Join me as we dig deeply into what God has to say about artistry, beauty, creativity, embodiment & worship!

“In the beginning, God created…” 

The very first activity we find God doing in the Bible is creating. He wasn’t thinking or reading or contemplating or learning—He was creating! The next we see is God moving—caught up in the primordial dance of creation. Then, at the culmination of His creating, he made man and woman in His own image!  YOU are made in the image of a creative God who dances over all of creation! As an artist, creative or worshiper, that should not only empower you, but make you ecstatic! You are His BEaUtiful masterpiece! And it doesn’t end there—the work that flows from your hands, the music that pours from your instrument or voice, the dance that moves through your body, the words composed by your pen, the images reflected in your artwork, are not your own. They are from Another who still longs to speak to His creation, through His creation. May He speak boldly through you! Discover more about what God’s word has to say about the creative gift he’s placed in YOU in God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist Within—truly a book for all God’s worshipers!

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Kintsugi of the Soul…

What if you could gather up all the shattered and scattered pieces of your broken heart and surrender them to a Master Artist who would then piece it back together into a BEaUtiful work of heART? Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer mixed with powdered gold. As a philosophy, it is rooted in the inherent beauty of all objects, no matter what they’ve endured. The philosophy behind kintsugi is the same one that inspires The Creator’s Healing Power—Restoring the Broken to Beautiful. Kintsugi is a powerful metaphor of Jesus Christ, the Master Artisan, filling and healing the shattered places within. As the broken places are tenderly pieced back together and repaired with his golden healing balm, they become a beautiful place where God’s glory is revealed in our weakness.

Are you ready for Jesus to restore the broken places within? In The Creator’s Healing Power you will discover a path to healing with a focus on artistry, beauty, creativity and worship. Based on the Formational Prayer Model developed by Dr. Terry Wardle, The Creator’s Healing Power is an in-depth and interactive Bible study exploring the connection between healing and creativity, prayer and redemption, surrender and beauty, worship and wholeness.

God’s Creative Gift—Unleashing the Artist in You and The Creator’s Healing Power—Restoring the Broken to Beautiful are both part of the Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Within series. Find them on Amazon or Kindle today!

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More books geared towards creative Christian embodiment…

Jesus In My Practice: Bringing the Questions of Jesus to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat examines the questions Jesus asked in the gospel books of the Bible in his role as Rabbi (“teacher”), with a lens towards embodied curiosity and deeper spiritual discovery, for people of all religions and belief systems. Whether you’ve attended church all your life or never stepped foot in one… whether you think Jesus a prophet, a teacher or a savior.. whether you are a scholar of Jesus or simply curious about the things he taught while he journeyed this earth… ALL are welcomed to the table to learn from one of the most creative teachers of all history. Each question of Jesus is explored through a brief summary and explanation of its context, relevant cultural notes, thoughts to ruminate as you consider the question, ideas for your practice of mindful movement, a short breath prayer and poem, and songs to accompany your movement practice, if desired. Also includes white space and journal prompts to write about your experience.

O My Soul: Bringing the Psalmists Cry to My Movement, My Meditation & My Mat is filled with Bible meditations on the Book of Psalms. Written with an eye towards living a more whole hearted and fully embodied spiritual life… one in which the Spirit of God moves and breathes within this earthen vessel of clay. It is for those who practice any form of mindful movement or meditation, from dancers to yogis, to walkers and runners, and to those who practice tai chi, qigong, other martial arts, and, yes, even those who practice stillness and quiet rest. Each passage is explored through a brief summary and explanation of its context, relevant cultural notes, thoughts to ruminate as you consider the psalm, ideas for your practice of mindful movement, a short breath prayer and poem, and songs to accompany your movement practice, if desired. Also includes white space and journal prompts to write about your experience with the material.

