Days of Ridvan in the Twin Cities

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Recently my friend David Sterling, Coordinator of the Annual Holy Days/Holidays Festival at the Mall of America, told me about a his celebration of the Days of Ridvan.  This is a sacred celebration for Baha’i around the world, a period to reconnect with the spiritual things of life and the holy bonds of family, friendship, and shared humanity.  He shared one of the events with me:

Today is a Baha’i holy day, the 12^th Day of Ridvan, the final day of the 12 Day Festival of Ridvan. On the first of those 12 days Baha’u’llah declared His mission, the holiest of all Baha’i holy days. On the ninth day His family joined Him in the Ridvan Garden in Baghdad and on the twelfth day He and His family left Baghdad being exiled to Constantinople. These three days, the 1^st, 9^th and 12^th Days of Ridvan are all holy days where we are asked to abstain from work and school. Wikipedia has a good description of the Garden of Ridvan. There is a second Ridvan Garden in Acre, Israel, recently restored to the time of Baha’u’llah’s visits there.

Our fund raiser raised over $700 for the National Baha’i Fund. This was only one of several such fund raisers in our Twin Cities metro area and in other Baha’i communities across the nation. Only Baha’is can contribute to any of the Baha’i funds whether they are for local, national, international, for special projects, etc. Any other offers to contribute (from outside the Faith) are politely refused.

For our fund raiser in my home after welcoming our dinner guests I read a fund raising story about the Baha’is in Germany after the end of WWII. I chose this story from among several in a collection of fund stories because I was born during the early months of the U.S. entering WWII, Mary Jo, my wife, was born at the end of that war, she and I are both of German descent and it is the Baha’i promise of world peace (and the plan of how to achieve that peace) that brought me to become a Baha’i. After reading the fund story I told our guests of your art glass project, the fact that your gift of your sculptural depiction of the Wellspring of Peace (As-Salam) had arrived earlier that same day and then I brought it into the room from our front porch placing it in the center of the dinning room table. There was considerable interest in your entire 99 Names of Allah art glass project.

Following is the German fund story I read to our guests that day:

“World War II had just come to an end. The scattered German Baha’is were coming together again in West Germany and trying to organize their affairs. They had been living under great pressure during the Nazi regime; the Faith had been banned, Baha’is were not allowed to meet or speak about their beliefs and Baha’i literature had been confiscated. Now that freedom had been restored, the Baha’is realized that the thing they needed most was Baha’i books and pamphlets. Unfortunately, neither printing paper nor ink was to be found in the country in those days.

“People did not even have enough food, and the Baha’is were in the same situation as everyone else. The pre-war German currency had become worthless overnight, and even those who had the money could buy nothing with it.

“The American believers began sending food parcels to their Baha’i brothers and sisters in Germany, often working overtime at odd jobs themselves to be able to afford the gift. The German Baha’is, however, decided that they would rather sacrifice the precious foodstuff that was sent to them if they could receive printing paper and ink instead. This is how they were able to start bringing out Baha’i literature during those difficult times.

“Another project which the German Baha’is undertook right after the war was building a National Baha’i Centre in Frankfurt. The *Guardian asked them to do this and they were not going to disappoint him, no matter how great the sacrifice they had to make.

“The Baha’is of Stuttgart gathered contributions for the Centre in a special way. They made little black cloth bags and each member of the community always carried one of these in his or her pocket. Every single penny which could be spared went into this bag. Baha’is economized in every way possible to save for the Fund. They walked instead of taking the bus, they collected money returning green stamps they received with certain foodstuffs and by deposits they got for their empty bottles. Penny by penny the filled their bags and emptied them out on each Nineteen Day Feast.

“Of the many thousands of people who have visited the Baha’i Centre in Frankfurt, there are probably very few who realize with what tremendous sacrifice it was built.”

*Shoghi Effendi, great-grandson of Baha’u’llah (1817-1892) [Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith] was Guardian of the international Baha’i community at this time.

Gardens are a symbol of the felicity, diversity, beauty, and limitless bounty in heaven, and gardens are an enduring symbol of the Baha’i world view; whatever our faith, this is a symbol we may share.  “The world is our country, and we are all it’s citizens.”

All mankind are flowers in a great garden.  If all the flowers were the same color, it would be dull and boring.  But if there’s diversity, there’s greater beauty.

