Photo Prompt: Photograph a mushroom
Today’s Practicing the Presence invitation: Photograph a mushroom.
Is there a season for mushrooms? I’m not sure, but they seem to be everywhere in my yard all of a sudden. Mushrooms appear almost overnight, especially after rain. You may not have noticed anything happening, and then suddenly, there they are.
As you take your photo, ask yourself:
What might be happening in my life that I can’t see yet?
Practicing the presence means paying attention to what God is doing right now, even when we don’t fully understand it or see the results yet. Sometimes we notice God’s work clearly. Other times, much of it seems to be happening beneath the surface.
A mushroom can be a small reminder that unseen doesn’t mean inactive.
Today, notice what appears. And consider where you might trust that God is at work even when you can’t see it yet.
Creative prompt: draw a bunch of stars
Draw or paint a page full of stars or color the ones on this coloring page.
They can be big or tiny, neat or wonky. You can make five-pointed stars, simple asterisks, little bursts of light, or whatever kind of star is easiest for you to make. As you work, hold this question:
I wonder what has felt bright lately?
Wondering with Jesus
As you draw, you might wonder:
What has felt bright lately?
What small good thing have I almost overlooked?
When have I felt especially alive or joyful?
Where have I noticed hope?
Where have I experienced God's goodness recently?
I wonder what Jesus might be inviting me to notice and enjoy?
You don't need to turn every good thing into a spiritual lesson. Sometimes noticing and enjoying a gift is enough.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to fill a page with stars.
As they draw or color, ask them to think of things that have made them happy lately: playing with a friend, a favorite meal, something funny that happened, a pet, a good day at school, playing outside.
They can draw or write one thing inside each star.
You might wonder together:
What made you smile this week?
What was something really good?
What do you want to thank Jesus for?
I wonder what Jesus loved seeing you enjoy?
A Closing Invitation
When you're finished, look over your collection of stars. Notice all the different things that came to mind.
Then sit quietly with Jesus for a moment and ask:
Jesus, is there any light in my life that you want to help me notice?
Wait without trying too hard to find an answer. Maybe another small bright thing will come to mind. If it does, there's always room for one more star.
Creative Prompt: paint some houses
Paint a row of simple little houses or use this coloring page.
They don't need to be complicated: a square, a roof, a few windows and a door. Make them colorful and wonky. Add chimneys, flowers, trees, paths, curtains, or anything else you'd like.
As you paint, hold this wondering:
What does it mean for me to be at home with Jesus?
You don't need to come up with an answer. Let the question sit with you while you paint. Maybe you think about the places where you already feel close to Jesus or maybe you notice something you long for. Or maybe you just simply enjoy painting houses while remembering that you are already welcomed and loved by him.
As you work, you might wonder:
I wonder what helps me feel at home with Jesus?
I wonder when I feel most able to simply be with him?
I wonder what Jesus wants me to know about my place with him?
I wonder what makes it hard for me to believe that I belong?
I wonder what it would feel like to stop trying to earn my welcome with Jesus?
I wonder where Jesus is inviting me to rest in his love right now?
Don't try to answer them all. Notice if one question seems to stay with you.
You might even ask Jesus directly:
Jesus, what do you want me to know about being at home with you?
Then keep painting and listening.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to draw a house they would really like to live in.
It can have whatever they want: a giant slide, a room for pets, rainbow windows, a swimming pool, a candy garden.
While they draw, you might wonder together:
What makes somewhere feel like home?
What makes you feel safe and loved?
I wonder what it is like to know that you always belong with Jesus?
I wonder what Jesus loves about having you close to him?
There doesn't need to be a lesson at the end. Give them room to wonder.
Making Our Home in Jesus
In John 15, Jesus tells his friends to abide in him, to remain with him, to make their home in his love.
I love that image because our life with Jesus isn't only about doing things for him. It is about being with him. We don't have to arrive at Jesus' door with everything figured out. We don't have to become more impressive or more spiritual before we're allowed inside. We are already wanted.
