Countdown to Prayer
7 Web Resources to enrich your prayer life
www.sacredspace.ie daily prayer and reflection using a scripture reading for the day
www.24-7prayer.com encouraging prayer
www.approachestoprayer.info plenty to explore
www.prayingincolor.com using doodles and colouring to enable your prayer.
www.thykingdom.co.uk Anglican initiative to encourage prayer and praying for people to grow in knowing God
www.trypraying.org encouragement to people who may never have tried prayer.
www.taketime.org.uk offers meditations on Gospel passages to listen to.
6 Free Apps to support your prayer life
Daily Prayer – using the daily offices from Common Worship
Prayer Mate – helps keep track of your praying
Pray As You Go – daily led meditations on a Bible passage
Sacred Space – daily reflective prayer around bible reading
Bible Gateway – access to many bible translations
Reimagining the Examen – Using the Ignatian ‘Review of the Day’ this offers ways of discerning God’s presence and invitations in your everyday experiences. 5 Books exploring prayer
God of Surprises by Gerard W Hughes: A classic highly acclaimed book on the journey of prayer and encountering God in our life.
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster: A comprehensive guide to developing a wide range of ways of prayer.
Landmarks by Margaret Silf: Drawing upon the insights of St Ignatius of Loyola this offers insights on recognising God’s ceaseless action in our lives and discerning God’s will for us.
Creating a life with God by Daniel Wolpert: Offers twelve prayer practices to deepen your prayer – practical guidance for individuals and groups.
The Divine Dance: The Trinity and your transformation by Richard Rohr: exploring how prayer joins us in the dance of the Trinity.4 Ps to check up on your prayer life
Pray as you can, not as you can’t. Are you trying to pray in ways that don’t suit you? – Are there ways of praying that you could explore?
Pattern: What is my aim? Do I have a pattern? What ways of praying do I use?
Places: Where do you find yourself praying? What is it there that helps you focus?
Props: what supports do I have for my prayer life: spiritual friends, groups, spiritual accompaniers, books, …
3 Dimensions to Prayer 
Upwards: focussing on simply being with God, giving yourself to God in praise, adoration, stillness.
Inwards: drawing upon God’s grace to resource and guide you that God will work in and through you
Outwards: praying for others – seeking God’s grace for people in our needy world.
2 Ways of going further with your prayer
Find a Spiritual Accompanier: These are people who give you the space to explore what is (and isn’t) happening in your prayer and faith journey. Anyone interested in going further can benefit from this. Plenty of people are offering this around the diocese.
Hereford Diocesan Courses:
- My Story: exploring the spiritual journey of life and prayer
- Christian Spiritual Growth: 12 day course (one day a month) exploring approaches to prayer, listening to God and finding direction in life.
- Discerning Listening: six day course to develop how we listen to God in ourselves and in others in a pastoral and spiritual ministry.
Contact Nick Helm for information on the above
1 God
who loves us,
delights in us,
invites us to draw close
to know Jesus
and be empowered
to be our true selves