–Robert Weinberg, Director, Office of Public Information, World Baha’i Center

Lord of Lightning, Lord of Grace

Years ago as a young volunteer minister living in Alabama, far from home and lonely, I relished the prospect of a good lightning storm.  I grew up in a desert – once in second grade, they canceled school because of an 80% chance of snow – so seeing majestic weather was wonderful.  Lightning, thunder, and the whipping rain witness the raw might and majesty of nature and the Creator, and I remember reflecting as a young minister if this was anything like Elijah’s experience:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire:  and after the fire a still small voice.

–1 Kings 19:12

My good friend Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, has shared this same wonder many times in North Carolina:

Muslim mystics like Ibn ‘Arabi say that the heart of the faithful is held between the ‘two fingers’ of the All-Merciful.

It has helped me to see that even as love and gentleness of rain are aspects of God, so is the awesome and majestic thunder.

–From Omid’s beautiful article God of Thunder, God of Rain in RNS.

His observation also reminds me of another wonderful memory from my days in Alabama, a favorite passage from the hymn How Great Thou Art:

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed;

…How great Thou art!

–From hymns.me.uk

A Christian artist and a Muslim professor, we stand in awe of the Lord of Storms, Al-Jalil, Al-Latif – the Glorious, Full of Grace.

We are all blind, looking at the elephant

Blind Monks and the Elephant
Image from Wikimedia Commons

A very good friend is Baha’i, and told me this week about the wonderful Ridvan celebration Baha’i from around the world take part in, honoring the commencement of Baha’u'llah‘s prophethood.  Concurrent with this, I was confronted with a very strong opinion regarding the incorrectness of observing anything other than the One True Path.  I’m Christian, and enjoy the celebrations of my friends, neighbors, and those I admire, regardless of their spiritual traditions – how is my belief of the One True Path not diluted or polluted by supporting the differing beliefs of others?

There is an ancient Indian poem about the six blind men and the elephant.  Each came to the elephant and experienced a different part of the animal’s great body, compared the experience with what they already knew, and came away with part of the truth.  Each was right, each was different, and each was incomplete.  How does this parable apply to living peaceably in a world of such diverging views?

I believe, as many faithful of many faiths do, in a Creator Who is truly Infinite.  I, as many of my earth-bound friends are also, am a very finite being.  How can I comprehend entirely the majesty of an infinite Being?  Many of the world’s major scriptures include phrases which describe the principle of Divine knowledge being given to seekers in the language and to the understanding of the seeker.  Just as books are written about the same subjects in many languages so we can all share in knowledge, spiritual knowledge is given with many symbols so each person is able to understand Truth in the manner best suited to him or her.  Different paths of learning don’t negate Truth, but rather help us explore, see, and appreciate many different facets, and serve to expand our limited, finite knowledge.  The Muslim philisopher Dr. Tariq Ramadan speaks about this perceived dichotomy of faith beautifully in his book The Quest for Meaning, and I find his perspective on the subject particularly illuminating.

Each of us is made uniquely, each of us has a particular perspective to share, each of us can contribute, and each of us can learn.  The Indian parable teaches that all the blind men were wrong in their observations, but that isn’t quite the reality.  Each was right, and rather than arguing with each other, each could have learned so much from his neighbor through listening.  By exploring, learning, and appreciating other perspectives, our own beliefs are expanded and strengthened.  When we join in the celebrations of faith of our neighbors, rather than diluting or polluting our own beliefs we are deepened and enriched.  The Infinite is beyond my ability to see, but I catch glimpses through the joy of my friends.

Pacifica Institute Cooking Class

Last Saturday Pacifica Institute Utah held another international cooking class, with dishes from three countries.

Our three teachers were Josie Stone of Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable from England, Sam El Fajri from Morocco, and Zeynep Kariparduc from Turkey.  I was able to bum a ride from my friend Ammon and his fiance Mandy, as they wanted to go, too.  They took pictures because I’m technologically devolved.  We also took part in a contest to make a salad in under 2 minutes – the gentleman who took charge of our team is a cooking enthusiast, and was grooving along so fast chopping things he caught his finger, too.  Luckily he is also a nurse, so knew exactly what to do.

