Heart Rhythms
Silence & Solitude
Solitude is the practice of leaving people behind and entering into time alone with God. It is uninterrupted time and a distraction-free environment where you experience “isolation” with God.
Breath Prayer
Ruth Hayley Barton writes this about the breadth of a life of prayer:
“From prayers that are more formal and structured to those that are informal and spontaneous, from prayer with words to prayer that is beyond words, from the most intimate expressions of love expressed privately to God to words spoken in unison by God’s people when they gather, from the eloquent written prayers of the church to breath prayer that is nothing more than a gasp of need or a sign of love or a groan of longing, from the prayers uttered in beautiful cathedrals to prayers offered on the side of a mountain - every breath we take can be a prayer, uniting our heart to God and harnessing the energy of our life to his great purposes.”
A breath prayer is a short simple sentence that can be said in one breath, and prayed throughout the day. You can use a known phrase, such as ‘Come Holy Spirit’, or Lord, have mercy, or you can spend time in un-rushed silence, allowing your own breath prayer to emerge from a place of deep need or longing.
Jesus or Lord’s Prayer
This model kingdom oriented prayer Jesus instructs his disciples in provides a healthy and helpful pattern for our prayers. Specifically it helps orient our hearts from self toward God and his kingdom; from self reliance to dependence, from small perspective to kingdom. Using Luke 11 as the guide.
Examen
A daily or weekly (or even annual) Examen is a practice of reflecting about your day and inviting the Spirit to remind you of his presence, your heart, your idols, your purpose throughout that day. It’s a grounding practice in the presence of God and helps us evaluate our hearts, emotions, and beliefs with God.
Ignatian Prayer
This ancient practice from St. Ignatius practice utilizes Scripture, particularly narratives with Jesus, to help bring us into a posture of listening to and responding to the work Christ is doing within our lives. Particularly helpful in getting out of ruts with the Word and for beginning to notice Jesus’ voice and involvement in your ordinary life and the circumstances of your heart.
Lectio Divina
This ancient practice also utilizes Scripture to carry us through a time of prayer that follows six steps, with each creating a repetition and a listening to the Words of God and responding to them and growing in awareness of the state of your heart.
Praying the Psalms
This is a simple and meaningful way to pray, especially when you don’t know what to pray. How to speak, or how to bring your heart toward God in prayer.
Counselling
We cannot evaluate and process our hearts on our own in a cave and often we need gifted and trained help to walk through challenging moments, proactively work towards healing in specific areas. Also, it’s not a bad idea to have a regularly scheduled counseling session to process the junk of life.
