Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God is not just a book to read.  Sybil MacBeth invites you to grab some markers or colored pencils or pens or even crayons and a sheet of paper and give expression to your prayers in a new way.

I appreciate how she shares her own spiritual journey in coming to doodle as a form of payer.  I often feel inadequate when I pray.  Sitting in silence didn’t often work for me unless I had a pen and notebook and could write my prayers.  Even though I do write to express myself, sometmes words don’t seem to be enough to still my frantic thoughts.

I dug out and sharpened my color pencils.  I grabbed my notebook.  I began to doodle and pray in color myself.  It is not instantly comfortable for me, but I am finding value in it.  I have to remind myself (and MacBeth emphasizes the point) that artistic talent is not the point.  The point is to hold someone or something in the presence of God.  In some ways, the practice reminds me of the exploring I’ve done with using doodling as a means of taking notes on what I read or hear.  The visualization is a different way of thinking as well as praying.

I found the book easy to read.  The short chapters are focused and sprinkled with many examples–both in anecdotes and in actual icons created by praying in color.  She starts with her journey of using doodles to pray for others.   As the book continues, she shares many other ways to doodle with other ways of praying and entering into Scripture.

Not only do I look forward to what I will learn from this experience, but I am also excited to share it with the teenagers in the Sunday School class I teach.  I hope they find it a way to come before God, too.