Author: webcoord

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

Although we may want to set aside some time to be with God and to pray, at times we may not know how to get started or what to pray for. This is particularly the case if we have had a busy day, or are facing a stressful time. It is important to broaden our prayers beyond our immediate worries, and to avoid having our prayers become narrow or repetitive. A useful way of overcoming these obstacles to prayer is to adopt a “Pattern of Prayer” and use it on a regular basis – a pattern that is easy to remember and to use, and includes several kinds of prayer, Often using an Acronym helps us find our way into prayer and to identify what we are led to include in our prayers.. This article contains some suggested ways of developing a prayer rhythm or Pattern of Prayer.
Continue reading “Developing a Pattern of Prayer”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

Children can know and experience God in prayer. We are all on a faith journey together and prayer is an essential part of any faith journey. Children need to pray, just like all of us, but they need to be taught. Children learn in all sorts of ways—by example, by experience, and by education (i.e. being taught). They are primarily influenced by what their parents, caregivers, and teachers and they imitate them. If those who have the greatest influence over the children pray regularly, children will follow.
Continue reading “How can children learn to pray?”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

Yes. I think so.

Pastoral Care is to care for and be “present” to others – to be there in times of sickness, joy, sorrow or in times of celebration, or transition:
Continue reading “Does prayer have a place in Pastoral Care?”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

Yes, I think it does matter!

We need to be connected to God as we go about our daily lives. More and more of us are keeping connected to our friends and business colleagues by electronic means (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn ), but we find it challenging to keep connected to God in prayer on our own. While we may pray for God’s help on an ad hoc basis when we, or others close to us, face difficulties, we often can’t find the time, energy, or discipline to pray regularly by ourselves. We are so busy “doing” that we have difficulty finding a way to fit prayer into our lives outside of Sunday.
Continue reading “Does it matter if I only pray at Sunday worship services?”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey and it is the spiritual content that differentiates it from any other kind of tour, expedition or trip. A pilgrim is not a tourist. It is a way of getting yourself out of the way. While I was walking on the Camino de Santiago in Spain several years ago, I crafted my own definition of a pilgrim: A Pilgrim is a person who is on an inward spiritual journey of learning and growth that involves some element of loss or pain, and which most often coincides with a physical journey from place to place. Most often the physical destination is a sacred place that has spiritual and religious meaning. Continue reading “What is a Pilgrimage?”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

In a typical day, we are bombarded with sights and sounds that compete with what the Bible calls, the “still, small, voice of God. God wants to have a relationship with each one of us, and part of that relationship involves promptings and leadings from the Holy Spirit. But we need to learn to hear God’s voice and to filter out the noise of the world, so we can distinguish what really is from God.
Continue reading “How can we learn to listen to God?”

Prayer Matters

Paul Dumbrille

Fasting has been observed by Christians from earliest times. Jesus himself practised fasting. When he received the gift of the Holy Spirit, he entered the wilderness and fasted. (Luke 4: 1-2). There are scriptural references to fasting in the Old and New Testaments and fasting in Lent is a widespread practice. Continue reading “What is Fasting All About”