Sam R. LaDue

As a discussion exercise and wrap-up to Taussig's book Jesus Before God, adults collectively wrote three alternative Our Father prayers. In the book, Taussig explores the historical Jesus, his likely prayer life and relationship with God. We learned that Jesus' relationship with God was clearly radically intimate, yet was also neither private nor passive. Taussig frames the Lord's Prayer as a politically subversive declaration, calling for God's kindom to break in, and emphasizes the communal and participatory nature of Jesus' way among his followers. With these concepts in mind, I used an adaptation of a design technique called Rapid Viz to facilitate collective prayer writing. Adults contributed word by word, or line by line, responding contemplatively to one another's contributions, constructing each prayer in a participatory way, building on one another's wisdom and perspectives, while also developing deeper relationship between one another in their collective effort. Tap image to see full prayers.

This exercise invited confirmands to develop a triptych over the duration of the retreat using three prompts: Use color and texture to show how you are feeling right now; Use collage to show your relationship with the Holy Spirit; Show where or how you experienced God during the Night Walk with SF Night Ministry. It was designed to provide a pathway for students to connect their personal, lived experiences and lives with their growing knowledge of spirituality, faith, and faith basis. Tap image to see more photos.

A talk I delivered for TheOasis on creating unique sacred spaces, exploring how communication and design theories can shape relatable and resonant spiritual experiences. Tap image to see presentation.

Art + Envrionment