Looking at it now…. I might try the free month trial to see what I think. Thanks for sharing this, David!

Found this: http://www.universalis.com/n-ios.htm
(Haven’t downloaded; will look properly on the morrow)

I hadn’t heard of her but after a quick scan she does look interesting. I should more Wow. My version would be “Help, Thanks, Whoops”.

I’m glad both those books were good for you too, David! Have you ever read Anne Lamott’s book, “Help, Thanks, Wow”? It sounds like you could write your own version of it. I don’t know if you would like her style; she’s not academic at all and can come across as irreverent, depending on how you read her. But I really like her; she’s very authentic.

A divine hours app….that would be a much better approach for me. I keep returning to the Vineyard Church website but they haven’t always updated it when I check.

I loved both “Pray, Write, Grow” and Keating’s “Open Mind, Open Heart”. I’ve read them both at least twice and keep going back to them.

My prayers do tend to have a set structure – essentially “Thank you, Sorry, Please” – which helps me cover what I should, but it can mean I do it on auto-pilot. That always feels drab, when sometimes just a “Dear Lord” can be wonderful.

There must be a Divine Hours app, no? I would love having to pray – by surprise, wrench me out of what I’m doing and spend a moment inviting God’s presence.

David

I did the divine hours great while on retreat but slowly faded once home. I know some people do them 3-4 times a day when home. I set timer on my phone too so most days at least pause for prayer but far, far from really practicing this discipline. A challenge…

I’m glad to hear that you have had success through many of these avenues, Bettie. That encourages me. I’ve been trying to pray through the hours the past several days but going through all the scriptures and responses three times a day seems a little overwhelming to me right now. 🙁 I do keep an ongoing conversation with God throughout my day, so hopefully I can find a healthy balance of adding in the hours in a way that feels beneficial but not like another to-do list. I appreciate hearing what has been helpful to you!

I hope the app will be able to move you through this season, Patti. You can spend as much or as little time with the app as your day allows.

I’ve been reading Ed’s blog and books the past few years. He’s very open and honest about how his own path has altered through the years, so I find his words encouraging to me on my own faith journey. I don’t know if he is a blogging friend of Floyd’s as well, but I wouldn’t be surprised if so. Hope you’ve been doing well! I see that you’ve been very busy with so much going on in your family.

I know; I have to remind myself often that it’s not about the results from contemplative prayer but just spending time with God. It’s hard to break out of our Western mindset. 🙁 But we are getting there. I’ve been trying to do the Divine Hours the past few days, but whew, it’s a lot. I may scale it down to something that is more reasonable to get started.