Kinetic Prayer


Richard Foster, in his excellent book on prayer, offers a refreshing look at an all too familiar topic. What struck me was the multi-faceted way in which he examined prayer. I had always thought of prayer as me talking to God about stuff. Simple? Yes. Stupid? Maybe, but my approach was certainly not exhaustive of the subject, as I learned from Foster.

Since reading his book, I've stumbled on a new form of prayer that I've never seen before, at least not in a Christian context. Kinetic prayer.

Never heard of it? Me neither until I made it up. After I Googled it, I realized the term may have existed prior to my "ah ha!", but I at least can add a little meaning to it.

My wife practices kinetic prayer. In fact, I think she may have invented it. We attend a larger church with a big auditorium filled with about 1200-1300 folks at a given service. In the back of the room, dead center, is our tech booth: a small structure that houses sound, lighting and presentation equipment, along with the people who operate it. It also provides a little bit of space for those who serve together in the media arts to hang out. My wife loves to be part of that community, standing in the back of the booth and praying over the church while we worship.

You might be saying, "So what?" Here's where kinetic prayer comes in. She's a dancer, choreographer and dance instructor by trade, so her language, her vocabulary, includes movement. She uses movement to communicate in the same way that the average person uses words. And she "talks" to God that way. I call it knietic prayer.

If you were to see her in the booth, you'd see someone with their eyes closed singing with the other people in worship, but you'd also see her moving with flowing gestures that somehow seem to go with music and singing. I thought she was just dancing, but she said no, that she was praying for the people in the congregation.

Okay. So if the words she sings are from the song, how's the prayer happening? It's kinetic, embedded in the language of her movement.

I don't get it, but I bet God does.

I love that woman! After 30 years of marriage, she still surprises me.

Comments

Brent Mills said…
As a worship leader at the church at which Steve's wife prays "kinetically", I can attest that this expression of worship is both authentic and inspiring. She is a dear friend and we have worked together as artists, so it probably helps that I know her heart as well. I am always encouraged to watch her find ways to express worship to God in her own "language", but she always does it in a way that is humble and discreet - she is aware of others in the service and doesn't want to be distracting. She has found one of the few places in our sanctuary where she can move freely, but few people in the meeting would see her unless they turned to the back of the room and were specifically looking for her.

However ... the worship team can always see her! As a worship leader, I try to find a balance between entering into a personal time of worship on stage (often with eyes closed), and keeping your eyes open so you can help connect with people and invite them to worship with you. When I open my eyes, I get to see this beautiful expression of prayer & worship being expressed "kinetically", and I always find it inspiring. My artistic gifts do not include movement in any way, so I'm amazed by people who move with such grace and fluency. To put it simply ... when I worship God with movement, it would not be helpful for anyone to see, but when she does, IT LOOKS GREAT! I can see her heart in every movement. I often feel like she is encouraging our team to lead with more passion and joy, simply by exercising the gifts God has given her.

I love the diversity of the body of Christ, and the unique expression that Steve and I get to participate in at our church is pretty cool ... thanks Steve for inventing a term that I've watched in action.

-Brent Mills
9:27 AM
Russell Miller said…
The Eastern spiritualities call that "moving meditation". Tai Chi is one type of that. It's a form of prayer in many different belief systems. There's nothing new under the sun. :)
12:05 PM
Unknown said…
Indeed,the Kinetic Prayer is also part of my personal experience. I have personally seen this type of Prayer so effective and hikes me into New revelational levels where I can hear God more clearer.
12:06 AM
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