~This post is old. Please check out our lastest for Creative Lent Ideas here~
Lent is only a few weeks away and many of us are already thinking about what we will give up for the season. Once only practiced by catholic and liturgical churches, Lent is now popular amongst churches of all traditions. To be honest however, I get sick and tired of people telling me they are going to give up chocolate or T.V. for Lent, not because I don’t think this type of self sacrifice is important but because I feel it trivializes Lent.
There are two types of spiritual practices we need in our lives – those that restore and those that transform. Lent was meant to be a season of transformation, but we have made it more into one of restoration.
Restorative practices, are the daily, weekly and yearly habits that anchor our faith and reassure us of the importance of what we believe. Practices like daily prayer, Sunday church, Easter and Christmas, reaffirm our sense of order and meaning in the universe, our community and our own lives. Most importantly, they intentionally connect our daily activities to the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Transformative practices are characterized by a high degree of creativity and have little repetitive structure. They cut through the established way of doing things and restore a measure of flexibility and personal intimacy. They stop our restorative practices from becoming boring and stagnant and enable our faith to grow, adapt and change.
Lent was specifically designed for transformation. It was once about preparation for baptism and our entry into resurrection life, but for most, it now focuses more on sacrifice and death, often with little expectation of ongoing change in our lives. The focus has moved from Easter Sunday to Good Friday and our entering into Christ’s crucifixion and death.
So how do we invite the spirit of God into that creative process? We need to bring about transformation so that we can enter the resurrected life of Easter?
Take an Artist Date.
In Restoring the Wellsprings: A Lenten Retreat into Creative Practice, the authors suggest taking an “artist date” each week in Lent.
Once a week, it’s your job to take yourself out to have fun for an hour or two. Do it alone, and choose something that you might not normally allow yourself: an excursion to a gallery to look at art; a trip to a fabric store; a walk in a public garden you love, or have always wanted to visit; a ferry ride to explore the Island. This should be gratuitous and self-indulgent. In short, you are to give up self-denial for Lent.”
The place we need to start is with more fun and creativity. Experiences like this free our minds to think outside the box and restore that flexibility we so desperately need to reshape our spiritual lives and draw closer to God.
Get Out and Take Notice.
Over the last few years, I have been encouraged by fellow journeyers to get out and take notice of my neighbourhood, God’s creation and the people who populate it. I have learned to take the practices of Lectio divina and Visio divina, out into the world around me. I love exploring the neighbourhood graffiti, murals and garden art. I love observing the people Tom and I pass as we walk and taking notice of the new plants emerging and the migratory birds on the lake. This has freed my spirit to listen deeply and observe all that happens around me, inspiring me to incorporate new practices into my spiritual life in ways I could never have imagined even five years ago.
Give Free Reign to Creativity.
I think that by now, most of you realize that I am a strong advocate for free form creative practices like doodling, walking a finger labyrinth, and painting on rocks. Even crafts like knitting and woodworking can spur creativity and improve our problem solving ability. Consider setting aside time for one of these practices each week during Lent. Perhaps you would like to knit a prayer shawl or craft a toy for a disabled kid you know. Such practices are guaranteed to inspire new creative spiritual practices too.
Get Out and Have Some Fun
We all need to play. Making a mess, getting dirty, colouring, playing sports, are all rejuvenating practices that free us from inflexible thought patterns and routines. In our hectic, modern lives, many of us focus so heavily on work and family commitments that we never have time for pure fun. Just because we’re adults, doesn’t mean we have to take ourselves so seriously and make life all about work.
Perhaps Lent is a time to let go of control over what we do and hand the plan of celebrations over to our kids. I mentioned in my last year’s post Five Ways to Foster Creativity In Kids During Lent, how meaningful it was to give five-year-old Catie control of creativity for Easter. We underestimate the creativity of kids and their ability to shape their practices as well as our own.
Focus on Life Not Death.
As you walk through Lent, are you hungering for life or death? Are your practices focused on the cross or the kingdom? How would it change our Lenten practices if our goal was resurrection living rather then Cross walking? Lent is a time to daydream, to imagine new possibilities for the in-breaking of God’s new world.
What are the aspects of God’s longed-for new world that gnaws at your heart, making you want to respond? A few years ago, I did a series of posts on What Does the Kingdom of God Look Like? that you might like to read through as you contemplate this question.
Or read through these inspiring words from Isaiah 65:17-25. This is one of my favourite passages of inspiration and hope about the kingdom of God. I read it frequently as a way to keep myself focused on God’s purposes not just for me but for the entire creation.
Lent has become a popular practice for people of all Christian traditions in the last few years. I hope that you will consider observing it this year and walk with us into God’s kingdom ways.
