AS CHILDREN, MANY OF US learned to pray by memorizing prayers. We said “grace” before meals and bedtime prayers with their inevitable lists of thank you, God blesses and forgives me. Furthermore, churchgoers eventually memorized … Read More
Listening Prayer
MARK THIBODEAUX SUGGESTS in the Armchair Mystic that prayer evolves in four stages: talking at God: the lovely childlike prayers that are filled with lists of thank you, straight-forward asks and memorized graces and going-to-bed … Read More
Intercessory Prayer
IN THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY Dallas Willard writes, “Asking is indeed the great law o the spiritual world through which things are accomplished in cooperation with God and yet in harmony with the freedom and worth … Read More
Fixed-Hour Prayer
JESUS LEARNED TO PRAY in the traditional Hebrew way. In the morning he prayed the Shema: “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4) as well as a series of … Read More
Conversational Prayer
A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO Rosalind Rinker polarized group conversational prayer through her book Prayer: Conversing With God. In an attempt to stem some of the long monologue prayers that characterized prayer gatherings, she suggested … Read More
Contemplative Prayer
WE OFTEN ASSOCIATE PRAYER with the words we say. Contemplative prayer is a way of being with God that does not depend on giving the Holy One information about what we would like don in … Read More
Centering Prayer
CENTERING PRAYER IS NOT SOMETHING NEW. Nor is it a New Age thing. It is an ancient form of prayer that joined meditation on a word fo Scripture with prayer. It provided a simple way … Read More
Breath Prayer
BREATHING IS AN UNCONSCIOUS THING. And breath prayer reminds us that just as we cannot live on one breath of air, we cannot live on one breath of God. God is the oxygen of our … Read More
Different Prayers
The Samuel Prayer Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. The Jesus Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Dr. Oliver’s Jesus Prayer Dear Lord Jesus, Son of God, … Read More
Week 4: Meditation & Prayer
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PRAYER? Some simply don’t think about it. Some overthink it. Some wonder if they are doing it right or not, as if a secret code might get through to God … Read More
Week 3: Confession
IMAGINE A TODDLER THAT JUST GOT CAUGHT RED-HANDED doing something they were told not to do. What are some of their toddler tactics in that situation? Some might try to bargain or make a deal. … Read More
Week 2: The Word
IT SHOULD REALLY COME AS NO SURPRISE when you hear a lot of emphasis put on reading the Bible. But many of us wrestle with the reality that we don’t read as much as we … Read More