It seems as though the entire blogosphere is caught up in 31 days of great writing.  I’m going to be out of town a few times during the month and just didn’t have the wherewithal or fore-thought to make blogging for 31 days in a row happen this year.

However, I am greatly enjoying the fruits of everyone else’s labor!  My dear friend Carey is blogging about 31 Days of Creativity.  All of her posts this week have led me to journal more and even pull out my markers again.

I first discovered the book, “Praying in Color” when I was working for Carey.  She was my boss when I worked in the Children’s Department of a church.  Not only did she get just as excited as I did with the prospect of using markers to pray, but she let me lead my co-workers in some group color praying.

I tried my best to create a video to help you understand the process developed and written about by Sybil MacBeth.  Sybil has lots of her own videos, books, seminars and other helps on her website that I would encourage you to check out if this at all speaks to a creative side of you.

Let’s face it: we were made by a Creative God to increase His goodness in this world.  Since we are indwelt by His Spirit and made in His image, we can also claim creativity as one of our defining traits… even when we don’t feel particularly gifted in this area.

I can tell you that some of my friends and co-workers panicked when we tried this together.  They wanted more rules and structure.  That’s fine!  This isn’t for everyone.  This is hopefully just another suggestion to get us out of our usual patterns and into some much needed time of communion and communication with the Father.

Here goes nothing!

From Praying in Color by Sybil MacBeth:

“Does this carnival of pens and colored markers really count as prayer?  Or is it a sanctimonious ploy, a way to say that I’ve prayed when really I’ve just doodled, colored, and played?  Does prayer have to be a totally intense and serious activity?  Can a spiritual practice be both prayer and play?

When I draw as a way to enter prayer, I get to delight in my prayer and to feel God’s delight that I am making an effort to pray.  Prayer can be the heavy labor of my heart and mind where I am the foreman of a job site.  Or prayer can be my joy and freedom, the place where I get to play in the presence of my Creator, where I get a taste of “the glorious liberty of being a child of God” (paraphrase of Romans 8:21).”

May you find joy in praying this week!

Following and coloring,
Ginger