November Change

In November, I will reflect on a number of prayer practices here. They will range from the Jesus Prayer, to Centering Prayer, to prayers of lament, praise, healing prayer. I invite you to join me here on Loving Presence and to leave comments any time you would like to do so. Then, in December the theme will be that of Advent - the time of anticipation of the coming of the Messiah, the one in whom all our lives are incorporate.

In October I prayed the news on this blog. The discipline has been very important to me, and I will continue that practice on another blog, Mighty Waters of Life. In November,  I will focus on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and use it as a way of critiquing current events and policy discussions.  Please join me there as well.

Centering Prayer
For the past year or more, Centering Prayer has been a significant part of my life.  I had read about it before, and even practiced in streaks through the years, but in this last year, Centering Prayer has taken on a greater priority than it had before.  I have made a commitment to lead book studies on Centering Prayer at my church, to practice Centering Prayer faithfully, and to hold to a group practice of Centering Prayer with others. Part of my motivation is a sense that deep spiritual grounding in the Holy is more necessary than ever now. I want to be part of that. Another motivation is to grow in God,  more and more to speak God's language which is Silence and Love.  And, a third motivation is to be with other people who share this practice and perspective, that these times are crucial in human history and that being "rooted and grounded in Love," who is God,  is essential.

In the next few posts, I'll discuss some of the origins of Centering Prayer, point to writers and organizations that teach and practice Centering Prayer, and present a bit about my own experience and ask for others to comment on what their experience of Centering Prayer is like.