January 12, 2023
For the month of January, my wife Jess and I have been reading the same book together. It is called All the Things: A 30 Day Guide to Experiencing God’s Presence in the Prayer of Examen by Katie Haseltine. Each morning (before the kids wake up) she and I will read that day’s devotional and then briefly talk about it as we start cooking breakfast, packing lunches, and getting ready for the day. Each night we each use a small stack of notebook cards that have prayer prompts to pray the Ignatian Prayer of Examen as we consider the ways we have or have not lived out our faith in the previous day.
I have struggled with my prayer life for a long time. If left to my own thoughts, my prayer life becomes an entangled mess. Like a vine, my prayer life needs a trellis to help it grow. That is why spiritual practices around prayer are so helpful to me.
Last fall I hosted a group at the church called Common Prayer. Some weeks there were ten of us and some weeks just two, but a small group of us gathered to pray together. That group meant a lot to me, but I’d like to reimagine it for the next season.
For at least the next few months, Common Prayer will meet twice a month on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM. For the first Tuesday of the month (beginning on February 7), we will gather in the living room at my home. I will have tea and decaf coffee available for any who want to join us. On the third Tuesday of each month (beginning on January 17), we will gather via Zoom to engage in prayer with one another. If you are interested in being part of Common Prayer, please email me at ttankersley@ardmorebaptist.org and I will send you the information you need to join us at my house and/or on Zoom.