A Closing Invitation
When your houses are finished, look at them for a moment. Imagine one of those little houses as a picture of your life with Jesus. There is a light on. The door is open. You are expected and you belong there.
And sit for a moment with this wondering:
Jesus, what would it look like for me to make my home in your love today?
Creative prompt: Paint a Bowl of Impossible Fruit
Begin by painting or drawing a simple bowl, then fill it with fruit, or use this coloring page. You can paint fruit you recognize, but use completely unexpected colors, a blue banana or a striped strawberry, or even invent fruit that doesn’t exist at all!
Try not to ask, Does this look right?
Ask instead: What would be fun?
Let yourself make something that couldn’t exist anywhere except on your page.
Wondering Questions
As you create, you might wonder:
I wonder how it feels to deliberately make something “wrong”?
I wonder when I stopped making things simply because they were fun?
I wonder what happens when I don't have anything to compare my picture to?
I wonder what surprised me as I played?
I wonder if God delights in my imagination and playfulness too?
You don't have to turn the practice into a lesson. You can simply notice what happens when you give yourself permission to play.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Kids may already be much better at this than grown-ups!
Draw a bowl and fill it with the strangest fruit you can imagine. Make up your own colors, shapes, and kinds of fruit. Then give your new fruits names. Maybe you've invented a Purple Fuzzberry or a Rainbow Crunch Melon.
You might wonder together:
What does your fruit taste like?
Where does it grow?
Which one would you most like to eat?
Can you invent a fruit that has never existed before?
Follow the silliness wherever it goes.
When you're finished, look at your bowl of impossible fruit. Notice which one makes you smile. Which one surprised you? Which one could only have come from you?
And then hold one final wondering:
I wonder what Jesus enjoys about the way I play and imagine?
You don't have to answer. Maybe today it's enough to enjoy the fruit.
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.
photo prompt: something growing
Today’s Practicing the Presence invitation:
Photograph something growing where no one planted it.
Then ask yourself:
Where is something growing in my life that I didn’t plan?
Practicing the presence is about noticing where God is already at work. We can spend a lot of time thinking about what we need to make happen, fix, or figure out. But not everything good in our lives is something we planted ourselves.
Sometimes growth just appears. Maybe something in you is changing. Maybe a new relationship is forming. Maybe you’re discovering an interest, a hope, or a little bit of courage you didn’t have before.
Today, look for something growing where no one planted it. Let it remind you to notice what might be quietly growing in you, too.
Where might God be at work without you having to make it happen?
Creative Prompt: Draw a path of stones
Where does the path go?
Most of us want to see the whole path before we begin but so much of life looks more like stepping stones than a paved road.
Draw, color, or paint a path of stepping stones (or use this coloring page) across your page and let the path travel somewhere. As you draw, hold this wondering:
Where does the path go?
Not necessarily where you think it should go, just notice what emerges.
After coloring, start adding details around the path. Does it have flowers? Grass between the stones? Are there trees along the way?
Wondering Questions
I wonder where this path wants to lead?
I wonder what it feels like not to know the destination yet?
I wonder what step is right in front of me today?
I wonder where Jesus might be walking beside me on this path?
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite children to:
Draw a path of stepping stones.
Decide where it goes.
Maybe it leads to:
a castle
a treehouse
a dragon
a treasure chest
a giant ice cream cone
Wonder together:
Where does your path go?
What might you find along the way?
Who would you like to walk with you?
There are no wrong destinations.
When you finish your path, take a moment to look at it.
Notice: Does the destination matter most? Or do your eyes linger on the stones themselves?
What if Jesus isn't only waiting at the end of the path? What if He is present on every stone along the way?
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.
Creative Prompt: Paint Balloons
Write tiny joyful moments inside each one.
Today's creative practice is an invitation to notice them all the tiny moments of joy through an ordinary day.
Paint or color a page full of balloons or use this coloring page. As each balloon takes shape, write a tiny joyful moment inside it.
