June 10-16: Alma 5-7
Have Ye Experienced This Mighty Change in Your Hearts?
Steven L. Peck and Jackie Leishman, DeCreation 11 (2020)
From a series of 24, 7 x 5 inches each
ink and collage on paper
Alma, the younger said, “And according to [Alma’s] faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart” (Alma 5:12). And he asks the profound question to the members of the church, “…have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image into your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” (Alma 5:14). We all live in a constantly-changing landscape and one where we are attempting to become spiritually new and renewed through Jesus Christ. How do we adapt? And what are the visual markers of the passing of time?
Evolutionary biologist, Steven L. Peck, and visual artist, Jackie Leishman’s, collaborative work takes on some of these questions in a project more than four years in the making. In this case, the duo combined Leishman’s visual work with found poetry constructed using words and phrases from peer-reviewed scientific literature on climate change. By pairing mixed-media collage pieces with the poems, the pair initiated dialogue and thoughtful concern for environment and truth. For the viewer, the investigation into losses causes by climate change is both profound and sometimes devastating. Specifically, how do we learn lessons from those who went before if we destroy any evidence of their lives? And moreover, how do we experience a “mighty change of heart”—a spiritual symbol of life, death, and rebirth— if we neglect a crucial source: the earth where we live.
Discussion Questions:
1. Alma warned against pride, "persist[ing] in supposing that ye are better one than another" (Alma 5:54). Think back on the past week. When did you act or think in a way that suggested that you perceived yourself "better one than another"? When you catch yourself in those thoughts, how can you change the pattern to be more charitable and inclusive in your response to others?
2. The members of the Church in Zarahemla "were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer" (Alma 6:6). How do such gatherings foster unity and healing?
Questions for Youth & Children:
Peck and Leishman are influenced by their concern about climate change and the losses caused as a result. One of those losses is the stories that comes by way of our natural resources and the generations that come before us. What stories or memories from your ancestors have shaped your life approach? (Alma 5:6-13)