Patheos

BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Patheos

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

religionmatters

Prayer

Select a Category Education Essay Excerpt Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022

December 2025

December 08, 2025

Prayer as Heartful Listening: How Music Awakens Love and Awe

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” —Berthold Auerbach Rethinking What...

January 2025

January 02, 2025

Rethinking Prayer Practice: Music-Listening as Prayer

In the new year, I am rethinking prayer. By this I don’t mean that I...

November 2024

November 12, 2024

Choosing to Pray Without Worrying About the Form

For many, it has been a hard week. We all must seek deep solace now...

May 2023

May 09, 2023

Why The Slow Work of Transformation Beats Moralism

Transformation beats moralism. But as a young adult, effort was my mantra. And effort, coupled...

May 04, 2023

What Happens When Americans Pray

Recent research shows Americans pray in droves! I don’t know about you, but I am...

January 2023

January 03, 2023

Letting go of effort

{Excerpt from Jesus Loves Women: A Memoir of Body and Spirit, DreamSeeker Books, 2011} That...

September 2022

September 24, 2022

Why Spiritual Ritual?

Learning to kneel took me decades. It was not something I did in my upbringing;...

August 2022

August 20, 2022

How I Pray {Part Three}

“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” Frederick Buechner...

August 16, 2022

How I Pray {Part Two}

One day last week, two friends wrote out of the blue to express that they...

August 10, 2022

How I Pray {Part One}

I’ve had a complicated relationship with prayer, increasingly resisting conceptions of prayer that put control...

July 2022

July 20, 2022

Cosmic Flow and the James Webb Telescope

I have this notion I call “cosmic flow” that is a large part of my...

July 11, 2022

Fragile

{I wrote this essay about our common fragility during early days of the pandemic. The...

Related posts from About Religion, Doubt and Why They Matter

Family

Using Your Gifts Is Ministry: A Retired Deacon's...

About Religion, Doubt and Why They Matter

Family

The Many Forms of Prayer: What Does it...

About Religion, Doubt and Why They Matter

Family

In the Gloaming: What the Anti-Aging Movement Misses

About Religion, Doubt and Why They Matter

Family

God Is in the Obstacle: What Loss Taught...

About Religion, Doubt and Why They Matter

Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube