Showing posts with label l'Arche inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label l'Arche inspiration. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2014
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
15 years today
Today it has been 15 years since I came to the UK for the first time - to live and work in l'Arche Lambeth in London... So much has happened since that, but talking today with our vicar Murray, discussing my Ministry Agreement upon completing Worship 4 Today training, I was reminded about how important for me this journey and God's call in my life has been... as I wrote already here at http://exploring-creative-worship.blogspot.com/2011/06/prayer-and-thanksgiving-for-blessing-of.html
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
prayer picture
Drew this prayer today - continuing prayers from yesterday, writing today, listening to Jean Vanier and Henri Nouwen... things really seem to connect so well now... parts of broken mosaic coming together...into one whole picture...
being Beloved Child of God.
Who am I?
I am Beloved Child of God !
Prayer and thanksgiving for blessing of being with people with profound learning disabilities
Yesterday, coming back from my volunteering with students with profound and multiple learning disabilities I just felt overwhelmed by God's peace and love.... I felt like that very much throughout the day - it is such a blessing for me to sit, kneel next to students with PMLD and just to be there, be present, communicate by eyes, by smile, by giving them different objects with texture - communicate by being and by being present.... in psychological terms, educational terms I could describe that as elements of Intensive interaction method, that I very much love, but I know I don't have the proper "structured" approach with recorded observations and setting goals. I just spend time with students, especially with one young lady, that class teacher asked me at the beginning of my volunteering there to focus on and to see if Intensive Interaction could be for her... But being there with this young lady and other students is so much more for me, it is very deep spiritual experience - of being and connecting on the deepest level of human being - and in God's presence. It is for me nearly impossible to describe this experience in words, especially as I am not Jean Vanier or Henry Nouwen, who wrote so profoundly about the miracle of being and meeting people with profound disaiblities....
http://www.jean-vanier.org/info/en/the_message/an_unusual_theologian
"The way of the heart: A theology of the heart The way of the heart is a way of putting people first; of moving beyond the boundaries of the label of “intellectual disability” and putting the person-as-person. The ‘way of the heart’ is a way of encountering people; a way of being with and learning from people with intellectual disabilities. As Vanier says: “Power and cleverness call forth admiration but also a certain separation, a sense of distance; we are reminded of who we are not, of what we cannot do. On the other hand, sharing weaknesses and needs calls us together into “oneness”. We welcome those who love us into our heart. In this communion, we discover the deepest part of our being: the need to be loved and to have someone who trusts and appreciates us and who cares least of all about our capacity to work or to be clever and interesting. When we discover we are loved in this way, the masks or barriers behind which we hide are dropped; new life flows. We no longer have to prove our worth; we are free to be ourselves. We find a new wholeness, a new inner unity.” The way of the heart is the embodiment of the Spirit of God’s love."
I was walking back from that school yesterday praying and I just was not able to stop praying for another few hours... just being overwhelmed by the sense of God's presence, God's love.... I have done so much reading and thinking and writing about prayer recently, trying to complete writing up my project to complete my Worship 4 Today course.... but I just feel so strongly how all those words are just very, very imperfect attempt to express something what is just beyond our human words.... I am not living in the dream word, I am painfully aware of the pain in people's lives, all the difficulties of daily life, the number of questions, crossroads in our lives, where we and I so much look for the sense of direction.... but somehow yesterday brough for me again - and in new and deeper way - this amazing miracle of enjoyment of being in God's presence.... being lifted up and held in God's loving arms... life's circumstances did not change, there is still so much pain, difficulties around me, there is so much that hurts, but I keep coming back to God's loving arms, to rest in His presence..... Prayer is the key, Sue said during our W4T link group meeting.... I know it, we know it and I created wonderful diagram trying to collect, connect thoughs that several people from our church gave me as they answered my interview questions about worship and creative worship and prayer in our church... I just feel so strongly that everything fits together, pieces of mosaic coming together.... I did not do much painting, but I wrote a prayer yesterday.... I will do some painting as well... but this time it just feels right to try to put few words here that were coming so deeply in my heart yesterday as I prayed, praised God and was giving thanks to Him for the miracle of His loving presence !
http://www.jean-vanier.org/info/en/the_message/an_unusual_theologian
"The way of the heart: A theology of the heart The way of the heart is a way of putting people first; of moving beyond the boundaries of the label of “intellectual disability” and putting the person-as-person. The ‘way of the heart’ is a way of encountering people; a way of being with and learning from people with intellectual disabilities. As Vanier says: “Power and cleverness call forth admiration but also a certain separation, a sense of distance; we are reminded of who we are not, of what we cannot do. On the other hand, sharing weaknesses and needs calls us together into “oneness”. We welcome those who love us into our heart. In this communion, we discover the deepest part of our being: the need to be loved and to have someone who trusts and appreciates us and who cares least of all about our capacity to work or to be clever and interesting. When we discover we are loved in this way, the masks or barriers behind which we hide are dropped; new life flows. We no longer have to prove our worth; we are free to be ourselves. We find a new wholeness, a new inner unity.” The way of the heart is the embodiment of the Spirit of God’s love."
