Episode 19
Beauty Unveiled: Illuminating Our Ordinary Through Art, Nature, and Friendship with Michelle Wegner
Travis and Jess are joined by Michelle Wegner to discuss the topic of beauty. They talk about beauty and its relationship to God, our souls, and why we need beauty in our lives. There's a fascinating connection between beauty, grace, and truth that the three also discuss. As the Benedictines say, "Beauty is truth shining into being."
Michelle serves as the Director of Soul Care and Spiritual Formation at KC Underground in Shawnee, Kansas. She is the owner/founder of Illuminate the Ordinary, a venture aimed at illuminating lives through art, beauty, and soul friendship. She is also currently working on her Doctor of Ministry in Theological Studies at Kairos where she is studying the impact of beauty and the soul and God's missional purpose of beauty.
Michelle shares some stories around her journey that led to exploring beauty as a theological focus after experiencing healing and feeling God's presence in quiet, ordinary but beautiful spaces. She shares ways people can extract beauty from life in the everyday as we shift our perspective and see the world around us differently. We look at some examples of God's prioritization of beauty in the Bible.
Michelle and Travis also discuss the differences between the Protestant and Catholic imaginations theologically and how this impacts the exploration of beauty in art, worship, and writing. There's a lot more in this podcast on the subject of beauty and wonder in this lively discussion.
As part of Michelle's research, she is looking for stories from people who God is using beauty to draw to himself. She'd love to interview you if you have a story to share. EMAIL her at: michelledwegner@gmail.com
She's also collecting feedback for her research in a brief survey on beauty. You can help her out and submit your answers here.
Follow Michelle on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MichelleDWegner
Also referenced in this episode:
Book: Beauty: Rediscovering the True Sources of Compassion, Serenity, and Hope by John O' Donahue
Additional resources from Travis and Jess:
Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings
Travis' books:
Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope