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Photography by Ammon and Mandy

Shepherd’s Pie (Cottage Pie)

Josie from UK

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb (halal)
• 1 Onion chopped
• 1-2 cups vegetables – chopped carrots, corn, frozen peas (optional)
• 8 Tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Salt, white pepper, other seasonings of choice (fresh chopped parsley, Italian seasoning, rosemary)
• Gravy flour or Bisto

Method

1.            Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes)

2.            While the potatoes are cooking, melt 2 Tablespoons butter (1/4 stick) in large frying pan

3.            Saute onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins).  If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time.  Put any carrots in with the onions.  Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4.            Add ground lamb and saute until no longer pink.  Add salt and pepper.  Add Worcestershire sauce.  Add half a cup of vegetable broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep moist.  Sprinkle in Bisto or gravy flour to thicken.

5.            Mash potatoes in pan with remainder of butter, reserving 2 Tablespoons; season to taste.

6.            Place lamb and onions in baking dish.  Distribute mashed potatoes on top.  Rough up with fork so that there are peaks which will brown nicely.  You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.  Dot potatoes with small pieces of butter to assist with browning.

7.            Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes).  Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Bulgar Pilaf with Green Lentils

Zeynep from Turkey

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter or 1/2 cup oil
• 2 brown onions (finely chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups extra coarse bulgur, uncooked
• 1 cup lentils
• 5 cups boiled water (still hot)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• Tomatoes and green pepper
• 2 teaspoons pepper paste (optional)

Method

1. Boil washed lentils in water.
2. Saute onions with oil.  Add tomatoes and peppers.  Saute 5 more minutes.
3. Add tomato paste, and then bulgur and lentils.
4. Stir it one more time, and then add boiled water and salt.
5. Cook until the water evaporates.  Let the Bulgur Pilaf stand for about 5 minutes.
6. (Other tasty bits can be added to Pilaf to taste, too.)

Chocolate Decadence

Sam from Morocco

Ingredients

• 24 oz. chocolate, semi-sweet, dark, milk Ghiradelli or Callebault (mix and match)
• 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, do not even think about salted
• 1 teaspoon Folgers instant coffee crystals
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a microwave safe bowl place chocolate, butter and instant coffee.  Place in microwave on no more than medium power and cook 1 minute.  Remove and stir.  Repeat process until chocolate, butter and coffee are all melted and mixed to smooth.
3. In large mixing bowl, whip eggs and sugar until smooth and frothy.  Should just begin to thicken.
4. Add warm melted chocolate to whipped eggs and whip until eggs and chocolate are completely mixed and bowl has been scraped to mix everything evenly.  Should be pretty thick mixture.
5. Spray a 9 or 10-inch spring-form pan with butter-flavored spray or lightly coat the pan with butter.  Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.  Pour batter into pan.  Place on center shelf of pre-heated oven.
6. After light goes out when oven reaches temperature again, reduce heat to 300 degrees.  Cook 20 minutes.  A light crust will form on top, a toothpick will never come out clean, so do not think about using that as an option.  It should be lightly firm with the center being just a little sunken.
7. Place on cooling rack until it reaches room temperature.  Then wrap lightly with plastic and place in refrigerator until chilled.

When ready to serve, run a knife around pan to loosen from sides, remove side of spring-form pan.  Turn onto platter and remove bottom of pan and paper.  If you let the cake set at room temp for about 15 minutes before removing bottom, it could be easier.  Cut with a heated clean knife.  A pitcher of hot water works great, then dry the knife before touching the cake.  Enjoy!

Josie Stone has resided in Utah for 10 years and really loves being here.  She grew up in England.  She currently has her own consulting business for teaching clinical practice and conducts education programs both nationally and internationally.  She has 4 children, loves cooking, delights in all different types of food, especially vegetarian, and enjoys experimenting with recipes from all over the world.

Zeynep Kariparduc was born and raised in Turkey.  After marriage she has been in different countries, earned a BA degree in Kosovo and ended up in Utah in 2010.  She has 4 children, is currently working as a toddler teacher and volunteer of Pacifica Institute, and enjoys being familiar with different cultures and cuisines.

Sam El Fajri is from Morocco.  She came to USA in 2007 to pursue a degree in Health Care Administration.  She works with University of Utah Hospitals.  She decided to settle down in Utah, got married, no kids yet!  She enjoys cooking, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

What’s With the Headscarf? Muslim Women on the Hijab Question

Iftar in Patterson, New Jersey
Image from Wikimedia Commons

“Dad, do we have to wear this?”

We were on our way to visit a Shi’a mosque in Salt Lake City, Utah,  a number of years ago, and my 10- and 12-year-old daughters were asking about the scarves I had invited them to wear.

“No, absolutely not,”  I said.  “The only reason I gave those to you is in case you wanted to.”

“Why would we want to?”

