Most of us have experienced prayer in some form during our lifetime, sometimes rote and stale, sometimes full of longing and need, and sometimes charged with clarity and ecstasy. Perhaps we have stumbled in surprising ways upon divine guidance through prayer, but don’t know how to find our way back.
Few of us have been taught how to deepen our prayer experience. Led by seasoned guides from Christian, Jewish, and Sufi traditions, including Wm. Paul Young, author of the best-selling book The Shack, we dive into a variety of prayer forms this weekend. Our focus is on clearing away whatever stands between us and the divine presence.
Those from all faiths (or none at all) are welcome. Come prepared to pray, sing, dance, meditate, and share stories that widen and deepen the pathways to the sacred.
Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
—Mary Oliver
Faculty
Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, suffered great loss as a child and young adult, and now enjoys the ‘wastefulness of grace’ with his family. theshackbook.com
Rabbi Jonathan Kligler, a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, is the spiritual leader of Kehillat Lev Shalem (the Congregation of a Full Heart) in Woodstock, New York. wjcshul.org
Nance Pettit, LAc, MEd, is an acupuncturist, psychologist, musician, and workshop leader. Her greatest joy has been bathing in the diverse expressions of the divine. nancepettit.com
David Wilcox has been touching the hearts of American audiences for 20 years with his wise and healing song writing, skillful guitar playing, and inspired improvisational performance style. davidwilcox.com
Rabbi Jeff Roth is founder and director of the Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism and author of Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life. awakenedheartproject.org
Rev. Tasnim Hermila Fernandez is a sufi minister, cofounder of PeaceWorks: International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, and spiritual director of the Church of All in Burbank, California. dancesofuniversalpeace.org
National Public Radio calls Rosita Mathews a “classically trained pianist with a mean gospel rhythm.” She performs her infectious music throughout the United States. letssinggospel.com
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