Tag: lectio divina

Coming soon to Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan: Sacred Rhythms

On By Julie McCartyIn Contemplative Living, Faith Communities, PrayerLeave a comment

Sneak preview:

When Lent begins later this month, Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan, MN will be using the program Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. Based on gospel stories and ancient Christian practices, this program includes such topics as longing for more, praying with Scripture, making space for God, finding God in everyday experiences, and cultivating our own sacred rhythms.

“Sacred Rhythms” will be offered at various times beginning mid-Feb:

  • Wednesday afternoons  with Pastor Paul,
  • Sunday evenings with Pastors Kris, Kevin, & Sarah,
  • Monday evenings or Thursday mornings at Chick Talk women’s group with Julie McCarty (yep, that’s me). 

For details on exact times, dates, locations, visit easter.org (click on Lenten worship), or call the parish office,651-452-3680.

If you cannot attend, the Sacred Rhythms book, participant’s guide, and DVD make for great discussions in small groups or as springboard for Lenten journaling.  

More Info (FAQ’s):

  • Want to preview the sessions? Visit YouTube and search “ruth haley barton sacred rhythms.”
  • Which book do I buy? Easter Lutheran will be selling the main text for $15, or you can order from major booksellers online. If you are in a small group that hates reading, you could watch the DVD segments together and do the participant’s guides with your bibles.
  • What if I’m not a member at Easter, or not even Lutheran? Come anyway! All are welcome. No fee except for buying the book if you want.
  • What if I can’t make all the sessions? Slip into one of the other discussion groups that week, or just come whenever you can.
  • Can I bring a friend? Is it for both men and women? Yes! All are welcome! That includes interested teens, too. (Chick Talk, as the title suggests, is a women’s group…)

Invitation: Contemplative Spiritual Practices Group

On By Julie McCartyIn Contemplative Living, God in everyday, Journaling, Prayer, Spiritual aerobics, Spiritual growthLeave a comment
Sunrise beach walk--photo by Julie McCarty--click to enlarge

Every now and then, I find I have to do something to spice up my relationship with God. Like any relationship, God and I can get stuck in a rut, take things for granted, or let things go a little stale. Of course, it’s not really God who is letting things flounder, but rather I am the one who gets a little lazy or distracted.   (Sometimes the feeling of boredom or being stuck in a rut in prayer can really be God calling one to a deeper way of prayer—but that is the subject of another article.)

One way I hope to put a little pizazz into my prayer life this summer is by meeting with a small faith group to explore various contemplative spiritual practices. For six sessions, meeting every other week, we will be exploring different ways from the Christian tradition to pray and relate to God.

We will be meeting every other Wednesday beginning on June 29th, from 7:00 to 8:30 at a member’s home. Because of my background and training in this area, I will be facilitating the first few meetings. This group is part of the small group ministry at Easter Lutheran Church (ELCA) here in Eagan, Minnesota, but one does not have to be a member in order to join us. So you are welcome to attend if you are interested.

To begin with, the book we will be using is called Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices by Daniel Wolpert. The author lives up in the area of Crookston, MN, and is a church pastor with many  credentials and experience in teaching Christian prayer. We’ll be looking at only 2 chapters per meeting so as to allow time between sessions to experiment with prayer on your own. The book is available from Amazon, Border’s, and Barnes and Noble for about $11. Local stores would probably order it for you. Topics include how to pray using short passages from Scripture, journaling, praying in nature, integrating prayer and life experience, finding God in silence, and other topics. The book is very helpful, but you do not have to obtain it before the first meeting.

Creating a Life with God explains how to pray with Scripture using the ancient Christian method called lectio divina (sacred reading), the Jesus Prayer, entering into silence and solitude, finding God in day-to-day experiences, journaling, the role of body in prayer, praying in nature, etc.  It looks at how various Christians of the past used these different ways to build their spiritual lives. You can read more about this book at the publisher’s site here  and a review of it here.

As I mentioned, if you live close enough to join us, we would love to have you come. Just contact me for more info and directions to our first meeting location at a member’s home. (Click on contact page above.)

And if you are interested but cannot attend, think about reading the book yourself. Feel free to send questions to be discussed on this blog if you like.

Until next time, God be with you,  Amen!