You might also like to check out some of my Lenten resource lists – I am in the process of updating these so if you know of “must add” resources, please let me know.
Apps and More for your Lenten Journey
Ash Wednesday Prayers – with links to those from previous years.
I have also added several posts this year on creativity and Lent:
5 Ways to Foster Creativity in Children for Lent
Get Creative and Play Games in Lent
Seven Tips for Creating Sacred Space in Lent
Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week
This pattern of icy ripples around rocks in a stream really captured my attention this week. Water never flows straight yet it is the essence of life. Life doesn’t flow straight either. God never creates straight lines and can fashion beautiful patterns out of even the most challenging situations and incorporate them into a beautiful river if only we have the eyes to see.
“Like a page that aches for a word that speaks on a theme that is timeless.”
~ Neil Diamond, Be, from the score of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
The blank page
Both beckons and mocks
For who am I to think
I can take on such a call?
Many thoughts scream,
Yet seem nothing new
Will ever escape from
This word-laden spider web.
The dew of the web
Drips of promise and tears
As I long to write something
Meaningful and inspiring.
I mean, that’s
What writers do
Is it not? However,
I do not feel worthy.
In the midst
Of such doubt
My voice can not
Even pray aloud.
My eyes alight
Upon the well-worn book
Awaiting my surrender
To yet another blank page.
This one private
The confidante who holds
My deepest thoughts
To which I seldom give voice.
Reverently, I remove
It from the shelf of
Many others, dog-eared
By my revisiting
Other doubt-filled days…
Pages filled with
Prayers and rants
Begging, ideas and phrases.
What began within
The pages of these journals
Often found its way
Trickling through the spider’s web
Splashing onto many
Other blank pages
Meant to be shared
As a kiss to the Beloved.
by Joy Lenton
I feel fierce wind dragging at my clothes while freezing rain lashes my face as I pop briefly outside the back door.
This isn’t a day to linger. We’re beginning to experience the icy grip of winter and I sense it invading my soul.
Ground is hard, unyielding, frosting over, and I fear I am becoming likewise.
My desires and dreams have lain dormant for so long they seem to be withered on the vine.
I sit with a weight of sadness at the cusp of another year, trying to resist discouragement’s tug.
There is so little energy within that I can barely summon enough to hope for better things.
And yet…
My spirit whispers softly: Keep the faith. Keep believing. Keep hope alive.
It is only possible when I remember to stay rooted to the Vine, seek His strength to survive and see beyond the confines of each day.
And remember that no matter how lengthy and forbidding these cold, dark days may feel, light is still present and warmer weather lies ahead.
God draws my eyes to the small, quivering shoots of life appearing in soil.
Their tender green vitality is a sign of better things to come, of hope made visible to eyes willing to see.
He reminds me anew that seasons come and go but His love is always the fuel and fire my soul needs.
And it never wanes or grows cold. It’s new every morning, always available.
My lethargic soul shakes itself inwardly.
These are hard days for many who are afflicted as I am with SAD and the distinct lowering of mood it brings, or those who deal with depression on a daily basis.
I haven’t set resolutions for January because I know I would likely despair with the inevitable breaking of them.
But I have got a focus to sustain me throughout the year. I’m leaning into ‘love’ as my given #oneword365 and already learning how little I know about it and how much God needs to reveal its depths to me.
One of the ways in which God has shown forth His love to me over the last few years has been to whisper words to my heart during times of prayer.
Here’s a word I received a while back but which rings fresh and true for me today. My hope and prayer is that it may offer you some soul solace too, especially if you’re also feeling less than lively.
Prayer Whisper‘:’Green shoots’
“All plants must wither and die. But rooted to earth as they are, they receive of My life-giving power. Death precedes new birth. A grain of wheat must fall to the earth and die before it produces much fruit.
All the dry, arid places in your life, all the bleak and barren wilderness spaces will be watered again. Green shoots indicate Spring, new life, birth, and hope rising. Look for the green shoots I place on your pathway. They are portents of promise.
Take heart from their appearing. Mighty oaks grow strong from tiny acorns. Do not despise small beginnings. They are a sign of further life to come.
Yield to the season; observe the signs. Watch and see the harvest I am about to bring forth in your life. Water it daily with affirmation from My word, with faith, trust and praise for the promises waiting to be fulfilled.”
Lord,
May we see and sense Your comforting presence through the darkness. Root us so firmly in You that we can remain calm as we wait for promises to be fulfilled. Grant us the gift of hope rising phoenix-bold from the ashes of our experiences. Fill us with love and light enough to stay at peace and to be a beacon for others who are struggling. Amen.
