Trinity

Embodied: I Wish You Would Dance

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I wish you would dance
As though you knew I loved you from the start.
As though I smiled with delight
As I imagined you into being.
Oh how I wish you would dance
As though you know that your whole being was intended
And your every movement was a celebration
Of your uniqueness and belovedness.
I wish you would dance
Like you caught a glimpse of how I see you.
How I always saw you
And it enlivened your soul and you could do nothing but dance.

Oh how I wish you to dance!

I wish you could feel this aching inside of me
This deep love I have for you
Which formed mountains, galaxies, and blood pulsing veins in you.
Which holds space in its vastness
And holds space in the heart of you.
I wish you could feel the aching I always had for you
Before you were you, yet still I knew you.
An aching that led us to that tree
Formed to bring suffering
Yet somehow transformed to bring life to the least of these.

Oh how I wish you to know…

Written by Rebecca Baxter
Picture found on pinterest, credit: Mary Southard
Originally appeared on The Sanctuary Prayer Space on Facebook.

If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining me at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the RREC Certificate Training Program. Sign up HERE to be among the first to know about retreat, workshop, trainings and other gatherings focused on living a fully embodied, whole hearted life!

Blessings of artistry, creativity, worship & BEaUty, Jody
Shine Brightly!

Jody Thomae © 2020 All Rights Reserved

If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining me at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the RREC Certificate Training Program.

Jody Thomae is the author of several Bible studies including O My Soul, Jesus in My Practice and Voices of Wisdom in the Body. Jody has been involved in worship arts ministry since 1997 and is a lecturer on creativity, embodiment, and spirituality with Healing Care Ministries. She is an embodied spiritual director and hosts retreats through her ministry Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care. She is a graduate of Ashland Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a doctorate in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience with a focus on embodiment and trauma-informed care at Western Theological Seminary. Her passion is for the person of Jesus Christ to be made more real through the revelation of creativity, embodiment and worship. Enjoy other Bible studies here. If you’d like to learn more about embodying your spiritual life consider joining Jody at Rooted & Reaching Lakeside studio on the shores of Pleasant Hill Lake in North Central Ohio for a Rooted & Reaching Embodied Care (RREC) REtreat or the RREC Christian Embodiment Training. Sign up here to be notified of retreats, trainings and workshops geared towards creativity, embodiment and spirituality.

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All her books are available through Amazon. Contact Jody at jodythomae@gmail.com for pricing on bulk amounts for your creative ministry team or group study. Enjoy a creative spiritual journey through her devotional CD, Song of the Beloved, available through most music outlets including YouTube a

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 Beautiful, you 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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Create-A-Day: your daily dose of creativity #222 — Dance of the Trinity

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Won’t you join me on the dance floor today? This is going to take some artistic license and creative choreography, but I hope you will join me with open mind, heart and eyes.

When I first watched this dance to Luminus on So You Think You Can Dance (2015), I was immediately taken with what I saw as the image of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three dancers dancing and creating together in unity and beauty. Let me describe what I see in this dance. You can follow along with the times throughout the video indicated.

To set the stage, Derek Piquette (left) represents God the Father, Gaby Diaz (middle) dances the Holy Spirit, and Moises Parra (floor) represents Christ. SYTYCD 2015 2From the very beginning of the dance, we see three persons from one God. The smoke creates an ethereal mist and the stars an image of space and time being created. Just as the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the earth so too do they (0:33) as the three work together to create all of earth and mankind. Then God steps forward as the Great I AM (0:35+), Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Next the Holy Spirit steps forward (0:42+) bringing artistry to the Tabernacle through the Spirit-filled artist Bezalel, the gifts of the Israelite people, and the worship of the Levites, revealing the beauty of God (0:49). Then as they dance in unison, we see them working together to demonstrate God’s faithfulness and sovereignty throughout the history of his people. Continue reading