leave now?” my four-year-old whispered (Thank God!) to me as the Sunday sermon began. “No, not yet,” I whispered back. “Ugh, waiting is sooo haaaaard,” she responded. This is a response she has been dolling out a lot lately—when I can’t stop…
We watched them take you away.
We listened to a crowd curse you.
And watched as they killed you.
You’ve always done things differently, and they’ve never failed.
Like the time you turned water into wine.
Or like when you rubbed mud on the blind man’s eyes so he could see.
Or when you healed the paralyzed man because his friends truly believed. And like the time You entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a colt,
Marked with what we will become,
Wearing the weight of where we've been—
The words we've spoken,
The seasons we’ve endured,
The roads we’ve traveled. …
As Adam left the Garden
With Eve close by his side,
As inward, hearts were hardened,
And eastward, daylight died…
Disrupting the garden,
He stirred up the ground,
breathing life into the dust:
God’s image became us…
A long time ago, in old Israel dwelling
There lived a man Jonah, whose story I’m telling.
Now Jonah was special, what they call a prophet,
Who spoke with the Lord, not a person to scoff at…
God gives us more than we can handle
Be it grief, pain, loneliness, scandal…
Hymn text translated by John Mason Neale
Arrangement, additional text & melody by Kristin Schweain
Music and adaptation by Matt Preston
Words Aurelius Clemens Prudentius
tr. Henry Williams Baker & John Mason Neale
For centuries, Christians have used the stations of the cross to meditate on Christ’s journey to His crucifixion. During this Holy Week, we invite you to meditate on the stations of the cross using the artwork of Tim Bauer.
Since about the age of five, I remember loving to sing. Church talent shows, school plays, choir, on my own. I’ve always felt this need for it, a way to express thoughts and feelings inside of me whether it was a song that someone else wrote or later on in my life something that I wrote. Singing in choir upon
Music has always been a huge part of my life - living in Music City only enhanced my love for it. When I was younger, my songwriting hero Sara Groves drew out that passion for sharing my heart through story and song; that’s when I started singing and writing, too. Over time…
As a kid, I enjoyed rap music for its unique ability to energize me. Later, I grew to love its social commentary. Eventually, I wanted to contribute back to the world, the mood, and the enrichment rap music gave me.
I think we were born with music in our bones. There wasn’t a time I remember where music wasn’t a part of me. We both grew up using music as a form of expression.
As writers, our journeys were wrapped in trying to express what was happening on the inside. God has used music in our lives to help us relate to Him, ourselves, and the people around us.
It’s pretty weird to think about because as a kid, I wasn’t really a fan of music. I didn’t really care much for it. I still remember a time when I would be at church hearing music from the band and being super uninterested in what was happening. That changed when…
My high school art teacher, Dave Pawl, was very instrumental in my initial skill development and shaping how I was thinking about the role of art in the world, giving me the courage to be experimental as well as look to art history. In college one particular professor…
I feel like I was always drawn to music, but my first desire to take piano lessons was when I first heard the pianist at this church we started attending when I was about 7. I knew enough about music to realize she was playing much more than what was notated in the hymnal and I wanted to know, learn and understand…
Music is something I have always been interested in, and for some reason, I am drawn to its creation and not just its performance. I grew up in a musically inclined family (especially my mother who plays piano, and uncle Chris who played the guitar) and I distinctly remember as a child…
I've always liked the idea of documenting things around me. When I was in middle school, I almost always had a disposable camera on me that I would carry around. I moved when I was in middle school from Wisconsin to Florida…
We watched them take you away.
We listened to a crowd curse you.
And watched as they killed you.