Voices of Wisdom in the Body: A Christ-Centered and Bible-Based Exploration of Energy through the lens of the body’s voices of wisdom. This Bible study, resource guide and somatic toolbox encourages the reader to listen to the voices of wisdom within our wonderfully created bodies!! When we tune into the energy of our bodies, they speak to us with a wisdom. Tight shoulders, knotted guts, broken hearts, wringing hands, tired feet… all tell us of the stress, worry and tension we are carrying. Lightness, freedom, flexibility, resiliency, health, well-being and vibrancy tell us a different story. With loads of Biblical references, this study invites us to an exploration and discussion of the wisdom our body has been speaking and revealing… if we would only have ears that listen and eyes to see. 8.5 x 11″ Workbook (textbook) with over 250 pages includes Bible studies, body-based prayers, affirmations, songs suggestions for reflection and movement, resource lists, guided meditations and somatic scripts, as well as white space for reflection and journaling.

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Also here on jodythomae.com, feel free to explore hundreds of FREE creative resources, including:

• creative spiritual practices
• Bible Studies geared towards artists, creatives and worshipers
• embodied spiritual practices

Might I suggest the “search this site” tool to help you explore?

May you find inspiration here from God’s Word and from resources of other believer-artists. In the menu you’ll find categories to help you navigate this site: the “Bio” section tells you more about me; the “Book” section provides more info about the Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Spirit Within series; the “Bible Studies” section includes devotionals very similar to those in my books; the “Music” section is about my devotional CD; the “Media” section connects you to book reviews and interviews; the “Creative Spiritual Practices” tab will take you to a variety of free resources including embodied prayers; and the “Creative Resources” section (broken down into categories to help you find posts specific to your interests) includes links to creative resources and inspiration, as well as two year-long projects in creativity and healing called Create-A-Day and Kintsugi of the Soul.

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Jody Thomae has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997, serving as a worship arts ministry pastor, worship leader, creative arts director, and coordinating artistic involvement in church services and worship events through dance, drama, poetry and fine arts. She performs, teaches, preaches, coordinates and leads workshops in the area of creativity, spirituality and embodied prayer. She enjoys leading worship at local seminars, retreats and women’s events. She also has a devotional CD entitled Song of the Beloved, available through most musical outlets.

Her passion is for the revelation of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, to be more vibrantly real through worship, creativity and embodied spirituality. It is her desire to portray the message of Christ’s desperate and unfailing love for His people to help sustain the hearts of the broken and weary. She is particularly interested in the reclamation of the body in the healing of trauma and wounding events. Life scriptures include Isaiah 50:4-7 and Zephaniah 3:14-17. She can be reached at jodythomae@gmail.com.

Activities: Hosts and leads retreats and training through Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care: Integrated Spiritual Guidance and Caregiving for Mind, Body, Spirit & Soul: a unique combination of spiritual direction and guidance, Healing Care Ministries Formational Prayer, worshipful movement, embodied prayer, and yoga therapy—all from a body-focused, trauma-informed, and Christ-centered perspective. It is designed to provide spiritual guidance, compassionate care, and integrated instruction in order to live a more fully embodied, whole-hearted life. She serves as faculty with Healing Care Ministries Certificate Program in Spiritual Formation & Spiritual Direction and teaches on embodiment in the spiritual journey and the somatic effect of trauma for Healing Care Ministries. Leads worship, teaches, and performs through embodied movement at area churches and other worship events and conferences.

Teaches on: Trauma-Informed Embodiment, Creativity and Spirituality; ABCs of Creativity; Incarnational Artistry; Dance as Prayer (Embodied Prayer); Portraying Scripture through Movement; Reclaiming the Body in Healing; Flags & Color Meanings; Symbolism in Worship Movement and the Creative Arts; Moving/Beauty from the Core; the Prophetic and Priestly Roles of the Artist in the Church; Creating Safe & Sacred Spaces; The Role of PVT and Attachment Theory in Somatic Caregiving; Biblical Postures of Worship.

Education: BA in Communication, Ashland University (1988); MA in Organizational Communication, Ohio University (1990); MA in Religion, Ashland Theological Seminary (2009); ordained minister through Christian Global Outreach; Certified Spiritual Director through CSDA. Currently pursuing a DMin in Spiritual Formation & Relational Neuroscience from Western Theological Seminary. As a certified somatic therapist through IAYT, she has focused her learning and training in somatic-based, trauma-informed care for those who have suffered abuse, assault and traumatic events.

 Jody Thomae © 2015 All Rights Reserved