1. Praise for the Morning

2. Breslau Mennonite ChurchThree Prayer Themes: Prayer as Reconnection: Restoring the felt sense ofconnection to our inner Goodness. Prayer as Purification: Noticing, feeling and accepting all ofour emotions. Prayer as Wisdom: Asking for a deeper understanding of Life. 3. Pray with a Wise Heart Connection (human need) Awareness (divine quality) Intention (human choice) 4. Be Still, and Know, that I AM GOD Be Still, (intention) And Know, (awareness) I Am GOD, (connection) 5. SPA Study, (model) Pray, (practice) Apply, (daily) 6. RELATIONSHIP CHARACTERISTICS EXPRESSION IN PRAYERAcquaintance InformalFormal/awkwardSaying our prayersOpens you to stay in contact withChrist, e.g., grace beforemeals, going to church on SundayFriendliness ConversationalInformal/at easeConsidering our prayersOpening to experiencing GOD, e.g.,in nature and daily LifeFriendship Commitment, Self-disclosureSpontaneity/freedomGrowth of faith/trust/LovePraying in your own wordsOpens our heart and mind, e.g., agrowth of faith, trust and Love forthe Divine, a sense of wonderIntimacy Confidence/gratitudeShared joy/sufferingExperience of OnenessFidelity, with no thing to say, tobe, to doBeing Present to GODOpens you to the pure gift of GODspresence beyond thought, wordsand emotions, e.g. resting in GOD 7. God-View Life-View Level of Being Value Emotion Process +/- Self-TalkSelf Is ENLIGHTENMENT 700-1K Ineffable Pure ConsciousnessPure-Awareness / OnenessAll-Being Perfect PEACE 600 Bliss Illumination"Nothing more, needs to bedone"One Complete JOY 540 Serenity Transfiguration"It is perfect, just as it is""Everything, is beautiful"Loving Benign LOVE 500 Reverence Revelation"Be Well"Wise Meaningful REASON 400 Understanding Abstraction"May I understand"Merciful Harmonious ACCEPTANCE 350 Forgiveness Transcendence"There is nothing wrong"Inspiring Hopeful WILLINGNESS 310 OptimismIntention (friendliness)"There is another way""Yes, I can"Enabling Satisfactory NEUTRALITY 250 Trust Release"Just, letting go"Permitting Feasible COURAGE 200 Affirmation Empowerment"Yes, we can""Glad, to be alive"Indifferent Demanding PRIDE 175 Scorn Inflation"i am so wonderful"Vengeful Antagonistic ANGER 150 Hate Aggression"i hate this"Denying Disappointing DESIRE 125 Craving Enslavement"i want more of this"Punitive Frightening FEAR 100 Anxiety Withdrawal"something bad is going tohappen"Disdainful Tragic GRIEF 75 Regret Despondency"i should have ..."Condemning Hopeless APATHY 50 Despair Abdication"i cannot do it"Vindictive Evil GUILT 30 Blame Destruction"i should not have done it"Despising Miserable SHAME 20 Humiliation Elimination"i am not good enough" 8. Centering Prayer Guidelines 1. Choose a sacred word, as the symbol of your intentionto consent to Gods presence and action within. 2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle brieflyand silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol ofyour consent to Gods presence and action within. 3. When engaged with your thoughts, return ever sogently to the sacred word. 4. At the end of the prayer period (20 min), remain insilence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes. 9. Attention The focusing on a object such as the breath, an image, or a concept.Awareness The knowing, that is before thought. That which knows and cares.Centering Prayer A contemporary form of Prayer of the Heart, Prayer of Simplicity,Prayer of Faith, Prayer of Simple Regard; a method of reducing the obstacles to the giftof contemplative prayer and of facilitating the development of habits conducive toresponding to the inspirations of the Spirit.Consent An act of the will that expresses acceptance of someone, something, orsome course of action; the manifestation of ones intention.Contemplation The act of entering into silence and coming into a true knowledge ofthe Divine; sometimes used as a synonym for contemplative prayer.Contemplative prayer The development of ones relationship with Christ to thepoint of communing beyond words, thoughts, feelings, and the multiplication ofparticular acts; a process of ever-increasing predominance of the Gifts of the Spirit asthe source of ones prayer. 10. Method of contemplative prayer Any prayer practice thatspontaneously evolves or is deliberately designed to free the mind ofexcessive dependence on thinking to go to God.Purification An essential part of the process of contemplationthrough which the dark side of ones personality, mixed motivation,and the emotional pain of a lifetime stored in the unconscious aregradually evacuated; necessary preparation for transforming union.Spiritual attentiveness The general loving attention to theundifferentiated presence of God in pure faith. 11. Divine Union A term describing a single experience of the union of all the facultiesin God or the permanent state of union called transforming union.Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 2224) Nine aspects of the mind of Christ manifestingthe growth of the Divine life in us. But the fruit of the Spirit islove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;against such things there is no law. NEVFalse self The self developed in our own likeness rather than in the likeness of God;the self-image developed to cope with the emotional trauma of early childhood, whichseeks happiness in satisfying the instinctual needs ofsurvival/security, affection/esteem, and power/control, and which bases its self-worthon cultural or group identification.Intention The choice of the will in regard to some goal or purpose.Interior silence The quieting of the imagination, feelings, and rational faculties inthe process of recollection; the general, loving attentiveness to God in pure faith. 12. Lectio Divina Reading, or more precisely, listening to the book we believe to bedivinely inspired; the most ancient method of developing the friendship ofChrist, using Scripture texts as topics of conversation with Christ.Method of contemplative prayer Any prayer practice that spontaneously evolves oris deliberately designed to free the mind of excessive dependence on thinking to go toGod.Purification An essential part of the process of contemplation through which thedark side of ones personality, mixed motivation, and the emotional pain of a lifetimestored in the unconscious are gradually evacuated; necessary preparation fortransforming union.Spiritual attentiveness The general loving attention to the undifferentiatedpresence of God in pure faith. 