Clearpath.Life
  • Home
  • Prayers & Psalms
    • Prayers & Psalms

      All Singing – A Movement Meditation

      November 15, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      Prayer and Meditation

      November 1, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      A Prayer for the Vulnerable

      May 7, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      5 Weekly Prayers to Practice During Lent

      March 14, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      12 HAIKU Meditations For the Delicately Deliberate

      June 7, 2018

  • Stories
    • Stories

      Servant Series: LARA LANPHIER, DANCING MISSIONARY

      May 30, 2019

      Stories

      Servant Series: SUZANNE WALLACE, DIRECTOR OF LOVING PEOPLE

      May 24, 2019

      Stories

      Servant Stories: THE THOMPSON’S FOSTER-TO-ADOPT JOURNEY

      May 7, 2019

      Stories

      Intrusions of Grace: LESSONS FROM AN UBER DRIVER

      February 7, 2019

      Stories

      Artist Spotlight: BRIAN HALL, ARTIST & SONGWRITER

      November 14, 2018

  • Text
    • Text

      The First “Friendsgiving”?

      November 28, 2019

      Text

      Taking it for Granted

      April 11, 2019

      Text

      Jesus, Royal Servant: THE PARADOX OF SERVANTHOOD

      April 4, 2019

      Text

      Film Analysis: THE REVENANT and the Redemption of…

      March 28, 2019

      Text

      Transactional vs. Relational Repentance: ASH WEDNESDAY

      March 6, 2019

  • Art
    • Art

      The First “Friendsgiving”?

      November 28, 2019

      Art

      All Singing – A Movement Meditation

      November 15, 2019

      Art

      Good Friday – Christ’s Passion on Display: A…

      April 19, 2019

      Art

      Thursday of Mysteries – Jesus, the Passover Punching…

      April 18, 2019

      Art

      Film Review: UP, A Discovery of Grief

      November 7, 2019

  • About
    • The Why
    • The Team
    • Clearpath Dallas
  • Store

Clearpath.Life

  • Home
  • Prayers & Psalms
    • Prayers & Psalms

      All Singing – A Movement Meditation

      November 15, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      Prayer and Meditation

      November 1, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      A Prayer for the Vulnerable

      May 7, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      5 Weekly Prayers to Practice During Lent

      March 14, 2019

      Prayers & Psalms

      12 HAIKU Meditations For the Delicately Deliberate

      June 7, 2018

  • Stories
    • Stories

      Servant Series: LARA LANPHIER, DANCING MISSIONARY

      May 30, 2019

      Stories

      Servant Series: SUZANNE WALLACE, DIRECTOR OF LOVING PEOPLE

      May 24, 2019

      Stories

      Servant Stories: THE THOMPSON’S FOSTER-TO-ADOPT JOURNEY

      May 7, 2019

      Stories

      Intrusions of Grace: LESSONS FROM AN UBER DRIVER

      February 7, 2019

      Stories

      Artist Spotlight: BRIAN HALL, ARTIST & SONGWRITER

      November 14, 2018

  • Text
    • Text

      The First “Friendsgiving”?

      November 28, 2019

      Text

      Taking it for Granted

      April 11, 2019

      Text

      Jesus, Royal Servant: THE PARADOX OF SERVANTHOOD

      April 4, 2019

      Text

      Film Analysis: THE REVENANT and the Redemption of…

      March 28, 2019

      Text

      Transactional vs. Relational Repentance: ASH WEDNESDAY

      March 6, 2019

  • Art
    • Art

      The First “Friendsgiving”?

      November 28, 2019

      Art

      All Singing – A Movement Meditation

      November 15, 2019

      Art

      Good Friday – Christ’s Passion on Display: A…

      April 19, 2019

      Art

      Thursday of Mysteries – Jesus, the Passover Punching…

      April 18, 2019

      Art

      Film Review: UP, A Discovery of Grief

      November 7, 2019

  • About
    • The Why
    • The Team
    • Clearpath Dallas
  • Store
0
Category:

Text

    The PRACTICE of Prayer
    Text

    The PRACTICE of Prayer

    written by JD Leman

    RISK is something of a passion, especially when it involves my physical body. My willingness to subject myself to pain dramatically increases when there is a level of uncomfortable danger inherent within the activity. Looking back, I would have never equated the establishing of a morning rhythm devoted to prayer as a risky endeavor particularly because I view its danger rating as inconsequential.

    I’ve always found fasting laborious, mentally challenging, and obsessively difficult. Hunger consumed all capacity to think, causing brain function to be less enlightened or more exhausted. And my past attempts to follow a biblical reading plan inevitably ended in some form of shame, guilt, and self-condemnation as I would lie to myself through zombie pages and unread days.

    Perhaps this sounds bleak, especially when you realize that I hold the title of Co-Leader of a small, non-denominational river church just outside of Chicago. Comparison told me that pastoral staffs seamlessly string together multiple water-only fasts while digesting copious amounts of scripture… on the daily.  Four years into this job, and I was still unable (unwilling) to make the commitment to some type of sacrifice.

    Mornings are my thing and 4:30 am alarms are ordinary. Subsequently, the near random decision to walk 450 ft. to our church at 5:30a would cost me very little. Piously, I announced to the staff that I would be hosting a morning prayer hour on weekdays for the month of May. That whispered voice of comparison continued to tell me that leaders are forerunners, flag bearers, and risk takers. In a subtle nod to my nature, I embarked on the riskless adventure of establishing a rhythmic nature to prayer.