You might fill your balloons with things like:
hearing birds outside your window
fresh sheets
a good conversation
finding something you thought was lost
sunlight on the floor
finishing a project
a favorite song
a moment of quiet
Let each balloon become a small celebration.
Wondering Questions
I wonder what joyful moments I usually overlook?
I wonder which balloon was easiest to fill?
I wonder which one was hardest?
I wonder what helps me notice joy when it appears?
I wonder where Jesus has been delighting in these ordinary moments alongside me?
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite children to paint or draw lots of balloons.
Inside each balloon, help them:
write something fun they did
draw something they love
add a favorite memory from the week
Wonder together:
What made you smile recently?
Which balloon would float the highest?
What is one small thing that made today better?
There's no wrong answer.
A Closing Invitation
When your balloons are finished, step back and look at the whole page, a collection of ordinary joys. As you look at your balloons, you might carry this wondering with you:
I wonder what joy Jesus is inviting me to notice today?
And perhaps that noticing is its own kind of celebration.
Practicing the Presence prompt: Photograph something bright
Photograph something bright.
Then ask yourself:
What brought you joy today?
Practicing the presence is about paying attention to God in ordinary life. Brother Lawrence wrote about finding God in everyday tasks, not through big spiritual experiences, but through simple awareness and attention.
Joy can help us do that. When you stop to photograph something bright, you’re practicing noticing instead of rushing past your life.
Not every day feels joyful, and this practice isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s simply an invitation to pay attention to small moments of goodness and presence. So today, look for something bright.
Pause for a moment. Take the photo. Notice the joy that was already there.
a wordless prayer to make space for joy
Sit quietly for a moment with your hands open in front of you, palms up.
In one hand, imagine placing everything heavy you’re carrying: worries, sadness, stress, fear, exhaustion, disappointment. Let that hand hold the weight of it all.
In the other hand, imagine gathering small pieces of joy: something beautiful, funny, comforting, peaceful, or good. A person you love. A memory that made you laugh. The color of the sky. A tiny reminder that life still holds beauty.
Then slowly lift both hands toward God.
You don’t need many words. The gesture itself becomes a prayer:
“Here are the hard things.”
“And here is the joy You are still giving me.”
Sometimes joy isn’t found by ignoring what hurts. Sometimes it grows when we bring both the sorrow and the beauty honestly before God.
And sometimes, making space for joy simply means noticing that even now, good gifts are still being placed into our hands.
This is mostly a repost from a post written last fall that includes a kid-friendly option for a wordless prayer activity.
Creative Prompt: Color a cake
Decorate it for an ordinary thing worth celebrating.
We usually save celebration for the big things, the moments that feel obvious and important. But so much of life is made up of quieter things, like getting through a hard week, making dinner (again!), or good conversation.
Today’s creative practice is an invitation to celebrate something small and ordinary, not because it’s flashy, but because it matters.
Draw a cake (or use this coloring page) then decorate it for an ordinary thing worth celebrating.
You can write the reason on the cake stand, on candles, or secretly somewhere in the picture, or simply hold it quietly in your heart while you create.
Let the celebration be gentle and sincere.
Watercolor Option
Lightly sketch your cake shape.
Paint the layers, frosting, candles, sprinkles, or decorations in any colors you’d like.
Add details slowly:
stripes
dots
tiny flowers
mismatched candles
absurd amounts of frosting
Colored Pencil or Crayon Option
Draw your cake with bold lines.
Decorate every section differently:
patterns
swirls
confetti
words
tiny symbols of the thing you’re celebrating
You can even make each layer represent a different ordinary joy.
Wondering Questions
I wonder what ordinary thing deserves more celebration in my life?
I wonder why some moments feel “worthy” of celebration and others don’t?
I wonder what joy I rush past without noticing?
I wonder what it feels like to honor small goodness?
I wonder where Jesus might already be present in the ordinary parts of my life?
Let the questions stay playful and open.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to:
Draw the most fun cake they can imagine.
