EPIPHANY:VISIO
  • Attend an Event
  • Spiritual Direction

connect with Jesus through art

and learn a new way of seeing yourself and your life that helps you
​slow down, recenter, and find the goodness of God.
Learn More

Lent  |  A Retreat Guide

3/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Raised in the evangelical tradition I was more familiar with Easter than this season called "Lent." I was comfortable with somber Good Friday services, and celebratory Easter Sundays. Then I learned about Lent, and how it is a time to reflect on our longings, our losses, in a way that leads us to confession at the feet of Jesus. Sometimes getting to his feet I found I needed a little help, a gentle push to move forward. I needed someone to remind me of the love of God amidst all this grief. 

From these experiences, and through gathering materials I've found helpful, we're offering this half-day Lenten retreat guide. It's filled with prayer practices, journaling prompts, and reflective invitations. It can be used individually, or with your community group. It can used on a half-day away at a museum or over a weekend up on the mountain. It was created with flexibility in mind.

It was also created to remind you how much God loves you. Using Scripture, art, and thought provoking journaling experiences this PDF guide offers you the opportunity to open your heart to God through these practices and to prepare to celebrate the hope we have in Christ Easter Sunday morning.
Picture
If this idea excites you, or feels like the last thing you want to do but you feel invited by God to do it anyway, click below to learn a bit more and view a sample page. The PDF guide is designed to be flexible in use and time, so feel free to take a half-day to yourself or a weekend away with your community group. 

If you have any questions about this retreat guide, or how to best use it, feel free to contact us anytime. We'd love to hear from you.
Lenten Retreat Guide
0 Comments

Lent  |  Contemplative Photography Reflection

2/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Wednesday marks the beginning of a new liturgical season: Lent. It is a season of waiting, of longing, of loss. It is a season of lament. Lent gives us space to grieve, to let go, to exist of the tension of already and not yet with Jesus. 

Below is an image, followed by instructions, to help you engage and process and connect prayerfully with Jesus as you open to the places of your heart and life where you feel tugs of grief and yearning.

Peace as you enter this sacred space.
Picture

Begin in a quiet place...

  • Begin to slow your breath, and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in here for 2-3 minutes.
  • Observe the photo for a about 5-minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  • Notice for about 10-minutes, with the image, while you ask yourself and Jesus: Where are you drawn, or resistant in this image? 
  • Reflect on what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." Journal what comes up.
  • Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry) until there are no more words or feelings left to express.
  • As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."

How did it go? What surprised you? Where were you led?

0 Comments

Art & Prayer Project

10/9/2014

0 Comments

 
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.
Picture

Instructions...

  • Get in a quite place and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in for 2-3 minutes before you begin.
  • Observe the photo for a few minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  • Reflect: Now spend about 10-minutes with the image while you ask yourself and Jesus: where are you drawn toward, or away? Notice what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." This may be a helpful time to journal out what is coming up.
  • Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-or so minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry) until there are no more words or feelings left to express.
  • As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."

How'd it Go?

Take a minute or two to share with us in the comments from your experience.
  • What happened? What didn't happen?
  • Where was Jesus?
0 Comments

Visio Divina  |  Praying With Imagery

8/11/2014

0 Comments

 

Instructions for Visio Divina

To start...
  1. Get in a quite place and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in for 2-3 minutes before you begin.
  2. Observe the photo for a few minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  3. Now spend about 10-minutes with the image while you ask yourself and Jesus: where are you drawn toward, or away? Notice what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." This may be a helpful time to journal out what is coming up.
  4. Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-or so minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry) until there are no more words or feelings left to express.
  5. As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."
May you find the mercy and justice of Jesus in your time with him through this image today.
Picture
0 Comments

Fall Workshop  |  Leaning in Through Visio Divina

5/14/2014

0 Comments

 
Hello Everyone,

I'm excited to announce this fall we'll be offering our first visio divina workshop! We'll be reflecting on how images can form us spiritually, and experiencing it firsthand. I hope you'll join us! Feel free to invite a few friends, too.

If you don't want to miss the details as they're released, signup on our email newsletter list to have the info delivered straight to your inbox. I promise not to spam you or sell your information.
:)

Workshop Info Signup
Picture
I hope to see your friendly faces there!

