Ponder Anew: Old Phrases for a New Generation

Meet my former intern, the beloved Katherine Alumbaugh. She now lives in Northern California, and she's opened an Etsy shop called "Ponder Anew." She paints phrases from old hymns: "hand painted reminders of timeless truth." 

Katherine, please tell my friends about yourself:

I graduated fromDallas Theological Seminary in August with a Th.M., with an emphasis in MediaArts in Ministry. I love theology, art, community, good coffee, gripping stories(preferably with swords and dragons), trying new recipes, hiking the Bay Areawith my husband, and playing with our two ridiculous dogs. That’s me, in asnapshot!

Why painting?

By the end ofseminary, I felt a desperate need to do something artistic. Some of my creativemuscles had grown stiff while reading countless books and writing papers. Ijumped back into creative writing, but I found it strangely challenging toshift gears. Sitting at a computer and typing still felt too much likehomework. Every word I wrote seemed wrong or not good enough. Those well-developedcritical thinking skills didn’t want to turn off so easily.

 

I decided to trysomething totally different, something I could allow myself to be terrible at,just for the fun of it. I found myself painting. My creations looked pretty badat first. It may sound strange, but it became almost a spiritual exercise to forcemyself to focus on simply creating and to resist the temptation to critique. Overtime, though, I found a lot of joy in it. And, coincidentally, they started tolook a little better!

Why hymns?

Growing up outsidethe church, the only hymns I knew for a long time were “Amazing Grace” and afew Christmas carols. Even then, I knew only the first verse. When I became aChristian, I gravitated toward the older hymns. I found encouragement in thelyrics that taught me about God and brought me through a dark season of griefafter losing my dad. During seminary, hymns became familiar friends duringmornings in chapel. I also found the theology we were learning in the classroomreflected in the lyrics.

What’s your goal for Ponder Anew?

My hope for this little Etsy shop is to share my love of hymns and point othersto the deep theology contained in their verses. The lesser-known verses holdpoetic treasures that beautifully describe deep truths. Over time, I’ll beposting my own reflections on the theology of certain hymns on my blog as Icreate new canvases.

My paintings aremeant to serve as reminders of truth, our Christian heritage, and the countlesspeople who have found strength in these lyrics through the years. I named myshop “Ponder Anew” because that is what I hope these canvases do—prompt us toponder anew what the Almighty can do.

Katherine is offering Aspire2 readers a discount if they purchase between now and February 21. Use coupon code Aspire2Readers for 25% off. Thanks, Katherine!