52. How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People

 

How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a delightful read. Even if you are established in your prayer life, it has great value in inspiring you and seeing your place in God's Kingdom coming. Greig is funny and insightful. I loved his analogies and stories from his own life.

I love that the book also refers to a simple and brief online "Prayer Course" and "Prayer Tools." This would be so helpful for many.

I had the special advantage of a study guide, article, webinars, and podcasts with the author offered through the Renovare Book Club (which I also heartily recommend).

This book is true to its byline A Simple Guide for Normal People.

Here are my answers to the Study Guide questions: https://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com...

View all my reviews

How to Pray Week Six - Chapters 11 & 12: Spiritual Warfare and Amen

 

How to Pray Study Guide Questions: Chapters 11-12

Week 6 Yield (pt. 3)

 

Read:

Chapter 11 Spiritual Warfare

Chapter 12 Amen

Key verse: ““Deliver us from the evil one” – Matthew 6:13

Summary points

· The Bible is clear that we’re in a spiritual battle.

· Jesus was speaking into a culture of different world-views.

· Remember the armour of God.

· Pray it. Practice it. Preach it.

Questions

Q. How do you find that you approach spiritual warfare: do you relate to any of the world-views of the Sadducees, Essenes, or Pharisees that Pete mentioned?

Note: I am pretty sure this question is referring to the Prayer Course rather than the book (Session 8, 5:20 into the presentation). So here it is in brief –

·        Sadducees – Distrusted super spirituality of demons, angels, etc. Kingdom was sociopolitical.

·        Essenes – Out in the wilderness - Opposite of Sadducees – wallowed in spiritual warfare

·        Pharisees – Middle ground – believed in angels and demons – way to overcome Satan was to live a radically holy life and following the law. Rules fight the enemy.

C.S. Lewis quote in The Screwtape Letters –

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”

When hassled by the enemy at night, Wigglesworth rolled over and said, “Oh, it’s only you,” and he rolled over and went back to sleep.

I have to say that I follow the model of Jesus! 😊 I am not afraid of Satan. I am protected, but he is real. I have had some pretty wild times of warfare, and it scared me a bit in my 20s. I got a lot of hassle. Part of it is the gift of discernment. Now, I know it is there, but I am not freaked out anymore. He is alive and real. BELIEVE ME! I have had people’s demons growl at me more than once. So weird when it has happened. Some of the people I was around in my 20s were more like Essenes, but most were pretty balanced.  I lived overseas where it is more blatant. Satan is alive here in America but more subtle. “There is more power in one drop of the shed blood of Jesus Christ than all the power Satan can muster.” I armor up daily and go out into the world.

The book that I read in Spain when there was great warfare and the people I was living with were more like Pharisees when it came to warfare, convinced me of the reality of Satan: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices (here is a PDF summary of the book). Then I came back from Spain and worked with Tom White for ten years. (Tom was the one who was leading the workshop at Proclaim and asked me to come with him. So I told the women's retreat I would not speak for them and met George and went to Thailand. I mentioned this last week.) 

Q. How do we get the balance right between the reality of spiritual warfare and focusing on Jesus? “When we pray for God’s Kingdom come it’s because it’s not automatic… we have to pray it in.”

I think I answered part of that in the previous questions. I am so convinced of God’s power over the enemy. Jesus is the victor. I also see how Jesus combated Satan in the wilderness with the Word of God. So there is no reason for me to freak-out.

Q. How does this reality affect the way that we do spiritual warfare?

I do warfare with CONFIDENCE in the power and protection of God. I stand firm. I have Morning Affirmations that have a spiritual warfare component. I love Pete’s was of warfare: Know Your Authority, Know How to Fight (Wield the Word and Wear the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, Standing Our Ground), and Standing Firm in an Opposite Spirit.

Q. What are the strongholds – greed, arrogance, etc. – in your home, work, or community context? How can you live in the “equal but opposite spirit” this week?