“Out of respect.”  I did not know much about the scarves or their use, just what I learned earlier that week about its history.  “We’re visiting another church, and there many of the women wear these over their hair.  They’re called hijabs.”

“Oh, we heard about these.”  Both girls then told me many of the things they had ‘learned’ from their friends at school, about how Muslim men force their women to wear clothes to hide who they are, and the word ‘subjugate’ kept coming up.

“Let’s ask when we get there,” I invited.  “Since it’s someone else’s church, I thought it would be nice to show respect and wear it, to help them feel more comfortable with us being there.”  The girls decided that was a good idea, and ended up making a wonderful first impression.

The hijab has come to be (mis)understood by Western media as the visible indicator ‘proving’ Muslim subjugation of women.  It is impossible, a friend from Morocco explained, to say that such a thing isn’t true for every Muslim in the world (a quarter of the world’s population).  “With such a huge population, even a tiny percentage will contain a large number of real people, but regardless of whether or not such people call themselves Muslim, subjugation in any form is against the teachings of Islam,” she told me.  She and her friend were both in the US studying microbiology and genetics, she did not wear a hijab and her friend did, and the women in both their families were split pretty evenly as to who chose to wear hijabs.

From our Western point of view, expecting a person to cover his/her head as part of religious observance is not unusual – the nun’s habit, for example, immediately comes to mind, as does the yarmulke for my Jewish friends.  And for the majority of Muslim women the headscarf means something completely different to what we ‘understand’ from various media.

Mohamed began receiving the revelation of the Qur’an in 610, on the Arabian peninsula.  This era, explains Dr. Sophia Pandya from California State University Long Beach, was particularly harsh for women.  A family’s cattle was better cared for than many of the girls and women in a family, and a young woman felt to be a drain on resources could be buried alive in the desert sands without fear of reprisal or reprimand.  The length, color, and luster of a woman’s hair was used to judge her breeding potential and overall health in a similar way to how the potential health of livestock is judged by the appearance of the animals’ hides.  In contrast, by covering her hair a man was forced to address the woman to her face and acknowledge her identity as a fellow human being.  A typical Western response is our immediate rebuttal, but doesn’t the Qur’an say a husband can beat his wife?  Yes and no, Dr. Pandya says.  “The Arabic word many have translated into ‘beat’ has over thirty other meanings, including variations of ‘separate’ which are more contextually valid – so Westerners find it problematic to say the least to fully appreciate the Qur’anic scripture.”  (Comments made during her lecture on Women in Islam at Pacifica Institute Utah, February 8, 2013)

Now asking a Muslim what the hijab ‘means’ is like asking Christians their views on particular subjects; just as Christianity is a rainbow of points of view, so is Islam.  My friends at Pacifica Institute Utah, a Turkish-American service organization, have a unique perspective.

During the Ataturk government, a system of enforced secularization was observed – religion in the workplace or professional environment was frowned on.  Muslim women who insisted on wearing their headscarves were banned from higher education and serving in public office.  Within the last decade or so that has radically changed.  Like the Amercian colonials adopting ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ as their own (sung by British troops to tease the Americans), many Muslim Turks feel that it is a symbol of their religious freedom to wear their hijabs.  I asked my friend Hulya to visit with the women who make up Utah’s Pacifica Institute and tell me more.

“I asked the ladies of Pacifica, and most of our answers (about wearing the hijab) are the same.  We come from all parts of Turkiye:  Ankara, Giresun, Istanbul, and Erzurum.  All of us are well educated, and we have college degrees in various areas:  Turkish Language, Economy, Biology, Education, and Computer Science.  I have a Masters Degree in Biology Education.  Most of us are teachers in different schools.

“Why do we wear hijab?  Inner peace and harmony, solidarity and peace, and the perseverance of society.”  (Modest Dress in Abrahamic Traditions, The Fountain Magazine)

Other Muslim women whom I’ve asked about this subject have very similar responses.  Those who wear or don’t wear are never judgmental about the sister who chooses differently, and will enthusiastically defend the choice whichever it is.  And they consistently tell me that to wear the hijab is a sign of devotion and modesty.  One poet I spoke with, who wears a full burqa, said it is wonderfully liberating.  A Western convert to Islam, she said that reciting her poetry in full burqa gives her unimaginable freedom – “Everyone only listens to the words I’m moved to give, and the message is pure and  undiluted.”

