. . . while listening to the message. Drawing helps me concentrate on what is being said (rather than my eyes wandering around -- I'm such a visual person!) When I look through the sketchbooks later, I find myself remembering what was taught because I was more fully "in the moment".
(I add color later at home.)
Ours is a small, non-traditional church that started as a house-church. We don't sit in pews facing one direction --- we sit in a circle. So everyone can guess that I'm sketching as I write down sermon notes.
Intimidating.
Ha! That's funny. I find that when I sketch, I get off into my own little world and don't hear anything at all. I can doodle, but only non-objective stuff. We're involved in an organic church that meets in a home also, but we don't have sermons. Everyone's engaged, so sketching doesn't really work for me any more. Once upon a time, when it was all anonymous . . . .
ReplyDeleteLovely, Vicky, thank you. I find that sketching helps me to concentrate and brings back the moment, too.
ReplyDeleteCindy, I call them sermons for lack of a better term, but we are all involved in them as well. It's so freeing having the expectation that everyone has something to contribute and we all have a ministry.
ReplyDeleteI'm also secretary / treasurer, so they are used to seeing me fiddle with paper and pen.
Kate, I'm trying real hard to "live in the moment" every day, rather than living in the "what if's" and "when, God, when's". Keeping a journal helps!
Yes, it does, doesn't it! I can't think of much else when I'm sketching in my journal...I realize suddenly I'm free of those squirrel-cage thoughts!
ReplyDeleteSketching and doodling helps me stay focused on listening, too. Otherwise, my mind wanders along with my eyes. Yea—for sketching people in public!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
love the thoughts here!! (and why I'd never thought to pull out my sketch book here in church, after all, it's with me in that big ole purse!).
ReplyDeleteLong before I began sketching, I would write notes or scriptures down in church. The physical act of writing helps me learn --- I always learned more from writing notes in school than reading them later! So it feels only natural for me to have a sketchbook open and ready . . .
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