jim and casper at the refuge 9.17.07 - a believer, an atheist, an unlikely friendship. jim and casper go to church. frank conversation about faith, churches & well meaning christians
if you have a short testimony of what God is doing in your life that you'd like to share, please email it totherefuge@therefugeonline.org
beauty in visual art
"the passion flower" by cherish flieder
"Painted on an Easter Sunday, God inspired me with with this image that illustrates, in an ethereal way, the spiritual beauty that comes only through suffering. My desire was to juxtapose the classic symbol of the "passion" flower (as established by Spanish monks while exploring the New World) and the piercing crown of thorns in the background to fully realize a symbol of Christ's identity, suffering and His reward in exchange for the ultimate life-giving sacrifice on the cross. With this act, not only did He take on our sins to give us true life, but He also comforts and promises us to bring this rare beauty to our hearts when we experience sufferings of many kinds."
if you have an art piece you'd like to post, please send it as a .jpg totherefuge@therefugeonline.org along with title
beauty in words
if you have a short poem or literary piece you'd like to submit , please send it to therefuge@therefugeonline.org along with title and date
Love Is Fury
I try and I try to let love guide me,
But instead it takes me to a realm of pain.
All I want is to know my heart is free,
All I want is to not hold back, not refrain.
The pain inside holds me back, hides me still.
I need to find the perfect love, without fear.
I must release myself, release my will
In order to find my love without fear.
Beneath the pain, beneath the anger, lies love.
Love that knows no fear, love that fears no pain.
Love without fear will always rise above.
When I find fearless love I find nothing but gain.
Love now takes hold of everything I know,
Love will never again be my foe.
beauty & the arts are high values at the refuge. we love to see people feel freedom to express themselves through a variety of mediums.
after our first creative arts evening in august 2007, it was clear that many are out there longing to have venues for creative expression.
we hosted a workshop day for collage, dance, theater/acting & creative writing & offered more workshops in 2008 and 2009. if you are interested in getting on our distribution list of upcoming arts events, email us at
therefuge@therefugeonline.org. also we'd love for you to submit a piece of visual art to be posted on our website for others to experience.
art workshops we offer
free form expression of poetry & graffiti art. all ages. this interactive experiential workshop was led by sam trujillo of milehigh ministries and was held at joshua station,
located at 2330 w. mulberry place in denver 80204 (at i-25 and 8th avenue near downtown).
collage workshops - various collage techniques and themes including "hope for the new year." these workshops are led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
to view pictures from the 1.03.09 collage night, click here.
to view pictures from the 2.9.08 collage workshop, click here
to view pictures from the fall 08 collage workshop, click here.
photography workshops - learning to notice and practice techniques to tell stories and make better photos. led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
to view pictures from the 10.10.09 photo workshop on portraits, click here.
mixed media workshops - putting simple things together to create a mixed-media keepsake that is meaningful to you.
led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
to view pictures from the 2.27.10 mixed media workshop on wonder and joy, click here.
see more of cherish's work at 
collage workshops - various collage techniques and themes including "hope for the new year." these workshops are led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
photography workshops - learning to notice and practice techniques to tell stories and make better photos. led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
mixed media workshops - putting simple things together to create a mixed-media keepsake that is meaningful to you.
led by jennifer herrick, an artist from our refuge community.
"clouds" by laura pearson
