How to have a faithful summer – activities for outside

Bubble Prayer

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2. Sit outside with a bottle of bubble solution and offer your prayers in each bubble. Watch as they float on the breeze and ‘pop’ in their offering to God.

Take in a Rainstorm

Find a dry place to watch and listen during a rain and thunderstorm. Treasure the safeness of your space away from the storm and ponder the wonder and mystery and magnificence of the God who created you.

Go on a Quiet Hike

Listen for how many sounds you can hear. Then talk about the variety of ways we can praise God. Read Psalm 150. Journal about your experience with God’s creation or use art materials to express your praise to God.

Night Sky in Sight

Camp out in your backyard under the stars and talk about Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 22:17) and how God wants us to shine like stars (Philippians 2:15).

Labyrinth Prayer

You can walk a labyrinth, or use a printed version as a finger labyrinth. It is a reflective and meditative journey with no map. There is just one path from beginning to end and back again. The labyrinth is a prayerful walk which meets us where we are and invites us on a journey. We return to the same place we started, but different.

Follow the Leader

Take turns leading one another around outside while the other person closes her eyes or wears a blindfold. Then talk about what it’s like to follow God and trust him completely I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

Walking Meditation

Read a scripture or memorize a prayer before your walk. Then use your walking time to reflect and meditate on the words. Consider creating scripture or prayer cards to take with you for reminders.

Mindful Walking

This is a prayerful walk using body awareness. Before you begin, stand still and take a few deep breaths. As you begin walking, pay attention to your physical body – your foot’s contact with the earth, your legs and hips moving back and forth, your stomach, shoulders, etc. If you are comfortable, walk with bare feet for an awareness of your connection to all of the earth and its creatures.