Ekstasis Magazine

The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home. — Saint Augustine

Artwork by Matthias Grünewald (1509)

Beauty will do something beyond your comprehension

🌀🌐

The Millenial Dream Dash⏳All voracious dreamers will inevitably come to realize that the object of their longings will never come to full fruition.

As a millennial, I belong to a generation well-acquainted with disillusionment. The Pew Research Center describes how most of us came of age and entered the workforce at the peak of an economic recession, uniquely shaping our conception of the future.

Ultimately, our desires point to Christ. They stir in us a deep yearning for the wholeness of eternity—a wholeness we catch glimpses, tastes, and whispers of in this life.

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✒️ Original essay from
🎨 Painting by George Inness
💬 Tell Bailey what you think

Something special happens when we gather around art. 🕯️
Come gather with us at our Nashville Inkwell Evening on March 21st. In collaboration with &

Tickets are limited.

An evening last weekend in Charlotte. The poetic core of life shines through.

The next Inkwell Evening is March 21st in Nashville. If you're looking for a creative community in the area, save your spot at the link in bio.

Photography from the incredible

Indigo Ink 🌀Poetry by Nicole Hunka

Meanwhile I am staining everything—the furniture, my frayed friendships with people I can’t reply back to on time, my schedules and lists—everything is stained by me. I want to shift the image. I want to be a bright, white cloth, folded precisely on the seams. I want to dip into the bowl of indigo ink that is God, to emerge dripping, so that when I stain things it will not be of myself but of God himself, and things will be left better than I found them.

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✒️ Original Poetry from .renae.h
🗞️ Featured in Ekstasis Issue 11
🎨 Photography by Diana D.S.
💬 Which line resonates?

Reminiscing on the vibes at the Inkwell Evening in London. Would you like to join? 🌀

The next Inkwell Evening is this Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tell a friend who’s looking for creative community and save your spot at the link in bio.

Join us for a Night of Art & Storytelling in London. Our second annual Inkwell Evening will offer wine, charcuterie, networking, poetry, music, and stories. Inkwell offers a warm atmosphere to connect, mingle, and admire great writing and creativity. Join this faithful, literary, and artistic community.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inkwell-in-london-tickets-1145538058169?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

The creative individual needs transcendent community 💫That’s why we’re taking it back to the beginning where the first ever Inkwell Evening happened in London, England. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 8th. There will be poetry, music, art, wine, charcuterie, and community.

Last year, tickets sold out, so be sure to get yours.
Featured guests include: .s.j.christian

We are here to help create communities of beauty. 🖋️⚡

Announcing an Inkwell Evening in Charlotte on February 22. There will be poetry, music, art, drinks, charcuterie, and networking. Inkwell offers a warm atmosphere to connect, mingle, and admire great writing and creativity with the goal of refilling your aesthetic, spiritual, and communal inkwells.

Join us to engage with a faith-informed, literary, and artistic community. Meet Christianity Today writers, artists, fellow enthusiasts, and industry experts. Get your tickets at the link in bio and join us at Inkwell Charlotte for an evening of inspiration and connection.

Featured Artists Include:
Sho Baraka
John Mark McMillan
Amanda Held Opelt
Wesley Vanderlugt
Josh Jensen
Sara Kay Mooney
Carolyn Etzel Branch
Isaac Akanmu
Rebecca Ince
Ron McClelland
Chelsea Fraser
Harvey Cummings

Poetry is the bedrock of Ekstasis ✒️ Enjoy some of the most moving works we’ve published over the past 5 years.

1. The Dust is My Home 🌬️
By Kate Chupp

2. Comic Relief 🌊
By Isaac Akanmu

3. Creature to Creature 🪺
By Karen Swallow Prior

4. This Small Thing 🪡
By Mary Clement Mannering

5. Chapel ⛪️
By Riley Bounds

6. Weak Reception ⚡️
By Brooke Dreger

7. There Are No Children Named Rahab 👠
By Grace Teater

8. After You Went and Died 🪦
By Joshua Hren

9. Be In This World 🍁
By Jordyn Fouts

10. An Exercise in Longing 💎
By Kate Millar

It’s been a journey! What started in an amorphous state at the end of 2016 gained a more stable form through trial, lots of error, and glimmers of success by 2020. When Christianity Today approached us to acquire Ekstasis in 2021, we had a good foundation to build something meaningful for the long haul. And that’s where we are now as we cross the threshold of 2025: a new and exhilarating beginning. But before we expand on what the future of Ekstasis will look like, it only makes sense to celebrate what has made us, us.

The Best Essays from Ekstasis. What’s your favorite?

1. How I Quit Consumerism & Rediscovered God
💸 By Strahan Coleman

2. A Call for Weird Christian Art
☄️ By Josh Tiessen

3. Like & Subscribe for a Chance at Eternal Life
🖲️ By Yi Ning Chiu

4. Writing as Pure Play
🌀 By Raed Gilliam

5. The Consequences of Mysticism
🩸 By Carolyn Etzel Branch

6. Treasures of Darkness
🍂 By Paul J. Pastor

7. Don’t Do Your Best
🛠️ By Karen Stiller

8. Memoir of an Unremarkable Life
📚 By Elizabeth Oldfield

9. Theology in the Grit
⏳ By Josh Nadeau

10. Necessary Secrecy
🌿 By Sara Kyoungah White