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Read & Reflect: Application Prompts

These prompts are a way to apply the concepts from the book to your life and your creative endeavors. Some prompts are more artistic than others; all are optional so engage in whatever way is helpful and meaningful to you.

Each set of prompts corresponds with the listed reading. Feel free to circle back to prompts throughout Read & Reflect, as there will be a chance on the last week to share final reflections.

Reading Prompts (optional)
Week 5: p.26, 78-90
  • Make a long list of all the things you’re grateful for. Pick the most unassuming item from the list and create something that highlights this humble object of gratitude.
  • Be on the lookout for moments where you see God’s Spirit embodied. Take a picture of those moments.
  • Pick three different colors to do a still life. In one color, draw the object without looking at your paper. In a second color on the same paper, draw the object with your non-dominant hand. In the third color, draw the object like you normally would. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 13:12 as you look at your drawing.
  • Pick your favorite quote from the book and make a stylized version.
Week 4: p.22, 64-77
  • Spend 15-20 minutes journaling about your own wilderness and the things that are dying or are already dead. From that journaling, make blackout poetry that highlights the possibility of transformation and resurrection out of your dust.
  • Who are on the margins in your community? Make something that embodies the good news that they need to hear and give it to them.
  • Take one of Jesus’ parables about what God’s Kingdom is like, write it in your own words, then think of a modern example that would speak to your community today. Rewrite the parable using that modern example.
Week 3: p.16, 50-61
  • Before you start a project, spend some time confessing any motivations that aren’t Kingdom-minded (money, fame, pride, etc.) and ask Jesus to fill you with his creative heart.
  • Do Visio Divina with a piece of art that you find moving.
  • Identify something you’ve made that you see as a failure; spend time contemplating what Jesus wants to say. How does he see it? What does he want to teach you?
  • Make a ‘memorial stone’ to this moment in your walk with Jesus.
Week 2: p.10-12, 32-49
  • Whenever you hit a creative wall, take some time to sit in silence. Set a timer on your phone for a length of time that helps you settle in (if you’re new to this kind of activity, try 5 or 10 minutes). In the silence, imagine yourself sitting quietly with God. Be gentle with yourself every time you notice your mind wandering and just return to the quiet company of Jesus sitting next to you. After the time is up, try returning to your project and see what new ideas emerge.
  • Spend time journaling with Jesus about areas you want to see healed and restored in the world. Then spend time dreaming about how Jesus might want to partner with you to bring about creation’s flourishing through the things you make.
  • Using a dry erase or chalk marker, write ‘Imago Dei’ on every mirror in your house. Try writing in different ways (cursive, block letters, multi-colored) to remind yourself that you’re made in the image of our Creator and that creativity is built into your DNA.
  • Pick a medium you’re unfamiliar with and start mark-making. Don’t try to make anything specific, just let the medium guide you. Don’t be afraid to fail, just listen for what the Spirit might be stirring up in your heart.

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