I think materialism is a real stronghold in our community. I want to pray more and discover more. I love praying for our city and the university that I work at.

Do It

Revisit the goals that you set at the beginning of reading How to Pray to grow in prayer and your relationship with God. Which one thing that you’ve learnt will you take away from this book study?

Most of this was review but a GOOD review and encouragement to “excel still more.” I am praying through the whole book of Psalms again, something I used to do on a yearly basis but have not in the last 10 years or so.  I would love to start a Corvallis Centering Prayer Circle that meets likes the one in Albany. I am also going to read Opening to God by Benner and reread Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. I really loved this book. Oh, and I also applied to be part of the Order of the Mustard Seed, but I have not heard a thing from the people in Oregon who are supposed to contact me. That’s OK though. 😊

How to Pray Week Five - Chapters 9 & 10: Listening, Confession & Reconciliation

 

How to Pray Study Guide Questions: Chapters 9-10

Week 5 Yield (pt. 2)

Read:

Chapter 9 Listening

Chapter 10 Confession & Reconciliation

Key verse: “Give us today our daily bread” – Matthew 6:11

Summary points

· We are designed to walk and talk with God

· Slow down, Soften up

· When listening to God, remember ABC: Advice, Bible, Common Sense Questions

Questions

Q. Do you feel like your connection to God’s voice is like “wi-fi”, “cell phone” or “snail mail”?

Do you find it’s obvious when God is speaking to you?

I am not sure what the differentiation is between all those different connections. I find it obvious when God is speaking to me. It is a “movement of the heart” that is undeniable.

Q. Do you experience hearing God’s voice in a specific way? If so, how?

I find I experience it in all the ways that Grieg describes in the book: Scripture, dreams and visions (the wild dream about the man walking across the street with my coat on and then seeing him walk across the street the next day), counsel and common sense, personal reflection (loved what he said about doing something else and it comes together -thus why I have my best times of listening after my time with God and on a “reflection” walk around the block), and action (and it reminded me of the whole sequence of events in finding Steve Hawthorne at a church in Lake Oswego and going to Thailand as a result and getting to know George more deeply – all following that time of “silence” with God that I mentioned last week),  I believe God is CONSTANTLY trying to speak to us, but we don’t bother to listen. “Is the reason we’re not still/to hear you speak/because we don’t believe you will?” (lyrics from “In Stillness and Simplicity” by Michael Card).

Q. What practical actions could you take this week to make time for listening to God?

I try to have a “listen and obey” time every day. Lately, I have been doing a walk after my time with him stilling, and he speaks just as Grieg describes on page 161-162 giving my mind a “little space to wonder.” I loved that he said, “Cognitive psychologist and neuroscientist explain that these sorts of activities switch the brain onto its ‘default mode,” a state in which we are better able to access our subconscious, connect disparate ideas, and solve nagging problems…Overthinking is not productive. Intensity and earnestness rarely attract the Holy Spirit. We may well become more receptive to the whisper of God by occupying ourselves with less spiritual activities” (p. 161-162). I also find walking the labyrinth up at the hospital has been a great time of listening as I come to the center and “receive” what he is to tell me.

Q. How can we encourage one another to “keep our hearts soft” in the busyness of our daily lives?

Testimony of what God is doing in a through me with Centering Prayer, listening and obeying. Stories are always great. I also think creating space for others to listen with me. I do that when I sit with another in spiritual direction. We have a time of listening usually. Books: Hearing God and God Guides.

Do It

Practise the Lectio Divina. You might like to explore the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5:13-16. Remember to:

· Read it – Familiarisation

· Explore it – Imagination

· Pray it – Conversation

· Enjoy it – Celebration

My Suggested Resources

Listening to God:

 

·   Hearing God by Dallas Willard is the BEST biblical case for God speaking today.

·   A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Eliot – great biography of Amy Carmichael – Hero of listening.

·   God Guides is a sweet book with 52 stories by a missionary in India who learned to listen and obey.

