Back to: Contemplative Prayer
READ THIS FIRST
Welcome to the first lesson in the Contemplative Prayer Course. This course is intended to be a practical study to introduce fundamentals of some early practices of prayerfully relating to God. This course does not attempt to prescribe “how to correctly” pray contemplatively, but only to offer a few descriptive ways to pray in this fashion. We will describe some various forms of Contemplative Prayer, provide you the opportunity to practice those forms, discuss the difference between contemplation and meditation, and offer some illustrations of how the practice has transformed the lives of some.
In the first section of this course, you will complete six lessons that construct a framework for why Contemplative Prayer is important. This first section is titled Finding True North. The second section introduces a few members of the family of Contemplative Prayer, and coaches you through the practice of each form of prayer.
Again, each lesson is arranged with three assignments. The first assignment includes a reading and a video. The readings in this course will be provided in the body of the assignment. PLEASE COMPLETE THE READING BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO.
The second assignment is for you to discuss your thoughts, ideas, and questions with fellow students. Each course has its own Forum. Be sure to look for the Contemplative Prayer Forum. Each student is expected to post at least one new topic per lesson. Additionally, if there are other students taking the course, each student will respond to at least two other students’ postings. This is the on-line version of classroom discussion. You will get the greatest learning experience from the course by participating in the discussion. Be sure to include your name and lesson number in the subject line of your posting (e.g. DanNobles_Lsn1).
The third assignment is for your personal growth. You are asked to obtain a Journal or Notebook for this course. In each lesson you should take time to prayerfully write what is particularly relevant to you. This will be valuable for future reflections.
There is an exam for each lesson. The brief exam is a simple accountability tool to help you complete the key learning exercises of the lesson. If there are any questions or issues you may e-mail Christ Mission Academy and your instructor will respond as quickly as possible.
Let’s get started with the first assignment of your first lesson.
ASSIGNMENT #1
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26
You were created in the image of God. Stop for a moment and really let that soak into your soul. The attributes of God Himself are reflected in you too. As a chaplain, I often shared with patients whose illnesses often stemmed from low self-esteem and depression, that they should look deeply into a mirror. Not at their face or physical appearance in general, but deeply into their eyes. There they would see the eyes of God reflected back to them. Those who followed my suggestion were amazed. This isn’t some cheap parlor trick, it is healing to consider the intricacy of the human eye.
God is Holy Trinity, Threeness in Oneness and One, but three. A great, perhaps the greatest mystery, but we are also made as triune beings. Body, Mind, & Spirit. Each living, functioning, growing. Each requiring nurture, nutrition, and care. We have institutions to care for the physical and mental. How do we care for the spiritual? How does our spirit drink from the deep waters of life?
How do we know the health of our spirit? This is a challenging question. When asked to patients suffering from severe depression, they struggle to find words. But when asked, “If your spirit had a physical body, what would if feel like is happening?” they found the words to answer –
- “I feel like I am falling, just falling.”
- “I feel like I have been knocked down and I can’t get back up.”
- “I feel like I can’t get my breath.”
- “I feel like I died.”
The following lessons in this first section of the course are the same studies that I lead those patients through each week. The results were remarkable. As patients discovered spiritual healing, their physical and mental wellness quickly improved. The hospital stay of these patients were cut by over 70% and the rate of return went from about every three months to nearly zero returns. If the spiritual wellness of behavioral health patients had that impact on their overall well-being, what will it do for you?
If your spirit had a physical body, how would it feel now?
Now watch the video.
ASSIGNMENT #2
The question about your spiritual well-being is critical. Take this opportunity to discuss how you feel with your fellow students. Go to the Forum for this course and post your thoughts. Then respond to at least two posting by others who are taking the course.
As you begin this course, what do you hope to gain from this study?
Are you open to practice some different forms of prayer?
What holds you back from experiencing prayer in new ways?
ASSIGNMENT #3
After you have completed the first reading, watched the video, and discussed your initial thoughts with fellow students, take some quiet time for yourself. Gather and pen or pencil and your journal or notebook that you have set aside for this course. Find a comfortable place that is free of interruptions. Prayerfully reflect on the same questions that you have discussed in the Course Forum. Write your thoughts. You may want to write your thoughts as a letter to yourself, a prayer to God, or simply notes for future reflection. These notes will become valuable to you as you proceed through this and other studies.
This is a self-paced course, so take the time you need to soak in what you need.
Complete the brief quiz and proceed to Lesson 2 when you are ready.
(IMPORTANT NOTE ON TAKING THE QUIZ: Some devices (e.g. iPhones) may require that you click your answer twice before allowing you to move to the next question. If you experience problems moving forward, simply click the same answer again. if you continue to have problems then e-mail your instructor. Thanks.)