Creator’s Healing Power Virtual Bible Study

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The Creator’s Healing Power—Restoring the Broken to Beautiful Virtual Bible Study

Join me, Jody Thomae, author of The Creator’s Healing Power, as I guide you on a healing journey through my newest book via a Virtual Bible Study. You’re invited to join me live on four 75-minute phone calls. The calls will include embodied prayer ministry time and also be recorded for later playback. You’ll also be a part of our private Facebook page where you can share your thoughts and get to know others joining us on this healing journey. The study is hosted by YogaFaith, a Christ-centered yoga training school, and is currently being offered for a sale price of $20 through their website. Continue reading

Practicing the Presence of God through Creative Prayer Stations

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“Practicing the Presence” was created for a Healing Care Ministries seminar called The Essentials. The essence of this seminar to help those in caregiving ministries understand how to position people for lasting, healing change, particularly through engaging the right hemisphere of the brain through creative spiritual practices. “Practicing the Presence” was done each morning in lieu of traditional worship. Each day is spent focusing on one member of the Trinity with the following themes: Creator God, Christ our Royal Redeemer, and Holy Spirit, Flame of Love.

Included here are resources, coloring pages, accompanying scriptures and photographs so you can recreate this for your own church or ministry. Hand-outs are provided and can be used with permission by leaving the website and copyright information intact at the bottom of each page. Coloring pages were created by Pauline Mae Blankenship (©2018) for “Practicing the Presence,” and if you have The Creator’s Healing Power—Restoring the Broken to Beautifulyou will recognize these coloring pages from the book. She has graciously offered them for our use, and you will find links within each section below.

Each day we started in silence, which was broken with Lectio Divina. Then participants were released to explore creative prayer stations. Every day, one station included a cross with artwork to create a space where folks could kneel and pray, and another included the coloring pages at two large tables with coloring supplies:

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Mirroring: You Know Me

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Attendees of Healing Care Ministries Spiritual Formation & the Art of Spiritual Direction Cohort often ask me for an outline of motions for a mirroring demonstration I do to the song “You Know Me” by Stephanie Gretzinger. I’ve been asked to videotape it but I hesitate because it is often a profound experience of the participant being felt and known by God. I feel videotaping is an intrusion of that experience. In the photos above you find me mirroring with my dear friend Sarah.

Mirroring is done to face-to-face and is most powerful with high levels of attunement and empathy from the “minister” to the one being ministered to under the power of the Holy Spirit working through you. It is often used in Dance/Movement Therapy but I have found it to be a powerful tool in spiritual direction and in teaching embodied prayer.

Crotched Mt Continue reading

Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #211 — Arts Ministry & More!

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National Book MonthNational Book Month is winding down! And we have THREE books—all for artists and creatives in church ministry! I know many creatives feel like the church has let them down, but these books help artists AND pastors walk through the process of starting a worship arts ministry together. All three make a strong case for the use of arts in our churches. Here they are and what others are saying about them!

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Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #182 — Experiential Worship

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National Book MonthFor National Book Month in October, the rest of September and all of October we will focus on books for creatives, artists and worshipers!

Screen shot 2014-12-16 at 5.05.35 PMExperiential Worship: Encountering God with Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength by Bob Rognlien is a must-read for pastors, worship leaders and creative arts ministry leaders and its companion book, The Experiential Worshiper: Giving Yourself More Completely to God, a must-read for all others! As a worship leader myself, this book has been foundational to the way I do ministry!

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Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #142 — Artists in Christian Testimony

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actinternational.org

actinternational.org

A.C.T. International (Arts in Christian Testimony Intl) is a remarkable organization helping artists take their witness to the world. Founded in 1973 by Byron Spradlin, the organization has artistic ministries in over 15 countries. According to their website: Continue reading

Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #32 — Mark Lawrence Art

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Mark Lawrence is an artist with a heart on a mission! In Mark’s words:

My vision is to encourage and strengthen everyone who views my scripturally inspired art, through sharing the amazing love and grace that God has poured into my life. The closer I grow to God through Jesus Christ, the more I feel compelled to share with others the reality of my risen Lord and Savior.

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Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #12 — You are Chosen

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As an artist or creative, have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? Like others just don’t “get you” or your ideas? Have you ever felt peculiar? Then you need to listen to this podcast devotional on 1st Peter 2:9 entitled “You Were Chosen for this Work” from Tamika Hall Ministries:

You Were Chosen for this Work

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Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #9 — Danced Prophetic Word

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Marlita Hill is a dance minister, a dance educator, a choreographer, and author of Dancers! Assume the Position, a Biblically-rooted examination of the dance minister’s purpose and role as artist.

Watch as she dances an excerpt from her book. And note that it is SO MUCH MORE than just an excerpt. It is a prophetic word to ALL ARTISTS and CREATIVES! If you only have 5 minutes today, watch and listen and be released as priests of God’s glorious praise!

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