This post has been used before in The Jesus Conspiracy but I will be spending some time thinking about this next year and how I will intend to cultivate my relationship with God. I hope you find this helpful and I'm sorry if it is not fresh. You also may want to spend sometime praying for those in our church family that are grieving.
We all have certain rules or mottos that shape our direction like “Never give up,” “Never say never,” or “Just do it.” Developing a “rule for life” is a way of intentionally guiding the rhythm and shape of our days in order to direct us toward an end goal. In Acts 2:42 the early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” This rule was an effort to join with God in their transformation process of becoming like Jesus. Ultimately, a rule will help you love God more and be more open to His teachings. If it becomes a way of earning points with God, it should be thrown out.
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life
Reflection: (Spend some time journaling through at least one of these questions.)
• What unspoken rules currently govern or shape your life? How do you currently determine what you will and won’t do?
Practice:
Take some time today and this weekend to write a “rule/rhythm for life” or a covenant with God. This is a living, changing document, but begin by creating a skeleton. Here are some questions to help you:
- When do you feel closest to God? What are the particular practices that open you to God?
- What do you currently do to realize your goals and longings? (work, study, pray, socialize, diet, work out) Which of these things hinder and help your spiritual transformation?
- What practices suit your daily, monthly, and yearly rhythm? What limitations are built into your life at this moment? What desires remain steady throughout?
- Where do you want to change? Where do you feel powerless to change?
- Choose several practices (these can change as you experience more, especially next week) that arise from your desire for God to transform you. Take into consideration the limits and realities of your current life.
Sample Rule for Life
- Dedicate every day (in the morning) to be present with God through…. (prayer, worship, gratitude, study)
- Examine my day in the evening and pray this Psalm. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Then confess my sins.
- Worship the Lord alone and with others
-Pray for others
-Meet with a friend or mentor every month to discuss my journey and receive encouragement, teaching, and wisdom.
-Pray three times a day at 9 am. 12 pm, and 4 pm.
This is just a sample and it’s written very simply but it allows us to begin to shape our days so that we are intentionally opening ourselves to the grace of God. Make this a living document and begin to make it more and more specific and detailed.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Belovedness Belongs to All
INTRO
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
“Quite often out of an intimate encounter with God, encounters with other human beings becomes possible…If you are the beloved of God, if you start thinking about other people’s lives, you start realizing that they are s beloved as you are. One of the profound experiences of the spiritual life is that when you discover yourself as being the beloved son or daughter of God, you suddenly have new eyes to see the belovedness of other people.
It is very interesting because it is the opposite of what happens is the world when they say you are very special, that means you are not the same as the rest. If you win an award and they say you are different than others, then that award is valuable because not everybody gets that award. The world is saying that you are only the best when not everybody else is the best.”
- Henri Nouwen
The Following was adapted from an Advent Devotional by Henri Nouwen.
Mark 9:33-35
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Make a list of blessings and benefits that have been given to you by God, your Savior. Take some time and give thanks for these undeserved gifts and blessings. If possible, pass these blessings on to others.
Pray:
Lord, please take away my desire to make something of my self, to make myself special. Help me to remember my identity is as Your beloved child. May I see others as your beloved as well. I desire to become less, to become the least and help others to see their belovedness.
Amen.
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
“Quite often out of an intimate encounter with God, encounters with other human beings becomes possible…If you are the beloved of God, if you start thinking about other people’s lives, you start realizing that they are s beloved as you are. One of the profound experiences of the spiritual life is that when you discover yourself as being the beloved son or daughter of God, you suddenly have new eyes to see the belovedness of other people.
It is very interesting because it is the opposite of what happens is the world when they say you are very special, that means you are not the same as the rest. If you win an award and they say you are different than others, then that award is valuable because not everybody gets that award. The world is saying that you are only the best when not everybody else is the best.”
- Henri Nouwen
The Following was adapted from an Advent Devotional by Henri Nouwen.
Mark 9:33-35
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Make a list of blessings and benefits that have been given to you by God, your Savior. Take some time and give thanks for these undeserved gifts and blessings. If possible, pass these blessings on to others.
