Comments on: You gotta mean it

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:25:10 +0000

I’ve actually copied down each of the prayers into a journal, and I’ve started working on adding the daily scriptures and devotionals too. This is helpful because as I write the words, they take on new life and meaning for me and it helps me gain some independence from my iMac.

By: kim

kim — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:20:26 +0000

a late addition… another thing I’ve realized about my own weakness when it comes to disciplines: it’s better if I do these things away from the computer. better to have a book, and a bible, and a notebook, and a pen. Because then all I have to deal with is my tendency to daydream. When I’m at the computer I’m like all ‘hey! I wonder what’s going on with my twitter peeps? hey! how about that ebay thing? hey! I need to send Whatzit that email really quick!’

For what it’s worth. Old school is helping me regain my footing.

By: Levon Walker

Levon Walker — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:39:01 +0000

I’ll have to agree that its good to have something to say that someone has put a lot of thought into– it takes out much of my stammering. Um, so its Thursday and I.….

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:58:14 +0000

Shoot, I’m sorry I wasn’t there, then. I hope Kate was preaching.…if not, you all must go back when she’s officiating.

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:01:16 +0000

Emily, Hayley and I attended there Sunday night. It was a little foreign to us, but we liked it.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:57:25 +0000

I used the book Venite: An Invitation to Daily Prayer to do the same thing some years ago. I’d like to make it a habit, actually. Formal prayer has been part of church liturgy for hundreds of years. and it’s vital to my own spiritual practice. (I’m actually uncomfortable with a lot of extemporaneous public prayer.)

If you like Celtic stuff, you should attend the Celtic evening communion at St. James sometime. It’s a pretty (and short) service Sunday evenings at…5:30, I think.

By: Georges Boujakly

Georges Boujakly — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:55:11 +0000

Todd,
Glad to know you’re giving CDP a try. Divine Hours is also free online. But you can buy books for both.

For me it’s the praying with others (the cloud of witnesses gone by) and the brothers and sisters I will never know all over the world.

Most of all, behind the form, the rhythm, the routine, the words, stands one in whose likeness these prayers tend to shape us into.

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:50:34 +0000

I completely understand what you mean Kim. I used to try to write my prayers, but I struggled so much with coining the right phrase and not sounding stupid, that my prayers ended up being less meaningful than “God is great, God is good…” (not that there’s anything wrong with that prayer).

Paul also recommended Tickle’s Divine Hours, but I chose to go the Celtic route for three reasons:
1. I think Celtic stuff is awesome.
2. I think the name “Tickle” is funny and I worried it would affect my prayer discipline.
3. This Celtic prayers were free of charge.

By: kim

kim — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:46:22 +0000

a little crazy. I just started doing something very similar this week, using a book called The Divine Hours. I’ve used this kind of approach before, and I’ve always loved it. It’s almost as though I can’t be counted on to conjure up both the discipline to sit and pray AND the creativity to know what to do when I get there. Does that make sense?

In any case, I’m with you. I enjoy this kind of prayer as well.

By: brad brisco

brad brisco — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:01:32 +0000

Todd, good to read about your experience with CDP. I guess you probably know, however, that you have to be extremely careful with whatever Paul suggests