Do you have a specific focus word for 2016?
How is God helping you to deal with depression or sit with sadness in this season?
It is summer in the Southern Hemisphere right now, and Christmas in New Zealand for many is traditionally followed by an exodus to the beaches, or the mountains and lakes, to take in the scenery and sun. Each year for the last few years my husband and I have taken the children to a different spot in the most basic but stunning locations. Long drops and cold showers; but beaches, and walks, native bush and views.
Each year I am aware that I come away slightly weighted down by the year that’s been. Carrying different longings, griefs, joys, memories, vestiges of experiences from the months past, that need sifting through and placing down. My time away becomes one long prayer. I watch it change from, “God, I’m sorry…” to “God, I need…” to “God, I miss….” to “God, I hope…” to “God, thank you!”, “God, thank you!”, “God, thank you again!” It soon becomes, “God, although you are here in this place, you have also been with me in the year past, and you will be with me in the year to come. You have never left me, and this place of beauty, and quiet and majesty only reminds me of this truth.”
My prayer becomes a poem that I sit and write on a rock by the beach, and another rock on the beach over the hill. And perhaps it’s sitting on these rocks that I find myself praying for a heart-shaped rock to return home with, as a reminder of God’s love. Walking on one of the beautiful beaches of the magnificent Kari Kari Peninsula just before departing, I look down and half hidden by sand I find my rock. A clearly defined heart but with a slightly jagged corner which I feel with my hand as I hold its solid weight. I like the jagged corner because it reminds me that love and life isn’t smooth, but a little rough at the edges sometimes, where we like rock can be worn down. But the centre of the rock is solid, warm and firm in my hand, and trustworthy. Like family, like friends, like God. I sit it in my bathroom when I return, where I can see it every day. It will carry me into the year ahead, as will the memory of this precious time away.
Poem: Come
Come home to yourself.
Home is sand under your feet.
And sun glinting silver on the sea.
Home is the waves and the birds.
Warmth on your skin.
The solitude that brings you home,
to your soul.
Forgo the crowd, which leaves you lonely.
And come away for a while.
Come back to yourself.
Survey the view.
And you’ll remember,
that you’ve never been away.
Just been wearing something ill-fitting,
waiting for the day you can disrobe.
And run barefoot.
Dishevelled, wind in your hair,
but free.
Come take a walk.
To the hill where the sky is large.
See the evening spread like a curtain across the day.
And feel yourself small, but wide.
If you still yourself you will hear,
your heart beat along with the earth’s.
And you will know yourself a part of the whole.
No separation at all.
A particle of life.
Which can seem lonely, unless you recall that,
your footprints leave a mark on the sand.
You make a track where you choose to walk.
Every action has a reaction.
No, you are not swallowed up
by the majesty of this breath-taking earth.
You share its beauty,
because of your living, breathing
part in it.
Today is my 65th birthday, in some ways just another day, in others a huge milestone. This is a time of transition, a great time to reflect on what is past and anticipate what is still to come. It also provides me with a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm my life purpose and allow God to speak to me about how this could be lived out in the years ahead.
I have always had a strong sense of purpose for my life sensing as a young Christian that God was calling me to be a voice of the voiceless and to bring glimpses of God’s shalom kingdom into peoples’ lives. The privilege of my life is that I have had so many amazing opportunities to live that out – from life in medical practice in New Zealand in the 1970s, to an incredible 12 years on the mercy ship M/V Anastasis establishing the medical ministry of Mercy Ships through the 1980s and for the last 24 years here in Seattle endeavouring to strengthen both my own faith and that of others through writing, speaking and mentoring.
It was good for me this morning to watch this video and remind myself of the fruit of my labours.
As I reflected on that this morning, and revisited the spiritual audit I regularly go through, I realize there is another dimension of my calling I want to focus on in the coming years: enabling others to become who God intends them to be. A growing desire of mine is to equip others to fulfill the God dreams in their hearts. I am still grappling with what that means and appreciate your prayers as I take time to allow God to speak to me.
What is your response?
When was the last time you stopped and reflected on your sense of Biblical call? How is it currently being lived out in your life? Are there life circumstances or pressures that you have allowed to blur that sense of purpose? Sit quietly in the presence of God and allow God’s voice to speak to you. Is there something God might ask of you at this time to strengthen your sense of purpose?
Part of my preparation for this coming season has been to replant my meditation garden and paint new rocks to arrange in it. As I reflect on these each morning I know that they will continue to provide a focus for my coming transitions and a powerful tool to strengthen my faith.
