More Pendle Hill

A Healing Retreat

Suzanne and I attended the Creative Spirit retreat at Pendle Hill lead by Melanie Weidner. It was fantastic!!! If you are in the area and she is speaking, don't hesitate - just go. You will be blessed.

At this retreat, we prayed and created and prayed while creating. "Juicy" poetry stimulated our spirits to dig deep and express ourselves with paint, collage, boxes, altered books.... Oh what bliss!!!!

There were 16 of us. We began as strangers and ended with a hug-fest, with promises to see each other next year. When I got home, there was already an email thread connecting us and a round robin project developing between us.

As I write this, a week has past and I am still spiritually high and blissful. The peace that comes after turning monster fears into angel blessings on paper and in the heart is true healing.

On a side note but not connected to our retreat, I came upon an article on how art can aid healing from trauma and the resultant PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is from a trusted source and you may be interested in seeing it: http://www.ptsdspirituality.com/2010/08/22/ptsd-spirituality-art-and-craft-can-heal-ptsd-soul-wounds/

It's amazing what God can do with paper, brushes, scraps, and a willing heart.
Blessings on your journey, W

New this week!

Greetings everyone!
Wanda and I are so pleased to offer a free sample of our Book Drawing Nearer on our website Drawingnearer.com. Check out our website for more information on the workshops we offer and insights on retreating, praying and creating.

Coming very soon you will be able to down load the whole book! We are completing the final edits and have set up a PayPal account for your convenience.

When Wanda & I first started leading art & prayer programs and workshops together two years ago we had no idea God would be calling us to create a whole book on the process of these workshops - a real labor of love! We feel so blessed to be able to offer this book to you as a resource for your personal devotion or retreat time with encouragement to spend time each day praying and creating.

We look forward to hearing from you! Try out the sample page for free and let us know how your experience went. You may comment here on our blog or email us at drawingnearercc@gmail.com

Creatively yours,
Suzanne

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Walking a Labyrinth

Just found a wonderful article on walking the Labyrinth as contemplative prayer.
Check it out!
Ancient labyrinths enjoying a resurgence
Fans tout their spiritually calming influence
By Electa Draper
The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_14153212


W

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Childhood Prayers

Do you remember any of the prayers you were taught as a child? Perhaps you were taught a bedtime blessing like I was:

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Angels watch me through the night
and wake me with the morning light.

The grace for meals that is still with me is:

God is great. God is good.
Let us be thankful for our food.
By God’s hand we all are fed.
Give us, Lord, our daily bread.

There are lots of versions out there and I’d love to hear yours if you were taught one. These are great when introducing a young person to pray, but, at least with me, they soon became rote. Deep inside I yearned for a deeper prayer life, a rich awareness and relationship with this God I addressed so casually every day. Who was “He?” Can He hear me? Can I recognize His voice and not confuse it with my own?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Those and others invited me to go deeper, to explore prayer forms and spiritual exercises to experience more of this God who felt so distant. What desires or questions invite you to go deeper, draw nearer to Creator?

Let’s get the conversation started. I look forward to journeying with you in this spiritual quest!

W