I walked away from leading my first ever 1/2 day local workshop feeling (exhausted) but giddy. I thought, "I can't believe this is what I get to do at this time in my life." Similar to my experience last month at Hume, I felt like I simply showed up, created a safe space, and Jesus did the rest. It was lovely.
We met at a beautiful local Long Beach home, who's owner generously donated her space for our time. And we came together and explored together how Jesus meets us in our emotions, what happens when it feels like he doesn't, and what the Bible says about our feelings in relation to our growth in Jesus. Then, after a delicious lunch by Gathered Together, I led the group through an experience of using art to lead us into prayer. It was beautiful to watch people respond to his call in their hearts through these images. It was a gift to witness. At the conclusion of our time I loved hearing the few who shared what God did in their hearts. And as I collected the surveys after, I was further excited to read in more detail where God had moved, healed, stirred, called out, and redeemed. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Thank you, Jesus. We're planning another workshop February 21, 2015 - so mark your calendars!
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I wasn't sure what to expect as I traveled up the mountains to the fall Hume Lake Women's Retreat. I'd never been to Hume before, and I'd never led a session for 150 people all at one time before. So I was curious to see what Jesus was up to.
He out did himself. Women's lives were touched, healed, restored, and Jesus met many of them in their life circumstances. Throughout the weekend after leading the "Art & Prayer" (optional) session, women came up to me (at times with tears in their eyes) and said, "Thank you," for doing this, showing up, following Jesus, teaching me a new way to meet with him in prayer. I was overwhelmed by their response, and seeing so quickly all that Jesus had stirred in their hearts. And I felt so free. I simply showed up, made a safe space, and Jesus did the rest...and the rest was a lot of goodness in these women's lives. Hume Lake was kind enough to record the session for me, so if you want to follow along using your image pack, or a favorite image of yours, you can do so by clicking here. Using art to help us pray is a tradition rooted in Christian history. The method is simply to observe, reflect, and then to respond. As we do this in prayer, asking Jesus to lead our minds and hearts, we come to embrace our identity in Christ, open to ourselves and others more fully, and walk in the freedom Jesus offers us. May you be led in to the goodness and grace of Christ as you sit with this image. Instructions below. Instructions...
How'd it Go? Take a minute or two to share with us in the comments from your experience.
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