 

Examen Prayer

·        Here is the “Rummaging for God” mentioned on p. 173: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/rummaging-for-god-praying-backward-through-your-day/

·        Podcast: Fr. James Martin Examen Podcast (He has a weekly message and intro to the Examen every time. The actual Examen starts about 3:20): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-examen-with-fr-james-martin-sj/id1346804716

·        App: Reimagining the Examen App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reimagining-the-examen/id1065042173

·        My Day before Election Day Examen of 2016: https://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-prayerful-review-of-my-day.html

 

 

How to Pray Week Four - Chapters 7-8: Unanswered Prayer, Contemplation

 

How to Pray Study Guide Questions: Chapters 7-8

Week 4 Asking (pt. 2) and Yield (pt. 1)

Read:

Chapter 7:  Unanswered Prayer

Chapter 8:  Contemplation

Key verse: “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” – Matthew 6:10

Summary points

· The Bible is honest about unanswered prayer – we are part of a faith that is all about wrestling

· God’s world, God’s war, God’s will.

· God’s silence is not the same as his absence.

· Contemplative prayer is silent enjoyment of God’s loving presence.

· The contemplation journey has 3 stages:

o Meditation: “Me and God”

o Contemplation: “God and me”

o Communion: “only God” 

Questions

Q. Have you ever felt God’s silence/absence in seasons of your life and faith? How did you respond? How has the reality of unanswered prayer affected your relationship with God?

The first thing that comes to mind is my time surrounding my move to Eugene. I was SO overwhelmed with my career (working 60-80 hour weeks) in a new city, living alone. Once I moved in with Gwen, things turned radically around. I think I realized how much we need community for growth. (“There is a strong temptation toward self-isolation when our souls are overwhelmed” [p. 117].) He led me to not speak at the Women’s Conference and to go to the Proclaim Conference (now Mission Connection) and re-meeting with George and what God had told me before that, connecting miraculously with Steve, going to Thailand. I really feel I left Corvallis because of fear and giving up on the vision he had given me. I was also running away from my two best guy friends getting married. “God’s greatest refusals were sometimes the true answers to our truest prayer” (PT Forsyth). I see that he wanted to give me the BEST (and that was a new vision and George as my husband) and “exceeding abundantly beyond what I could ever ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). The dark night I experienced made me also get some help and career counseling from Shari’s mom who helped me find out what was a better fit for me career-wise. Financial aid counseling was NOT it!  

I think unanswered prayer has taught me the beauty of “waiting” (Kavah in Hebrew) and persevering in prayer. I pray toward the peace of God. It has bound me closer to him rather than made me angry at him or doubt his kindness. He knows what is best for me. “His trains are always on time and never miss their connections” (Ginny Bowen).

Q. How do you think we can get better, as communities, at dealing with the realities and challenges of unanswered prayer?

Let people feel their feelings and encourage honesty with God. To listen and not judge like Job’s friends.

Q. How can we encourage one another in “faithfulness” as well as “faith”?

I am not sure I know how to answer this one. I can encourage others by example. I can encourage others by asking them to join me in my adventures in prayer. I can ask and listen when people tell me how they are experiencing God in their daily life.

Q: What is your initial reaction to the practice of contemplation? Does it excite you, scare you, or bore you?

 EXCITE! It is my favorite part of prayer. I love to commune with God. Thus, this was my favorite chapter.

Q. How does this quote from Mother Teresa challenge our culture’s attitude to social justice or practical action? “It’s not how much we do but how much love we put into the actions that we do.”

This is what I have talked with one of my directees, just this morning. It is about overflow. It is about operating out of that centered place with God, who is love. Then he oozes out into our actions.

 Q. It can be difficult to make time to pause and contemplate God. What rhythms could you put in place to grow this type of prayer in your life?

I take the time to contemplate in silence and centering prayer every day. I became more intentional when I was to "pick a practice" for my spiritual direction training in 2018. I remember reading a book where he said he did it twice a day for twenty minutes, and I said, "No way!" But I thought I would be intentional. I had practiced it when I first went to the Trappist Monastery in 2014 maybe, but it was not a regular practice of mine. 