I was walking back from that school yesterday praying and I just was not able to stop praying for another few hours... just being overwhelmed by the sense of God's presence, God's love.... I have done so much reading and thinking and writing about prayer recently, trying to complete writing up my project to complete my Worship 4 Today course.... but I just feel so strongly how all those words are just very, very imperfect attempt to express something what is just beyond our human words.... I am not living in the dream word, I am painfully aware of the pain in people's lives, all the difficulties of daily life, the number of questions, crossroads in our lives, where we and I so much look for the sense of direction.... but somehow yesterday brough for me again - and in new and deeper way - this amazing miracle of enjoyment of being in God's presence.... being lifted up and held in God's loving arms... life's circumstances did not change, there is still so much pain, difficulties around me, there is so much that hurts, but I keep coming back to God's loving arms, to rest in His presence..... Prayer is the key, Sue said during our W4T link group meeting.... I know it, we know it and I created wonderful diagram trying to collect, connect thoughs that several people from our church gave me as they answered my interview questions about worship and creative worship and prayer in our church... I just feel so strongly that everything fits together, pieces of mosaic coming together.... I did not do much painting, but I wrote a prayer yesterday.... I will do some painting as well... but this time it just feels right to try to put few words here that were coming so deeply in my heart yesterday as I prayed, praised God and was giving thanks to Him for the miracle of His loving presence !
Sunday, January 30, 2011
L'Arche inspiration - creativity and prayer
As I watched tonight video clips from l'Arche Lambeth, I realized, how much I miss l'Arche and how much I learnt there. - about myself, about prayer, about creativity... l'Arche retreats, spiritual direction, relationships based on trust and deep respect for everyone, values of l'Arche really changed, shaped who I am now... As my friend Marcela visited us last weekend, I heard from her updates about l'Arche Lambeth community life. I hope we would be able to plan a visit with Pete and Danielka. It was great to see how Danielka enjoyed our visit to the community few years ago during Easter and how well she connected with my friends with profound learning disabilities.
Art as a prayer is a very important part of my faith journey - especially since I came to live and work in l'Arche community in the UK in 1996 http://www.larchelambeth.org.uk/. Living in the community and discovering the gifts and creativity of adults with learning disabilities profoundly changed me. I discovered new dimensions of my own previously hidden gifts especially art as prayer.
Within L'Arche Lambeth, I was blessed to have many opportunities to share my prayer paintings with the community (including painting for a UK retreat with Jean Vanier and illustrations for booklets for Faith Groups). While living in l'Arche Lambeth, I became a member of Holy Trinity Brompton, where I attended the Alpha Course and also became a member of a small worship team (as a singer) and supported one of the new HTB plants. During that time, I also completed the HTB worship leader training which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed living out my spirituality in daily life both as a member of l'Arche and as part of the HTB worship team, attending whole-congregation prayer meetings.
After 4 years in London, due to visa restrictions, I had to leave UK. I went to work and live in l'Arche community in Calgary in Canada - http://www.larchecalgary.org/ Whilst there, I was received into membership of the Lutheran Church and became a member of a very lively worship team, once again as a singer. Through worship, I was able to share my gift of prayer paintings and was twice invited to create prayer paintings during the whole congregation service. This was a very exciting time and a great blessing as our Lutheran Church had a joint service with the Church of England. In l'Arche I continued to be amazed by the gifts of creativity and the variety of expression of faith of adults with often severe and profound learning disabilities. In Faithful Companion of Jesus, Sister Pat Desnoyers who lead dance sessions for our core members (people with learning disabilities), I found an excellent spiritual director. Sister Pat encouraged me to go deeper in exploring the ways God speaks to me through my art. I also became a member of an inter-denominational group of Christian Artists. Our work led us to organise an exhibition of our artwork in Calgary.
After 2 years in Canada, I moved back to Europe, as my young nephew was struggling with cancer. And I also met Pete through www.christian-cafe.com. I moved back to the UK, back to l'Arche communities (in Bognor Regis http://www.larchebognor.org.uk/ and later l'Arche Liverpool). While in l'Arche Bognor Regis I continued to use the art with people with learning disabilities and myself. Together with a professional art-therapist, I lead an art workshop during a Jean Vanier UK retreat in 2004. .
After 4 years in London, due to visa restrictions, I had to leave UK. I went to work and live in l'Arche community in Calgary in Canada - http://www.larchecalgary.org/ Whilst there, I was received into membership of the Lutheran Church and became a member of a very lively worship team, once again as a singer. Through worship, I was able to share my gift of prayer paintings and was twice invited to create prayer paintings during the whole congregation service. This was a very exciting time and a great blessing as our Lutheran Church had a joint service with the Church of England. In l'Arche I continued to be amazed by the gifts of creativity and the variety of expression of faith of adults with often severe and profound learning disabilities. In Faithful Companion of Jesus, Sister Pat Desnoyers who lead dance sessions for our core members (people with learning disabilities), I found an excellent spiritual director. Sister Pat encouraged me to go deeper in exploring the ways God speaks to me through my art. I also became a member of an inter-denominational group of Christian Artists. Our work led us to organise an exhibition of our artwork in Calgary.
After 2 years in Canada, I moved back to Europe, as my young nephew was struggling with cancer. And I also met Pete through www.christian-cafe.com. I moved back to the UK, back to l'Arche communities (in Bognor Regis http://www.larchebognor.org.uk/ and later l'Arche Liverpool). While in l'Arche Bognor Regis I continued to use the art with people with learning disabilities and myself. Together with a professional art-therapist, I lead an art workshop during a Jean Vanier UK retreat in 2004. .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)