Nothing to see here :)

Just an update, The Coed small group is still progressing. We have changed mediums to clay, so it is hard to show in the same way how you can play at home.
However! I will be posting a summary of lessons learned of the past few sessions.

In working with clay I find that the connection with the object adds to the experience. It had been easy for me, when asked, "What is...?" to respond with a pat answer. To just repeat what I had heard, or said myself many times. To attempt to translate the concept into a three dimensional image allowed those easy answers to become utterly insufficient.

Peace, Joy, Love

What is peace?
The rippling waters of the ocean, the shelter that brings wholeness.

What is joy?
The heart taking flight, the moment when gravity loses it's hold.

What is love?
A scared imperfect heart whose brokenness allows the love to spread, as a seed breaks away from it's source of nourishment to die so that a new live would be created.

Love Love Love

What is the love of self, the love for community and the love for the world?

Love of self is the embrace that is never tight enough and lasts all too short making the cold air all the more chilling when the hug ends.

Love for community is the warm chain that binds causing sleepless nights, hard goodbyes, and awkward hellos.

Love for the world is a warm glade that fills with mist, cold breezes and seems to never be big enough to fill the space between as the trees creek and sways threatening to fall, yet never touching the ground.

What is the love, peace, hope that is just out of reach?

The search for the ever changing lizard who blends into all surroundings; never found, ever sought, and always present, though invisible.

So what? How does changing the lens we see life through alter the things themselves which merrily go about their business unchanged, unaltered and utterly unaffected?

Being changed is all we can hope for, all we can ask of ourselves, and all that is ever really possible.

I change, We change, the world is not the same.

Coed Small Group Session 5

Hope: Look at this walled garden. If this were your hope, what would it look like? Add the things that would make this your place of hope. Who might be there, how would you feel there? Take some time to draw, write, color and add whatever is missing.

Now that you've visualized your hope, what would God add, or what might God hope for, on your behalf that is missing, add those things, people, feelings, objects.

Lets think about the wall. Does your wall have decoration on it? What is it's purpose in relation to your garden of hope?

What stops us from sharing our hope, both for ourselves and for those around us? Is it fear of rejection, or that our hopes might cause others pain? How might hope be meant to share?

Think of hope, and how you might find courage to share it with others, and help them build a hope for themselves.

Coed Small Group Session 4

Identity: The Patch Work of our Past

Many times a quilt is formed out of pieces of material which outlived their use. I have a friend whose mother made a quilt out of old t-shirts from events, as well as their baby blanket.

Think of the expanse of your past. What positive trends do you see? How have past trials and triumphs built how you see yourself now? Take some time to color in, and let your mind drift to positive times past.

Looking across your patch work quilt, what surprised you?

What was the process like, moving from memory to memory?

What is one great memory you hold onto in times of difficulty?

A quilt can be a symbol of safety, refuge, warmth and comfort. What stops us from claiming these positive past events, moments, memories as a fountain for a positive now, and a hope for the future?

In the blank space, write, or draw, or color what hopes, dreams, goals, passions you have for tomorrow. Be it the day after this, years from now, or looking back at the end of your life. What "squares" would you hope to look back upon?

What is the first next step towards sewing together the experiences of today, into the pattern of what is next... ?

Coed Small Group Session 3

Identity: The things we hold onto; the things the hold onto us


I think we all know someone who is a pack rat. A person who finds function in anything and everything. The look at the things around them and see potential, if not imagined function, and cannot bare to part with these "practical treasures". What happens when we live life like that? When our experiences, heartache, loss, grief, disappointment all collect and render forward motion all but impossible.

Take a look at the image with the tug boat, feel free to color and let your mind wander.


Look at the bottom blank panel. What are you holding onto that does not propel you forward? What is weighing you down to the point of stagnation?



Identity: My Many Sides

Place yourself in the chair. In the left panel, draw, write color the attributes you see in yourself. Be fair, optimistic, pessimistic... be real.

In the center panel record how your friends, family, "others" in your life might describe you, again be real, be honest, be at peace with who they see.

In the right panel, dream, hope, pray, explore what God sees in you, sees for you, hopes and made you to be.

Look across the panels, what strikes you, what is different, and the same... where do you place the most emphasis on who you are? From which reflection do you draw most of your identity from?

Coed Small Group Session 2

Identity: Name
Looking down? or Looking up?

What is the origin of your name? Is there a story or how you got your name, or a story behind who you were named for? What, if any, impact does who or why you were named _____ have on how you see yourself and your life?

Take some time to look at the image of the well. You might see it as looking out of the depths to the sky or looking down into the well's depths. Color and write as you feel led, the building blocks of what makes you, you. These can be obstacles , people, characteristics both past and present.

Where are you headed, and how do these blocks mark the journey towards that place?

Coed Small Group Session 1

First an brief introduction. Identity is something many of us struggle with at various times in our lives, and all of us struggle with at some point. Here you will find activities and thoughts on Identity. You will find my opinions here, and perhaps some others thoughts if they allow. Mostly, my hope is that you will find the activities themselves helpful. Feel free to print out the weekly image(s) and color/reflect along with us.

And now for something completely different :)

Identity: Overview

Our lives don't always work out the way we intended. To be honest, our lives are NEVER exactly as we hoped or wished for, same goes for our spiritual journey. In the cartoon, look at each of the images in order and follow the story. Put yourself in the story, in what part of the story do you see yourself now? What does that mean to and for you? Feel free to take some time and color pieces of the image that stand out.

How might the story, and your life be different than you expected?