I was inspired to pursue longer periods of it over the past two years since reading The Cloud of Unknowing and The Interior Castle. I began practicing it with others two-three times a week for 20 minutes (with 30-40 people by Zoom at 8:30 am on Sundays and 12:30 pm on Thursdays). I begin and end my Lectio Divina time with contemplation. The last step in Lectio Divina – “Silencio” is centering prayer contemplation and ‘apophatic” (prayer without words). I find it helpful to contemplate in the midst of chaos now too. 

Do It

Pete says, “Even when we don’t understand, we can still trust”. Take time to stop, pause, and recommit to trusting God in your life. You might like to play some worship music and spend time sitting and reflecting.

45. The Breath of Life by Ron DelBene

 

This was one of the books that were recommended in the book How to Pray, and I found it in a PDF on the author's website. How generous of him! It is a short book, and I found it helpful for understanding and explaining "Breath Prayer." Just the day before I read this, I had a session with a directee who relayed her "Blessed History" to me, and how she would say this short prayer to God through a very difficult time of her life, and how meaningful it was. She didn't even refer to it as a "Breath Prayer" though. 

According to the author:

The breath prayer is a short prayer of praise and petition that has been used since ancient times. As we breathe unceasingly, our breathing supports life and renews our corporeal system. When we use the breath prayer to develop our ability to pray unceasingly, God’s love supports and renews us.

 

Historically, the breath prayer rose out of the Psalms. Repeated phrases from the Psalms became short prayers to remind one of the entire psalm.

 

In some religious traditions, various forms of a breath prayer have been called “aspiratory” or “ejaculatory” prayers. The term aspiratory comes from the Latin word meaning “to breathe,” and ejaculatory from the sport of javelin throwing. Such prayers have traditionally been short and have risen from individual circumstances. In times of stress, need, or joy we may pray, “Jesus, help me” or “O God, hear my prayer” or “Praise to thee, O God.” Such prayers rise spontaneously from within, sometimes flowing from us without our being consciously aware that we are praying.

How to Pray Week Three - Chapters 5 & 6: Petition and Intercession

 

How to Pray Study Guide Questions: Chapters 5-6

Week 3 Asking (pt. 1)

 Read:

Chapter 5:  Petition

Chapter 6: Intercession

 Key verse: “Give us this day our daily bread” – Matthew 6:11

Summary points

· The Father loves to give good gifts.

· Traffic lights: Yes, Wait, No.

· Sometimes we need to “stack dominoes” and persevere in prayer

Questions

Q: It’s often easier to believe God can change things in our hearts rather than believing in things can see in the world. Do you agree?

There is a word missing, but I am going to assume the question is whether we think it is easier to believe God can change things in us personally rather than changing something outside of us in the world. I believe pretty equally in both. I can choose to obey. So I have a part in the change, but I have been interceding too long to not believe that God can change things in the world. I have no control over people’s choices, but I love to see God change people’s hearts. I have seen communism fall and more disciplemaking movements happening across the world than ever in history! Prayer changes me and the world.

Q: How often do you ask God for what you want as well as what you need?

When I was reading this chapter, I had just read about Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (This is a big moment in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius. So I return to this passage frequently.)  I sometimes have a hard time knowing what I really and truly want. I believe God puts things on my heart, and I ask. Sometimes they seem pretty wild. Like when I saw a Suburban, and we were driving our truck with a baby and one on the way. I prayed for a Suburban and shortly after this George’s dad said, “I want to give you my Suburban.” Oh really? 

So the day Jesus asked me what I wanted after my usual time of being in the presence of God and then taking my prayer soaking walk, I said, “Lord, I have all I need, but I wouldn’t mind a kayak. Yes, I would like a kayak. And I would love it if George would go through the Spiritual Exercises again using the book I wrote. That seems pretty demanding since he has already gone through them before though."

