“Spiritual journalling”
In essence, a prayer journal is a written record of your relationship with God. Putting things down on paper accesses different parts of the brain, and in the hard times, it may remind you of God’s faithfulness.
“Finding God in all things”
Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything
To do it as for Thee.
— from The Elixir by George Herbert
“Praying continuously”
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul urged his readers to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5.17). So what does this mean?
“Praying with icons”
Many icons depict Jesus, or Mary presenting her son, as gazing directly at the pray-er, inviting eye contact as a way into encounter with the person of Jesus.
“Friendship with God”
Consider your friendship with God. How do you relate to God as you would relate to a friend? What makes a good friendship?
“Accompaniment in prayer”
Spiritual Directors or Soul Friends will not finish the race for us. But they will share the journey and help us notice where God is active in our relationship of prayer and in our daily lives.
“Always beginning in prayer”
We are all always beginning in prayer, and always will be. The true experts in prayer have a beginner’s mind, always open to new possibilities.
“Praying our Gratitude”
Gratitude reminds us of abundance and leads to an attitude of contentment, interdependence, and respect for Creation and Creator.
“Petition through contemplation”
There are two basic blunders that we can make make in praying for ourselves: to be too demanding; and not to ask at all.
“Contemplative intercession”
Three (very tentative) understandings of what I am doing in intercession as part of my contemplative practice
“Visio Divina, praying with the eyes of your heart”
The slow reading of a picture may be more helpful to those who find it easier to engage visually with the world rather than through words
“Playful prayer”
Playful prayer – being light-hearted, spontaneous, simply enjoying God – helps us avoid ‘worthiness’ and ploddery.
“Discerning the path of prayer”
“Pray as you can and do not try to pray as you can’t. Take yourself as you find yourself: start from that.”
“The purpose of prayer techniques”
“Prayer is not a technique but a relationship. There is no unfitness, no obstacle, no problem… All anyone can do for us is to keep our eyes on Jesus…”
“Praying the Lord’s Prayer”
As you read scripture or spiritual writing, one saying or word might strike you. Stop and write it out long-hand. Then ask yourself three questions…
“Praying with three questions”
As you read scripture or spiritual writing, one saying or word might strike you. Stop and write it out long-hand. Then ask yourself three questions…
“Walking and Praying the Labyrinth”
Praying a labyrinth is a journey to the centre. It is akin to walking a winding pilgrim path, taking time to reflect and ponder our interior landscape.
“Praying the Examen”
The Examen is a way of reflecting prayerfully on your day. It may be a very short prayer, or a period of longer reflection. It may prayed at any time, but is often prayed last thing at night.
“The apophatic way: desiring God in the darkness”
The apophatic, or negative, way of prayer starts with the teaching that God is no thing that we can grasp. God is utterly transcendent and beyond every thing that God has made.
“The kataphatic way: praying with metaphor”
The kataphatic, or affirmative, way of prayer seeks to describe God, and to express what or who God is in terms of what God is like, in order to understand and come closer to God.
“Pray the Collects and write your own”
Constraints can be a vital source of creativity. They force us to think and release our imaginations. The form of the Collect is a way to collect our intentions in prayer and arrange them.
“Praying the Daily Office and the Psalms”
The Church’s pattern of prayer today is a simplification of the eight-fold monastic daily office associated with Psalm 119 v164 “Seven times a day I praise you” and v62 “At midnight I rise to give you thanks”.
“Praying with the Bible – Ignatian meditation”
Praying with the imagination can be helpful if you have spent time in study and want to deepen your encounter with scripture, or if you struggle with the Bible’s content and want a different way in.
“Praying with the Bible – Lectio Divina”
Regular Bible reading and study gives us breadth of knowledge. Lectio Divina helps us also absorb Scripture at depth.
“Embodied prayer”
Engaging our body in prayer – praying with the whole person – deepens our attentiveness and enables different intentions in prayer.
“Prayer which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes”
Can we come close to seeing and scenting a spray of the lily of the valley as God might see it? Hearing the chatter of a treeful of sparrows as God might hear them?
“Pilgrimage: Prayer on the Way”
“Pilgrimage is an opportunity to reflect on the journey of our lives, and on our journey homewards to God.” – Devon Pilgrim guidance on the St Boniface Way
“Praying with a prayer-phrase: Maranatha and the Psalms”
Repeating a short phrase over and over can be a helpful way of holding the surface mind’s attention while the soul encounters God in the depths.
“Distractions in Prayer”
When we enter our prayer time, it is probably not long before we get distracted. But there are preparations we can make and tactics we can employ.
“Centring Prayer and the Sacred Word”
We often find our attention wandering in prayer, but over the centuries, people well-versed in the practice have developed techniques that can help us.
“Forming habits of prayer”
How can we make sure we make time for God? Form a habit and find a bridge.
“Waiting on God”
It is hard going against the flow of today’s culture, and waiting for anything. So it might be helpful to think in terms of waiting on God.
“Explore Prayer” for Exeter Cathedral news
You are infinitely loved by God, and God is waiting and longing to be with you. Prayer is simply the expression of our relationship with God.
