Freerangefriday: Take a Parable Walk

By Lilly Lewin

My friend, Ed Goode, is a pastor, photographer and contemplative… he created our freerangefriday post today in the form of a video meditation. Watch and consider what the Holy Spirit wants to say to you today.

What did you notice as you watched the video? What emotions came up for you? What are you curious about?

How have the last few months changed your view of things? It’s definitely been a long haul of emotions and changes for all of us.

What the video again. How has getting outside in nature helped you in these last few months? What has inspired you?

Who or what has helped you along this journey of the pandemic? Spend some time thanking Jesus for these people and these practices.

This weekend, get outside, take a parable walk and let Jesus speak to you through Creation. Here is the Parable Walk Practice we use at thinplaceNASHVILLE to get you started. You might use Psalm 12 as Ed did. Read and or Listen to the psalm before you start your walk. You could take photos of what the Holy Spirit highlights for you, or pick up a feather, or a stone or some other item that God uses to inspire you. Breathe, walk, notice, pay attention!

Listen to the wind of the Spirit.

• PARABLE WALK PRAYER PRACTICE:
  Silently walk in God’s Creation, or, you may prefer to sit somewhere where you have an expansive view of creation.
  Keeping in mind God’s invitation to you in our scripture reading
  Keeping in mind what Jesus talked to you about as you listened to the Bible reading (or pick your own Bible Passage).
  Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you through what you see, hear, smell, and experience outside.
  What do you notice as you walk?
  What do you hear? Take time to listen.
  What do you smell? Breathe deeply.
  Spend time reflecting on how God is speaking to you through Nature. What do you see, hear, smell, touch?
  You might look for something that symbolizes a characteristic of God that you want to know and experience. Like HOPE, PEACE, SECURITY, LOVE etc.
  You might choose something that symbolizes a characteristic of God that you have experienced today or this season in your life.
  Or Watch for symbols of what Jesus is doing in your life… Or what He longs to do.
  Consider writing about this in your journal, describing the way in which what you have found is a tangible expression of your encounter with God through creation.
• Share your experience with someone… or do this as a group… walk individually but then come back together and share what God showed you.
• And check out Ed Goode’s website. He has beautiful photography and more viso divina meditations you might enjoy. And leads Contemplative Photography classes in Cincinnati, OH and online. Ed also sells his photographs at imagoimages.net

©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com