Pray:
Lord, please take away my desire to make something of my self, to make myself special. Help me to remember my identity is as Your beloved child. May I see others as your beloved as well. I desire to become less, to become the least and help others to see their belovedness.
Amen.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Prayer for Enemies and Compassion
INTRO
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
We often pray for deliverance from those who anger us. We long to be released from those whom we think seek us harm. However, God calls us to compassion, Henri Nouwen said, “Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.” This prayer is a prayer that leads to the heart of God by calling us to transformation through seeking for the “beloved” not only in ourselves but also in others.
Luke 6:37-28
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
This prayer for enemies was written by Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich (a Serbian Orthodox bishop who opposed the Nazis and was eventually sent to the Dachau concentration camp.) Take time with this prayer stop and spend time in areas you feel God calling you to stop and take notice of in your own life. This prayer can be very hard at times because of the change it calls us towards. Growth and transformation are never easy or painless; however, God promises the He will be with us always.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world. They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments. They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish. Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf. Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background. Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand. Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep. Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out. Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of Your garment.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me: so that my fleeing to You may have no return; so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs; so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul; so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins: arrogance and anger; so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven; ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.
Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself. One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends. It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies. Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and my enemies. A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands. For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
We often pray for deliverance from those who anger us. We long to be released from those whom we think seek us harm. However, God calls us to compassion, Henri Nouwen said, “Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.” This prayer is a prayer that leads to the heart of God by calling us to transformation through seeking for the “beloved” not only in ourselves but also in others.
Luke 6:37-28
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
This prayer for enemies was written by Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich (a Serbian Orthodox bishop who opposed the Nazis and was eventually sent to the Dachau concentration camp.) Take time with this prayer stop and spend time in areas you feel God calling you to stop and take notice of in your own life. This prayer can be very hard at times because of the change it calls us towards. Growth and transformation are never easy or painless; however, God promises the He will be with us always.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world. They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments. They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish. Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf. Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background. Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand. Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep. Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out. Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of Your garment.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me: so that my fleeing to You may have no return; so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs; so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul; so that my heart may become the grave of my two evil twins: arrogance and anger; so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven; ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.
Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself. One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends. It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies. Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and my enemies. A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands. For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Advent Preparation-Expectation
INTRO
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
The French author Simone Weil in her notebook: “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking. Patience comes from the word “patior” which means “to suffer”…What seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone
- Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude
Hebrews 6:9-12
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Advent is the season that has a spirit of expectation. Begin this season by preparing the way for our Lord by making an Advent calendar of proposed contributions of service to others or positive changes in your own spiritual life. You can begin by prayerfully asking God for a vision, of what your life might look like, if you were living and loving like Jesus. Begin to make a plan for each week of what you will begin to practice. It could be a commitment to a spiritual discipline like prayer, fasting, or anything else. It could be a commitment to participating in God’s Kingdom by giving of your time or money to one of our missional activities with Acres of Love or Solidarity. As you calendar the week begin to calendar each day. As you begin to purposefully participate with God, you can wait with hope and expectation for God’s transformation in your life. Don’t plan to precisely; however, leave room for God’s input.
Every week there will be a new prayer to be practiced. These prayers are just suggestions and you don't have to practice the current prayer. Feel free to experiment with any of the previous prayers. Prayer is just an opportunity to spend time with our creator and learn to live and love more like His son, Jesus. There is no one way to pray. All of us are created with different personalities and different ways of relating, not only to one another, but to God as well. If you find a practice that works for you stick with it. God draws each of us in, with different means. Thomas Merton spoke of prayer the best when he said, "Prayer is turning towards God, if you can't pray, just turn towards God."
