Good morning…
I’ve told you about Martha Kimbel, our friend who had taught beloved fitnesses classes at Northside Church for twenty-five years. Eight years ago her husband’s Alzheimer’s worsened and she needed to stay home as his full time caregiver. Two years ago, her husband, Chris, went to heaven.
Martha feared her dancing days were over, but, in August, the Spirit unexpectedly nudged me to ask her, “Would you ever come back to teach fitness at the church again?” I shared the story of Martha’s joyful return to teaching in our blog post The Spirit Moves Us. We began our Ministry of Movement class the week of September 11th, a fitting date for a resurgence of resurrection power.
Well, the Spirit continued to move.
On September 19th, I went to the final day of the annual Swan Coach House Flea Market. I was intrigued by an unfinished painting of ballet dancers. The Spirit in me surprisingly wondered, “Might we be able to do something with that for Martha’s 70th birthday?” During class each week, Martha brings out the dancer in all of us.
That weekend, I just happened to be going to visit our SueToYou web designer in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Gina is also a talented painter, and I wondered if she might be able to bring to life this unfinished painting. I told her that Martha thought God was done with her and her gift of teaching fitness, but, just like this unfinished painting, God had more in store.
I described for Gina why we called the class Ministry of Movement. It highlights physical movement – dancing to praise music, strengthening our bodies, stretching. It honors our developmental movement – aging gracefully as we head into the years ahead. It amplifies spiritual movement – allowing the Holy Spirit to swirl through our time together. I envisioned the refurbished painting somehow capturing these three powerful movements of God.
Beside my guest bed in Gina’s beautiful basement apartment, I noticed one of her old paintings of three dancing people. It reminded me of the Trinity, God the Creator, God our Redeemer, God the living Spirit. I wondered if this palette of colors might enliven our unfinished painting. We took the two painting into the art studio in her home.
The first thing Gina did was to set the dancers in the happy room where we hold class, beside the big, light-filled windows which overlook Northside’s Memorial Garden where the ashes of Chris are laid to rest. Each Wednesday morning, as we hold class, the presence of Chris shines on us all, offering a divine blessing.
Then Gina worked on the figures of women of different ages, in different developmental stages, with bodies in different positions, each empowered by the Spirit. Arms. Legs. Hands. Feet. Faces. All being used to the glory of God.
The painting took two weeks to complete, and the final product made my soul want to sing. Light. Bright. Movement. Imperfect. Important. Movement. Spirit. People. Movement. We set it in a skin-toned frame, allowing the vibrant colors to take center stage. All that my heart dreamed blossomed so beautifully, from unfinished awkwardness to abundant aliveness.
Yesterday morning, a room full of about twenty of us celebrated Martha by unveiling this unique painting we had all pitched in to commission. We enjoyed homemade apple cake and shots (of healthy juices of course). We sang happy birthday and honored our friend Martha, as she turns seventy on Sunday.
We ended yesterday’s class with Martha’s favorite song, Happy Place. It joyfully describes how she feels being back at church ministering to all of us through the movement of God’s creative Spirit.
Those who sing and those who dance will say together, “All my fountains of joy are in You” (Psalm 87:7, VOICE).
…Sue…
