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How to Practice Welcoming Prayer

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent.

While fasting is likely on the minds of those who participate in the season, one practice associated with the season of Lent often goes unnoticed simply because it’s part of our lives in any season: prayer. The season of Lent, however, offers a great opportunity to dive more deeply into the practice, providing a backdrop of devotion to both experiment and expand. Given the contemplative nature of Lent, it’s also the perfect time to become immersed in contemplative practices, and for the next seven weeks, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Join me right here every Wednesday during the season of Lent for 40 Days to Pray, a series on contemplative prayer and an invitation to pray together. (Hence, the hashtag. Let’s make this a movement, shall we?) Each week I’ll provide some background on a contemplative prayer practice, as well as instructions for practicing and resources to take your practice further. Join me on this journey? (Psst: Don’t miss a thing when you sign up to get these posts directly in your in your inbox »)

Today, at the outset of Lent, we welcome all that we bring to this season with Welcoming Prayer.

Even though it’s just in the 60s here in Seattle, I’m officially two weeks into my summer sabbatical.

And while I’m taking a break from blogging and social media through August, I had to chime in to let you know that our latest episode of the Sacred Ordinary Days Podcast is available for your listening pleasure! (Technically it’s been up for a week, but you know, sabbatical.)

This episode is really special because not only are we “sending” you into the season ahead—Ordinary Time, which just so happens to be the longest season of the year—we also recorded this episode in the same room! After we wrapped up the Sacred Ordinary Days Retreat in Waco, TX, at the end of May, we sat down together at Jenn’s dining room table, tea in hand, and after an enriching weekend with other members of the Sacred Ordinary Days tribe we couldn’t help but reflect on those who have joined us on our journeys.

In the season ahead, we want to invite you to do the same, too. Listen/download below or through iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and catch up on past episodes here. And if you like what you hear, would you mind sharing it with a friend and leaving a review? Jenn is giving away a free Sacred Ordinary Days Liturgical Day Planner (academic edition) once we reach 50, 75, and 100 reviews! Here’s how.

I don’t like centering prayer, which is to say that I struggle with it daily.

I’m not a fan of struggle, of tension, of staying put amidst discomfort when the rambling voices within are doing their best to keep my mind occupied. I don’t like feeling out of control, and the practice of centering prayer shows me just how out of control I really am.

Truly, it can be maddening. You would never imagine the amount of thoughts buried deep within, chugging along like a steam engine—my ego shoveling coal to keep the train running in an effort to avoid any moment of inner stillness. He knows that when I reach that place, he’s out of a job, if only for a second, and so he keeps piling on fuel for the fire—to-do lists, insecurities, future plans and current musings. Thoughts like What should we make for dinner tonight?, followed quickly by Note to self: take the broth out of the freezer, are accompanied by an a thumbs up from my ego engineer—Way to think ahead, Lacy. You’re so on top of things. Gold star!

But as that gold star fades away, making way for another productive thought (we’re on a roll, here!), I catch myself, remembering my centering prayer practice and returning to that place of inner silence and stillness where the Divine dwells. Planning, thinking, rehashing, imagining—I label each thought that held me captive, disarming their power and releasing them from my ego’s desperate grasp. This manner of labeling thoughts is a mindfulness practice, and I began incorporating it into my centering prayer practice long ago as a tool to help me return and remember in the moments when I need help most.

This is why I practice centering prayer. Not because it’s easy (it’s not), not because I look forward to it (I’ don’t), not because when that sweet bell chimes after twenty minutes I feel as if I’ve touched the heavens (though I do breathe a sigh of relief for making it another day). I practice centering prayer (with practice being the key word here) because of its continual invitation to silence and still the mind in order to simply rest in the presence of God.

So far this fall has been filled to the brim for me, or at least it seems that way.

Every corner of my daily life seems to be overflowing with projects and tasks, from my work here at A Sacred Journey to my dining room that I hope to have painted by Thanksgiving. The influx of these projects and tasks are good signs, no doubt—I’m cleaning our Airbnb apartment multiple times a week because we’ve been nearly fully booked since we listed our space in July; I’ve shifted to devoting two of my work days to design work as inquiries and requests continue to flow in; I’m finally able to focus money and efforts on making my part of the house (rather than the basement below us) a home now that our basement renovation is complete.

When I pause and reflect on the reasons my days seem so much more full than they used to be, I’m grateful, no doubt. Yet in the midst of it all, it’s easy for projects that once were exciting to become mundane tasks, forever adding to my to-do list. At the end of the day I often feel uprooted, desperate for someplace to land.

This was especially true recently during a two week stint of traveling. (It always seems like a good idea when it’s months away, doesn’t it?) I had a few days at home in between two trips and had plenty of things I could devote my time to, including events and appointments scheduled each night. I was also aware that if I tried to do too much, I’d end up just as depleted by the end of the week as when it began, while still being unsatisfied with the work that was done (I struggle with being a bit too ambitious for the allotted time).

Knowing this (or better yet, knowing my inner groaning for slowness, space, and rest), I began my few days at home with a yin yoga practice on the theme of “fall,” and it changed everything.

3 Spiritual Practices You’re Already Doing (introvert edition)

I have a new post up on Quiet Revolution today about how introverts can turn 3 common practices of self-care into spiritual practices. Not to worry, extroverts—I plan on doing an extrovert edition right here sometime soon to balance things out. Subscribe here so you don’t miss it!

3-Spiritual-Practices-Youre-Already-Doing_SOURCE_getrefe

Image from Quiet Revolution

If you identify as an introvert, it’s likely that you’ve personally experienced the misconceptions of introversion and have been fighting these assumptions for much of your life. You know them well: introverts are reclusive, stuck in their heads, and—let’s not forget—shy.

Because we live in an extroverted culture, these traits are often deemed as negative. If you’re spending a lot of time alone, lost in thought, or are uninterested in engaging with anyone, something must be wrong, right?

But to us, these introverted traits are essential parts of our makeup. We need time alone to recharge our batteries; we process our experiences internally; and we prefer to stand at an arm’s length rather than jump right in. When we become aware of these tendencies, they become not simply traits—but acts—of self-care. Seeking out alone time becomes a practice of solitude; internal processing becomes a vehicle for self-discovery; and standing on the outskirts makes us keen observers.

As introverts, we know that the practices of solitude, self-discovery, and paying attention are part of our daily lives, and when we pursue them with the intention of connecting with the transcendent, they can become spiritual practices as well. Here’s how you can turn three acts of self-care you’re already pursuing into spiritual practices…

Read the rest of the post at Quiet Revolution »

Which pilgrim path are you on?

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the pilgrim at home

the pilgrim abroad

How to Practice Welcoming Prayer

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent.

Sacred Ordinary Days Podcast, S1|E14: Sending + Travel Companions

Even though it’s just in the 60s here in Seattle, I’m officially two weeks into my summer sabbatical.

My Struggle with Centering Prayer and Why I Return

I don’t like centering prayer, which is to say that I struggle with it daily.

How Yin Yoga is Becoming My Best Teacher This Fall

So far this fall has been filled to the brim for me, or at least it seems that way.

3 Spiritual Practices You’re Already Doing (introvert edition)

If you identify as an introvert, it’s likely that you’ve personally experienced the misconceptions of introversion and have been fighting these assumptions for much of your life. You know them well: introverts are reclusive, stuck in their heads, and—let’s not forget—shy.

Read the rest of the post at Quiet Revolution »

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