The French author Simone Weil in her notebook: “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.” Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking. Patience comes from the word “patior” which means “to suffer”…What seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone
- Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude
Hebrews 6:9-12
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Advent is the season that has a spirit of expectation. Begin this season by preparing the way for our Lord by making an Advent calendar of proposed contributions of service to others or positive changes in your own spiritual life. You can begin by prayerfully asking God for a vision, of what your life might look like, if you were living and loving like Jesus. Begin to make a plan for each week of what you will begin to practice. It could be a commitment to a spiritual discipline like prayer, fasting, or anything else. It could be a commitment to participating in God’s Kingdom by giving of your time or money to one of our missional activities with Acres of Love or Solidarity. As you calendar the week begin to calendar each day. As you begin to purposefully participate with God, you can wait with hope and expectation for God’s transformation in your life. Don’t plan to precisely; however, leave room for God’s input.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Centering Prayer
Prayer is not a request for God’s favors. True, it has been used to obtain the satisfaction of personal desires. It has even been adopted to reinforce the prejudices, justify violence, and create barriers between people and between countries. But genuine prayer is based on recognizing the Origin of all that exists, and opening ourselves to it…In prayer we acknowledge God as the supreme source from which flows all strength, all goodness, all existence, acknowledging that we have our being, life itself from the supreme Power. One can then communicate with this Source, worship it, and ultimately place ones very center in it.
- Piero Ferrucci
Psalm 62:1
My soul finds rest in God alone.
Acts 17:28
For in him we live and move and have our being.
Centering prayer is a practice where one seeks to quiet the worries, distractions, and desires that pull us away from resting in the presence of God. This prayer may seem strange at first because it does not rely on words. We aren't giving God information or telling him or agenda. We don't offer suggestions to God for what we want Him to do. We often think we need to feel or experience something in prayer for it to be real. We should never judge the value of prayer based on feeling or experience alone. In fact, the fruit of centering prayer is usually experienced in the fruit it bears throughout one's busy day. Often I find myself returning to my "word" as the busyness and stress of my life tries to take over. Centering prayer trusts that just being in the presence of God brings transformation.
Instructions:
The first step is to find a simple word like “God”, “King”, “Love”, "Father", or “Abba”. Repeat this word only as a thought comes to mind not over and over like a mantra. It doesn’t matter what word it is or that the word might have special meaning, it may take you some time to find the word but never use different words in one session of prayer. If you focus on the word it will become a distraction and the point is to get rid of all distractions and worries. Try to spend at least 15 minutes in this prayer and follow the method below. Remember that every distraction or worry becomes an opportunity to return to God. The thoughts now serve as a reminder to return to God and rest in Him alone.
1. Find a quiet spot with a chair. Sit upright and be as relaxed and comfortable as you possibly can be. If you can be in the same space every time it is better. You could have pictures of your family, a cross, icon, or picture anything that might draw your attention towards God’s love. Keep your eyes closed unless you start to fall asleep.
2. Take some time and settle. Recite the Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, or another passage to begin centering your attention on God.
3. Once you have settled sit silently. Every time a thought, worry, concern, anxious thought, or anything comes to mind recite your word releasing the thought.
The Four R’s: (Cynthia Bourgeault Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening)
Resist no thought
Retain no Thought
React to no thought
Return to your sacred word.
4. At the end of your time (15 minutes) recite a bible passage as you did at the beginning to re-enter into the world.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalm 19:4
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Written By Michael Bischoff
Meditation is a method of reading the Bible in a devotional way (as opposed to literal, moral, or allegorical) believing that, because it is God’s inspired Word, it’s a living and active text that has something to say to each individual believer. Meditation assumes that, by entering deeply into the text of God’s holy Word, God will be made known to us, speak to us, and shape our lives. It is reading the Bible with no agenda, no presuppositions.
One needs to purposefully shed the common methods most of us use in our everyday reading (such as reading for entertainment or information). The following is an ancient practice called Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
Practice:
Find a Bible translation or paraphrase that is easily readable.
Use a Bible without notes, underlining, or study helps – anything that will distract you from what God is saying to you today.
Pay attention to your surroundings – you want quiet or silence, enough light to read but not so bright to be distracting, and no other distractions (like phones).
Choose a time of day when you are wide awake and set aside enough time to hear from God.
Choose a text of Scripture that you sense will be a good source of devotion for you. While all of Scripture can be used for this, as you are beginning it might be best to choose a Psalm, something from the gospels, or a short paragraph from one of the epistles. Follow the steps below.
