Important Suggestion to my fellow Journalers

If these posts are too long for you to complete, I suggest that you print off the prompt that is of current interest to you and then tape it into your journal for future reference. The prompts are such that you can do it in one sitting or you can break each idea down and use them as separate prompts. There is no set rule on how to use these prompts. They can be used as lessons for your auxiliaries too. Hope you enjoy them and may they glorify the Lord in all the ways you use them. God bless your writing experiences.

Important Note:

Most of these prompts will come from my own thoughts, but there may some that I have found from other people and want to share with you. Some of the prompts may be repeats to some of you who are members of the same online groups I am in, but I will include them for the new journalers out there reading this blog. And sometimes prompts are so good they are worth repeating. You may use a prompt over and over again and reply to it differently each time. I will give credit to prompts I find when I know the person who submitted the prompt or gave it to me by other means. If I find a journaling site that has prompts I will include them too. Thank you for your understanding.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Are you in a rut in your prayer life?

This can be applied to writing out your prayers also.  Adapt it to fit your style of praying and journaling. 

10 CREATIVE WAYS
TO ENERGIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE
   http://www.beliefnet.com/
1) Change Your  Environment - If you pray in the light of morning, try praying in the dark of night. If you pray in your living room, try praying in your kitchen. If you pray indoors, try praying under the open sky or the graceful boughs of a tree. Changing your prayer environment can give you a new perspective on your life and spirit.
2) Change Your Routine - If your prayer time is sandwiched between dinner and bedtime or homework and hobbies, rearrange your schedule so that prayer is the priority. The more important prayer is to us, the more attention we give it, and the deeper we can go into our relationship with God.
3) Sing - Instead of whispering, praying silently, or intoning your prayerful words, try singing loudly and joyfully or softly and plaintively. Music can be freeing for the spirit--and your prayers will take on a whole new sound.
 4) Exercise - Walk, run, stretch, or cycle while you pray, feeling the rhythm of your spirit with the movement of your body. Use exercise with prayer as a way to reflect upon the gift of your life and self, inside and out.
5) Refocus - If you have a long list of prayer requests, you might be too tired by the end of the list to devote much attention to your own inner spirit. Try to refocus your prayer time so that it is balanced between the needs of others and yourself. Taking time for you will build your own strength so you can be of help to others.
6) Listen - Sometimes we are too busy praying to hear what God has to say. If prayer becomes one-sided, boredom can easily follow. Set aside time each day to clear your mind of all distractions, sit in God's presence, and listen. God's voice is anything but dull!
7) Study - Faith is not just in the moment. There is a rich faith and prayer tradition that has gone before us. Reading and studying the great believers and writings of years, even centuries, gone by can have a profound effect upon prayer today and tomorrow
8) Team up - Are you bored going off by yourself to pray? Team up with a prayer partner. Whether in person, on the telephone, or online, the power of prayer can be multiplied when people come together.
9) Be A Child - Remember when you were a child? What questions did you ask of God, then? They were probably very different from the ones you ask now. Whether you came to believe as an adult or were brought up in faith, if your prayer life feels stuck now, approach it as a child - with wonder, simple questions, trust, and humor (yes, at times, God has a wonderful sense of humor!). Enjoy.
10) Visualize - Imagine that everything around you is infused with the presence of God - including yourself. God all around, up and down, inside and out. God is listening to you, every word you utter and every need you have. More than any other, God loves you. Unconditionally. Visualize that love and renew your energy with it.