-Christine
Workshop Info Signup
0 Comments

The Path  |  Visio Divina

3/1/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
To start...
  1. Get in a quite place and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in for 2-3 minutes before you begin.
  2. Observe the photo for a few minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  3. Now spend about 10-minutes with the image while you ask yourself and Jesus: what meaning does this image hold for me? Notice what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." This may be a helpful time to journal out what is coming up.
  4. Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-or so minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry).
  5. As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."
May you find the mercy and justice of Jesus in your time with him through this image today.
0 Comments

The Invitation  |  Visio Divina

2/20/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
To start...
  1. Get in a quite place and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in for 2-3 minutes before you begin.
  2. Observe the photo for a few minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  3. Now spend about 10-minutes with the image while you ask yourself and Jesus: what meaning does this image hold for me? Notice what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." This may be a helpful time to journal out what is coming up.
  4. Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-or so minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry).
  5. As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."
May you find the mercy and justice of Jesus in your time with him through this image today.
0 Comments

Visio Divina: Hope

2/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Welcome to today's visio divina. I titled today's image "hope," but I want you to know that may not be what you find. If another word or theme surfaces for you as you pray - go with it! God may be leading you somewhere he has specifically for you today.
To start...
  1. Get in a quite place and ask Jesus to open your heart, mind, and eyes to see where he is leading you today. Settle in for 2-3 minutes before you begin.
  2. Observe the photo below for a few minutes. Notice what stands out to you. See the colors, textures, patterns, rhythms.
  3. Now spend about 10-minutes with the image while you ask yourself and Jesus: what meaning does this image hold for me? Notice what comes up. It may be a relationship you're in, a situation you're apart of, or a feeling. Jesus may be leading you to any part of your life or heart, so don't quickly disregard something as "too small" or "irrelevant." This may be a helpful time to journal out what is coming up.
  4. Respond to Jesus from what he has revealed for the next 5-or so minutes. Express how you feel about what came up (perhaps excited, or scared, or angry).
  5. As you conclude, take the last 5-minutes to breathe and exhale deeply. As you exhale relax your shoulders, your neck, your arms and legs. You may also pray with each breath a short prayer, like: "Lord Jesus (inhale), have mercy on me (exhale)."
May you find the mercy and justice of Jesus in your time with him through this image today.


Picture
© 2014 Christine Lee Smith. Image may not be used, displayed elsewhere, or distributed without permission.
0 Comments

Grief

11/24/2013

0 Comments

 
Grief comes in many forms, over many different kinds of losses. Some of those losses may include loved ones, dreams, or freedoms - sometimes they're literal and physical or tangible, other times not. This morning's image may help you process grief, or something else may come up for you. Whatever it is, go with it.
Take a few minutes to just view the picture below. Notice the details, colors, and feelings it brings up in you.
Picture
After you've spent sometime interacting with the image, process through a few of these questions as they're helpful (I recommend using a journal to do this portion):
  • Did you feel drawn into the photograph, or wanting to back out of it?
  • How does this photograph represent what you're feeling today?
  • How does your body respond as you look at this photograph? Does it get tense? Relax? Nervous?
  • Where do you see grief in this photograph? What about in your own life?
Notice even what feelings you're experiencing as you journal through these questions.
Once you've journaled through some of these questions, take a few minutes to breathe deeply. As you do, close your time in a simple prayer like, "Jesus, have mercy."
If you like, share with us what this time was like for you in the comments section. We'd love to hear.
0 Comments

What is Visio Divina?

5/21/2013

0 Comments

 
Visio Divina came to me while studying at Talbot School of Theology's Institute for Spiritual Formation. One day while I was meeting with my spiritual director she brought in a paper copy of an icon. She had me gaze and reflect on what it meant to me, without telling me what it was supposed to mean or what the right reflection was. As an artist I was intrigued by how God's Spirit would speak to me in such a unstructured manner -- there was no text to exegete or commentary to reference to see if I got the answer right. It was God speaking to me personally through beauty and my senses. I later learned that St. Ignatius highly recommended visualizing Scripture -- using your imagination to observe yourself playing a part (observer, one of the key characters) in the text. He believed new and deeper understanding would emerge. Genius.

All that to say I found an interesting article by Patheos.com on "Praying with Art: Visio Divina" that I wanted to share.

How have you experienced God speaking to you through art, or beauty? How did that impact your relationship with God? I'd love to hear - please share in the comments.
0 Comments
    Free Art & Prayer Cards
    Buy Art & Prayer Cards
    Contact Us: Phone / Email
    Learn More About E:V

    Categories

    All
    Art & Prayer
    Contemplative Photography
    Creativity
    Desire
    Events
    Imaginative Prayer
    Lament
    Longing
    Loss
    News
    Prayer
    Reflections
    Resources
    Retreat
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spiritual Practices
    Visio Divina
    Workshop

    Archives

    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Attend an Event
  • Spiritual Direction