Within hours, George mentioned in passing that he was praying the day before, and he felt like he would like to go through my guide to the Spiritual Exercises. I told him I had just prayed about it that morning, and he jokingly said, “So you were 24 hours late in hearing God!” LOL! Then a little later he said, “I just ordered  you a kayak from REI.” I didn’t know he had been looking for one for months for me. So those are a few fun stories. I believe he just wants to give good gifts.

Or the time I prayed the young women in the group I was mentoring would realize that my tea was low (that they drank every Sunday) so they could grow as guests in their future overseas. Of course, I could afford to go out and buy tea, but God laid it on my heart to pray it. 

The next day there was tea on my doorstep when I got home from shopping with a little note from one of the women. Then day after that, two of the women in my group were together, and secretly dropped by two more boxes (I saw them on my doorstep doing it but didn't want to spoil their "surprise").  A little later, I got money in the mail from another one of them saying that they wanted to reimburse me for all the tea and treats. And finally one of them came with a white trash bag filled with tea saying, "My mom was helping someone move, and this lady had all this tea, and I knew you love tea and have it for all of us and others." (I am STILL getting through that tea all these years later!)  So ASK, and he gives abundantly for his plans and purposes! WOOHOO! 

I agree that asking is because God is RELATIONAL, and he wants us to be VULNERABLE. As a Type Two on the Enneagram, I am not always in tune with what I want or need. It is vulnerable and scary for me to articulate it once I know what I want and need. 

I also think that God wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Ps 37). God laid buying a bigger house on my heart once, and I thought, “NO NO NO. I will not live the American dream! We are going back overseas! We want to keep our house small and be frugal!” But he kept saying he wanted us to have a bigger house. 

It was true that our house was getting quite small for the groups we were having over, and their ever-growing families. So, I told my friend Kim (and God) that I would like him to just drop something in our lap because we just didn’t want our whole lives to be dominated by a house hunt. I also said, “I would like him to drop a house like Dale and Mary’s house into our lap.” Their house would mean kids in the basement within earshot, and adults upstairs with prayer or Bible study, etc. 

I told her this on Friday, and on Tuesday, Dale and I were painting props for the church Christmas concert, and he said, “We are putting our house up for sale.” We made an offer within hours, and it has brought us 18 years of people from all over the world, eating, laughing, loving, praying, studying his word, doing spiritual direction, and listening prayer. SO GLAD God plopped it in our lap.  

Pete uses the traffic light analogy to describe different ways God responds to our prayers:

· Green: Yes

· Amber: Wait / Persevere

· Red: No

Q: Are you experiencing a “green”, “amber” or “red” response to any specific prayers at the moment?

I am one who loves a clear answer. I don’t have a problem with a “NO." I have even learned to just “WAIT” too! (I gave a whole message on waiting once.) I waited for my husband for years, and he was so worth the wait. 

I have seen him answer too many prayers that I had to wait YEARS for (like the salvation of all but one of my immediate family) to not persevere. He is faithful. YES, I have many things I have an amber-like on right now, but in the waiting (Hebrew word is qavah [kaw-vaw’] comes from a root that means “to bind together by twisting,” and I see waiting as an opportunity to bind my heart with God’s heart). There is one I pray for and hope for, and I am waiting with hopeful anticipation!

 

Do It

Take time to pray. Remember the following as you pray:

· Pray incrementally: Pray for a specific next step, rather than jumping to the top of the staircase

· Pray the promises of God: Is there a specific promise that relates to the situation?

 

 

You also might like to follow the P.R.A.Y model – start by pausing and welcome the Holy Spirit, then rejoice and give thanks before asking. Remember to yield and surrender everything back to God as you finish.

How to Pray: Week Two - Chapters 3 & 4: Slowing and Centering and Adoration

 

How to Pray Study Guide Questions: Chapter 3-4 – Pause and Rejoice

 Read: Chapter 3: Slowing and Centering; Chapter 4: Adoration

Key verse

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” – Matthew 6:9 

Summary points

· Start by recognising God is God.

