Being present: why I think the divine hours might help me

I have recently been trying to practise being present to my life/reality - taking my every day ordinary life and instead of running from it or wishing it away, follow the advice of Eugene Peterson's translation of Romans 12:1-2, and lay it down before God with God helping me do that.

I have also been thinking with my reflections on deep church and reconnecting with christian tradition how some form of office of prayer might be helpful - giving me words when my own are a list of complaints or wishes for a better life...

It was therefore may not a total coincidence that I received an email last week asking me if I wanted to review a copy of the 'Divine Hours' pocket edition [UK/USA].  I readily accepted, thinking with my commuting life this could be just what i needed to help me on the train into London and, inparticular because this quote on the blurb really stood out for me:

"As Tickle writes in her introduction, “prayer is always a place as well as an action, and the daily offices are like small chapels or wayside stations within the day’s courses.” For all those who want to carry a “small chapel” of prayers with them, The Divine Hours Pocket Edition™ offers a convenient, easy-to-use, and deeply spiritual guide to a devotional practice..."

As church of late has been about this space of reconnection, an antidote to the me-centricness of my consumer orientated life, i am looking forward to seeing how this helps me across the day and throughout the week - i'll let you know.

In the meantime, do any of you pray the hours or have your own/other regular rhythms of prayer/contemplation/worship?

Comments

[Kamsin]

Have you seen the movie Click? I watched it the other day, it's kind of naff but has something to say about the whole wishing your life away thing.
Anyway, I do find time spent in prayer and worship to be one of the few times I am truly connected to here and now. And I can totally relate to the idea that prayer is a physical place, although for me it's more about worship (and maybe by that I mean prayer with music?) being a place I go to find sanctuary, re-energise, etc. And it's somewhere I don't go nearly often enough.

[Paul]

Hi Kasmin, yes i think i might have mentioned it on my post that i did for Jason Clark's blog on being present - that idea of escaping reality and how it can become a habbit, i found very powerful...

Yes i think music is very powerful way to connect - and probably very effective too - sung liturgy as most worship songs are like :)

[Marc]

No one sends me free copies to review:)

The divine hours are something I discovered several years ago. David Adam 'rhythm of life' is great. it easily understandable and simple to use.

I go through stages of using the hours a lot and then not for a while.

I used to be able to vespers with my father in an old church, just the two of us. Sometimes it would so cold you could see you own breath but there was God in the middle of it, silent but gently holding us in the winter chill...

and we also did compline on a weekend away earlier this year which was again good.

[Paul]

thanks marc, that's a cool tale of father/son bonding :)

guess the hrs helps set a rhythm which is more appropriate at times than others?

[garrett]

really enjoyed some of your posts. i started using the divine hours this year and, although initially a skeptic, i'm really enjoying it. for some people the DH can become a meaningless ritual, but personal i'm looking for ways to sow meaning *into* ritual and the ancient christian traditions have allot to offer there. grace and peace...

[Paul]

thanks garrett - i think anything can become a meaningless ritual but i know what you mean, i like the rhythm of the DH, even if i can't help ad-libbing at times. But i feel it is very helpful at shaping those ad-libs :)