you are his masterpiece

Welp, once again I regret taking pictures of a painting with my iPhone. As always, about half way down, the photo darkens, obscuring detail and dimension. Awesome. This painting has been kind of a rough ride, until the very end.
Even though I toughed it out enough to call it done, her flaws and failures are still there..glaring at me. I find a little comfort in knowing that I have brought her as far as I knew to take her. 

Colossians 3:23 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

I have to remind myself to be glad that her failures reveal the limits of my capabilities. The discipline of oil-painting may develop my skills and creativity, but the honesty in sharing my art develops my soul. That old saying, "beauty is pain," has be true because, I have found humbleness to be both beautiful and painful. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2 Corinthians 11:30

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Originally, my intentions for this piece was for it to be a quick exercise to encourage the frequency of my own productivity. That didn't happen, in fact, it began to get complicated and I fussed for far too long, reworking major features. Soon after she started to go down hill, I took a break from her. When I came back to finish her, I discovered that this "practice piece" was reflecting a little bit of where I'm at right now. At this point in my life, I feel like that wandering woman- with nothing to show for myself. To me, the jackalope represents God's truth- waiting to be discovered among the world's vast fields of apathy and dense forests of self-indulgence. Those rare moments when I feel like truth has found me, I've learned to cling tightly. I fasten my grip, regardless of how uncomfortable it is to be set so far apart from the elitists in society who claim they know what I'm all about (this rabbit hole doesn't fit with my blogs focus, so I'll spare you the rant). My point is, that I have never been wise enough to discover truth on my own, it has always found me, sometimes indirectly but it's source has always been the same.   

     

Its been my experience that when you least expect it, God hands us irrefutable truths, subsequently compelling or heart to abandon huge chunks of our comforting certainty. I've found it to be sort of counterintuitive that, when you seek his wisdom, our black and white world becomes increasingly more grey and the beige uncertainty tends to weld our trust to Him; our faith begins to trump our once formulaic, right and wrong way of navigating through life. In the rare moments when we are humble enough to allow it, God steps in and removes our handcrafted facade of control, gracefully shining light on his truth. He masterfully incorporates our failures into his glorious and beautiful design. 


Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

In these moments, I am reminded that creation- in all of it's grandeur, is His craft. There is something so beautiful about being cornered into honesty while you are in the middle of creating something. When your mind is wrestling with your capabilities and limitations, while you're struggling to communicate through your gifts. Even when your brain is fully occupied with creativity, the holy spirit will quietly respond to challenges of your heart much deeper than your focus..before you've even spoken. It's because of this that I understand why we associate art with communication; why we ask that ridiculous question, "what is this piece saying to you?" Suddenly, it's not that ridiculous, but rather, amazing to realize that sometimes, the communicator is your maker. Out of love, he is constantly working on you; because, you are his masterpiece. 

Amos 4:13

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Jeremiah 10:12 

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

Genesis 1:27

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

by omnipotent design

Thoughts about friends and family..
It is not chance or fate that has brought us together; we have had too many seasons hopelessly frosted over and too many chances to amicably walk away from this relationship. "Chance" is such a passive solution, or rather, a mystical idea that seems to purposefully and frivolously excuse any and all evidence of design in the universe. When I think about why you are so important to me- to my life, I begin to be humbled by both the mystery and the obvious. I have no doubt, that it is by omnipotent design that our souls are delicately entwined. Our journeys are separate; our wills are unique and strong. Your experiences and your individual perspectives continue to challenge my values and my judgments. Sometimes when you are silent and often when you’re speaking, wisdom comes down and quickly moves through your body- escaping through your eyes; subsequently, illuminating mine. Your truths frequently breathe life into my soul, particularly when I had no idea that I was even close to needing assistance. That’s the thing; I’ve realized that I really do need you. Not to live but to understand more of who and what I’m living for. You've helped me realize that we’re masterfully designed to be intricate parts of each other’s being. I know now that I was made to love you- regardless of how long ago we met. When I evaluate the space in my heart that you occupy, I am simultaneously reminded of my unworthiness / faithlessness and of a creator [thankfully] more faithful and full of grace than I could ever begin to understand. 
  