And I love this video, interviewing several Muslim women of Charlotte, North Carolina:

Meet the Muslims of Charlotte – Hijab Question

The ‘Stay-cation’ Tour of Vatican City

Vatican City
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Recently, a friend sent me links to some very cool VR tours of beautiful sites in Vatican City.  These are of four sites which contain some of the most amazing and beautiful work done by human hands, and are profoundly moving.  The first two links go right to a music-filled VR visit, and the second two allow you to pick which spot to visit – then the music kicks in:

Basilica of St. John Lateran

Sistine Chapel

Basilica of St. Peter

Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura

The craftsmanship, the artistry, and the testimony infused by the artists in every piece utterly blows me away.  The music is really nice, too.

“And If He Walks Towards Me, I Rush Towards Him”: Finding the Face of God

Jesus Healing at Bethesda, Carl Bloch
Image from Wikimedia Commons

This morning I woke to learn that Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was awarded the Templeton Prize.  His response, of course, was that when one stands out in a crowd “it is only on the shoulders of others.”  His lifetime of service and giving to others makes me reflect on a quote attributed to Victor Hugo.

One of my favorite authors, his heartbreaking and ultimately transcendent work Les Miserables has grown from the crucible of endurance for high school kids of my generation to a star-studded, award-winning media event.  He was careful and thoughtful in his writing, slowly building every element of a complex story over a daunting number of pages (the Belgariad by David Eddings, the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, and Gene Wolfe‘s Book of the New Sun and Book of the Long Sun all come to mind).  I recently came across a beautiful observation of his:  To love another is to see the face of God.  This really struck me, particularly in light of some touching passages in Les Miserable (the candle sticks and the priest, for example), so I asked some friends of mine to respond to Mr. Hugo’s statement.  These are ministers, scholars, and leity from many different paths of faith, but all seem to share a certain serenity in their answers; among the respondents are a Muslim scholar, an Agnostic writer, a Quaker, a Baha’i, and a Universalist Minister.

When I called on my friend Dr. Omid Safi, Professor of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, he sent me a link to a beautiful article he wrote at Huffington Post addressing this idea.  For Muslims, although figurative art is not prohibited it is highly inappropriate to represent our Creator with human form, and in many paths of Islam it is very disrespectful to represent the prophets and dignitaries of Scripture.  These artistic restrictions are for a number of reasons, including the fear that these images might potentially be used as icons or idols.  The main reason God is never depicted is that the Creator is infinite and beyond our understanding as finite mortals, and any representation displays our ignorance and seeks to limit God’s illimitable nature.  So I was very interested in what he had to say.  From his article:

To reach out in love and service to even one other human being is the beginning of shattering the idol of the self, recognizing our shared humanity, and making room for the real God to enter the temple of the heart.

–Omid Safi

Andrew Bowen dedicated himself to living the life of the faithful of twelve different paths for a year, and wrote Project Conversion:  One Man, 12 Faiths, One Year (his follow-up work describing his unique process of spiritual understanding is now available, Life, Depth, and the Art of Immersion).   We spoke about his experience a month ago; his response to Victor Hugo’s observation:

Love is a manifestation of perfection: perfect submission, perfect humility, perfect projection, all coalesced into one expression. Limitless, boundless, unfathomable even to the well-acquainted. These attributes are also familiar to those who believe in God, so to love someone is to reflect God and to have God reflected back upon one’s self.

–Andrew Bowen

My friend Elaine is Secretary of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, and member of the Traveling Interfaith Sisterhood.  Her response:

Two of my favorite quotes explain the Quaker view of that of God in all people.  The Quaker view of that of God in everyone is why our testimonies of Peace, Equality (Community), Simplicity and Integrity (Truth) make up the core of who we are as opposed to set doctrines.

“Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone; whereby in them you may be a blessing, and make the witness of God in them to bless you.”  (Statement of 1656, from The Works of George Fox (1831))

“There is a principle, which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names.  It is, however, pure and proceeds from God.  It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from anywhere the heart stands in perfect sincerity.”  (John Woolman, 1774)

–Elaine Emmi

My Baha’i friend Shari:

If I had to try to summarize a Baha’i response to Mr. Hugo, I might say:  God is an unknowable essence, yet He created mankind out of His love for us.  The way we can know God is through the knowledge of the Manifestations of God, Who act as stainless mirrors of all God’s attributes.  Once we know of God we wish to love and serve Him, and this can best be accomplished by loving and serving mankind.