Structure
• Reading a passage of Scripture (lectio)
o Read the scripture slowly, repeatedly, and aloud if possible
o Allow the text to trigger memories and associations that reside below the threshold of awareness
o Be calm, deliberate, gradual, and listening hard for what God has to say to you
o Imagine what your temperament will be in heaven sitting at God’s feet
o Listen for a word or phrase that rises above the rest of text (“rings”) and grabs a hold of you
o Reading aloud helps the words and phrases resonate in the ear
• Meditation on that passage (meditatio)
o This is the “interior intelligence” of the text – what seem to be the values, the underlying assumptions and presumptions of this passage?
o How is my life touched today by this passage?
o What is this passage inviting me to do?
o As you attend to those deeper meanings, begin to meditate on the feelings and emotions that are conjured up in your inner self
• Prayer (oratio)
o Although it is all prayer, here one deliberately asks God for illumination
o Respond to God, telling your desire to respond to the invitation or asking questions
• Contemplation (contemplatio)
o Silent waiting on God
o Where your prayer moves beyond words and intellect into a place where time and eternity almost touch
o This final step takes patience and practice, and is often the most difficult to achieve
o It may be merely a moment of silence, peace, and rest in the midst of 10 minutes of struggle to quiet your mind
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalm 19:4
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Written By Michael Bischoff
Meditation is a method of reading the Bible in a devotional way (as opposed to literal, moral, or allegorical) believing that, because it is God’s inspired Word, it’s a living and active text that has something to say to each individual believer. Meditation assumes that, by entering deeply into the text of God’s holy Word, God will be made known to us, speak to us, and shape our lives. It is reading the Bible with no agenda, no presuppositions.
One needs to purposefully shed the common methods most of us use in our everyday reading (such as reading for entertainment or information). The following is an ancient practice called Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
Practice:
Find a Bible translation or paraphrase that is easily readable.
Use a Bible without notes, underlining, or study helps – anything that will distract you from what God is saying to you today.
Pay attention to your surroundings – you want quiet or silence, enough light to read but not so bright to be distracting, and no other distractions (like phones).
Choose a time of day when you are wide awake and set aside enough time to hear from God.
Choose a text of Scripture that you sense will be a good source of devotion for you. While all of Scripture can be used for this, as you are beginning it might be best to choose a Psalm, something from the gospels, or a short paragraph from one of the epistles. Follow the steps below.
Structure
• Reading a passage of Scripture (lectio)
o Read the scripture slowly, repeatedly, and aloud if possible
o Allow the text to trigger memories and associations that reside below the threshold of awareness
o Be calm, deliberate, gradual, and listening hard for what God has to say to you
o Imagine what your temperament will be in heaven sitting at God’s feet
o Listen for a word or phrase that rises above the rest of text (“rings”) and grabs a hold of you
o Reading aloud helps the words and phrases resonate in the ear
• Meditation on that passage (meditatio)
o This is the “interior intelligence” of the text – what seem to be the values, the underlying assumptions and presumptions of this passage?
o How is my life touched today by this passage?
o What is this passage inviting me to do?
o As you attend to those deeper meanings, begin to meditate on the feelings and emotions that are conjured up in your inner self
• Prayer (oratio)
o Although it is all prayer, here one deliberately asks God for illumination
o Respond to God, telling your desire to respond to the invitation or asking questions
• Contemplation (contemplatio)
o Silent waiting on God
o Where your prayer moves beyond words and intellect into a place where time and eternity almost touch
o This final step takes patience and practice, and is often the most difficult to achieve
o It may be merely a moment of silence, peace, and rest in the midst of 10 minutes of struggle to quiet your mind
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Prayer of Examen
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you
We know we should pray, but often we just don’t know what to say or what to pray about. The following is an ancient prayer handed down through the centuries helping many to become more aware and listen for the movement of God in their lives.
The Prayer of Examen is an exploration of how God is present within the events, circumstances, feeling of our daily lives. This method focuses on listening and discerning where God's presence was and where
You can pray through the outline below meditating on each point for a period of time but many also find journaling through this prayer to be a blessing.
(Start with thanksgiving, noticing the moments that you were most grateful and least grateful for.)
