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Tag Archives: prayer
Reconsidering Prayer (conclusion)
We conclude this lesson on prayer today. We’ve been looking at prayer from a different starting point. Instead of beseeching God to do things for us (even good, noble, selfless things), our starting point has been Jesus’ teaching about Truth setting us free.
From that starting point, our prayer practices look different, and the results in our lives are different. Today we conclude by considering the benefits that accrue to us as we take on this different kind of prayer practice. Continue reading
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Tagged ancient spiritual paths, forgiveness, Jan Johnson, prayer, transformation, virtue
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Reconsidering Prayer (part 6)
In this second-to-last week of this lesson reconsidered prayer we talk about what happens to us when we take on the soul-quieting, truth-seeking, freedom-finding, prayer practices we’ve been talking about.
And sure enough…
our souls find increased freedom….
we see and respond to the world around us differently.
We finish up with the practical pointer of finding a way of this different kind of prayer that is a fit for the unique fingerprint of each of our souls. Continue reading
Posted in Reconsidering Prayer
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, Augustine Ichiro Okumura, Jan Johnson, Marsha Sinetar, prayer, waiting on God
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Reconsidering Prayer (part 5)
“The discipline of casualness…”
That sounds contradictory doesn’t it?
But it’s the very foundation of this different kind of prayer we’ve been talking about. Continue reading
Reconsidering Prayer (part 4)
Today, as we continue our lesson rethinking prayer, we come to the mindset necessary for this “seeking-Truth” way of praying.
Self-discipline is necessary to this new way, but that term falls on hard times for many Christians. We’ve tried and tried to be disciplined with our prayer practices, but they returned so little to our souls.
This lesson talks about applying discipline in such a way that it returns an elevated understanding of Truth, awakens us to the Divine Presence that is always in and around us, and answers to the yearning to see the Divine in our daily lives.
Abhishiktananda, a French Benedictine monk who lived in India, said it this way…
Truly there is nothing in the created universe, in all time and space, which does not manifest God and reveal his glory to mankind. In creating us God made us us able to recognize his manifestation in the world and in events, so that we might respond to it in love. Continue reading
Reconsidering Prayer (part 2)
We think of prayer as asking God to do something.
That’s not the kind of prayer we’re going to be discussing. We’re talking about prayer in light of Jesus’ teaching that “we will know the Truth, and the Truth will set us free.”
It creates a very different perspective. Continue reading
Posted in Reconsidering Prayer
Tagged blindness, heliotropism, prayer, seeing, truth
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Reconsidering Prayer (part 1)
I thought about titling this message “Don’t Waste Your Time Praying” (since I just did a lesson titled “Don’t Waste Your Time Going To Church”), but that’s not exactly what this lesson is about.
When our images of God change as we progress on the spiritual journey, our ways of praying have to morph as well. I’ve noted that for many Christians, as this metamorphosis happens in their souls, they simply stop praying. I’m hoping that this lesson will restore to us, lives of prayer that are relevant, useful, and helpful. Continue reading
Posted in Reconsidering Prayer
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, images of God, knowledge, prayer, truth
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Friends for the Fray: The Lost Art of Confession (part 3)
So, after a few weeks championing the benefits confession affords our souls, we come today, to the practical “how-to’s” of this ancient practice.
We look at making a good confession in three parts,
1) self-awareness,
2) thoroughness, and
3) penance
(Only some beginning remarks on penance; just enough to let you know it is probably not what you think it is. We’ll finish up next week)
Have a listen. Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, character, community, confession, courage, journaling, pain/suffering, penance, prayer, spiritual friends
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Friends for the Fray: The Lost Art of Confession (part 1)
The ancient art of confession is lost to most Christians today. It is a loss that causes great peril to our souls. In this lesson, we talk about the importance of this ancient practice, and some of the reasons we tend to resist it. Continue reading
Posted in Friends for the Fray
Tagged ancient spiritual paths, breathing groups, confession, forgiveness, grace, greed, lust, prayer, pride, self-awareness, shame, sin, spiritual friends
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Soul-Training: The Welcoming Prayer
In this lesson we look at a very practical way to turn our prayer less into words, and more into awakening to the awareness of what God is already up to. It’s a contemplative practice for daily use called The Welcoming Prayer. Continue reading