Weekly Videos

Month 1 Reading

  • Matthew 4:17-25

    Luke 5:1-11; 27-39

  • John 1:35-51

    Luke 19:1-10

  • Mark 8:34-9:1

    John 12:20-36

  • Mark 10:17-31

    John 3:1-21

“This is the fundamental secret of caring for our souls. Our part in thus practicing the presence of God is to direct and redirect our minds constantly to Him. In the early time of our “practicing” we may well be challenged by our burdensome habits of dwelling on things less than God. But these are habits—not the law of gravity—and can be broken. A new, grace-filled habit will replace the former ones as we take intentional steps toward keeping God before us. Soon our minds will return to God as the needle of a compass constantly returns to the north. If God is the great longing of our souls, He will become the pole star of our inward beings.”

-Dallas Willard

Prayer Practice

To help with your practice this month, here are some helpful podcast episodes.

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

Questions for Prayer Practice

  • First thing in the morning? After my workout? At night? On my lunch break? When the kids are napping? Many people find first thing in the morning to be best, but not always. As a general rule, give God your best time of day, when you are most awake and aware.

  • Most of us find it incredibly helpful to choose a dedicated space for prayer — a room in our home, a corner in our bedroom, a park bench near our house, or a literal prayer closet. This place can become a kind of modern-day altar, where you go to open to God. Not because God hears us better at an altar, but because we hear God better!

  • What posture is best for me? Sitting on a chair, a couch, or the floor? Kneeling? Standing? Walking? Lying down? Out loud or quiet? Does it help to begin with deep breathing first? How do I get my body to work with my heart’s desire for God, not against it?

  • There’s no “right” answer (to this or any of the other questions), but as a general rule: long enough to become present to God. And that may take a bit longer than you expect. If you have a newborn child or some other extenuating circumstances that make 30 minutes too hard, that’s fine. Start where you are and take the next step forward in your journey.

In general, if we can’t pray for 30 minutes a day, we’re simply too busy. And we need to take a serious life audit of what we believe is most important to us. After all, we’re not trying to layer on more Christian busyness to our already over-maxed lives; we’re trying to slow down and simplify our lives around what we most deeply desire — God.