Let's Throw a Prayer Party

This morning I woke up to new "symbols" in my prayer space.  Next to the bible were 3 cheerios, which I have deemed symbolic of the Holy Trinity. Sounds good, doesn't it?  And, next to the candle was a toy car - still trying to determine the symbolic meaning of that one. I'm sure I'll come up with something, but  maybe a toy car is just a toy car.  This week, we're going to explore the idea of throwing a prayer party.  Most of the women I know love a little wine, something fun to eat, and  great conversation.  There are all kinds of parties to attend that include all of these elements.  Pampered Chef, tupperware, scrapbooking, langerie, and Christmas cookie exchanges are just a few of the parties that we get invited to from time to time.  When we go to a party, we want to feel uplifted, maybe come away with something new, and feel re-connected to old friends and possibly form new friendships too.  Add a Prayer Party to the list of reasons for getting together.  Prayer parties are a great way to share life, connect with people on a deeper level, and come away feeling refreshed and renewed in spirit.  They can be held in a home, a church setting, a park, a restaurant, or any other place you can think of.  Prayer Parties can have themes if you are a theme kinda person, or they can be very simple.  The idea of a prayer party is to gather together to share favorite scripture verses and prayers as well  experiences of God's activity in your life. Making prayer journals can also be a part of the prayer party.  Prayer Parties are a chance to share your wisdom and insight about how God has worked in your life.  Themes might include  Joy, Peace, Surrender, Love, Hope, Resurrection, Praise, Patience, Gratitude, and Trust.   If you choose a theme, then all of the scripture verses and prayers that are shared would be centered around that theme.   For example, Valentine's Day is coming up, which might be the perfect time to do a theme around Love.  Everyone invited to the prayer party would bring their favorite scripture verses and prayers around love.  People would also have the opportunity to share stories around this theme.  For example, they might want to share how they met their spouse, special times with grandparents, an event from their wedding day, or what it was like to hold a baby in their arms for the first time. Something else people might be willing to share would be a passage from a favorite book or prayer book, a devotion on that particular theme, or a quote from one of their favorite people. Other times of the year that are perfect for prayer parties include Lent, Epiphany, Advent, and Thanksgiving.  Prayer parties are also a wonderful activity if you are hosting a retreat day.  They can be designated as part of your retreat activities.   Food and drink at this party could include wine, chocolate, and finger foods.  Decorations could include candles and hearts.  The whole idea of a prayer party is to celebrate how God is working in your life with other people and to have fun while tending to your spirit.  This is the perfect party for a woman's group, mom's group, a small group at church, youth group or a couple's group.   A prayer party gives people permission to have conversations on a deeper level and to build communities and connections of the heart. A prayer party is encouraging to people who are trying to deepen their relationship with God and wanting more insight into their own spiritual journey.  Prayer is something to be celebrated, honored, and shared.  Prayer is God's gift to us and a prayer party is a wonderful way to share the awesome power of prayer in our lives.  Knowing that it is often difficult for people to say the word, God, let alone try to put into words where God is  inviting us spiritually, a prayer party is the perfect opportunity to practice our sharing skills, to practice putting into words what we can't see or touch, and to practice rooting our lives in sacred scripture, the holiness of our own thinking, and the beauty of practicing ritual.  Participating in a prayer party is also an opportunity to practice the skill of listening and honoring the wisdom of the one who is sharing.  In order to spiritually grow,  we must learn to listen to ourselves, to one another, and to the One Who Creates through us. Listen to another's thoughts, experiences, and wisdom.  Listening to what is pouring forth from another's heart without judgment, labels, or expectations is so important to our spiritual growth.  Because I find a part of me in you, what you share heals me, teaches me, expands my heart and grows me into the person I was mean to become. When I am able to celebrate God-in-you, I am also celebrating God-in-me.  There is no better reason to celebrate than that!
So, to recap -  Set a date for your prayer party.  Decide where you would like to have it.  Make a list of who to invite.  If you have quite a few people, you can break into smaller groups for sharing.  Choose a theme.
Choose some simple decorations to create a fun and prayerful environment.  Don't forget the food.  Door prizes are always fun - a mug of chocolates, journals,  note cards that reflect the theme,  small plants, candles, etc. are all ideas for door prizes.  Some prayer parties have people bring canned goods to donate to the local food shelf.  Be creative, be personal, and be passionate about your prayer party and be sure to pray ahead of time for the people who will attend.   Celebrate the awesome power of prayer in your life and the lives of others.  Give yourself permission to share your love of God with other people and celebrate all the good that God has done in your life.  Sharing the activity of God in your life is like a magnet that draws even more of God's miraculous activity into your life and the lives of other people. And who couldn't use a whole bunch of miraculous activity in their lives?    Next week:  Praying in the Morning and Unleashing the Power of God all Day Long