Decorate it for something small but happy:
finishing a book
playing outside
helping someone
learning something new
being brave
Wonder together:
What would this cake taste like?
Who would you share it with?
What small thing made you happy this week?
There are no wrong celebrations here.
When you’re finished, look at your cake for a moment. What did you choose to celebrate? How did it feel to make space for that?
You might carry this wondering with you: What if joy grows every time we notice something worth celebrating? And maybe today, even this small creative moment belongs at the party too.
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.
Creative Prompt: Color a Garden
I wonder what is growing in your life right now?
Growth doesn’t usually happen all at once.
It’s slow and quiet and often hidden. Sometimes we don’t even notice it until something small begins to bloom. Today’s practice is an invitation to notice what might be growing in your life, not by analyzing it, but by gently creating space to see it.
The prompt is simple: Color a garden (or color one in, using this coloring page). You know how to draw simple flowers and leaves and that’s all you need to do. There’s no need to make it realistic. As you work, hold this gentle wondering: What is growing in my life right now?
Watercolor Option
Lightly sketch your garden, or begin directly with paint.
Use soft washes and layered colors to build your garden slowly.
Let some areas stay light or unfinished, not everything needs to be in full bloom.
Allow colors to overlap and grow into one another.
Pause as you go. Notice what emerges.
Wondering Questions
I wonder what feels like it’s just beginning?
I wonder what has been growing quietly, without much attention?
I wonder if anything needs more space, time, or care?
I wonder what feels fully alive right now?
I wonder how it feels to notice growth without trying to force it?
Let the questions stay soft. You don’t need to figure anything out.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to:
Draw or color a garden, any kind they like.
Fill it with plants, flowers, bugs, or anything they imagine growing.
You can wonder together:
What is growing in your garden?
Is anything still small or just starting?
What helps things grow?
Let their answers be simple and imaginative.
A Closing Invitation
When you’re finished, sit with your garden for a moment.
Notice:
What draws your eye?
What feels alive?
What feels like it’s still waiting?
You might carry this wondering with you:
I wonder where Jesus is present in the slow growth of my life?
Creative Lenten Practice, Session 4: Rejoicing Together
As we come together now during Eastertide, we turn toward joy. Not a forced or surface-level happiness, but a deeper kind of rejoicing, the kind that can hold everything that has come before it.
Supplies:
your previous project from session one OR watercolor paper
gold leaf, glue, and sealant (or gold acrylic marker)
paint brush
things to collage (old magazines work great for this one!)
Step 1: Prepare your body (5 minutes)
If you’re able, begin this practice with something simple and nourishing, a small snack, a warm drink, or even just a moment of settling in a comfortable space. This session carries a slightly different tone. There is still space for quiet, but also room for warmth, presence, and even gentle conversation if you are with others.
You might begin by reading these words from Jan Richardson slowly:
And the stone is rolled back
not so that we can see
where Jesus was,
but so that we can see
where he is not.
Not bound,
not contained,
not held
by death or despair.And so we are not bound,
not contained,
not held—
not by what we have been,
not by what we have done,
not by what has been done to us.The stone is rolled back
so that we might step
into the wide, unbounded
life of resurrection.
Sit with that for a moment.
Step 2: Reflect (5–10 minutes)
Read slowly:
Over these past weeks, you have been practicing letting go, releasing what feels heavy, trusting that you do not need to hold everything so tightly.
You have practiced rest, allowing space for grief, weariness, and all that feels unfinished. You have begun to notice new life, small, quiet signs of growth beneath the surface. Through it all, the invitation has not been to become someone new through effort, but to notice what God has already been doing within you.
Now we come to rejoicing.
Rejoicing does not mean everything is resolved or healed. It means we begin to recognize where life has been present all along. As the apostle Paul the Apostle writes, “Rejoice always… for the Lord is near.” Joy is not something we force or prove. It is something we begin to notice, because God is with us.
Step 3: Prepare Your Piece (10–15 minutes)
Bring back the piece you have been working on over the past sessions (or create a simple one if you’re starting here). Take a moment to look at it.
