VISUAL FAITH GATHERING IN ILLINOIS

 On March 11, 2017, 

we gathered at Immanuel Lutheran in Belvidere, Illinois

to spend time in God's Word

and explore some creative ways to 

read, reflect, respond

and reach out.

  

These events are always open to all ages.

Time spent in God's Word is multi-generational ~

this beautiful grandmother brought her daughters

and granddaughters.

Time spent together faithfully and creatively.

What a joy it is to share about new ways to study His Word,

exchange ideas about how to reach out,

and demonstrate some "tips" for lettering.

(My friend is also a rock-star photographer.....
photo credits to Wendy Greve!)

  
We also talked about visual prayer 
as a "selfie" of  time spent with God -

 a picture to take along into the day.

This Lenten devotional/prayer calendar is an example....

Prayer cards are a beneficial way to pray the Scripture 
for yourself or a friend,

and can be a tangible gift of prayer to offer encouragement.

LOVED the enthusiam of these girls!

Margin designs were also on hand  to color as bookmarks 

or trace into margins

(These are available for download on the CPH blog.)

Time was well spent as we took time to "tarry" in the Word

to pause and reflect & respond 

using the creative gifts God gave each of us.

Resources and art supplies were available ~

much easier to "see" what we might want to read or purchase.

Cell phones are handy to snap a picture 
of what we want to remember.

The event planners had wonderful gifts to offer & equip.....

This one had a resource I hadn't seen before - a coloring journal.

Added blessing for me 
was re-connecting with Dave & Karen Laabs,

part of the Immanuel family & close friends from college days -

and getting to meet their granddaughter.

Made the trip from Michigan with my close friend, 
former colleague (and photographer), Wendy Greve.

 We talked about visual faith practices 
"reaching" into the classroom -

how time is an issue & what would be a benefit. 

So, Wendy introduced a new memorization technique 
to her 6th graders on Monday:
using a graphed index card

to copy the scripture passage as a "secret code"-
with no spaces or punctuation -

then coloring each word to make the verse appear.

Just a little slowing down, bringing some focus, 

perhaps some connecting for visual or hands-on learners -

an enjoyable way to get God's Word into your head & heart.

Our prayer is for the Lord to be present in our gathering, 

to inspire us as we spend time with Him 
in His Word & prayer,

and to use the creative gifts He gives us 
to draw closer to Him &  to reach out 
to bless others.