Laity Lodge in the Frio River Canyon, Texas
Theme/Topic: The Artist and Emotion
Main Speakers: Jeremy Begbie and David Taylor
Musicians: Latiffa Phillips and Jordan Hamlin (piano and electric guitar)
Artist: Phaedra Taylor (workshop on encaustics)
For the last 6 years I have made an annual pilgrimage to Laity Lodge to connect in with my art minister tribe that ranges from all various churches, US states, Canada, the UK, and sometimes other countries. It's an opportunity to gather and learn from each other, inspire each other, and connect in community with similar hearts who care for artists.
These 6 years I've been blessed to travel to this very unique 4 day gathering with several of my fellow VineArts leaders/artists from the Boise, Idaho area. It's always a fun thing to reunite with our art minister friends each year, and bring a few new folk with us to experience Laity for the first time.
The beauty of Laity Lodge is that it sits in the middle of nowhere in the hill country of central Texas with no mobile service or internet. It's like an oasis and you truly get to unplug, decompress, and be filled up. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with walking paths and hiking trails and access to the river for recreation. Rocks with Scripture, poetry, and inspirational quotes and benches along with hammocks are intentionally placed along walking paths and grassy areas with oak trees lining paths. There is a great hall for teaching sessions and other gathering, there's a dining hall for family style meals, there is a library for either checking out books to read while on retreat or for purchasing, there is an open fireplace outside for gathering at, there 2 art studios to create in, and there is a music hall with gallery space for special gatherings. And there is a variety of lodge and cabin rooms providing picturesque views.
Laity Lodge provides an intimate setting for this retreat and I'm always so grateful for it's slow pace and flexible agenda. They provide a loose schedule upon arrival and only let you know about the next thing up as you are ending the current thing. They have a bell system. So every other bell is for you either to be somewhere for a session or to eat. Ha! ...but truly you have the freedom to attend all things or no things. Your time is your time and it is like all time stops at Laity.
several of us from VineArts along with some others were blessed to stay at Lodestar, a rather large house on the retreat grounds
David Taylor speaking to us about the artist and emotions
Jeremy Begbie speaking to us about art and emotions
a panel of art ministers sharing their experiences about working with artists
a night of open mic music by some of the retreat attenders
a night of music by Latiffah Phillips and Jordan Hamlin
gathering at the outdoor fireplace on the last night with musical instruments, singing songs and sharing stories and laughs together
I'm still processing my time from the retreat. I have a moleskin journal full of notes from the sessions and scribblings from my thoughts. It usually takes me awhile to fully engage with what I've learned at Laity...but this retreat always sets the tone and pace for my art ministry travels and I am so very grateful for it's experiences.
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