SPRINGTIME PRAYERS

I haven't been 'scribbling the scriptures' as much since last Fall because I have been more occupied with expressing my prayers to God through pen and paper.  I thought maybe I would post a few of these prayers of late.  

I discovered an easy way to create mandalas in one of my Zentangle books.  I would describe my resulting images as a cross between the Zentangle approach and the "Color My Prayers" approach of the book I picked up last fall at Stony Point. (There is another blog post on that book - look back in January of 2014)

Here are a couple of my prayers from the Habitat build in Columbia Falls, MT:

Second build prayers of thanks

Habitat prayers and much much more!

NEW ADDITION:  May 10 -

This one was started as an example at my Crossroads calligraphy class.  Yes, we got a little off subject, but the three ladies wanted to learn how to Zentangle a mandala, so we did!!  Just a couple days later I gaze at the names and realize God is answering the prayers daily:  Trudy is home from the hospital, Regan had her healthy baby this morning, Betty has left the hospital.... Hallelujah, Amen!  

This first image is of a Prayer Zentangle I submitted for display at our local Art Center's April "Water" Show.  I originally drew it as a general prayer design, but when I went to enter it I changed it from a name specific prayer to a more generalized prayer for justice.  The description that was included in the display is below the design. 

"This is a Zentangle style meditative prayer drawing, based on the Amos 5:24 scripture passage, 'Let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness an ever-flowing stream'. (NIV)
The individual sections, with their instricate patterns and designs, reflect the individuality of mankind: race, politics, sexuality, gender, religion, and culture.  Yet the whole image is unified by color and the flow of the river image; unified by the ever-flowing call to justice for all people, by the commonality we share in our every-day living, by the common threads of our innermost desires and needs: family, relationships, community, environment.  Key words for a prayerful call to justice can be found scattered throughout.
The image was hand-drawn, traced with Sharpie, scanned into a computer, and digitally colored.  The image was then enlarged and printed.
May all humanity flow in a river of justice and may the stream continue to burst forth from the bounds of convention to transform and cleanse our world. 

NEW ADDITION...May 4:

Now a couple of recent springtime-inspired prayers....names and events are hidden within the lines of the design or the outside edge.  

 

The next three are more generic prayer mandalas - emphasizing the four aspects of prayer: gratitude, praise, intercession, and confession.  

I completed these two mandalas earlier in the spring....again names and requests are contained within the design.