Part of what I realize is how easily I can go from day to day thinking I know where God wants to lead me without really taking time to seek direction. We need milestone events like important birthdays to help bring our lives fully into God’s purposes. we also need tools like this to help us focus – not just in these milestone moments, but at all seasons of our lives.
What is your response?
You may not be at a major life transition like I am, but it is still important to pause regularly to reevaluate our purpose and how intentionally we are following God’s path for us. Are there new ways that God’s deepest desires for your life could be expressed at this time? Are there tools that God would prompt you to use in order to maintain your focus?
Watch the video to you and sit quietly in the presence of God and allow God to speak to you.
Thinking about a word to embrace this year, I felt the word Phoenix come to me.
This is from what was spoken over my life some time ago, that there would come a time when like a Phoenix, I too would rise from the ashes. This speaks to me of receiving Christ’s resurrection and embodying it, by surrendering all that has passed away and looking with anticipation for all that is coming.
But I couldn’t seem to stop there with one word. And then I got the words surrender, and softening and felt I needed to combine these words with Phoenix to give a fuller meaning to where I feel I am headed. Maybe all of this could be experienced in the Phoenix after all? Surrendering the past, I rise from the ashes in resurrection by the softening power of the Holy Spirit!
Together with this contemplation about my word for the year, I was thinking about what I would like to see unfold in 2016 and part of that was a feeling of creativity coming back to me – the flashing image of water colour painting, something I have not done in years! And Collage Journaling, something I have done on and off over the years and find myself drawn towards again. I was particularly inspired by some beautiful collages I viewed online last year at the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks, a group of the Abbey of the Arts.
So I would like to share with you some of my experiences with Collage Journaling in the lay-out of how such a special time with God could look, both for the creative and for the artistically challenged, for those who desire the expression of colour in prayer and for those who would like to receive from God in a different way. Being open to fresh ways of experiencing God can dislodge the blocks we sometimes experience in our prayer lives when things feel stale and distant with God. So it’s time to try something new!
Why not give Collage Journaling a go?
Firstly, select the magazines you like. Some of my magazines of choice include gardening, travel, interior decor, antiques, country living, even some Beautiful British Columbia magazines my Mom gave me! Anything that appeals to you. You don’t have to buy these new, as you can often get them from second hand book sales in your public library or from your local 2nd hand bookstore. Maybe a friend of yours is getting rid of a pile of old mags?
Then you will need: scissors, glue and your journal or paper/cardboard of choice
Next: music to inspire this time of creative prayer. And because I am doing homeschool together with all three of my girls this year, we will explore this time of prayer together. I found this wonderfully inspiring article for those of you with children or grandchildren, or who participate in children’s work as to how to make a prayer journal with children.
Some of the contemplative or soaking music I really like that can accompany these times are artists like Julie True, Alberto and Kimberly Riviera, Grace Williams, Ruth Fazal, Laura Woodley, Laura Rhinehart – in fact you can find a lot of soaking music on www.soaking.net – instrumental or with lyrics. Another place to find soaking music is at www.triune-echo.com, the website of friends of ours Natie & Yvette Rautenbach.
Then the part I really enjoy is paging through the magazines until you feel drawn to a picture or word. Just go where you feel led. You don’t have to analyse this process too much and that is what I love about it. If your heart is led to a picture, cut it out and set it aside. If you feel led to a phrase or word, do the same. Keep going until you feel you have enough material for your collage.
This entire creative process is prayer in itself. What a blessing to know we do not have to only engage our verbal communication skills when we commune with God. And Collage Journaling does this, it gets us out of our mind and into our heart, our Spirit-led selves, where we are being loved on and led without even knowing exactly what or how at the time.
Then comes more fun! It’s time to place your pictures on your page in the way you really like! I do this until I find a pleasing composition. Then comes time for the glue. And so it comes together! You can be innovative with Collage Journaling. You may like to combine different media – paint, pencil crayons, pencil sketches, home-made papers, stickers, scrapbooking arts and craft supplies, the list goes on… Here are some of my prayer collages:
Afterwards, in a time of silence you may like to take your completed collage and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. This becomes a time of dialogue with God as you share your hearts together. It is a richly textured and layered time of sharing. I find Collage Journaling gives me insight into where I’m at, hope for the future and discernment about where God is leading me, as well as furthering the Spirit’s healing and restoration work in my life.
Some links which you may find useful:
How to Collage in Your Art Journal
Collage as Prayer: Cutting and Pasting My Way to God
Here is a song by Grace Williams “Spirit Come” to accompany your time of Collage Journaling! May the Holy Spirit fill us this year 2016 as we step into the beautiful purposes of God and open ourselves to new ways of experiencing our relationship with God in prayer:
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