Speaking of Spirit

  Today, I have the great honor and pleasure to share an interview I had with the multi-talented and multi-gifted Angela Yarber. Welcome, Angela! Being able to share your many talents with my readers, brings me great joy! To get us started, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?  Aloha! I’m Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber. I live on Hawai’i Island with my wife and two young children; here, we run a non-profit, the Tehom Center, which empowers marginalized women by teaching about revolution ary women through art, writing, retreats, and academic courses. I hold a Ph.D. in Art and Religion, and I’ve been both a Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a Professor of Divinity since 2006. For fourteen years, I was an ordained clergywoman and served churches as a pastor. I’ve published seven books addressing the intersections among the arts, gender/sexuality, and spirituality. Four of these books were listed in the top LGBTQ Religion Books by QSpirit. Finally, I’m a w...

This past week, I watched the documentary by Wim Wenders on Pope Francis - A Man of His Word. Unlike some documentaries that I have seen, Wenders allows his camera to tell the story and for his subjects to speak to the camera, close and personal. In this instance, the result was inspiring, affirming and enlightening. Seeing art as a ministry, as an ability to serve others - to enlighten, heal, inspire, affirm, encourage and support - is in itself an eye-opener. Too often in our modern world, there are those who see artists as people who don't have "real" jobs. How different things would be if we began to understand that art, in all its forms, is a calling - a ministry - that must be shared, even when it means that it goes unrecognized or appreciated.   I think of Vincent Van Gogh. A genius in his own right, yet totally unappreciated, with the exception of his brother, Theo, until after his death.  Now, he is considered one of the great masters of Impressionism. How ...