I invite you to transform and transfer painful memories and experiences into expressions that help you process your grief.
Your artwork can be profoundly re-orientating, and it may even rebuild or refortify the interior culture of worship and affection that previously existed between you and God.
Artful, embodied prayers help the us ministers and pastors reconnect emotionally with God. This is a crucial element in the effectiveness of artful, bodily prayers. Without an emotional reconnection with God, the pastor has only a cognitive understanding of God’s love and support. This cognitive understanding and mental agreement lack the potency it takes for a person to reorient and reenergize their lives.
Hence, in executing artwork as a prayerful bodily exercise towards God, you are immersing yourself in the art of storytelling. In sharing your fears, hurts, and worries through your art piece to God, you (the pastor/minister) can experience firsthand the empathy of God. You will feel heard, understood, and seen. These are the very things needed for resilience. We need to feel seen and know they we will not be abandoned to avoid burnout.
With this understanding in mind, you are invited and encouraged to orally and physically share your stories with God, primarily through art. The artful, physical telling of your stories becomes part of your spiritual repertoire, not an exception or specialty. When artful prayers are based on the attentive presence and love of God, the pastor becomes aware and seeks to upkeep and cultivate the most crucial element needed for resilience: an emotional attachment and bond to God.
CREATE
YOUR TURN
-
First, we need to share the story. What happened? What moment or relationship chapter do you wish to bring to God? What hurt do you need to bring into His presence? In the space below, prayerfully and honestly write it out as a story. Include the context and the background. And then pinpoint and name the pain.
What went wrong?
Who hurt you and why did it hurt?
Do you haver any regrets or disappointments? -
Next, review your story, but this time, invite the Holy Spirit to show you how God was present and faithful. Invite yourself to see your pain in light of God’s bigger story.
You can ask yourself the following questions:
• Where was God?
• What was He doing?
• What was He forming in you?
• What did you find out about Him?
Before you begin, pray this prayer:
“Holy Spirit, I invite you back into the story. I ask for your perspective. Help me to see you and who you’ve always been in this moment of my life.”
-
As we wrestle with the pain and the grief, draft ideas about how you will express and confess your grief, complaints, and lament. What kind of art will best express what you’re feeling inside? How can you involve your mind, body, and soul as you cast your cares upon the Lord?
Start keeping an art journal where you can draw, sketch, write your ideas, and plan accordingly.
Pick a day and time when you will execute your art and confession, or pick repeating times when you will continue to work on your art piece.
-
I’d love to hear about what you’ve done to express your hurts to God.
Please feel free to email me your story and your art piece and I may feature here on this site with your permission.
I’m betting that it’ll bless and minister to many. I look forward to hearing from you.
email
MY PROCESS
-
Journal, pray, draw…
-
Ideate and draw what you are trying to convey or pray.
-
Plan on what you’ll need to express and execute your prayerful artwork.
-
Just do it.
At some point, you just have to sing, shout, pray, draw, or prophetically perform your art. -
Whether it’s to archive your prayers and art or to share them with others, make sure to capture and record your art piece.
Film. Journal. Photos. Post.
I find it easier to talk to God via the help of a Psalm.
A prayer journal is often a great way to start your art piece. I often use the Psalms as the starting line for my prayers and artwork.
Draw. Just draw. I'm not a good illustrator but I try to sketch my prayers and art as much as possible. I usually use my iPad.
Sometimes I have to study materials I'll need for an art piece. This sometimes takes time researching, calling, sampling, etc.
Often I will recreate a scene from real life in order to take the time I need to process the moment more adequately and prayerfully.
Sometimes I know right away what will work and what won't. The goal is to pray in a way that allows an embodied experience.
I am drafting how I will execute this art piece. This is my drawing of fabric that I may need to do this piece.
Sometimes it's an image that sparks a prayerful response and reflection.
