Continuing to be flexible through a global pandemic, opportunities to minister through art have come up in creative ways. One of those ways has been my art getting to travel to places even though I have not been able to.
Missionary friends in Chiang Rai, Thailand (whom I had taken a previous art ministry trip to in 2016 when they lived in Lampang, Thailand) reached out to me through email at the beginning of the year regarding a possible art ministry trip to them in February. Instead of an in person trip (due to the timing and also the pandemic making things more difficult with global travel) they requested if I would be open to sending some of my paintings over to be part of a Lectio Divina and Visio Divina time during a Women’s Retreat that my friend would be attending and part of the creative team at.
I was honored and very excited to be asked to be a part of the Women’s Retreat in this way. Previously when I had traveled to Thailand in 2016 I had been asked to faciltate a couple of art workshops at the Women’s Retreat in Bangkok and it was such a meaningful experience and still holds dear memories for me.
The annual retreat is for many of the women who are missionaries throughout Thailand. They come together to encourage each other and be refreshed from the Lord.
I conversed with my friend about how I could help out this time, we agreed upon some ways I could possibly make her request happen in time for the retreat. I was able to email my friend some large PDF images of some of my paintings so she could print them off and have them laminated for display at the retreat. And I was able to priority ship a bunch of postcards of several of my paintings over so that the women could take them home for more personal prayer times. This made it possible for my art to be present throughout Thailand to minister (though I wasn’t physically there myself).
The retreat had the theme of “Behold” based on 2 Corinthians 3:17-18:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
Along with my art, there was also other visual art present from other artists. There was also a worship dance group that performed to several songs utilizing colorful flags as they danced. All various aspects of creativity were a huge part of the retreat.
Visio Divina (Divine Seeing) is a prayer practice similar to Lectio Divina (Divine Reading), Lectio focuses on Scripture reading and prayer, whereas Visio focuses on viewing images and prayer. Visio (much like iconography) uses visual elements to help set the mind on prayer. The goal is to encounter God’s presence allowing God to speak into the viewers’ heart through the image.
Simple Visio Divina Steps:
1. Identify the art that will be the subject of your viewing.
2. Allow yourself to be comfortable. Prepare your heart. Close your eyes and spend time in silence.
3. Open your eyes and spend time gazing at the image you’ve chosen noticing shapes, colors, lighting, detail, texture, areas of interest.
4. Meditate on the part of the image that has drawn your attention the most. Listen to what it may be speaking to you about. Are there questions calling out? Has a memory come to mind? Is there an emotion that has been evoked? Do you hear a word or a message resounding?
5. Respond to the conversation you’ve been hearing through the image by spending some time in prayer and perhaps journaling.
6. Close your eyes and spend time in silence. Allow God to continue to speak to you.
My friend sent some photos to me of my artwork during the Visio Divina time at the women’s retreat. I’m told that many experienced deep ministry through the art.
I miss traveling in person (and hope to resume my travels soon) but it’s extremely comforting to know that there are no limitations to where, to whom, and to how God chooses to minister and love.