· Worship puts things back into perspective.

· Use P.R.A.Y – Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield.

Questions

Q. Why do you think that we most often associate prayer with asking, rather than worship and adoration? “In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him” – C.S.Lewis

That is how we are often with each other. We ask for favors rather than savor our relationships. Being an uber-relational person, I realize that most people are much more transactional in their interactions rather than relational. So I think this transfers over into our relationship with God.

Q. Do you enjoy spending time with God? When are the times that prayer feels most enjoyable?

Absolutely. It is better than chocolate. I cannot wait to get up in the morning, make a cuppa’ Chai, and commune with him. It is the highlight of my day, and I try to continue experiencing his presence even as I interact with others.

It is most enjoyable when I know I have nothing else “on my plate” but spending extended, undistracted time with him.

Q. Pete says that prayer is primarily about relationship with God: “It’s relational, not transactional”. How does this change your perspective of coming to God in prayer?

I had not read all the questions when I started this so I already answered this in the first question. I do not see my prayer life as transactional. Being an “uber-relational” Social/Attraction Type Two, prayer is all about relationship and emersion/fusion with him.

Q. In Acts 4:24-31, the early church put their own crisis into perspective by worshipping. What are the practical things you could do this week to foster an attitude of worship in your daily routine?

Worship stretching, dancing, and walking (admiring God’s creation). Pausing to center on him. Praying through praise Psalms.  Pausing in the middle of the day for praise in worship songs.

Do It

Practise thanksgiving and praise by reflecting on Psalm 8. You might like to read it out loud. Then, take time to Pause and Rejoice:

· Pause: Take a moment in silence and invite the Holy Spirit to help you reflect on what you’ve just read. 

· Rejoice: Speak out prayers of adoration. Reflect and to thank God for one or two things in your life. You might like to use the Psalm as inspiration, too.

This is so cool because I had already decided that my spiritual direction times with directees would start off in Psalm 8 this week! CB and I did it yesterday, and it was a lovely time together. Psalm 8 will continue all week. I love it when God does this! CB told me about the Passion translation of this Psalm which I will have to look up. 

How to Pray Week One - Chpaters 1 & 2: Prayer Everywhere and Keeping it Simple

Read:

Intro: How to Make the Most of This Book; Chapter 1: Prayer Everywhere; Chapter 2: Keeping it Simple

Key verse: “Lord, teach us to pray” – Luke 11:1

Summary points

· We can ask Jesus to help teach us to pray

· Prayer is like a toolbox – there are lots of different ways of praying

· Keep it simple. Keep it Real. Keep it up.

Questions

Q: What do you find difficult about prayer?

Nothing really. If I have to be absolutely positively honest. I LOVE to pray. I feel like it has always been pretty easy for me, and I love finding new avenues for an encounter with God. It is how I am with George too though. I love spending time with him. We don’t get tired of one another.

Q: What do you find easy?

God is always there to dialogue with (I talk and I listen – both in equal measure). God is the only one who truly “gets” me. That is what I find easy: GOD. He is so much more than I could ever ask or imagine. He is bigger than I could ever comprehend. He is more secure than any human being on earth. So, I can bring ANYTHING to him.

Q: Why do you think prayer can often feel hard?

I think I should pose this for others to answer because it has never “often felt hard” for me. Never. I am very thankful for this, but some of the people I have discipled or done spiritual direction with over the years, have found it difficult. So, I am on a quest to find out why this is hard for many people.

Here are some thoughts I have about this:

People can often be perfectionists. So, they think that prayer has to be a certain way. Or they are busy and cannot create space in their day for it. Or they might feel they have to do it in the morning, and they are not morning people.  Many people just don’t care to be connected with God.

George: Distractions. “I’ve got to do this. I’ve got to do that.”  (Just write it down, and you don’t have to lose it.) Don’t plan it with the same priority.

