Tuesday, December 11, 2018

A New Daily Devotional Resource for a New Christian Year . . .

The Season of Advent (the 4 Sundays before Chistmas Day) marks the beginning of the new Christian year.   This is the time of year I usually pick a new daily devotional resource to use.

I've made the decision to once again use one of the books from the Guide to Prayer series written by the late Bishop Rueben P. Jones and Norman Shawchuck.   Both of these spiritual leaders have passed from this world militant to the Church triumphant.  Their resources have guided many pastors and laity in their daily devotional journeys since the original Guide to Prayer was first published in 1983.

This new Christian year, I will be using the final volume of the series, A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God.   This volume is somewhat different than previous volumes, in that the prayers are centered more on scripture and ancient forms of prayer.  These ancient spiritual prayers and practices speak to many of us, who although near retirement from "professional ministry," still seek to envision the return of the current church to the spirituality of the first three centuries of the Christianity that followed the resurrection of Christ.

This is not a simple read a scripture, story and prayer devotional.  Using A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God involves times of silence, reflection and written journaling.  I find that this type of daily devotional takes me 15-30 minutes to complete in a way which blesses me.

But most importantly, this type of disciplined spiritual practive has blessed many in helping them draw closer to God, and inviting Christ into the center of their lives.

This resource is available from Cokesbury Bookstore (www.cokesbury.com).

Rick ><>

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I don't feel dressed without having a pen, pencil and notebook with me!

I'm at the age where I pretty much know what I like to have with me in terms of every-day-carry.   I like 4"x6" sized notebook...