Notice:
the torn edges
the layered pieces
the places that feel unfinished
the places that feel alive
Step 4: Add Gold (15–20 minutes)
For this step, you’ll need:
gold leaf (or gold paper/paint as a substitute)
glue
a brush or your fingers
First, gently apply glue to parts of your piece. Let the glue sit until it becomes tacky or clear. Then carefully place the gold leaf over those areas. Gently press it down and brush away the excess.
As you do this, remember: you are not covering over what has been. You are honoring it.
Step 5: Words of Blessing (Optional, if with others)
If you are doing this practice with others, take a moment to offer and receive words and pictures from the old magazings.
Choose one person (for example, the person to your left) to quietly reflect on their presence and what you have witnessed in them. Peruse old magazines or other collage elements and offer a simple word or phrase as a blessing, something that names life, hope, or truth.
Then receive a word from someone else. Add those collage elements as the final layer of your piece.
If you are alone, you might instead ask:
What word might God be offering me?
Write that word and add it to your piece.
Step 6: Sit and Wonder (5–10 minutes)
Sit quietly with your finished piece.
You might reflect on:
How do I feel as I look at this now?
What was it like to add gold to these places?
What did it feel like to receive (or choose) a word of blessing?
What part of this process surprised me?
Let yourself notice without needing to explain.
Step 7: Closing Benediction
You might end with these words from John Chrysostom:
Let all partake of the feast of faith.
Let all receive the riches of goodness.Let no one mourn that they have fallen again and again,
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.Let no one fear death,
for the Savior’s death has set us free.Christ is risen, and life is set free.
Amen.
Practicing the Presence Prompt: Something tiny
“Photograph something tiny that’s growing.
Where is God in the small and slow-growing?”
Growth is easy to miss when it’s small: it could be a new leaf just starting to open, grass pushing up through the dirt, or a bud that hasn’t bloomed yet.
Nothing about it feels dramatic. There’s no big moment, no clear before-and-after. It’s quiet, gradual, and often hidden unless you’re paying attention.
Most of life feels this way.
We want change to be obvious and quick. We want to see progress, to know that something is happening. But so much of what matters grows slowly, over time, beneath the surface, without much to show for it at first.
What Is “Practicing the Presence”?
Practicing the presence means learning to notice God in these kinds of moments.
Not just in big breakthroughs or clear answers, but in the quiet work that unfolds little by little.
It’s trusting that God is present in growth we can’t always measure.
Try This
Today, look for something small that’s growing.
It might be outside, a plant, a tree, a patch of grass. Or it might be something closer like a houseplant, a garden, even something you’ve been tending over time.
Pause and really look.
If you’d like, take a photo, not because it’s impressive, but because it’s easy to overlook.
Then ask yourself:
Where do I see small growth in my life right now?
What feels slow or unfinished?
How might God be at work in ways I can’t yet see?
Growth doesn’t have to be fast to be real.
Sometimes the most important things are the ones that take time, quietly, steadily, day by day.
And God is there in all of it.
Creative Prompt: Color a square
Divide it into four parts and notice your day.
Our days can blur together. One moment leads into the next, and before we know it, the day is over, full, or maybe just busy, or maybe hard to name at all.
This practice invites you to slow down and look again, not at the whole day all at once, but in small, held pieces.
Draw a square on your page, or use this coloring page. Divide it into four sections. Each section will hold a different part of your day. You might choose:
morning, midday, afternoon, evening
orfour specific moments that stand out
Inside each section, draw or color what that part of your day felt like.
Not what happened, exactly, but how it felt.
Watercolor Option
Draw your square and divide it into four parts.
In each section, use color and simple shapes to represent that part of your day.
One might be bold and full.
Another might be pale or nearly empty.
Let the paint move freely. You don’t need details.
Pause between sections if you can. Let each one have its own space.
Colored Pencil or Crayon Option
Draw your square and divide it.
Fill each section with colors or patterns that match how that time felt.