Reflect on your entire day becoming aware of the specific events that you are thankful for.
Loving God, I am totally dependent on you. Everything is a gift from you. All is gift. I give you thanks and praise for the gifts of this day…
God, I believe you work through and in time to reveal me to myself. Please give me an increased awareness of how you are guiding and shaping my life, as well as a more sensitive awareness of the obstacles I put in your way…
You have been present in my life today. Be near, now, as I reflect on:
Your presence in the events of today…
Your presence in the feelings I experienced today…
Your call to me…
My response to you...
This might also be helpful
- Ask when did you give and receive the most love today? When and where did I give and receive the least love today?
- What was the most life-giving and life-draining part of my day?
- When today did I have the deepest sense of connection with God? When today did I have the least sense of connection
- Where was I aware of living out of the fruit of the Spirit? Where was there an absence of the fruit of the Spirit?
Oh God, I ask your loving forgiveness and healing. The particular event of this day that I most want healed is…
Filled with hope and a firm belief in your love and power, I entrust myself to your care, and strongly affirm…(Claim the gift you most desire, most need; believe that God desires to give you that gift.)
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you
We know we should pray, but often we just don’t know what to say or what to pray about. The following is an ancient prayer handed down through the centuries helping many to become more aware and listen for the movement of God in their lives.
The Prayer of Examen is an exploration of how God is present within the events, circumstances, feeling of our daily lives. This method focuses on listening and discerning where God's presence was and where
You can pray through the outline below meditating on each point for a period of time but many also find journaling through this prayer to be a blessing.
(Start with thanksgiving, noticing the moments that you were most grateful and least grateful for.)
Reflect on your entire day becoming aware of the specific events that you are thankful for.
Loving God, I am totally dependent on you. Everything is a gift from you. All is gift. I give you thanks and praise for the gifts of this day…
God, I believe you work through and in time to reveal me to myself. Please give me an increased awareness of how you are guiding and shaping my life, as well as a more sensitive awareness of the obstacles I put in your way…
You have been present in my life today. Be near, now, as I reflect on:
Your presence in the events of today…
Your presence in the feelings I experienced today…
Your call to me…
My response to you...
This might also be helpful
- Ask when did you give and receive the most love today? When and where did I give and receive the least love today?
- What was the most life-giving and life-draining part of my day?
- When today did I have the deepest sense of connection with God? When today did I have the least sense of connection
- Where was I aware of living out of the fruit of the Spirit? Where was there an absence of the fruit of the Spirit?
Oh God, I ask your loving forgiveness and healing. The particular event of this day that I most want healed is…
Filled with hope and a firm belief in your love and power, I entrust myself to your care, and strongly affirm…(Claim the gift you most desire, most need; believe that God desires to give you that gift.)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
P-R-A-Y
This week we are going to be practicing the PRAY model for prayer.
P=Praise and Adoration
R=Repent
A=Ask
Y=Yield
You may find it helpful to journal and write out your prayers. It may help you stay focused and not get distracted. You should try with a journal and without and then discern which is most helpful to you.
PRAISE: Start by reading Psalm 145 or another Psalm of praise.
Read the Psalm slowly and pray the words from your own heart. Re-write the Psalm in your own words or just begin to thank God for things in your life as they come to mind.
REPENT: You may also want to read Psalm 32. Begin to confess your sins allow God to "search your heart". Allow God to forgive you, receive His mercy.
ASK:
And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
1 John 5:14-15
We don't always know what to ask for but we will never learn until we begin to ask. Ask for everything and pray for everyone. If you already know what and who to pray for begin to write those things down on a list. As more names or things come to mind write those down. This list then becomes a living document that continues to grow but also begins to shrink as God begins to answers your requests. Asking God for things also helps us remember, we are not God. That we need His help. We can not do everything ourselves nor does God ask us to.
YIELD: Finally in prayer we begin to submit to God. We do not pray so God will submit to our will but so that we may discern His will and yield to his purposes.
So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him...Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants form you, and quickly respond to it.
Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
"Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. yet I want you will to be done, not mine."
Luke 22:42
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