Twice a year, we publish a collection of student artwork. This artwork is meant to inspire our students, and bring them comfort. Many of them express their growing faith in their poetry, and others use it as a way to work through the difficulties that prison brings. The students look forward to each booklet, and chaplains love handing them out as an icebreaker to potential students and curious non-believers.

At the beginning of each of our art booklets, Martie van Niekerk (our president) shares some of her thoughts on creativity and faith. Today, we’d like to share that letter and some art from the booklet with you.

These are trying times.

As I write this, we are in the first week of social distancing because of the 2019 novel coronavirus. Many of us have retreated to our homes, distancing ourselves from others to ensure the safety of our friends, family, and the elderly. Many people I know live in fear of quarantine — a total government lockdown.

Sadly, you already experience the feeling of being quarantined from society every day. In some small way, this is the closest many of us will come to understanding your experience.

I also know that many of you are concerned about what will happen to you if the coronavirus reaches your institution. We have heard that many of you are concerned about the close quarters you live in.

I do not know how things will have changed by the time you receive this art book, and I unfortunately do not have answers to any of your concerns.

But I want to reassure you: no matter how bad it seems, Jesus loves you. And God is still with you.

I believe God’s heart breaks when He sees human suffering. God came to earth as Jesus. He experienced everything life has to offer — including its sorrows. Our Creator understands our pain, and is with us in it. He feels it too — perhaps even more than we do.

In this time, I pray that you feel the peace of Jesus with you and the comfort of our Lord and God. I thank you for submitting your beautiful art and your wonderful poetry. I hope this letter finds you well, and our prayers at Crossroads are with you, your family, your friends, and those you are in community with at your institution.

Looking ahead, Crossroads is eager to create an impact in more students like John in 2020. Will you join us? If you are interested in being a part of the radical work that God is doing in prisons across Canada, please consider becoming a mentor or giving a monthly gift to Crossroads.

Twice a year, we publish a collection of student artwork. This artwork is meant to inspire our students, and bring them comfort. Many of them express their growing faith in their poetry, and others use it as a way to work through the difficulties that prison brings. The students look forward to each booklet, and chaplains love handing them out as an icebreaker to potential students and curious non-believers.

At the beginning of each of our art booklets, Martie van Niekerk (our president) shares some of her thoughts on creativity and faith. Today, we’d like to share that letter and some art from the booklet with you.

Neil Gaiman, a popular author and screenwriter, has a terrific quote that goes something like this: “You have no idea what you’re doing. This is great. People who know what they’re doing know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not. What is possible and impossible in the arts was decided by people who have not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can.”

What that means is simple: your creativity is not defined by its boundaries. It is not defined by what is “possible” — because nothing is impossible in art. If you’re beginning your journey as an artist, or a writer, or a musician, I hope this brings comfort to you: there are no limits.

Creativity is a safe space in which we can do the impossible. Not only is doing the impossible allowed in your art — it’s encouraged! If your art achieves the impossible, you have invented something new. And when you make something truly new, something that explores beyond “the bounds of the possible,” you have done the impossible.

I often think about how this act of creation — making something new — brings us closer to God. God is the ultimate creator. Nothing is impossible with God. And because of this, your ability to create something new should not be taken lightly. You see things in a way many people can’t. The world of a creative person isn’t defined by what exists — it is defined by what is possible. And with God, everything is possible.

My hope and prayer for you is that you continue to create the impossible. I hope you creatively explore your boundaries, and that you keep inventing the new. And I hope you see God as the ultimate inspiration — as the Creator of all things — the inventor of the impossible. When we recognize God as the source of all creation, that’s when we begin to realize: with God, nothing is impossible.

Henri Matisse was a French painter in the early 1900s. He painted for more than fifty years, and is now known as one of the most important painters of the modern era. People often compare him to Picasso.

Matisse has a very popular quote: “Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working.” I think what he means is this: If you want to become a better poet, illustrator, or painter, you must practice every day. You must write; you must draw; you must paint. For many people, making art is not optional. It’s like breathing. You cannot wait for inspiration to come, because if you wait long enough, you will never make art — and you will never feel alive.

This is not unlike faith. If we want to be more like Jesus, we must spend time with Him every day. We must spend time in His Word; we must pray; we must sing hymns of worship and praise. If we wait until we feel like praying or reading our Bible, some of us never will. And the Bible says that to live life without Jesus is like dying (see Romans 6:23).

The Good News of Jesus is that, through Him, we find eternal life. We find Divine Inspiration. We live!

For this reason, we collect the art that our students often submit to us with their lessons and publish a bi-annual art book. We send the art book to our students to inspire them, to comfort them, and to tell them that their work and gifts are meaningful. We’re proud of the art that our students create, and excited to share their God-given gift with you.

Romans 12:6-8: “If your gift is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Join us in celebrating our students’ gifts!

The image above is this year’s cover image, by A from Saskatchewan.

The calendars are often requested by our students. If you would like to help us distribute them to our students, you can make a donation that goes directly to calendar mailings.

Note: for the sake of our students’ privacy, we will address them by their first initial instead of their full name.