Have you ever said, "I'm just not creative"? I don't believe you.

In this episode, I'm talking about creativity as more than talent, art, or making something impressive. Creativity is wisdom. It is prayer. It is participation in the ongoing creative work of God. I share how watercolor became a spiritual practice for me, how art helped me surrender control, and why creating can help us access things that thinking, explaining, and even traditional forms of prayer cannot always reach. This episode is for artists, non-artists, recovering perfectionists, and anyone who needs permission to make something without needing it to be good.

www.amberleagray.com

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

Episode Themes: creativity, art and spirituality, creative practice, watercolor, prayer, spiritual formation, imago Dei, God as Creator, Artful Awakening, embodied spirituality

What if your body has been telling the truth, and you've just been too rushed to hear it?

In this episode, I'm reflecting on what my Doctor of Ministry project, Artful Awakening, taught me about embodied spirituality, the incarnation, and the wisdom of the body. For a long time, I lived mostly from the neck up: thinking, planning, producing, and doing the next thing. But through this work, I began to learn that breath, tension, exhaustion, grief, desire, and joy can all be ways the Spirit is speaking. If God chose a body in Jesus, then our bodies are not distractions from our spiritual lives. They are part of how God meets us.

www.amberleagray.com

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

Episode Themes: embodied spirituality, incarnation, body wisdom, spiritual discernment, Artful Awakening, Doctor of Ministry, spiritual formation, resistance, Christian spirituality

In this episode of Wild Grace, Amber Lea reflects on John 21, the post-resurrection story of the disciples returning to the water, a long night of empty nets, breakfast on the shore, and Jesus asking Simon Peter the same question three times: Do you love me?

This is a contemplative reflection on what repeated questions do inside us. The first time, we answer quickly. The second time, something in us slows down. The third time, something more honest begins to rise. This episode explores John 21, Jesus and Peter, repeated questions, spiritual discernment, honest faith, and the answers beneath our first response.

www.amberleagray.com

www.amberleagray.social

www.insagram.com/amber.lea.gray

What if?

If we're honest, that question can get out of control pretty quickly. We easily spiral into worry and anxiety. In today's episode of Wild Grace, we will hear about worry from the Gospel of Matthew. We will also enter into the passage with an imaginative contemplation exercise. If you have a tendency to worry, this episode is for you.

www.amberleagray.com

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

WAIT -- don't skip this episode! I know that silence and solitude are often not at the top of our to-do lists, but what if I said they are essential for a deep spirituality? If you're longing to be in God's presence, to grow in your faith, or to experience God's love -- then this episode is for you! I'm going to talk about the practice of silence and solitude and what it might look like to incorporate this into your own life.

www.amberleagray.com

www.amberleagray.social

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

hello@amberleagray.com

How do we know what God wants us to do? What does the process of discernment look like? As a pastor, I'm often asked about discerning God's will. Is there a magic formula? In today's episode, I'm walking you through three types of prayers for discernment. These are not to-do list prayers. These are the get your hands dirty, repeat often kind of prayers - and they will transform your life.

www.amberleagray.com

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

www.amberleagray.social

Deep breath. Episode one. Holy Listening.

Listening is central to our spiritual lives. It is the work of discernment -- not just for the big decisions but for the everyday choices. Learning to with grace changes everything. It cultivates space for transformation, where we are becoming our most true, authentic selves.

www.amberleagray.com

www.instagram.com/amber.lea.gray

hello@amberleagray.com

I'm Amber Lea - a pastor, creative, and spiritual director and I have a lot more questions than answers.

I know we just met, but will you go on a journey with me? Just a heads up, I don't have a map or a guide, or a daily itinerary. This is more like one of those old choose your own adventure books. It is a journey of wild grace.

I believe that grace woos us and confronts us and comforts us. It holds our hand, pushes us over the edge, and catches us at the bottom.

Grace is raw. It is real. It is a mystery. Grace is wild, untamed, and surprising. Grace takes us on a journey to find our most true, authentic selves. It allows us to explore our life and faith in ways that set us free. I'd love it if you went with me. Come on, let's wander together in fields of wild grace.

The Wild Grace Podcast is launching in June 2023!

www.amberleagray.com