Thursday, September 15, 2011

Prayer Series Wrap-up and Giveaway

 by Dina Sleiman

Today I’m wrapping up my series on prayer. If you’ve been following throughout the summer, you might have noticed that I used the word “prayer” in a different way than you expected. That prayer for me is not simply talking at God, but rather time spent in relationship with him. In my posts about prayer, I’ve included information about Bible reading, meditating, praise and worship, art, nature, and simply resting in God’s presence. Have you noticed that the Bible often refers to “prayers and petitions.” Sometimes I wonder if what the evangelical church has come to think of as prayer, is in fact merely the petition part.

This series was inspired by my own reading of Mystically Wired by Ken Wilson. In this comprehensive manual he talks about our spiritual senses, that we were wired to meet with God, and how prayer is meant to be enjoyed. While I added other ideas and techniques I've learned throughout my spiritual walk, this book revived my interest in sharing my love for prayer with others and deserves credit for kicking off this study.

My goal throughout the series was to equip you with a sort of “prayer toolbox.” To expose you to styles of prayer from various backgrounds and denominations, so that you could find the type of prayer that best ministers to you and best helps you find intimate relationship with your creator. Many of the Inkies and our followers have commented that they’ve learned something new that blessed them during this time. So let’s go back and re-cap in case you missed anything.

With Unveiled Faces http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/05/with-unveiled-faces.html In my first installment of this series, we discussed our spiritual senses, and that while we might  begin by “seeing through a glass darkly,” as we spend time in God’s presence, we will view him more and more clearly “with unveiled faces.”

Lectio Divina http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/05/lectio-divina.html Do you desire a personal word from God? This post will inspire you to ruminate on scripture looking for those special words that glimmer. Through the process of divine reading, you will be encouraged to mull over those words and hear God’s personal message for you.

Open the Eyes of My Heart http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/06/open-eyes-of-my-heart.html This article discusses how to use your inner imaging system to picture meeting with God, as well as to imagine the truth of scripture in your life, thereby igniting your faith.

Listen Already! http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/06/listen-already.html Too often we focus on talking to God in prayer, but how much better to be quiet and listen for his answers. He knows our problems, and only he knows the solutions. This article will give you some practical tips for tuning your inner ear to God’s voice.

A Place to Pray http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/07/place-to-pray.html Based on the assumption that prayer is meant to be enjoyed, this article will encourage you to prepare a special place to meet with God, surrounded by items that will inspire you and have you longing to return to God’s presence again and again.

A Time to Pray http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/07/time-to-pray.html Discouraged by your attempts to establish a regular prayer routine? This post provides practical advice to help you incorporate prayer time into your everyday life.

Put Your Mind at Ease http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/08/put-your-mind-at-ease.html In response to God’s instruction to pray with both the spirit and the understanding, this article discusses ways to relax your mind and pray from your spirit, including spontaneous artistic expression, repeated scriptures, and praying with a prayer language.

Deep and Wide http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2011/08/deep-and-wide.html In this final installment we talked about different methods for Bible reading, prayer, and worship that help us to go both deep and wide, allowing for quality and quantity time with God

Did you learn anything new in this series? What is the most important lesson you've ever learned about prayer? Do you have any questions about prayer or intimacy with Christ?

And since the idea for this series was inspired by Mystically Wired, today I’d like to giveaway a copy. Leave a comment about prayer and your email address in a safe formant (i.e. myname at gmail dot com) in order to win.
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 Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. She was the Overall Winner in the 2009 Touched by Love contest for unpublished authors. Her first novel, Dance of the Dandelion, will release with Whitefire Publishing in 2011. She has recently become an acquisitions editor for WhiteFire as well. Join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace. For more info visit her at http://dinasleiman.com/
 

14 comments:

  1. Oh, Dina, I've been telling myself on and off all summmer, "Go buy that book on prayer that Dina has been raving about." Then the thought fades out of my mind.

    One thing that I feel God has been teaching me through this series and through another book I read this (early) summer (The Rest of the Gospel) is to be still and listen. I want God to answer yet I don't stop my busyness to listen.

    So I tell myself that my spirit is in union with God's spirit. I can know the thoughts of God (His will, His desires) because we're binded together.

    The more I hear God speak the better I am at distinguishing between His voice and my want-His-Voice-to-say.

    Thanks for doing this series! Yes, I must read this book.

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  2. Gina, that's so awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. Who knows, maybe the book fairy will bring you one.

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  3. Dina,
    I look forward to reading your series on prayer. I definitely agree with you about prayer being communion with God not just our time of petitioning Him. Sometimes I think that my son knows this better than I do. When we are praying at night, he will sometimes just be silent before God. Maybe I'll take a lesson from him! God bless!
    Brooke
    designinglife at juno dot com

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  4. Brooke, one day at church my youngest son (then 8) pulled his hoodie up over his head and tucked in his knees and was just sitting like that during the worship time. After a while I stopped singing to check on him. He said he was "soaking in the Holy Spirit."

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  5. Cute, comment about your son, Dina. We can learn so much from the innocence of kids.

    I loved this series so much. I'm kind of sad it's over. But I'll look forward to reading Mystically Wired, and I'll be going back and reading your posts in this series over and over. There's so much to learn and be reminded of here.

    There are so many lessons I've learned in this, but I think the most important is to calm myself and free my mind from all of the clutter and listen.

    Great job, Dina.

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  6. Thanks, Suzie. I think it is a good one to read over and over. Just in preparing this recap I noticed some areas I was doing well in and others I had let slip lately.

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  7. Dina, thank you for the recap. I love having an index for reference.

    As for the most important thing I ever learned about prayer... is that I can talk to Him anywhere, but if I really want to hear Him, I need to be still and receptive without distractions.

    Good job with the series, Dina.

    Anita Mae.

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  8. Excellent point, Anita. I agree wholeheartedly.

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  9. Great series
    This book jump started my personal devotions time and I ENJOY the sound of the alarm to call to devotion early in the morning. Reading the Bible now is better than reading friends updates on Facebook :)

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  10. Yes, and every time I buy I new copy of this book, it somehow manages to disappear. LOL.

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  11. Thanks for the recap, Dina! I appreciate having an index of the posts. I think I need to get this book!

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  12. Hmmm, what happened? I was sure I posted this morning.Must have been dreaming.
    I ditto Susie. Nice to have everything in an organized list. Ahh, you know how I love lists!

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  13. I aim to please, ladies.

    Hmm...looks like at the moment Brooke's odds are pretty good.

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  14. Just stopping by to make it offical--Brooke is our winner. Congratulations, and I will email you for your street address.

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We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

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