24 7 Prayer and the Arts
A week ago, I had coffee with a good man named Devon with a heart for prayer.
I have to admit, the 24-7 prayer movement does not rouse passion in my heart. I actually feel awful saying that, but brutal honesty here, it makes me feel tired. I’m not knocking the movement, I am perhaps knocking myself.
What I do have a passion for is artists - and seeing them connect their creativity with their spirituality. Devon also has passion for this, and that is why his vision for a 24-7 prayer house in Edmonton is intrinsically tied to a community of fine artists.
Interested? You can read more about the inception of this idea, and where it is heading, here.
I’m sure Devon would love encouragement and connection if this triggers something in you. Me, I am going to check it out and serve in ways that make sense to me. Like writing this post.
Thoughts on the 24-7 prayer movement? The interplay between prayer and art?
October 16th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
“What I do have a passion for is artists - and seeing them connect their creativity with their spirituality. Devon also has passion for this, and that is why his vision for a 24-7 prayer house in Edmonton is intrinsically tied to a community of fine artists.”
i see nothing on the blog/ website that indicates any real contemplation of the interplay between prayer and the arts. perhaps he conveyed more of this aspect of the vision to you verbally? yes, the website does have this: “Our dream is to have this house of prayer facilitated by a fine arts community, dedicated to the transformation of both the city of Edmonton, and the world.” but i have no idea what that means. or what he means by that statement. some explication might be helpful, especially if he wants participants. i think that it should ALREADY be facilititated by some artists, and that will draw more. perhaps some comments about how that is happening or what that looks like would help…
so my question is: how exactly is this “intrinsically tied to a community of fine artists”? and why “fine” artists instead of simply artists? or even “creatives”. or simply exploring creative ways to pray. i mean, right now it’s a PLAN. i’d rather hear of a strategy. how planned is it? is it about prayer? is this about art? or is it about art as prayer? is that even possible? what does “art as prayer” mean? what is the purpose or focus? seems pretty generic to me. who is leading or guiding this? who is overseeing this? is he really sure he wants to make artists the focus or “facilitators”?
i’m not saying this is a bad idea, or that it can’t (or shouldn’t) be done. i just think that the spiritual is practical i.e. how does this idea/ dream/ vision get incarnated? what do its legs look like? i have my own ideas, of course, but what are devon’s?
October 17th, 2008 at 9:23 am
What I can say is that more of an arts-focus came out in conversation than did on the website. That was the reason Devon wanted to meet with me, and why I chose to meet with him.
What I can also say is that Devon is (admittedly) not an artist. His wife is a musician though. I will continue to encourage him that he needs to be in relationship with artists - with or without Sonfire - if he wants to have them involved. I told him as much when we met.
I can say as well that the arts focus seems to be part of the 24-7 model (beyond Devon), at least streams of it. Devon is following that model (which is a global movement at this point), which often involves artists working in a “prophetic” sense through art and prayer. How does that look? I am eager to see myself. I know some examples he shared were prayer rooms covered over with paper everywhere on every wall so that as people prayed they could write, draw, whatever on the paper and share what they felt Christ was revealing to them.
We also chatted about how “God gave it to me” can become a blanket acceptance for any level of excellence in art. How can you argue with a piece that came directly with God (even if it is crap - to put it bluntly)? I encouraged Devon that to community what God has put on their heart well, and in a limited amount of time with a limited amount of resources, the artists will need to work hard on their crafts, not just their spirits.
I know there are artists that will connect with this and find it life-giving, and I hope, for their sake, that it becomes something worthwhile.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
i think one of my problems is that we relegate “creativity” to the artist’s domain, instead of looking to to provide opportunities for creative responses for everyone. we are, after all, imago dei, created in the image of G-d, and that includes creativity. the example really seems to point towards communal activity that allows for creativity. we can all exercise creativity (in “spiritual” or “secular” activity) even though we are not all called to be artists. and i think the time issue is a crucial one that isn’t always considered for activities and events involving the arts, particularly when there are time constraints. the whole space doesn’t have to be an “in process” space, does it?
i would really like to see some images of how the arts have been integrated in other incarnations of the 24-7 model. is that really more along the lines of alt.worship type gatherings? i think the issue is releasing creativity in the body within the context of this awesome communal activity rather than artists as some special sub-group of intercessors. what should be life-giving is hearing from G-d and praying into things, not self-expression or the art. it feels a little like putting the cart before the horse. you feelin’ me?
October 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I am withholding judgment until I experience it, because I really have no idea what it will look like.
I agree with you that all people are (inherently) creative. It is a key part of the Imago Dei. And I’ll teach 30 students that next Thursday at Vanguard
October 27th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Personally… I didn’t expect to be captured by the 24/7 Prayer movement. But as I’ve done more with these guys and dug in to a few weeks of extended prayer there are a couple things that I love…
1) that pray is EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to anyone who’s willing. it’s just time and space to converse. (Including the arts)
2) that they had a heart to combine prayer with mission and justice to actually change a community.
That’s very cool to me
Dave
October 29th, 2008 at 11:29 am
“1) that pray is EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to anyone who’s willing. it’s just time and space to converse. (Including the arts)”
interesting. care to elaborate?
October 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
in other words — i don’t know what that actually means…