Fall Women's Retreat at Mount Carmel

Quote of the Day:  I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. from Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

Some of the women who attended the Women's Retreat at Mount Carmel, September 14-16, 2012.

 

Barb, who lead us and lit a candle of hope in each of our hearts.

She gave us the feeling of unconditional love and acceptance for who we are and where we are in our life's journey.

 

 

 

Every fall, Mount Carmel offers a women's retreat on the beautiful shores of Lake Carlos. We're usually a small, intimate group of women who gather for respite, for fellowship, and for nurturing one another in faith and in our life's journey. They come from near and far. Some with heavy burdens, recent losses, difficult diagnoses or decisions for loved ones or themselves. They come for rest and renewal. The song running through my head as we gathered was You have come down to the Lakeshore by Cesareo Gabarain, originally written in Spanish and nicely translated into English. The chorus: Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes; kindly smiling, you've called out my name. On the sand I have abandoned my small boat; now with you, I will seek other seas.

Together, we shared our stories and sang our songs. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and left with a new kind of tired and a new kind of energy.  What I love about this retreat is that mothers and daughters come together, friends, sisters, cousins, and people who need time away might come on their own, but leave feeling they are not alone.

 

Mothers and daughters

My cousin Angie and I provided the music. She and I have similar backgrounds, grew up going to Mount Carmel in the summer, and enjoy making music together. Thanks, Angie, for doing the music with me. You made it so fun and gave me such confidence.

Thank you, Barb, for leading us with your gentle and encouraging spirit, filled with love.

Thank you, Mount Carmel, for providing such a lovely setting.

Thank you to all the women who attended. You are bright, shining stars.

Peace,
Mary

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Where would you go for a retreat? Who would you like to go with you? Or, would you prefer to go alone?

The Power of Art

Quote of the Day:  My imagination can picture no fairer happiness than to continue living for art. — Clara Schumann

The artist alone sees spirits. But after he has told of their appearing to him, everybody sees them. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Last Friday, I mentioned that I'd gone to summer camp with my family. It's a church camp with a fine arts feel. The topics for discussion were on people who were inspired by God to create something that changed how people think. We had an excellent teacher, Nancy Koester, a religion teacher from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, who loves history. We had an artist who used the above tools to bring stories to life through his painting. He is a science teacher turned pastor turned touring artist. (More on him later). We had fine musicians who filled the room with sound and invited everyone in. And, we had a preacher who had us singing the Psalms and showed us how they hold the messages and healing that get us through the hills and valleys of life.

On Monday, Nancy gave us some background on the composer, George Frideric Handel and his famous choral piece The Messiah. He spent much of his early career writing operas. Operas at the time were rowdy events, much like sporting events today. Really. People came and booed and cheered and jeered. So, when Handel wrote The Messiah, people didn't know what to make of it. Where should it be performed, they wondered? It's too much like opera to be performed in a church. It's themes are too spiritual and sacred to be performed in an opera house. He was rejected and criticized and pushed away. At one point in his life he was so poor, he nearly ended up in debtor's prison. And, now, you can hear parts of The Messiah in many types of churches, colleges, community choirs, and even on Youtube. This is where the Halleluiah Chorus comes from. (Comment below or on facebook if you've ever sung any part of this piece.)

On Tuesday, Paul Oman painted a murial while we watched and listened to a recording of The Messiah.

He preps the canvas the day before he paints for an audience.

Each brush stroke reveals the image he has of the story.

Watching Paul paint is like reading a story.

Each line and color adds more details.

I find myself trying to predict what he will make from certain parts of the painting. The "board" sticking out on the left seemed out of place, at first.

He puts his canvas on a rotating easel.

He paints upside down and sideways, getting the best angle, fascinating us with his perspective, and keeping us guessing as to what will be revealed.

All the while, the mighty chorus is singing some beautiful parts of The Messiah. Paul's brush strokes, at times, moved to the rhythm of the music. As Paul's vision became clearer, the music became more powerful, and we all sat in awe.

The Holy Spirit was shining down on all of us.

I have plans to write an article about Paul Oman's murial ministry, Drawn to the Word. He has painted in nearly every kind of church throughout the United States, and has hopes of going international. He said he can bring any story to life through his art, not just Bible stories. Do any of you know of a good publication for his story?