–Shari (more on Baha’i history and faith)

And my friend Reverend Amy Long, Director of Universal Life Church Seminary:

God is love.  When you see love – loving actions, loving words, loving thoughts, or just the spirit of love shining through another – that is the face of God.

–Rev. Amy Long (for Daily Kind Words)

This reminds me of a Hadith Qudsi (Divine saying spoken through Muhamed), regarding God’s desire to be near to us:

And if he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him in My heart. . . And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.

And finally,  the response of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu:

God says (to us) I create you because I want you, not because I need you.

–Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Tracing the Past. Building Anew - Reviving Crafts in al-Darb al-Ahmar

Reblogged from Ismailimail:

When a work lifts your spirits and inspires bold and noble thoughts in you, do not look for any other standard to judge by:  the work is good, the product of a master craftsman. --Jean de la Bruyere, quoted from brainyquote.com Craftsmanship isn't like water in an earthen pot, to be taken out by the dipperful until it's empty.  No, the more drawn out the more remains. --Lloyd Alexander, Taran Wanderer, quoted from goodreads.com

From Eden

Adam and Dog, a film by Minkyu Lee

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

–Genesis 3:23

Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Thomas Cole
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Elisabeth Keyser
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Invite the Light, Gomm Stained Glass Studio

Building and Designing Stained Glass with the Gomms

David and Jeanne Gomm are stained glass artists, operating Gomm Studios.  They have been working with stained glass since 1983, including video rental stores, furniture design, yoga instruction, IT support, and numerous other interests–but all revolving in orbit around their attachment to stained glass.

What are your backgrounds?

Jeanne is deeply involved with yoga and environmental therapy, and David was a volunteer minister in Colorado after his flirtation with being a rebellious teenager.  Both of us have always worked (the ministerial work was during every free moment between hours at his full-time job), and have always devoted our energies to improving the value we bring to the table as employees and stained glass professionals.

Why stained glass?

Ages ago, we lived in a home in Denver which had a space over the front door demanding stained glass.  David bought the materials he assumed he needed at a local craft store and built the most hideous window in the history of the art form.  Shortly after, we moved to Missouri and on a whim took a stained glass class.  With proper instruction, we were hooked–Tolstoy said art is like an infection seeking to afflict others with beauty, and we were well and truly infected.

In the early eighties we began building windows for clients; we realized we had to provide additional income for our “habit” and opened what became a video rental chain, so our family wouldn’t be hit by changing whims in the glass market.  Both of us work with clients and design windows, David has a degree in industrial design and does CAD and IT work for schools, and Jeanne is a professional yoga instructor.

How is your work affected by your faith?

We are non-traditional Christians–both of us regularly do volunteer ministerial work in our community, and we are active in our faith.  We include some kind of personal and faith-building symbolism in everything we do; of course, we try never to be overt or offensive to the faith of the client, this is an expression of sincerity and devotion.  We always ask ourselves how the symbolism reflects and supports the patron, and they appreciate the extra “oomph” to their design.  Jeanne has put some of this energy into her first book of designs, Stained Glass Mandalas for Meditation.

In our art, the work ethic is vital.  We enjoy the creative process and building, watching ideas crystallize into reality as the work develops, and we enjoy teaching as part of the process.  But underneath it all is an awareness of principles like, are we giving fair value?  are we keeping our commitments and being honest with the client?  are we building windows which are structurally sound, meet building codes, and will last far longer than the client is expecting?  We do this because we believe it reflects James’ assertion that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-22).  This is our business, in and amongst all our supporting activities, because we also feel that creativity has to be connected with earning a living.

How does your work affect your faith?

At one point we had gone a couple months without a paying commission.  We were beginning to feel panicked and desperate.  A client bought one of our “Women of Faith” series panels, and we brought three more panels in the series with us when we went to install it.  We installed the first piece and there just happened to be spots for the others; we showed the client what they could look like, holding them in place near the first panel.  The client bought them all without caring about the price, and literally saved us and our business until things picked up again.

A flood of gratitude washed over us, and still comes when we think about the experience.  Doubt enters about what you do if you can’t make a living, and this client still has no idea the great blessing they were in our life, at just exactly the right moment.  After that experience, we realize that we receive blessings through our clients; we keep an attitude of mindfulness and gratitude throughout our work, and thank God for the blessings of every commission.

More information about the Gomm’s and their glass work is here.  They have a regularly updated blog and many other features on their site.  They also have videos on Youtube.com and instructional videos are available through Amazon.com.

Invite the Light
Image by Gomm Studios