I've been thinking about...

The Doorway Prayer.

It is a simple spiritual discipline about thankfulness, and one that just might turn your assumptions about prayer on their ear. You see, prayer does not have to be something done in silence or quiet meditation; limited to those times when we can get away from the world, bow our heads, and close our eyes. Prayer can and should happen all the time. The Doorway Prayer is one way of doing that.

Here is what you do: Find a time when you are up and around and active. It can be when you are busy at work, cleaning the house, running errands, or even coming in and out of church. Just make sure it is a time when you are walking around and have to go from room to room.

Then, each time you go through a doorway say a quick word of thanks to God for something good in your life. Every doorway equals one thing you are thankful for. Make sure you are as specific as possible. Don’t just say “For my family” when you can name specific family members, or “For the weather” when you can say dozens of lovely things about cooler temperatures.

Do this for every doorway you go through, every time you go through it. If you go from one room, through a hallway to another room, that is two doorways and two quick words of thanks to God. If you walk through a doorway, forget what you were going to do, turn back around, then remember what it was and walk back through it again then that is three doorways and three quick words of thanks. Begin by doing this practice for an hour a day, then slowly add more and more time until eventually you are able to do it for an entire day. You will be surprised how many doorways you walk through, and how many things you have to be truly thankful for.

Yours in the Journey, Rev. Brian