You can press hard, go lightly, scribble, or keep it neat. Let the feeling guide your hand.
Wondering Questions
I wonder which part of my day felt the fullest?
I wonder which part felt quiet or empty?
I wonder how I feel looking at my day this way?
I wonder if anything small stands out now that I’ve paused?
I wonder where God might have been present in these moments? Where did God feel far away?
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to:
Draw a big square and split it into four parts.
Draw or color something from different parts of their day.
You can wonder together:
What happened in this part?
Which part was your favorite?
Which part felt quiet or slow?
Let them keep it simple, even one color per section is enough.
A Closing Invitation
When you’re finished, take a moment to look at the whole square. Four small sections in one day.
You might carry this wondering with you: What would it be like to receive my day as it was, instead of wishing it were different?
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.
Practicing the Presence | Prompt 10: Photograph a path
“Photograph a path, trail, hallway, or footsteps.
Where is God in your journey today?”
Paths show up everywhere once you start noticing them.
A sidewalk stretching down the street.
A trail through the woods.
A hallway leading from one room to another.
Even footprints in snow or sand.
They remind us that life is always moving somewhere. We are always on the way from one place to the next.
Sometimes the path ahead feels clear. We know what we’re doing and where we’re going.
Other times it feels uncertain. We can only see the next few steps.
What Is “Practicing the Presence”?
Practicing the presence means remembering that God is with us not only at the destination, but along the way.
It’s learning to notice God in the ordinary movement of our days—in errands, conversations, routines, and small decisions.
We often want the whole path mapped out. But the spiritual life usually works differently. More often, God meets us step by step.
Try This
Today, notice a path.
It might be outside on a walk, in a hallway you pass through every day, or in footprints left behind by someone else.
Pause and look at it for a moment.
If you’d like, take a photo. Not because the path is extraordinary, but because it reminds you that you’re on a journey.
Then ask yourself:
Where am I in my journey right now?
What step is right in front of me today?
How might God already be present on this path?
You don’t have to see the whole road to walk with God.
Often, practicing the presence simply means trusting that He is with you in the step you’re taking right now.
Creative Lenten Practice, Session Three: Noticing what is growing
Lent is not only about what we release. It is also about what God is gently bringing to life within us.
In the Book of Isaiah we hear God say:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Often, we do not perceive it right away. New life tends to emerge quietly, beneath the surface, in ways that are easy to miss.
Jesus often spoke about seeds — small things hidden in the soil that grow faithfully long before anyone sees them. Renewal rarely announces itself. It may appear as a small shift, a quiet hope, or a subtle longing for something more life-giving.
This practice invites you to notice those small beginnings.
You may want to set aside about an hour for the full practice, though you can shorten it if needed.
Supplies:
your previous project from session one OR watercolor paper
acrylic paint
paint brush
things to create texture (bubble wrap, stamps, paper towels, stencils, almost anything!)
Step 1: Prepare your body (5 minutes)
Make a cup of tea or another warm drink if you’d like. Sit somewhere comfortable and allow yourself to breathe slowly.
You might read these words from Ted Loder:
“I am so thankful to be alive—breathing, moving, sensing, wide-eyed, cock-eared alive—in this mysterious instant, at this luminous time, on this nurturing earth, this blue pearl of great price whirling through uncharted space, attended by vigilant stars…. I am…eager to miss no message of grace in the ballet of beauty or in the cramp of struggle of this incredible gift of life.”
Sit quietly for a moment and notice your breath.
Step 2: Reflect (5 minutes)
Read slowly:
Lent is not only about what we let go of. It is also about what God is gently bringing to life within us. New life often begins quietly. Seeds grow underground long before we see them.
Right now, we are not trying to force growth or create something impressive. We are simply noticing what feels alive, curious, or hopeful — even in very small ways.
This is not resurrection yet. It is the long, patient work of becoming. Trust that God’s Spirit is at work, even here.
Step 3: Journal (10–15 minutes)
Write freely in response to one or more of these questions:
Where do I notice something small beginning to grow?
