I'm getting ready to launch our prayer series tomorrow in church, and so I need to be starting it for myself.
What's it all about? As a church family, we clearly identified that we want to learn how to pray better, together and alone, and it falls to me as the vicar, to teach people how to do this.
Unfortunately, I don't regard myself as an expert in prayer, so I decided the best way to do it would be to go on a journey myself.
I'm using Gerard and Chrissie Kelly's book "Intimate with the Ultimate" as my guide, and it has seven chapters talking about different aspects of prayer, all flowing from Jesus' own invitation to his followers: "Walk with me, work with me, watch how I do it."
I like the way the Kellys make it sound easy, and do-able. That's how prayer should be, surely. Not an A-level requirement for super saints, but the stuff of Christian life.
And they begin with the simple idea that Prayer is a relationship. Well duh, you're probably thinking.
Understandably so. We've known that since Sunday School, haven't we? Except that we don't know it. We don't really know it.
If we knew it, we would do it. And we don't. or at least, I don't. Not in that familiar, easy, natural way that I crave. Not often. Tomorrow's post will explain why Gerard and Chrissie say that we don't get it, and after that, I'll talk about how they suggest doing something about it.
The Kellys suggest a series of exercises to get us into this way of thinking, and I'm going to try as many of them as I can and report my progress here. Another post will set out what they are, and how I'm going to do it.
So if you see me walking through the woods muttering to myself, don't be dismayed. I'm not losing it, I might possibly be finding it!
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