Good Morning Ladies!!

 

Prayer is one of the most important parts of our faith.  It is what unites us with God, His Mother, and the saints.  Without a strong prayer life, our faith can be nothing but stagnant.

Someone really smart once said that there is no way for us to remain at the same place in our journey of faith; we are either moving forward or going backwards.  It’s like standing in a river; you’re either swimming upstream, or floating violently down.  And no matter how hard it might be to continue upstream, it will always be better than going down.

None the less, times of spiritual stagnancy are going to happen.  And we are going to have our hard days.

When I received this book from Beacon Publishing, I was going through one of these ‘hard times’ of prayer.  I was lacking motivation and kept pushing off my prayers.  It was frustrating because I know that, when I put time aside for Christ, my days go so much better.  But, like Matthew Kelly is well known for saying, resistance always has its say in what we choose to do with our time.  I knew what would make me truly happy, but I just didn’t want to listen.

I kept listening to that ‘do it later’ voice.

I guess all I needed was a whole lot of Jesus and a witty book filled with warm hearted advice.

When I started reading Mary Beth’s book, it was like I was opening my tired soul to a whole new world of spiritual possibilities.  This spunky woman behind the pages was quickly showing me a whole new way of communicating with the God of the Universe.  It was personal, effective, creative, and much more.  But most importantly, it did not come with a rule book of how to’s.  It would be different for each person, tailored to their unique style and prayer habits.

You might be wondering, “What are you talking about??”  Well let me tell you, my friend!

Prayer Journaling!!

Just like other forms of prayer, prayer journaling will look different for every person.  For some people, prayer journaling is a way to be super creative as they pray.  Others use it to simply write down their prayers, praises, thanksgivings, and doubts.  And still others use it to simply bask in the presence of God and have a tangible way to do so.

No matter how you find your way to praying with a pen, I know you can easily take this time to grow closer to Christ through prayer and simply speak to Him.

As I was trying to find a way out of my little spiritual rut, I was very intrigued by what Mary Beth had to say about journaling.  But I also had to figure out how it would work for me.  I knew how I liked to pray and it was easy to see how journaling could work into that routine.  But it might take some time.  So, don’t lose heart!!

Instead of going straight to the writing, I pull out my bible and read a few verses to get those spiritual juices flowing.  I underline a few things and then, something specific sticks out.  Maybe it is a praise, or a question, or maybe it is just something Jesus said that I hadn’t really heard that way before.  That’s when I pull out my journal.  Sometimes I write down the verse and just think about exactly what it might mean to me.  Other times I just write it down and then keep reading.  It all depends.

Prayer journaling is the perfect opportunity to put your thoughts before God.  And really, sometimes it just helps for you to see them in the paper yourself.  Before you know it, you have been praying for quite some time and may have just found some much needed answers.  And you might also have a handful of fully covered notebook pages!!

I firmly encourage you to check out Mary Beth Weisenburger’s new book, Praying with a Pen, to learn more about the beautiful ideas that surround the habit of prayer journaling.  Don’t feel like you have to fit a mold.  Simply talk to God and let Him speak through the words on the paper.  I know He will never disappoint you as you strive to grow closer to Him.

Thank you so very much, Beacon Publishing, for sending me this beautiful book!!  I absolutely loved getting to check it out and learn from Mary Beth’s wise words!

Maddy