What feels alive here, even if it is faint?
What might be growing beneath the surface, unseen?
What if I don’t need to force or finish this?
Write slowly and honestly.
Step 4: Add Color (15–20 minutes)
Take the paper you have been working with (or begin with a fresh sheet if you prefer).
Choose one or two colors. Using a brush or another simple tool, begin adding small strokes of color. Move slowly.
You might:
mix the colors together
create small marks or lines
stamp textures using simple objects
add a border around the edge of the page
Try to let the background remain visible. The earlier layers are still part of the story.
Move gently. This is not about starting over. It is about noticing what wants to grow here.
Let the colors emerge slowly.
Pause often.
Sit with each mark before making another.
Step 5: Sit and Wonder (5 minutes)
Before moving on, sit quietly with your painting.
You might reflect on one of these questions:
What was it like to begin without a plan?
What did I notice about restraint — using less, or stopping sooner?
When did the process feel most alive?
What feelings did the process evoke in me?
Did anything surprise me?
Just notice what arises.
Step 6: Practice Visio Divina With Your Painting (10 minutes)
Visio Divina means “sacred seeing.” It is a way of praying with an image.
Begin by quieting your thoughts and placing yourself in God’s presence. You might ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer.
Then slowly gaze at your painting.
Look
Notice the shapes, colors, textures, and spaces without trying to interpret them.
Notice
What draws your attention?
Is there a place your eyes return to?
Feel
What emotions or memories arise as you look?
What connections does the image make with your life?
Pray
Tell God what you are seeing and sensing.
Rest
Sit quietly with what has stirred within you.
Before finishing, you might ask yourself:
What do I want to remember about this time of prayer?
Step 8: Closing Blessing
You might end with this blessing from John O'Donohue:
May you know the slow
halting rhythm of growth
that grows in the seed
of your soul.
Amen.
Creative Prompt: Paint a flower
Make the petals different colors than they “should” be.
We learn early what things are supposed to look like and without noticing, we begin to carry that same expectation into other parts of our lives, that there is a right way to be, a right way to show up, a right way to be beautiful.
Today’s practice gently loosens that.
Paint a simple flower or use this coloring page.
It can be:
a daisy
a wildflower
a made-up bloom
a single stem or a whole cluster
Then, when you add the petals, choose colors that don’t follow the usual rules.
Make them:
blue, purple, gray, or gold
multicolored or striped
soft and unexpected
bold and a little strange
Let the flower be beautiful in a way that isn’t predictable.
Watercolor Option
Lightly sketch your flower, or begin directly with paint.
Paint the center first, or the petals — whatever feels natural.
As you add petals, pause and choose colors slowly.
You don’t need to match anything.
You don’t need a plan.
Let colors blend or stay separate.
Notice what it feels like to choose freely.
Colored Pencil or Crayon Option
Draw your flower shape.
Fill each petal with a different or unexpected color.
You can layer colors, press hard in some places, or keep it light.
There’s no “correct” version to aim for.
Wondering Questions
I wonder what makes something beautiful to me?
I wonder where I’ve learned what is “supposed” to be?
I wonder how it feels to choose differently?
I wonder if beauty can be surprising?
I wonder where I might be allowed to be more fully myself?
Let the questions stay open as you work.
A Kid-Friendly Version
Invite kids to:
Paint or draw a flower.
Use any colors they want for the petals, even silly ones.
You can wonder together:
Have you ever seen a flower like this before?
Which color is your favorite?
What would happen if all flowers looked the same?
Celebrate the unexpected choices.
A Closing Invitation
When you’re finished, take a moment to look at your flower.
Notice:
Which petals draw your eye?
Which colors feel bold or soft?
You might carry this wondering with you:
Where in my life am I allowed to be different than expected and still be fully beautiful?
Let the flower remind you: There is more than one way to bloom.
If you feel comfortable, I’d love to see what you create. When I share these prompts, I’ll always try to share what I’ve made too. Tag me on Instagram or comment below with a photo or reflection.
