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When a person or organization enters a spiritual discernment process, art can be an effective means to help them listen to their inner yearnings.
Meditation on a photograph or other piece of art is a tool to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to people and give them direction for their life and journeys. We live in a world that uses a lot of words, and yet many of us are visual learners. We communicate with words, we pray with words and we teach with words. Sometimes words get in the way of hearing what the Spirit is saying and what our hearts and souls are saying. Photography can be an avenue to help us hear where we are being led so that we begin to hear what God's yearning is for us as individuals, churches and organizations.
One of my gifts is leading individuals and organizations through the discernment process. I use that gift in my photography as I look for scenes that call the viewer to enter the picture and interact with it. My fine art photographs lead the viewer to experience God and discover the places where they will meet God in the photograph.
Where are you this photograph?
Where is God calling you to be?
Do you long to be in the mountains or sitting near the water?
What would you like to see reflected in the still waters of your discernment process?
Suggested photographs– I suggest looking at the photographs in the Discernment and Gates & Paths categories. It is sometimes helpful to use both a photograph of a gate and a path as they have a slightly different focus. People respond to gates and paths differently. The draw to a particular gate or path changes as life circumstances change. As I participate in art shows and work at the Albuquerque Photographer’s Gallery (where my work is shown) I watch individual reactions to my photographs. People are drawn to Aspen Alley, the West Virginia Path, the Turquoise Gate, the Carved Gate and Canyon Road Ristra. Often they will say, "I am fascinated by this photograph and I don’t know why." They allow the photograph to drawn them in.
Other photographs to explore are any of the New Mexico Churches, the mountain and water scenes and the rainbow photographs (under the Misc. category).
Individuals -- Meditate on the photograph for a few minutes. Ask yourself questions based on the photograph such as: Where are you on the road? Which side of the gate are you on? Where is God calling you to be? Meditate on the photograph again and ask: How is the Spirit speaking to me through this photograph?
 Who is sitting with you?
Organizations - Ask the group to meditate on the photography for a few minutes, or longer if the group is used to silence. After a perod of silence, ask questions based on the photography such as: Where are you in the photography? Where is our organization in the photograph? Where is God calling the organization to be in the the photography? Meditate on the photograph again for a longer time period. Ask the questions: How is the Holy Spirit speaking to this organization? Where do we meet God in this photograph?
I am available to work with churches and organizations to facilitate discernment/planning processes using my photographs. Water in the Desert Ministries, the ecumenical non-profit ministry I work for, also specializes in spiritual discernment. Water in the Desert Ministries provides training in discernment, facilitates church and organizational discernment processes, works with individuals as the enter a discernment process. They have written two workbooks on discernment -- one for individuals and one for groups.
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Sunday, September 05 2010