Creating A Prayer Space

This morning I have a zhu zhu pet village on my kitchen floor, a Batman cave sitting on my coffee table,  barbies all over the couch, and laundry piled high on my dining room table.  Finding a space in my house that is somewhat quiet, uncluttered, and conducive to prayer is hard to come by, so when a mother tells me that it is hard to find space in her own home just for her, I can definitely relate.  When it comes to developing and fostering a life of prayer, we do need to find some type of space where we can consistently go to and open our hearts to God.  As we open our heartspace to God, it helps to have a physical place in our homes that reflects what is happening on the inside of us.  A prayer space is very simple to create, doesn't have to be "fancy" and can be very inexpensive.  For starters, you need a comfortable place to sit.  A comfortable chair, a pillow on the floor, or your favorite spot on the couch will do.  Secondly,  it helps to have something near that space that calls you to prayer and draws God near you.  A shelf or an endtable nearby can hold a sacred object.  Any object that causes you to feel loved, prayerful, and faithful is perfect.  There are no objects that are "secular" when they cause you to connect with God-in-you. The obvious objects are lit candles, icons of saints, and the bible.  The not-so-obvious objects could be anything from nature.  Maybe you went hiking in the mountains and found a beautiful rock that you just love and reminds you of God's strength.  Or perhaps you love the season of autumn and you found a multicolored leaf reminding you of the need to let all that isn't of God to fall to the ground.  A picture of loved ones might sit in this place or a picture of your favorite vacation spot on the beach could rest there.  There are many words that you can now buy to hang on the wall or sit on a table or shelf that might be conducive to prayer.  Words like hope, faith, forgiveness, amen, and blessed are just a few that are very conducive to prayer and can express a quality you hope to express in your life.  Angels are always popular and are symbolic of the illumination of our thoughts and aligning our thinking with God's.  A favorite scripture verse from a card might sit near your prayer space.  Something else you might consider is a piece of cloth that evokes peacefulness or joy in you, something on the order of a table runner that might lie on your table and is a backdrop for your sacred objects.  Creativity and prayerfulness should be a part of planning your prayer space.  Mothers may want to put artwork there that their children have done in Sunday School or from their art class.  Mother's Day gifts might be perfect to pray with.  Notes that your children have written to you are perfect to pray with.  A small plant near your prayer space is especially symbolic of growth and new life.  The plants can change from season to season.  During Lent, a small cactus can be used to symbolize our "desert experience".  There is a plant called a Prayer Plant that is inexpensive and folds its leaves at night.  Both children and adults love this plant.  Plan your prayer space with prayer and creativity.  Part of praying can be the "setting up" of your prayer space.  If you have young children around, and you don't want to risk the objects of your prayer space getting lost or broken,  place your objects on a coffee table tray so they can be put up somewhere else until you are ready to pray in your chosen space.  Bringing the tray in and arranging the items prayerfully can begin to prepare your heart to enter the holy realms inside of you.  As you prepare your space, ask God to prepare your heart to receive his enlightenment and emanations.  As you pray over time, you will change and what you need in your prayer space will change.  A prayer space carries the energy of God and when that energy starts to wane and fade, you might want to consider changing up your prayer space to speak to your needs.  If you are feeling empty, you might place an empty cup in your prayer space.  If you are needing to be liberated from something, you might place a feather in your space, symbolic of flight.  If the verse, You will reap what you sow speaks to your heart, place a packet of seeds there.  The purpose of the prayer space is to reflect the spiritual place that you find your self in that moment.  A prayer space can be the catalyst for talking about your faith with your children or friends if it is in a place where it is seen.  You can teach your children how to create their own prayer space, or you can create a family prayer space as well, having everyone contribute something of value to that prayer space, where your entire family can gather to pray.  The ritual of preparing and gathering to pray in that space is so important to individual members, couples, and entire families.  Finally, one last thing, you might want to consider keeping near your prayer space is music.  Of course you can use your ipod or you can use your favorite CDs.  Whether you choose "religious" or "secular" music is up to you.  Pray with all types of music.  I even pray with Christmas music in the summer if that is where my spirit is at.  Classical, instrumental, spirituals, gospel, or contemporary is all good.  Music is the language of the soul, and God can speak to us in all types and varieties of music. There are no written rules to follow when it comes to creating a prayer space.  Your spirit is your guide to planning your space.  They can be as simple or elaborate as you would like as long as when you are there you are drawn to God and God is drawn to you.   Next week:  Throwing a Prayer Party