For many years Christ followers have recognized the important role that core spiritual practices play in helping us to create space in our lives where God can dwell in our midst.

Listed below are some of those practices that have been helpful to many of us in our community of faith at Grace. We invite you to consider them as you seek to seek to create your own space for God and connect with Him in a more intimate way.

SCRIPTURE
Unlike any other book, the Bible is “living and active” and there are a variety of ways that exist to study, read, meditate on, and be shaped by its' truths. We do not want merely to know the principles it contains: we want to connect with the Person it proclaims. One of the methods we have found to be extremely helpful in connecting us with the Person it proclaims is called Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina is Latin for “spiritual reading.” It represents an early practice of reading the scriptures that is intended to achieve communion with God, as well as providing special spiritual insights. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, reflect, listen and, finally, pray from God’s Word. The key is formational reading and listening, not informational Bible study.

If you would like to try this practice, click here to download further instruction or click here

MEDITATION
Where is God at work in your life lately? Have you sensed His presence, or not? If not, we would like to invite you to take some time and specifically concentrate on the experiences and encounters you have had from the past 24 hours of your life. One of the ways we have found to be extremely helpful in doing this is through a practice called the Prayer of Examen.

The sole purpose of this practice is to help you increase your awareness of and sensitivity to God's presence in your life, not to finish or accomplish a task.

If you would like to try this practice, click here to download further instruction.

SOLITUDE/SILENCE
The demands of daily life make it difficult for most if not all of us to hear God's voice and receive His guidance and direction for our lives. Even Jesus needed time specifically set aside to connect with His Father and so do we. One of the ways we have found to be extremely helpful in quieting the noise of our lives is called centering prayer. Centering prayer is a practice which is designed to clear the mind of excess noise in order to focus on the indwelling presence of God.

If you would like to try this practice, click here to download further instruction.

PRAYER
Jesus was very deliberate when it came to teaching his disciples how to pray. And down through the centuries, many sincere followers of Christ have devoted their lives to prayer. This long tradition of prayer has produced many different and meaningful answers to the question of how we should pray. One of the ways we have found to be meaningful is called praying the Daily Office.

The Daily Office is a set rhythm of reading the Scriptures, singing, and prayer. It originally developed when early Christians continued the Jewish practice of reciting prayers and songs at certain hours. The purpose of the Daily Office is simply to spend time in the presence of God, nothing more.
These prayers are divided into 3 different time periods throughout each day: Morning prayers, which are to occur between 6am and 9am; midday prayers for praying between 11am and 2pm; and evening prayers which fall between 5pm and 8pm, and help us gently close the day.
You might choose to participate in only certain parts of the Daily Office rather than its entirety. This is something that is entirely up to you.

If you would like to try this practice, click here to download further instruction.