“I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

"In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call (any person completely) into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all (their) facets... Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, "Here comes one who will augment our loves." For in this love "to divide is not to take away.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

“Friendship exhibits a glorious "nearness by resemblance" to Heaven itself where the very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision are crying "Holy, Holy, Holy" to one another (Isaiah VI, 3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Happy Father's Day Nyle Douglas!!! No one could have created a more perfect man to be my teacher of life. The older I get, the more hardships and the more blessings that I encounter, this realization becomes increasingly evident. You're definitely intricately designed to be my father (which only a Heavenly Father with a love so pure and intimately knowledgable of our lives lived and yet to live could possibly create). So, I guess what I am saying is, happy Father's Day daddy!!!! I love you so much and I am eternally grateful for you!

Last year, I wrote that Father's Day wish on Facebook. I remember sobbing so hard as I typed out each word. I think, in that moment, God was granting me peace in a war torn place (specifically the after math of my divorce- for years it wreaked havoc in ALL my relationships even though it was never finalized). I still get emotional every time I read my message to dad; not out of sadness, but because it's glorious evidence of "change of hearts", a truth that the world fights so hard to hide. It serves as a reminder of the all beautiful new life that has been created out of some of the most devastating circumstances. My best friend and  husband is another daily reminder that we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made, and our hopes for ourselves are incomparable to the life that God has designed for us. Gungor articulates it more beautifully than I am able to: 

Jesus, You're the one who saves us

 constantly creates us- into something new 

Jesus, surely you will finds us 

Surely our Messiah- will make all things new

I have written this with all friends and family in mind. Oh, and I am currently listening to these two songs: 

A Christ Haunted Atheist

I came across a fascinating short film featuring Anne Rice on iamsecond.com. I was actually following a link tweeted by Huffington Post focusing on another celebrity's story of redemption. I stopped in my tracks when I saw her name featured on a website specifically committed to filming personal Christian testimonies. Interview with a Vampire, that Anne Rice? Yep. Anne Rice, American author of gothic fiction and erotica. The talented writer accepted Christ after 38 years as a renowned atheist. In the film she shares her theological and creative exploration that lead her to finding her freedom in Christ, (click here to watch). Below is one of my favorite statements from the film.  

"Sometimes my books are referred to as the vampire chronicles and they're spoken of as a series, but it's not an organized series. Each book is sort of a standalone story and I think each one of the vampire novels tells pretty much the same story of grief, loss and suffering. [The novels] kind of revolt against the darkness of a life without God. I didn't see that until I had been writing for quite a long time. But that's what those novels were about. Of course what these books were doing- they were reflecting my own feelings as an atheist/ agnostic and that I was cut off from God and that I couldn't ever believe again as I had when I was a child. [They were also reflecting] my own increasing dissatisfaction with a world in which salvation is not a possibility. The reason for that dissatisfaction was simple; I really believed in God. Not only did I really believe in him, I loved Him.. and I wasn't admitting it. I was a Christ haunted person; I was a Christ haunted atheist. I was a person haunted by God and my writing is just littered with accoutrements of the struggle. And yet, there is evidence that I was called back again and again to the idea that as long as you're denying God, you'll not know any rest; you'll not know any peace. You can't save yourself through art. You can not save yourself through music- you can't do it through travel; you can't do it through wealth. All of your attempts at saving and transcending through other means will ultimately fail. God saves you when you turn to him. After 38 years [presumably around age 56], I found myself very ready to give my life over to him." -Anne Rice

Judging by the comments on the video, it seems as though this was filmed after she famously ranted in a Facebook post that she "gave up christianity", (specifically Roman Catholicism). Oh, by the way, DON'T be fooled by the finality of that statement, Anne Rice continually confirms that she remains committed to Christ, but is disassociating herself from the political agenda that has become what 'Christianity' is assumed to represent. The author reiterated that her faith in Christ was "central" to her life. 

"My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me," she said. "But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become." Read more about the context of this statement on thegaurdian.com

I love these types of stories, these types of testaments that reveal a deep struggle with important questions and painful explorations that brutally exhaust the soul. I love them because I believe in the promise, "if you seek, you shall find". Most of all I believe that all truth is Gods truth.  

Seek whatever is true, good and beautiful

Above is a Leonardo da Vinci study that I drew last night. "She" broke in my newest sketch book, fulfilling the hope that was mentioned in my last post. I am not stoked on referencing pre-existing fine art, but hey, I'm studying Leonardo, a man gifted with drawing truisms and mastery.