13. Breslau Mennonite ChurchThree Prayer Themes: Prayer as Reconnection: Restoring the felt sense ofconnection to our inner Goodness. Prayer as Purification: Noticing, feeling and accepting all ofour emotions. Prayer as Wisdom: Asking for a deeper understanding of Life. 14. Pray with a Wise Heart Connection (human need) Awareness (divine quality) Intention (human choice) 15. Be Still, and Know, that I AM GOD Be Still, (intention) And Know, (awareness) I Am GOD, (connection) 16. RELATIONSHIP CHARACTERISTICS EXPRESSION IN PRAYERAcquaintance InformalFormal/awkwardSaying our prayersOpens you to stay in contact withChrist, e.g., grace before meals,going to church on SundayFriendliness ConversationalInformal/at easeConsidering our prayersOpening to experiencing GOD, e.g.,in nature and daily LifeFriendship Commitment, Self-disclosureSpontaneity/freedomGrowth of faith/trust/LovePraying in your own wordsOpens our heart and mind, e.g., agrowth of faith, trust and Love forthe Divine, a sense of wonderIntimacy Confidence/gratitudeShared joy/sufferingExperience of OnenessFidelity, with no thing to say, tobe, to doBeing Present to GODOpens you to the pure gift of GODspresence beyond thought, wordsand emotions, e.g. resting in GOD 17. Centering Prayer Guidelines 1. Choose a sacred word, as the symbol of your intentionto consent to Gods presence and action within. 2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle brieflyand silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol ofyour consent to Gods presence and action within. 3. When engaged with your thoughts, return ever sogently to the sacred word. 4. At the end of the prayer period (20 min), remain insilence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes. 18. Attention The focusing on a object such as the breath, an image, or a concept.Awareness The knowing, that is before thought. That which knows and cares.Centering Prayer A contemporary form of Prayer of the Heart, Prayer of Simplicity,Prayer of Faith, Prayer of Simple Regard; a method of reducing the obstacles to the giftof contemplative prayer and of facilitating the development of habits conducive toresponding to the inspirations of the Spirit.Consent An act of the will that expresses acceptance of someone, something, orsome course of action; the manifestation of ones intention.Contemplation The act of entering into silence and coming into a true knowledge ofthe Divine; sometimes used as a synonym for contemplative prayer.Contemplative prayer The development of ones relationship with Christ to thepoint of communing beyond words, thoughts, feelings, and the multiplication ofparticular acts; a process of ever-increasing predominance of the Gifts of the Spirit asthe source of ones prayer. 19. Method of contemplative prayer Any prayer practice thatspontaneously evolves or is deliberately designed to free the mind ofexcessive dependence on thinking to go to God.Purification An essential part of the process of contemplationthrough which the dark side of ones personality, mixed motivation,and the emotional pain of a lifetime stored in the unconscious aregradually evacuated; necessary preparation for transforming union.Spiritual attentiveness The general loving attention to theundifferentiated presence of God in pure faith. 20. Divine Union A term describing a single experience of the union of all the facultiesin God or the permanent state of union called transforming union.Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 2224) Nine aspects of the mind of Christ manifestingthe growth of the Divine life in us. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such thingsthere is no law. NEVFalse self The self developed in our own likeness rather than in the likeness of God;the self-image developed to cope with the emotional trauma of early childhood, whichseeks happiness in satisfying the instinctual needs of survival/security,affection/esteem, and power/control, and which bases its self-worth on cultural orgroup identification.Intention The choice of the will in regard to some goal or purpose.Interior silence The quieting of the imagination, feelings, and rational faculties inthe process of recollection; the general, loving attentiveness to God in pure faith. 21. Lectio Divina Reading, or more precisely, listening to the book we believe to bedivinely inspired; the most ancient method of developing the friendship of Christ,using Scripture texts as topics of conversation with Christ.Method of contemplative prayer Any prayer practice that spontaneously evolves oris deliberately designed to free the mind of excessive dependence on thinking to go toGod.Purification An essential part of the process of contemplation through which thedark side of ones personality, mixed motivation, and the emotional pain of a lifetimestored in the unconscious are gradually evacuated; necessary preparation fortransforming union.Spiritual attentiveness The general loving attention to the undifferentiatedpresence of God in pure faith. 22. Thoughts In the context of Centering Prayer, for any perception at all, perceptions,feelings, images, memories, reflections, commentaries, and spiritual perceptions.Transformation (transforming union) The stable conviction of the abiding presenceof God, a restructuring of consciousness in which the Divine reality is perceived to bepresent in oneself and in all that is.True self The image of God in which every human being is created; our participationin the Divine life manifested in our uniqueness.Ultimate mystery / ultimate reality The ground of infinite potentiality andactualization; a term emphasizing the Divine transcendence.Unloading the unconscious The coming into consciousness unconscious emotionalmaterial from early childhood in the form of primitive feelings or a barrage of images,especially during the time of prayer. 23. Gratitude