{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Prayer in the Tradition of the Saints, Part 01: St. Benedict and Lectio Divina","description":"Prayer - as in abiding, personal contact with God - is the very heart of the Christian life. And yet for most of us, the practice of prayer is a struggle (it often is for me as well). Indeed, \u201cHow can I feel closer to God?\u201d is probably one of the most asked questions in Christian history. And the good news is: there is an answer! Actually, there are many answers. And in this short series we will examine (and experience) three of the best: the Benedictine answer, the Ignatian answer and the Augustinian one. Today we begin with the Benedictine method of prayer, often know by its Latin name: lectio divina or \u201cdivine reading.\u201d It is a very simple but very powerful process of praying the scriptures that can lead to us to a very intimate experience of God\u2019s love and presence. In this episode, we\u2019ll explore the process of lectio divina, but even more importantly, we\u2019ll practice it together (a form of guided meditation\/prayer).  (As an added bonus you\u2019ll get a short explanation of what makes a Presbyterian a Presbyterian and why we would benefit greatly by adopting some very \u201cCatholic\u201d practices!) If you enjoy the guided Christian meditation, you can find more of them on the Canvas website . And if you\u2019d like to read the passage yourself while we pray together, you can find it here: Mark 1:14-20 (NRSV) Up for supporting the podcast??? You\u2019re tax-deductible gift to Canvas is a major help! As are your prayers, your online reviews, telling a friend or two and getting in touch! You can reach me easily at jesusat2am.com, or send me email, chat on BlueSky, or come find me on Facebook or Instagram (I'm slowly making my way back...), I\u2019d love to hear from you!       ","author_name":"Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith","author_url":"http:\/\/www.jesusat2am.com","html":"