I love this quote by painter Andrew Wyeth, "I can’t work completely out of my imagination. I must put my foot in a bit of truth; and then I can fly free." 

Below are three profound multimedia artworks, each delivered from a different platform. All are definitely aesthetically pleasing, but in each of these pieces- its power actually lies in its truth. 

  

(click here for the full BuzzFeed article)

Faith47 (street artist from South Africa) 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Redemption Wednesday

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. 

Isaiah 44:22

"We please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections and believing that he understands everything--and still loves us." 

-A. W. Tozer

"I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us." 

-Anne Lamott

People Help People

"Art doesn't help people, people help people."

- herakut

I love that the Herakut duo has illustrated a child writing down this philosophy. If their message is that this is a basic human truth that we all need to remember, then I wholly agree. I think that, as artists we (generally) have certain abilities that allow us the freedom to work alone. Our job is to create things, CREATE things. Creation is obviously a powerful idea, and sometimes can powerfully drive the temptation to glorify our own works of art. We can easily become obsessed with the idea of uniqueness or technique and we lose sight of the generosity that artwork evokes. We may have single handedly created something but it's usually made to share, sell or give away. The truth is, just like everyone else (i know that statement alone turns off a lot of creatives), in some shape or another we service other human beings. I guess my point is, I need to stop treating my art as if it's going to define me, but rather view it as a gift that will help someone else. 

"May we be consumed with the creator of all things rather than with things created." 

-B. Charles Murphy

Redemption Wednesday

"Flood Damage" illustrated by Derek Hess

"We are too much haunted by ourselves, projecting the central shadow of self on everything around us. And then comes the Gospel to rescue us from this selfishness. Redemption is this, to forget self in God."

-Frederick W. Robertson 

Redemption Wednesday

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."

- Mister Rogers

an honest struggle

"The Potato Eaters"

1885

oil on canvas 

32"x44"

What makes Vincent Van Gogh so interesting to me is his constant struggle. In my opinion, that is what makes him and his work relatable. 

In a letter, he told his sister that his own painting of peasants eating potatoes was his best work. When "The Potato Eaters" was criticized by his artist friend Anthon van Rappard soon after it was painted, it hurt his confidence as an emerging artist. Van Gogh wrote back to his friend, "you...had no right to condemn my work in the way you did" (July 1885), and later, "I am always doing what I can't do yet in order to learn how to do it." (August 1885)

He told his brother that he wanted expand into portraits after predominantly painting "little green landscapes and flowers". Van Gogh painted from life and couldn't afford models to pose, so he bought a mirror to explore portraiture. Between the years of 1886 and 1889, Van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits. He used portrait painting as a method of introspection and a method of developing his skills as an artist. 

To his artist friends, Van Gogh would send artworks with accompanying letters, in which humbly revealed his thoughts and processes. In these letters (including some to Paul Gauguin and Émile Bernard), he would share truths and philosophies that he discovered along the way. Below is an excerpt of a letter to his bother and then one from a letter he wrote to friend and painter, Gauguin.

“The third picture this week is a portrait of myself, almost colourless, in ashen tones against a background of pale veronese green. I purposely bought a mirror good enough to enable me to work from my image in default of a model, because if I can manage to paint the colouring of my own head, which is not to be done without some difficulty, I shall likewise be able to paint the heads of other good souls, men and women."

"I strongly urge you to study portrait painting, do as many portraits as you can and don't flag. We must win the public over later on by means of the portrait; in my opinion it is the thing of the future."

I just love Vincent Van Gogh. Most of all, I admire his posture of humbleness which seems to have a great deal to do with his philosophical perspective. I've found that the underlined shared experience that all artists have is struggle. For me, that discovery is mind blowing. All of the sudden, my own painting endeavors seem less like a solitary exploration of this big world. That bit of knowledge gives me the permission to feel as if I have part in this global collaboration that we call art. Below are some of the Van Gogh quotes that further propelled me into this daydream land:

"In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing." -Vincent Van Gogh

"Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again." -Vincent Van Gogh

"When I have a terrible need of - shall I say the word - religion. Then I go out and paint the stars." -Vincent Van Gogh

"But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things." -Vincent Van Gogh

"I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." -Vincent Van Gogh

Enjoy this one minute video of a mash up of Van Gogh's self-portraits.