Creative Lenten Practice, Session Two: Resting in the Middle
Lent is not only a season for releasing. It is also a season for telling the truth.
Sometimes what surfaces after we let go of things is not clarity or peace, but tiredness. Grief. Longing. The sense of being in the middle of something unfinished.
Scripture makes space for this. The prayers in the Book of Psalms are full of lament: faithful cries of “How long, O Lord?” spoken not in despair, but in trust that God is listening.
And Jesus Christ himself knew what it was to be weary. In the garden he told his friends, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.” He asked them simply to stay with him.
Rest in Lent is not about fixing what hurts or escaping difficulty. It is about allowing ourselves to be seen and held exactly where we are.
This practice invites you to slow down, honor what feels weary, and practice receiving rather than controlling.
You can set aside about an hour, or shorten the practice if needed.
Supplies:
your previous project from session one OR watercolor paper
watercolor ink or liquid watercolor (or regular watercolor paint)
water in a spray bottle
a brush or dropper
paper towels
Step 1: Prepare your body (5 minutes)
Make a cup of tea or another warm drink if you’d like. Sit somewhere comfortable and let yourself settle into silence.
You might read this poem by Jan Richardson slowly:
Let us agree for now
that we will not say
the breaking makes us stronger
or that it is better to have this pain
than to have done without this love.Let us promise we will not tell ourselves
time will heal the wound,
when every day our waking opens it anew.Perhaps for now it can be enough
to simply marvel at the mystery
of how a heart so broken
can go on beating, as if it were made for precisely this—
as if it knows the only cure for love is more of it,
as if it sees the heart’s sole remedy for breaking is to love still.
Sit quietly for a moment. Let yourself simply arrive.
Step 2: Reflect (5 minutes)
Read slowly:
Lent gives us permission to stop pretending that everything is fine.
The psalms remind us that lament can be faithful prayer.
Jesus reminds us that sorrow and weariness are not signs of failure.
Rest, in this season, is not about escape or resolution.
It is about allowing ourselves to be seen and held as we are.
Tonight we will not try to fix what hurts.
We will simply notice it and bring it gently into God’s presence.
Step 3: Journal (15 minutes)
Write freely in response to one or more of these questions:
What feels tired, sad, or unfinished in me?
Where do I feel weary in the long middle?
What do I long for God to see?
Write slowly.
You do not need to explain or resolve anything.
Simply tell the truth.
Step 4: Rest With Ink (15–20 minutes)
Choose one color.
Place a drop of ink on the paper and watch what happens.
You might tilt the paper slightly and allow gravity to move the color.
You might spray a little water and let it spread.
You might blot gently with a paper towel and watch the pigment lift away.
Move slowly.
This is not about painting something.
It is about allowing the ink to move in its own way.
Sometimes you may guide it slightly.
Sometimes you may simply watch it spread.
As you work, remember:
You do not need to make anything happen.
God is already here.
Let the ink teach you how to rest.
Step 5: Sit and Wonder (5–10 minutes)
When you’re finished, sit quietly and look at what has emerged.
Stay close to the process rather than trying to interpret the result.
You might reflect on one of these questions:
I wonder what it felt like to watch the ink move.
I wonder what it was like not to control where the color went.
I wonder what happened inside me when I slowed down.
I wonder what it was like to let gravity and water do the work.
I wonder where I noticed tension or release.
There is nothing you need to figure out.
Just notice.
Step 6: Close in Prayer
You might end with this prayer from Julian of Norwich:
Lord Jesus Christ,
in our sorrow you draw near to us.
In our weariness you hold us.
In our questions you remain faithful.
Help us to rest in your love tonight.
Help us to trust that nothing is wasted in your hands.
Keep us in your mercy,
surround us with your peace,
and remind us again that
all shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.
Amen.
Or you might pray:
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved,
in quietness and confidence shall be our strength:
Lift us by your Spirit into your presence,
where we may be still and know that you are God;
through Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)