I am uber RELATIONAL. So, it transfers over into my relationship with God. I will take in any way I can CONNECT to him relationally!

Pete says the best piece of advice is to “Keep it simple, keep it real and keep it up.”

Keep it simple: “your prayer life is at its best at its simplest”

Q: What do you mostly talk to God about?

I love to tell him how wonderful he is. I love to look at Scripture and respond to him from that. I talk to him about what I am needing to release, my consolations and desolations, I listen to him for direction and words of comfort and peace. I intercede on behalf of friends and loved ones. I lift up the current events and unreached people groups.

Keep it real: “Don’t role-play before God”

Q: Do you feel like you have to act a certain way before God when you pray? Why or why not?

Absolutely and positively NOT! He is all-knowing. So, there is no act that will be effective. He sees me just the way I am and LOVES me. There is no reason to hide. Also, Jesus reversed the Garden hiding. We can be out in full view of him for all the world to see!

Keep it up: “Don’t give up praying too soon”

Q: Do you find it challenging to persevere in prayer?

Nope. I do forget some things that I feel the LORD is telling me to pray about. Then I say, “Oh yay!” I think my shower crayon has helped. I have not been using that recently.

For the most part, I pray for a long time and it has been fun to see God answer some long-term things like peoples of the world coming to know him!

Q: How can we be encouraged to keep going?

Prayer mentors – Thank you, Sheryl Rice-Jury, Kathy Galloway-Allen, Helene Ashker, Ginny Bowen, Lorraine Fleishman. They were all such prayer mentors for me.

Prayer community – I have the privilege of being part of some awesome prayer communities of people over the years. Navigators were always really good about making prayer a BIG priority in everything we did. Both personal and corporate. Everyone was praying and spending time with God and sharing about what God was saying, and then we were praying together in one place corporately. ALL my leaders were people of deep and abiding prayer. Having the PUMP parties, TOAG prayer hours, Watchwomen, etc. I also liked that early morning group I had in the late 80s. 

Renovaré has also been great for prayer. Having been part of it since early on. It started in 1988. I read Celebration of Discipline in college (maybe it was on Rusty’s shelf when I housesat the summer of 1980?), and most of those disciplines were instilled in me through the Navigators, but Renovaré definitely reinforced it and reading through the Devotional Readings was helpful as I was exposed to excerpts of the giants of prayer in history. Reading Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home was also very instrumental along with E.M. Bounds, SD Gordon, etc.

Do It

Think about one way you’d like to grow in prayer and your relationship with God over the course.

I have had the goal to grow in Centering Prayer since early 2019 and will continue that. Reading The Sacred Enneagram in September of 2018 challenged me in this area. I had tried to read Basil Pennington's book at a prayer retreat in November 2018, but I thought it was not for me. Then we read the Cloud of Unknowing in the Renovare Book Club in Spring 2019, and I realized that God was already bringing me into this kind of prayer naturally during my colloquy times in the Spiritual Exercises and my afternoon times at the kitchen table when the sun was streaming into the room. So it didn't seem that unattainable when I realized that God was doing it naturally without reading Basil's book (LOL!) and that it was OK to let "kataphatic" (a prayer that has content; it uses words, symbols, ideas) of  Lectio Divina and Ignatian Imaginative Contemplation being the springboards to "apophatic" (a prayer that has no content; meaning emptying the mind of words or ideas and simply resting in the presence of God) because it is the natural "Rest" portion of Lectio Divina! Then I downloaded the Centering Prayer App in May 2019, and I started having short times of Centering Prayer even apart from the "kataphatic" prayer times. 

Mercy Center Zooms have also been helpful because I sit in front of a screen with others holding me accountable to remain still and quiet:

http://www.mercy-center.org/ProgramsMC/CenteringPrayerOnline.html

Write down your goals, so that you can revisit them at the end of the book.

Practice each Prayer Tool from https://prayercourse.org/toolshed/ and write about my experience for each.