I'll write more this week on our education and fun at Mount Carmel camp near Alexandria, MN. On Wednesday, we learned about Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Who knows where your inspiration will lead?

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever felt so inspired to create something that you knew it came from a Higher Power?

Where's God?

Quote of the Day:  Is God on Facebook, yet? Jim Gaffigan

I checked, and I'd say that God is not on facebook. You can "like" God. You can sign up for Messages from God, but I'm not exactly sure who does the typing for those. I've asked my pastor friends several times to share God's email, but they say they don't have it. So, I've come to the conclusion that God doesn't send messages via social networking websites. I was asked this weekend, "How do you hear God's voice?" God speaks to me through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Cousin Angie at the piano, me leading the song, Siri on flute

In Songs

In voices and conversations

In peaceful settings like Mount Carmel

on Lake Carlos

In art

and writing

In the community of women, gathered at a spiritual retreat on the topic of Depression.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Where do you go to find answers for life's difficult questions and circumstances?  Where do you hear or sense the Holy Spirit?

Creative Spirit

Quote of the Day:  Do not worry beforehand what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. - Mark 13:11

Did you know that the creative offices for Highlights for Children are located on Church Street in Honesdale, PA?  Churches of various denominations stand side by side, lining the street.  Old homes and parsonages where pastors and their families lived are scattered amongst the steeples.  This quick shot that I took from the minivan is a bit murky, not unlike our understanding of religion, ours and others' faiths.

No matter where you are on your faith journey, or how you were raised, or what might have clouded your understanding of God, most people seek to love their neighbor, find peace in nature, and know that the great gifts of beauty, inspiration, and love come from an inner Creative Spirit that does not abandon us.

At times, we feel broken and bent like this tree.  And, yet, something beautiful and interesting comes of this change in direction.  Whenever I gather with a new group of people, I feel a bit anxious.  Will I say the right thing?  Will they like me?  Will I be comfortable around them? 

The Holy Spirit is there to guide my words and actions.  I was given intuition to discern the trustworthy from the wicked.  If I listen to that voice, when I let the Spirit guide me, I learn that in mere hours, I can be surrounded by loving and caring people who have gathered for a similar purpose, who truly want to create something good, and who want to bring out the best in me.

By Saturday afternoon of our writer's retreat, after we'd shared our writing from a deep, emotional memory, we became bonded to one another in trust.  We allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, to talk about the pain, and to realize that the characters we create must experience pain, be unsafe for a while, and become empowered through their stories.  Through our creativity we empower ourselves and others.

Journey on, fellow Creative Spirits!  May our paths cross in spiritual and physical ways as we follow our callings to create art and music and literature that connects people and brings understanding to a world that often seems like Hell, yet gives us glimpses of Heaven.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a time when you allowed yourself to be vulnerable and found true compassion and healing.

Cafetorium Transformation

Quote of the Day:  Matthew 18 (The Message)
18-20 Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there.

To follow up on Thursday's Post, I did play for Palm Sunday worship service.  We are a newer Lutheran church in our area, a smaller congregation, and we gather at the middle school cafetorium on Sunday mornings for worship.  Yesterday, it was the site of a chess tournament.  Three of my boys played in the tournament, one earned a medal.  They all played great and had fun.  The one who didn't play, enjoyed being an individual, having free time, and reading a good book.

From chess boards, and serious concentration on Saturday, to a worship space on Sunday, this space is filled with the Holy Spirit.  With just a few symbols of our faith, a cloth over a folding table, candles, scriptures, and a piano, we come together as a congregation.  Members took speaking parts as we read out loud the script of the drama to the cross.  Verses of hymns broke up the dialogue, and I felt the Holy Spirit working through my playing, through the words spoken, through the fellowship of my faith community, and the spirit of this place. 

We had a larger attendance than expected, so I had to think fast for additional communion music.  I played a piece called Song of India, but you can only repeat and tag back so much.  When I saw that the servers ran back for extra communion wafers, I pulled out Beautiful Savior, our sending hymn. 

Monday, this space will be a cafeteria again filled with middle schoolers.  They will be loud and rough, or meek and quiet.  They'll spill milk on the floor and flirt with that girl or guy from math class.  They'll be thinking about grades and friends, and wishing for summer vacation, and worrying about their families, and trying to be grown up, but needing to be just kids.

And, the spirit lingers on.

Journaling Prompt:  How was your weekend?  Did you have any spirit moments?