"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and he will show you which path to take. (He will keep your path straight.)" Proverbs 3:5-6
I was in Tobermory for the first time at a women's retreat this past weekend. It was one of the loveliest early spring weekends I have ever experienced. The sun shone. The heat baked winter bones as we sat on the deck, enjoying the view. Lake Huron was as still as glass. God's presence saturated the ground we walked on, warming our souls. The only sounds were the wind in the trees, the birds singing and the gentle lap of water against the limestone shore.
It was so quiet, I could hear a snowshoe rabbit chew! It's the first time I've ever seen one. This particular gentleman was losing his winter white fur, opting for the seasonal protection of a summer brown. Their bodies are much smaller than I expected but their legs are like stilts compared to the bunnies that grace my yard.
It was a small retreat, only five of us. For me, it was just the right amount of people. I shared with the ladies about God's nudging around running an Art of Prayer workshop. The leader and owner of the property said she would be happy to have me do one at the cottage. All of a sudden, running the workshop became manageable. I could do a weekend with a small number of ladies.
God knew I was wrestling with where to host a group since my house is so small.
As the group chatted about the idea, the Lord gave me some solid plans about what it would look like.
The first night would be spent doing a check in and drafting a comfort agreement. It normally includes such things as the need for confidentiality. It's something we do at work and I have found it helps in making the space safe for everyone. It also sets the tone for the remaining time spent together.
I thought I would offer colouring pages of illustrated scripture verses. The participants could choose one or two and that would be their focus for the weekend. Taking the time to colour them in is a wonderful introduction to the disciplines of patience, being still, and opening our hearts to hear what God has to say. I will add that there is an element of play in this, of recapturing the child within with a practice most of us experienced in childhood.
The second day would be an opportunity to learn the art of collage. The scripture verse they chose the night before would be a starting point. This will open the door to any additional thoughts God might bring their way during three two hour timeslots.
The last day's session would be spent debriefing about the experience if the participants care to share. It would be a time of prayer for each other, too.
I feel I need to create a pamphlet or some sort of handout around the Art of Prayer. Much of the writing has already been done in the blog, I just need to streamline some of the ideas I've tried to share.
I am not sure when this is going to happen except it will happen with God's perfect timing.
Each participant can bring their own art supplies in the way of standard back-to-school needs. Pens, pencils, markers, glue sticks, a ruler and scissors.
During the course of the conversation, every single lady expressed a worry about their "lack of artistic ability" and how it might prevent them from entering into this prayer practice.
This is not of God.
This is what the world has done to crush creativity and artistic expression.
Why is that?
Because God will use art to speak an international language that can touch anyone anywhere.
Wow. How amazing is that!
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