Dear Fellow Pilgrims on the Journey of Faith,
The start of the new year brings with it an opportunity to reflect on the past and to look to the future. Last January over 120 members of our congregation began a journey together to read the entire Bible in one year. James E. Davison’s guide, “The Year of the Bible” was a helpful companion as we read scripture together. The intentionality and group support, as well as the formal and informal conversations about Scripture and the experience of reading it in this way, proved to be life-changing for many. We heard congregation members voice a longing to continue to grow in faith by engaging in other spiritual practices. Prayer was often mentioned as a practice that people wished to explore in more depth.
This booklet is a response to such yearnings. It is intended to nurture and inspire your life of prayer. God loves each of us and finds great joy in spending time with us as we pray. The first disciples of Jesus turned to him asking him to teach them to pray. I am so glad they did, for because of their desire to grow as praying people, we all have The Lord’s Prayer! The apostle Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit is with us as we pray, and indeed even prays for us when our words seem inadequate or simply won’t come.
The Adult Education Sub-Committee created the concept for this Year of Prayer. Their responsiveness to the needs of our church is a blessing to us all. Twelve styles of prayer are given, one for each month of the year. You are encouraged to try the new style to see how it feels to you. Any new style may feel strange at first so we hope that you will keep at it throughout the month. If you find a style that works well for you, don’t feel you have to stop using it as a new month begins. Simply add a new style to your prayer time. Over the year, you may discover four or five styles of prayer that resonate deeply with you. Add them to your spiritual tool box, thank God for them, and draw from them as often as you can.
I offer my personal thanks to my husband and co-author, Gordon Mikoski, for lending both his passion for prayer and his professional expertise to this project. I am grateful, too, for our daughter Charissa’s gifts for layout and design.
I’m looking forward to the classes, conversations, and prayers that we will share and to the closer and deeper relationship with God that the gift of prayer will encourage.
Happy New Year!
Nancy Mikoski