    Initially, the mornings struggled to find their cadence. Having no predictable patterns by which I prayed, an hour that I directed meandered amongst many diverse approaches. Some in attendance came armed with prayer lists that were read as if on a page of incantations. Others brought their instruments even though my laptop always provided the soundtrack for the morning. Admittedly, I hadn’t thought out this new morning routine; it evolved because I needed a challenge in life, and my pastoral guilt felt prayer necessary on some internal level. It was a casual risk I was willing to grab even if it lacked all elements of danger. I didn’t serve coffee, the lights were left off, there was no attendance sheet, nor had a liturgy emerged. I was determined to spend my mornings in an effort to see what agenda-less prayer might create.

    There is no formation without repetition. Early within this lifecycle, that phrase fastened to my spirit and rested in my core. Over the days and weeks, a trail began to clear before me and with it the realization that there had to be a level of repetition in order to create some type of lasting legacy. Within my quest for repetition, formation had taken root. My discipline in May had morphed into desire as summer transitioned to fall. This simple act, rote in nature, of sacrificing sixty minutes to the presence of the Divine had left acutely focused attention where there had previously been disappointment.

    Upon this level, I realized the cost of my adventure. My repetition created formation which led to attention that washed over to pure adoration of the One. My spirit, now forever changed, had wagered my habits against the power of heaven. These same habits now laid on the floor around me in critical danger of never being used again.

    I am sitting eight months into my riskless journey, and I have found myself engulfed by the practice of a daily rhythm that emanates from prayer. My journey is uniquely mine, but the destination is familiar to many. Find your cadence by risking your habits that hold back the formation of your Divine adoration.

     

    Photo by Nathan Dumlao 

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    January 4, 2019 0 comment
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    Julian Adams Talks Advent and the New Year (VIDEO)

    by Julian Adams December 20, 2018

      Check out more from Julian:  5 Keys to Good Prophetic Words & Creative by Nature…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    Madness in Our Method: AN UNSETTLING TREND IN MODERN CHRISTIANITY

    by Jeremy Pace November 30, 2018

    One striking feature of the story of our faith in scripture is that there is…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    A How-To Guide for Celebrating Advent with Your Kids

    by Kristin Davis November 30, 2018

    I’m always looking for ways to make my faith a more integrated part of my…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    1 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    The 3 Questions that Shaped Me

    by Randall Worley November 13, 2018

    When we were small children, our brains were shaped like a question mark. We arrived…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    3 Contemplative Prayer Questions to Ask Before You Vote

    by Jordan Sutton October 25, 2018

    I expected to have it all figured out. I felt like maturity in God, meant…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    A Word on Eugene Peterson

    by Jeremy Pace October 25, 2018

    There have been a handful of persons whose relationship with our Father, companionship with the…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    Good Wines Paired with Good Conversation: HOW TO HOST A WINE-TASTING PARTY

    by Andrea Sutton October 17, 2018

    The best pairings for wine are good company and conversation. I love wine. But I…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    Let Me Tell You About My Friends: FORMATIVE FRIENDSHIP

    by Camille D.C. Sutton October 17, 2018

    Oh, the fine art of friendship. Surely, a lifelong craft such as friendship deserves the…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
  • Text

    2 Keys for Spiritual Formation When You’re Busy

    by Jeremy Pace October 10, 2018

    This is a practical article. If you stick with your initial effort and persist to…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Email
    0 Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Connect

Facebook Twitter Instagram Spotify

Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Tweets

The First “Friendsgiving”? https://t.co/iSvbUpvwHZ https://t.co/YlrEQt5XHS

28-Nov-2019

Reply Retweet Favorite
All Singing – A Movement Meditation https://t.co/uCkDHXHdoD https://t.co/f2eAbsh7Cj

15-Nov-2019

Reply Retweet Favorite
Film Review: UP, A Discovery of Grief https://t.co/xMz7ezq4nv https://t.co/tNex8xFLIP

07-Nov-2019

Reply Retweet Favorite
Prayer and Meditation https://t.co/UwUOmQ2IgM https://t.co/IMOuuQf1gt

01-Nov-2019

Reply Retweet Favorite
Servant Series: LARA LANPHIER, DANCING MISSIONARY https://t.co/IoLgusS53o https://t.co/zdgWQ6jRgS

30-May-2019

Reply Retweet Favorite

Popular Posts

  • Rethinking Hell: MY JOURNEY THROUGH DOUBT AND FAITH

  • Artist Spotlight: YA’KE DISCUSSES FILM AND FAITH

  • ClearPath.Life in 50 Seconds

  • I Am Repenting: A PASTOR’S INDIFFERENCE TO THE OPPRESSED

Join Our Newsletter

Subscribe for our Newsletter for new articles, stories & media. Join our table of conversation!

Categories

  • Art (42)
  • Featured (9)
  • Popular (4)
  • Prayers & Psalms (9)
  • Stories (11)
  • Text (62)

Stay in the Know!

Subscribe for our Newsletter for new articles, stories & media. Join our table of conversation!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Spotify
Footer Logo

Developed by Runway Advisors

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.