Traditionally, fasting is about abstaining from food, so we recommend fasting until sundown one day per week.

Pick a day that works for you. If possible, do this with your community to encourage your weekly practice.

Fast from waking until sundown, then eat a simple meal in gratitude.

If a full day is too much, start smaller. Skip breakfast and break the fast at lunch or 3 p.m. The goal is to make fasting a part of your regular life. Start where you are, not where you feel like you “should” be.

In the time you would normally be cooking, eating, or cleaning, give yourself to prayer. Let your desire for food point you to Jesus as you open yourself to him.

Please modify as needed for health reasons, and consider if it would be supportive for you to meet with a therapist or doctor as you think about this practice. As a community, ask how you can support and include those who may need to modify this practice.

“Intercessory prayer invites us into God’s care and concern for us, our families and friends, and the entire world. No concern is too trivial for God to receive with loving attention. However, intercession is not a means of manipulating heaven into doing our will. Rather it is a way we become aware of God’s prayer for a person and join in that intercession.” – Adele Calhoun

Begin by becoming aware of the presence of God. Slow your breathing. Become quiet and attentive to God.

As people, situations, or events come to mind, bring them to God. Name your concern to the Lord about specific people and situations that are on your heart.

Picture yourself bringing these people or situations into the presence of Jesus. Does Jesus want to say anything to you about them? Join God in his presence, prayer, and will for these people or situations.

Ask God to bring to mind something that you might do about your concerns, and invite the Holy Spirit to help you surrender outcomes to God. Close your prayer with the words of Jesus, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.”

Read a passage of scripture four times, leaving a moment of silence for contemplation after each reading.

1. Lectio: Read the scripture.

Place yourself in a quiet environment, and acknowledge God’s presence with you. Pray for guidance before you read the text slowly and prayerfully. Listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you and linger with it for a moment.

2. Meditatio: Reflect on the scripture.

When a word or phrase strikes you, stop and rest with it. Repeat the word or phrase to yourself. Allow it to speak to you in a personal way by pondering the word in your heart.

3. Oratio: Respond to the scripture.

Prayer is your response to God’s word, a dialogue with God that comes from your heart. Formulate a prayer as a response to God. What do you want to say to the Lord? Enter into a loving conversation with God.

4. Contemplatio: Remain with God in contemplation.

Rest in God’s presence and receive His transforming embrace. Sit still with God, realizing that in this deep and profound relationship, words are not necessary. Contemplation is not your action, but it is allowing God to act in you. After time in contemplation, close the prayer in your own words or with a simple “amen.”

Here are some passages to consider…
2 Kings 6:8-17 – “Surrounded by Angels”

Psalm 13 – “How Long, O Lord?”

Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd” 

Mark 4: 35-41 – “Jesus Calms the Storm”

John 2:1-12 – “Water into Wine”

1 Corinthians 13 – “The Habits of Love”

1. Become aware of God’s presence. Slow your breathing and ask God to bring clarity and understanding.
2. Review the day with gratitude. Walk through the previous day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Think of the work you did and the people you interacted with. Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. We can detect the presence of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. What is God saying through these feelings? Make note of any sins, and seek forgiveness from God and others.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something from the day that is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative, significant or insignificant. Allow a prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pray for guidance and an awareness of God’s presence in the days to come.

Breath prayers are simple, short prayers that sync to your breathing. They begin with a name of God, and end with a desire or request from God. The most well known is the “Jesus Prayer,” which is inspired by Mark 10:47: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

Begin by choosing a prayer, starting with a name for God such as good shepherd, friend, creator, prince of peace, and so on. Then, state your desire or make a request like guide my steps, give me strength, slow me down, I belong to you…

As you enter prayer, take a few full breaths. Breathe in slowly and deeply. Let your lungs fill with each breath. Pay attention to your body, heart, mind, and spirit in this moment.

Breathe in the Holy Spirit, and breathe out any fears or worries. Breathe in again, and as you do, call upon a name of God.

Breathe out, and with your breath, state your desire or make a request.

Repeat your prayer over the next several minutes, following the rhythm of your breath.