Everyone must find their own path to the experience of Love. Among the Awakening Practices offered in our recent discipleship series, there may be one that struck a chord with you – one that you might want to try on a regular basis.

It can feel like a huge step to make a change in your daily routine, and there are many things in our lives that tend to squeeze out inclusion of something new. So, rather than having to say, “I will do this awakening practice from now on,” why not consider committing yourself to a 30-day trial period conducting an experiment with one of the practices to see what impact it has on you.

The word “experiment” may sound too scientific or clinical applied to daily prayer, but since the nature of awakening practice is relational and experiential, the outcomes can only be known as your personal experiment is conducted. The love of Jesus plus the unique person you are, combined with the catalyst of a consistently applied prayer practice yields – what? Only you can find out!

Make plans to process through the experience in some way when you have completed the 30 day trial period.  If you are part of a group, you may want to decide on a date now to get together to discuss the experience sometime after the 30 days.  Or you can come to the July 21st Prayer Practice to discuss with others.   You might choose to pair up with just one other person to talk things through one on one. Or you may prefer to journal about it to process through your thoughts.

Why would we allow anything to prevent us from embracing more of the "Life Within" that Jesus is offering to us? Commitment to a daily awakening practice may be just the thing we need to "wake up" to more of the Love of God at our core. Our "30 Day Experiment" will begin Sunday June 19th and extend through Monday, July 18.

Some of the practices we explored through the Awakening Series (Instructions for engaging with the practices can be downloaded from this page) below:

• Breath Prayer
• Sacred Reading
• Living Water Prayer
• Practing Presence
• Centering Prayer
• Ignatian Meditation 
• Examen  

Support Opportunities:

• We invite groups to consider setting a date in the summer to come together and process their experiences and support one another. 
• Thursday, June 16th Prayer Practice 7-9 pm in the historic Barn will be a preparation time, where we will spend some of the evening for questions and answers to offer any kind of support and discussion for engaging with the 30 days. 
• Thursday, July 21st Prayer Practice, 7-9 pm in the historic Barn will be an opportunity for individuals and groups to come and de-brief and discuss the 30 day experiment, and share insights and personal stories. 
• On Saturday, August 27th from 9am to 4pm in the historic Barn, there will be a "listening" spiritual retreat that will incorporate prayer methods for listening to God and paying attention to the inner self, such as imaginative prayer, practicing presence, centering prayer, Theophostic Prayer Ministry, and more.  Registration begins in the CRCC commons on July 17^th.  Stay connected for more information.