Resolutions of different sort have impact on whole diocese
I usually take the plunge into the new year with some new resolve about doing something healthy, losing some weight, exercising more, eating better, praying more, taking time off.
If my conversations with folks are any indication, there are a lot of people who would like to pray more, but are looking for some structure as they build some prayer times into their days. The good news is, there are many resources to guide us.
Sometimes people model those good prayer practices well for me. A few weeks ago I sat across the table from a friend at a meeting who had a book called “Our Daily Bread.” That book of daily devotions, published by Thomas Nelson, was a gift from her husband, a priest. She said everyone in the family had received a copy and they often had conversations about the daily reading. That opportunity to share enriched all of their reading, she said.
Most of us, I’d guess, do our daily devotional reading on our own and spend some quiet time mulling it over. There are many resources for this – books arranged with short daily readings that awaken our spiritual imaginations.
Most churches, for instance, have “Forward Day By Day” available for purchase. This little booklet, also available in Spanish and large-print editions, offers a short meditation on one of the day’s lessons as well as various prayers. Many Episcopalians begin or end their day with this guide. It is available in quarterly editions and on-line from Forward Movement Publications.
Forward Movement offers two other resources that can be used for daily prayer. The “Daily Prayer and Purpose Calendar” is a calendar arranged in a weekly format that includes daily prayers and space for notes, prayer petitions and reminders. It has been redesigned with a sturdy plastic cover and is now in a smaller edition. “Hour By Hour” is a compact edition of the daily office, taken from the Book of Common Prayer. It is handy for traveling or commuting.
Phyllis Tickle has published a series of books of the Divine Hours that many use for their daily prayers. There are editions for autumn and winter, for springtime, for summer, for night prayers and also some special editions for liturgical seasons. She has also compiled a pocket edition, “The Divine Hours TM.” This also is a good travel companion.
One of her newest editions is for children: “This is What I Pray Today.” It is nicely illustrated and suitable for young children.
Fans of pastor and author Frederick Buechner will enjoy his daily devotional, “Listening to Your Life.” It is a rich collection of brief meditations published by Harper One.
For the computer savvy, the website Oremus offers a variety of worship resources including daily prayers and scripture readings. Hymns are also available there.
Of course the obvious source is the Book of Common Prayer, the lectionary and daily offices. The shorter daily devotions for individuals and families (pages 136-140) can be enriched with one or more of the daily scripture readings, or we can use the more complete offices of morning and evening prayer. For reference, we are now in “Year 2” of the daily office lectionary.
Do you have a book or other resource that has guided your prayer life? If so, please share it with me at kristip@spokanediocese.org and I’ll pass the word along to others.
