We will be embracing the beautiful change of season in picturesque Glastonbury, Ct. at The Connecticut River Valley Inn and Artists Rising Creativity Retreats. Join us for 5 days of artful nourishment, chef prepared meals on our beautiful historic property in the historic town of Glastonbury, CT with direct river access.  Guests will have 24/7 access to the studio and the grounds, with opportunities to kayak, bike, paddleboards and add-on excursions.  Enjoy unlimited laughter and friendship with kindred spirits while we learn Practicing Hearing the Voice of God in the Creative Process from Sara Thurman.

Come away to hear the voice of Jesus in  new ways as you quiet yourself and  connect with God through guided  scripture readings, writing and painting  with cold wax and oil.

There will be  specific times of quiet where you will sit to  hear God’s voice in your life. Many times  we are so rushed to do the next thing. 

During this week, you will be encouraged  to “be with Jesus” as He shows you the  beauty within you and how to bring it out  into your beautiful story.

Develop new  friendships in a safe setting and expect to  experience new breakthroughs and  healing in your relationship with God. Your  story is so important to God and He wants  you to celebrate each season of your life.  We will be looking at scriptures of winter, spring, summer and fall and reflecting on lessons from our own lives. God will bring  out the gold in your life and bring healing  and joy in each season.

We will be writing  poetry and painting the different seasons  of our lives. 

Using cold wax and oil paints will allow for  a freedom and joy in layering pieces  uniquely as you explore the four seasons  of your own life. There will be deep  spiritual connection to the process of  using cold wax, oil paint and layers and  marks. You will be creating beautiful art  pieces made with layers of cold wax and  oil paint on both oil paper and wood  cradle boards. Cold wax and oil is an  exceptional medium to add texture to your  unique style with mark-making and  stencils and artifacts like tea, tea bags,  fabric, ancient papers like Bible verses or  songs.

You will leave this retreat renewed by using the creative skills God placed in  you to tell your story using an unlimited  variety of materials within the layers of  your art work. I encourage you to bring  any artifacts you may want to include in  your pieces like fabric swatches, written  words, lyrics, leaves, tea bags, and the  list can continue. 

We have all been given the gift of  creativity from our great Creator God. This  week we will pray and practice the  creative skills God has given to each of  us. He is the Great Creator and we are  made in His image. Sometimes creativity  has been hidden or blocked. Come and  discover in a safe place the joy of creating  with God. You will leave this retreat more  confident to walk in your unique creativity.  You were created to create and will enjoy  this experience of freedom in your creativity.

Time in prayer and worship is  woven into the practices during our time  together. Holy Spirit is our number one  teacher and guide and we will be  following Holy Spirit’s guidance. Awaken  your creative soul to more than you can  imagine during this week of connecting  your heart and spirit to what God placed  inside of you before the earth was  created. 

*Come away to practice hearing God’s  voice through the Lectio Divina method of  heart prayers  

*Come away to practice being still and  knowing God in new ways as we tune our  eyes and ears to His still quiet voice 

*Come away to awaken the creativity of  writing simple prose and poetry to  express your beautiful story of your life  with memories and words 

*Come away to practice cold wax and oil  painting to tell your story in layers of  beauty  

*Come away to explore the four seasons  metaphorically of your life through prose  and cold wax painting as we connect our  winters, springs, summers and falls with  God’s plans for our lives  

Sara Thurman is an experienced  facilitator in leading others through  hearing God and experiencing joy in the  creative process. She focuses on the  process of creating instead of the finished  product all the while connecting to the  heart of the Great Creator. All levels of  experience in creating are welcome, even  beginners.  

Sara Thurman, EdD is founder of Acts 1:8 Blessings, a creative art ministry serving creatives all over the world. Sara facilitates spiritual creative retreats, mentors, teaches, writes, and paints to share her love of the connections with God in this devotional process. Sara is also the host of a podcast Small Beginnings with Sara. After a successful Season 1 with 25 episodes with guests that present their own Small Beginnings, she is now working on Season 2, which will also include people’s grief stories of how they have walked through grief as their small beginnings. Her authenticity in sharing her own story draws others to share their story through creativity.

Sara has written two #1 bestselling books, Small Beginnings: A Journey to the Impossible, her memoir of becoming a prominent artist in her late 50’s with no previous art experience, encouraging others to take the first steps for their own small beginnings, along with an accompanying journal. In 2021, she wrote and illustrated her first children’s book How Good Can God Be?, using her own childhood memories of God’s goodness on a Texas ranch. Her most recent book is Reflecting on Grief and Moving Beyond Pain: Living with Loss and Discovering New Meaning presents journal entries and reflections on living with loss and discovering new meaning within the first 100 days after her husband passed from this earthly life into eternity.

Sara enjoys life in Wimberley, Texas when she is not on an adventure traveling the world inspiring others on their journey of creativity. Sara lives to motivate and tell others about the goodness of God through creativity all over the world.