Practice Prayer F irst, nurture the practice or the discipline of prayer. Despite this sounding pious, or even a bit boring, let me say I have come to appreciate how the discipline of prayer, the very act of prayer, serves to remind us of the presence of God in our lives. By nudging us to focus on God as the very center of our existence, prayer brings coherence to the clutter and chaos of our times. I n facing eastward, he, along with his community, is quite literally orienting himself around a center, aligning himself around a central focus. Imagine how much more conscious you would be of God's presence in your life if you stopped five times a day, along with all the Christians around you, turned eastward to Jerusalem, bowed your head to the ground, and prayed.
M ake prayer a practice every morning.
While still in bed thank God for the gift of life and a new day. Pause before meals, if only long enough to acknowledge that God is indeed present in the world around you. Y our prayers don't have to be eloquent. In fact, you don't even need to formulate words or sentences. You don't have to feel spiritual or even close to God, but by weaving prayer into the ebb and flow of your daily life you will find a new sense of coherence and clarity in the world around you.