Redemption Wednesday

I took that picture of the double rainbow as we flew through it just before landing in Fayetteville, AR. From above it looks beautiful, but for us, for our marriage, that place represents the darkest and most painful time of our life. As we were flying, I had my feet tucked under his knees, he was creating an entire island that spelled, "I LOVE MANDA" on Minecraft. Visit that photo on my Instagram here if you want to witness that nerd love. But see, that's us now. We crack each other up, we call each other out on dumb crap and we encourage one another. We are so thankful for each other now, I wont go into our past because it's a long and sad story (and not that important really). Just trust me when I say, God swooped into our souls and gave us brand spankin' new hearts. We would have gladly finalized our divorce if we were the same people that we were three years ago, but we are surely not (no thanks to us). To me those rainbows illustrated John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

falsetto brush strokes

I shot that picture last Saturday. Dad was in the back corner of his studio packing extra paint for the Marceline event. (click here for more info on Nyle Gordon)

For his 51st birthday, I planned a trip to see him for a whole week. Between traveling to art shows, hanging his collection at various venues and teaching oil painting classes in two different cities, we found a week that would work. My dad is the hardest working man I know. So, it didn't surprise me when I flew in last Tuesday, to find that we had a full schedule ahead of us as well as a judged Plein Air Paint Out in Marceline, MO to end the week. Regardless of our many obligations, dad promised to make time for a practice run before the event. I was thankful for this promise for a few reasons: A. I have only done one (totally awful) plein air before this and B. Twenty-five other professional artists were going to be there and C. I can always learn from him. Long story short, I didn't have time to practice until the day before the competition. I set up in the front yard and you would think that I've never painted before. My easel kept collapsing on me, my painting fell in the dirt, I lost the my turpentine cap in a deep hole in the ground, (which was later dug out by dad with my pallet knife). Little winged creatures kept swooping in and sticking to my wet paint. I was a ridiculous mess. I was so used to the comforts and slow pace of my studio work. Let me just say, photo realism, unlike plein air, is indoors protected from violent winds and harsh sun rays. The best part of studio painting is that your subject is already cropped leaving you with a tidy preconceived composition to paint without shadows shifting on you. So, by the time I quit the practice painting I was panicked, and sun burnt but mostly panicked. That night, (the night before the event), dad sensed my frustrations and preformed quick demo while explaining tips as well as different natural light theories that he has found to be tried and true. Watching him made all this nature stuff make sense for the first time! Dad would burst into falsetto notes when he dabbed highlights onto little trees and bushes. My stress dissipated as we giggled watching him paint joyfully into the night. By 1am I forgot about my short comings with this whole plein air thing and instead I was reminded to thank the Lord for such a wonderful dad and incredible teacher. Thanks to dad, I wont quit Plein Air, not yet anyway. There are too many good things associated with this foreign concept to let it scare me away.  Eleanor Roosevelt said “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” This idea is also encouraged by The Little Engine That Could... so it's legit. 

My Fourth Plein Air

Oil on Canvas board
8x10

slight chance of RAINN

I know I'm a little late to jump on this magazine's band-wagon, but after reading this Relevant Magazine article, you might have to count me in. The interview starts off slow when Rainn Wilson makes the obligatory plugs to his new show, The Farm, (a spin off for his character from the The Office), then the read starts getting really interesting. Wilson discusses his reasons for becoming an atheist at one point and his reconnection to the Bahá’í belief that he grew up in. I admire his insistency to wrestle with beliefs and to provoke important theological questions. In this interview, it's clear that Wilson also has mature grasp and deep respect for not just his craft, but art in general. His interest in theology and the human soul led him to create some really neat projects. Rainn Wilson co-created SoulPancake.com, a safe place for humorous creativity to combine with deep philosophical thoughts. I must say, his talk-show bit, The Metaphysical Milkshake is my favorite video segment from SoulPancake. I highly recommend watching a few videos from his channel, it might be a great Romans 12:2 exercise, exploring where most people are coming from. Anyway, the rest of the article goes on to talk about the importance of service and his reasons for founding Lide, a female empowerment program for young ladies trapped in Haitian poverty.

