Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God

In going thru a divorce after 22 years and not being in touch with praying since my childhood I've realized thru books and classes that something needed to change to get me back on track with my life. I'm blessed in having friends support me in prayer and searched for how I could also feel comfortable praying again and this book has helped me so much. I am a very visual thinker and this book allowed me to feel comfortable in putting my thoughts and prayers into my doodles. I don't worry about it looking pretty or presentable or what others will think if they ever saw one--I just draw and color. This new found method has been a gift to me and allows me to really focus on my prayers. If you are at all visual in your thoughts or thinking, this book will get you jump started in allowing you to dialog with God. I have been blessed with an artistist flair and I'm now talking with God thru the gifts he gave me!! I can't think of a better way to communicate.

If you saw me at the coffee shop, scribbling away with my colored pencils, you might think I was doodling --- and pretty primitive doodling at that. But truth be told, I'm praying --- praying in color --- learning a new way to talk with God from Sybil MacBeth's unique first book. And it's not just for artists. The bright, primary colors of the jacket and the unique full-color interior design grabbed me from the start. MacBeth, a math professor, believes that for those of us who struggle during prayer with wandering minds, restless hearts and intrusive thoughts, drawing with colored pencils or markers while we pray will help us focus and remember our prayers. It also will bring joy back to prayer. "When I draw as a way to enter prayer, I get to delight in my prayer and to feel God's delight that I am making an effort to pray," she writes. Prayer as joy? I was hooked. Praying in color is a simple concept, and it's easy to get started. I began with an ink pen, drawing a small shape on a page of copy paper (MacBeth also suggests a notepad, blank journal, or any sort of paper you feel comfortable with). My friend Rick had just had a heart attack, and he was the first person on my mind to pray for. So I drew a heart, then put his name in it. Simple. And memorable. Other ways to begin, MacBeth suggests, include writing one of the infinite names for the Almighty in a shape, a reminder that God is ever-present during your prayer time. Yet another option is writing your own name in a shape, if you are in a particularly difficult situation. Next, MacBeth says to add detail to the drawing, remembering that this is not about being a fine artist but rather about creating something visual to remember your prayer. Each stroke and each moment you spend on your drawing is time spent with God. I added a Band-Aid to Rick's heart as I prayed for his healing, an encompassing halo symbolizing God's protection and all-surrounding love, and Rick's wife Susan's name leaning on top of the heart (a reminder that she needed my prayers as well). Next comes the color. MacBeth recommends markers or colored pencils, and notes that some readers like gel pens. I had a good selection of colored pencils, so I used plenty of red, yellow and green to color in my heart and the doodles in and around it. The colors help you bring the symbol of your prayer more easily to mind later, MacBeth believes. I was finished with my prayer for Rick and ready to go to another. When you move from one person to the next in this way, MacBeth suggests offering a closing prayer, an "Amen" or even more simple, "I'll be back." I like that! If the request is particularly heavy, she recommends taking several deep breaths or standing up and moving around to let go of any tension that might have built up. When you're finished with your prayer page, you'll have a virtual collage of color, shapes and names. MacBeth calls this a prayer "icon," but evangelical readers need not be put off by this. "I

So often, when I am journaling my prayers, the words just escape me, or I feel the urge to draw something but am intimidated by my lack of artistic skill. I can do collage and some painting and I can write, but my sketches are sad. So, when I saw this book on the table at a retreat last weekend, it called to me. I really didn't have the money, but I picked it up anyway. I put it back down and picked it back up. Something in me just NEEDED it. So, in the end, I paid for it. I began reading it immediately, before our evening session. My fingers itched to try out this technique. So, on Sunday morning, when I took some Sabbath time to sit outside in the quiet, I tried the idea shared in the first few chapters. It felt so natural. My body let go of so much perfectionism and I felt free and light. I am sure this method of prayer via doodles will not work for everyone. But, it is worth a shot for anyone. It has so many uses, from the actual praying during drawing to the reminder each shape can bring throughout your day. This method of pray would be easy to do with children or to use when waiting somewhere or trying to simply slow your thoughts for a bit.

Seemingly "too" simple or childish for adults, Praying In Color is excellent for any age person. I am someone who doesn't mind sitting still or quiet for a half hour and doesn't have difficulty staying focused, so I really thought I wouldn't need this "silly" activity. I was wrong! After just a few minutes of praying in color, I was hooked. My grandsons, ages 8 and 5, love it. Some of my friends tried it and then tried it with their husbands - they loved it. The possibilities for this activity are endless - what a boost to a prison ministry, or outreach to the deaf - for use by people who are uncomfrotable praying aloud in a group. Teens are excited by this activity as it really allows them to 'get out of the box'. And it is appropriate for people of ANY FAITH. Praying in color is really one of the oldest ways to pray - iconographers refer to their icons as 'prayers in color.' Try it - you will like it!

I've been searching for a "how to" book on praying. I wanted something more than just a bunch of pre-written prayers...a deeper connection. Praying in Color is just the book! I read it cover to cover in one night. Once I started drawing, I couldn't stop. I actually spent over an hour on one prayer. The first page of the book "Prayer Dilemmas" spoke volumes to me as I related to just about everything on the list. What a great book to reconnect to Spirit. I highly recommend this for adults, teens and families.