Although Rainn Wilson isn't a Christian (I'm pretty sure), it's clear that God is using Wilson's passion for questioning values and beliefs for the overall glory of God's kingdom. After all, Matthew 7:7-9 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

I would have never guessed that "Dwight Schrute" had such a incredible perspective on humanity, God and happiness. Below is a snip-it from the Relevant interview regarding Rainn Wilson's thoughts on "the pursuit happiness":

By all outward counts, Wilson should be the picture of happiness. “I’m an actor and an artist and a producer and a writer,” he says. “I’m really lucky that I get to work in my chosen field and be creative.” But “happy” is not a word Wilson would ever use to describe his life.
“I truly believe that happiness is not an if/then statement,” he says. “I think through most of our culture it’s, ‘If I get this, then I will be happy. If I get this job, I will be happy. If I make this much money, I will be happy. If I find my mate, I will be happy. If I have success in my career, I will be happy.’ Whatever it is, there’s this series of if/then relationships. I think that’s not how happiness works.”
“I don’t like the word ‘happiness,’” he clarifies. “I think we have it in the United States—‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ What is the pursuit of happiness? Happiness, to me, is like my son when you take him to Santa Monica pier and he goes on a roller coaster and eats cotton candy. He’s happy. And then eight minutes later, he’s not happy. He wants to do it again to get happy again. Or he wants to go on the merry-go-round so he can get happy. He wants to go swim in the ocean so he can be happy. Happiness is this thing that you’re chasing.”
“I think that the better word is ‘contentment,’” he says. “Contentment lies in living fully in your life’s purpose. Living in God’s purpose for you breeds a contentment that’s not contingent on achieving certain things or doing certain things ... The ancient Greeks believed in a concept called eudaimonia, which translates as ‘human flourishing.’ That was the highest ideal in the Greek world.”
He wonders aloud, “Can you imagine if our natural motto was, ‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of human flourishing?’ It’s not happiness; it’s human flourishing—deep, soul-enriching stuff. It’s connection. It’s service. It’s work. It’s creativity. It’s beauty.”

"Tootsie, for me, was never a comedy"

This has blown up on my Facebook feed and I thought it was worth sharing for those who've missed it. I love this for many reasons. I love how truth reveals itself through art, in this case to the performer more so than the audience. While in an AFI interview, this generous man was humble enough to talk about an intimate conversation he had with his wife concerning a personal and dramatic change of heart. I'm reminded that our heart-revealing stories, our experiences, are not ours to hoard but rather ours to share. 

Also, I love that Captain Hook is a softy.

1 Peter 3:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Beauty Is Embarrassing

First off, (above) was just a trailer of Beauty Is Embarrassing. I couldn't find another source with an embed code that played the full film. However, I did stumble upon this link here, where you can watch the full documentary online. 

Several people had recommended this to me before I finally watched it on Netflix last night. The film focuses on multimedia artist, Wayne White and sweetly includes his artist wife and kids. I really like this guys honesty and discoveries through failure. He is very funny and entertaining, and true to form as any comedic genius, he has a very realistic outlook on death. I wont give the movie away but, Wayne White is hard working, very accomplished and has a lot to say. In fact, it's not until almost the very end of the movie where Wayne finally touches on his idea that "beauty is embarrassing." 

Of course, I, being a sucker for revealing documentaries and human truths, loved it. I obviously don't agree with what Wayne White says about most things, but I do whole heartedly agree that beauty is, in fact, embarrassing... from the worlds perspective. If you believe that God is the originator of true beauty, then as an artist, when you create it or come upon it, you see it with the eyes that you were created to see "true beauty" through, and every time it is humbling. Being humbled is not comfortable, but oh man, is it important. I think artists are blessed to see or interpret certain parts of the spirit more easily. We get captivated by the wonder and beauty of God's creation whether it's in ourselves or found in others or in nature, artists translate it or point in out to the world even when they don't intend to or exactly know the source. 

Just as the rest of God's children, Artists do have purpose. I don't think it's a coincidence that for centuries all artist's instinct is to fight the world's disapproval. It is the world who says that art is a waist of time. I think, that instinct, that feeling that art, that beauty is a necessity, comes from the Lord. I believe, only a divine creator could love us so much to equip our hearts with the tools necessary to not only glorify Him, but to also, design us to fight for what we were given, in order to glorify him more. So, take heart creative people who are like me, who continually feel inadequate or out of place, we were designed to be who we are. We were designed to share the beauty that we seek and the beauty that we find. It's important that we do.     

1 Corinthians 12 (NIV)

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.