Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian

2014-12-19T10:46:27-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Praying the Benedictus

Last updated on: December 19, 2014 at 10:46 am By Teresa Blythe

One of the most beautiful passages in Luke’s gospel is the prophecy of Zechariah, a poem known as the Benedictus (Luke 1:67-79). Zechariah was a priest married to Elizabeth and in their advanced age they conceived a long awaited child—a boy who would become John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel when he said that Elizabeth would bear a child, so as a sign of his lack of faith, Zechariah was stripped of his... Read more

2014-12-19T10:30:20-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Imagining the Heavenly Host

Last updated on: December 19, 2014 at 10:30 am By Teresa Blythe

As we continue our Advent imagination prayer with Luke’s birth narrative, we spend more time today with the shepherds, angel and the multitude of the heavenly host. Imagination prayer has a long history. St. Ignatius of Loyola built his Spiritual Exercises – a set of meditations, reflections and practices to draw a person’s heart deeper toward Christ – on imagination prayers. He invites us to become part of the scene as our minds imagine what it might have been like... Read more

2014-12-19T10:49:11-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Praying our Desires

Last updated on: December 19, 2014 at 10:49 am By Teresa Blythe

Desire is a popular emotion in Advent. Advertisers use our superficial desires in the hope that we will want and buy things we (and our gift recipients) probably don’t need. This prayer looks at our deeper desires—the ones that come from God and inspire us to fulfill God’s desire. This is a good prayer to use when you feel like your desires are getting the best of you. It allows you to hand them over to God. The Practice Begin... Read more

2014-12-09T13:47:16-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Dialogue with Scripture

Last updated on: December 9, 2014 at 1:47 pm By Teresa Blythe

When Jesus begins a story with “What do you think?” we are invited to share exactly what we think about the story. The following is an illustration about what it means to be faithful. So, what do you think? The Practice Matthew 21:28-32 The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered, ‘I will... Read more

2014-12-09T10:22:31-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Journaling

Last updated on: December 9, 2014 at 10:22 am By Teresa Blythe

Advent is a time of reflection. Paying attention to what has been, what is and what we hope will be in the future. Just as Mary pondered the mystery of what God was doing in her life, we ponder the same. It may not feel as dramatic as Mary’s experience, but it is still very important. Journaling is a time honored way to connect with God. Much of what we know about early American Protestantism comes from journals kept by... Read more

2014-12-09T09:38:48-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Prayer Walk

Last updated on: December 9, 2014 at 9:38 am By Teresa Blythe

Advent heralds the beginning of winter, a time when many of us seek comfort and warmth inside our homes. This prayer invites you to bundle up and go outside for a little while. It’s a great practice for people who find they need to be doing something active in order to focus on God. Mindful walking is a devotional practice in many religions. It is prayer in motion, walking calmly and confidently in God’s presence. It differs from your daily... Read more

2014-12-09T09:26:52-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Imagining Shepherds and Angels

Last updated on: December 9, 2014 at 9:26 am By Teresa Blythe

As we pray our way through Luke’s narrative of the birth of Jesus, today we meet the shepherds who encounter an angel announcing the birth of Jesus. We are only praying with three verses from Luke chapter 2, so it will be up to your imagination to create all the action here! The Practice Begin by trusting that God is present in your imagination. Ask for the awareness to notice this presence. Read Luke 2:8-11. In that region there... Read more

2014-12-03T16:14:43-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Praying like St. Francis

Last updated on: December 3, 2014 at 4:14 pm By Teresa Blythe

Here’s a prayer for busy people in the busy season of Advent. It’s easy, portable and has a beautiful history. Francis of Assisi (13th century) never set out to found an order. He simply wanted to restore an old church in his town and to live as Jesus did—as a wandering preacher with as few material possessions as possible. Amazingly, people began to emulate Francis and the “Order of Friars Minor,” which we now call the Franciscans, was created. I... Read more

2019-12-06T09:31:11-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Healing Prayer

Last updated on: December 6, 2019 at 9:31 am By Teresa Blythe

While everything around us screams “holly, jolly Christmas,” this Advent season is not joyful for everyone. Many of our friends and family seek healing of the mind, body and spirit. The best way we can help is to offer healing prayer for them. There is no one way to pray for healing. I like this prayer because it does not require that we know much of anything at all about any particular situation we are praying for. If you’ve ever... Read more

2019-12-02T13:38:41-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Praying through Advent: Praying for Others

Last updated on: December 2, 2019 at 1:38 pm By Teresa Blythe

Want to give a really meaningful gift to someone this Christmas? Pray for them. You don’t have to tell them you are doing it. Nor do you have to forgo giving them a material gift if you really want to do that. Begin to think of intercessory prayer (praying for others) as part of your collection of spiritual gifts to impart to the world. This particular form of intercessory prayer is adapted from Marjorie Thompson’s best seller Soul Feast. It’s... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Florence Vatican City Rome Jerusalem

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent angels Anne Lamott Christmas church leadership clergy contemplation contemplative Christianity Desert Fathers and Mothers discernment election evangelicalism faith freedom guru healing interfaith dialogue Lent love Martin Luther King Jr media mind body spirit mystic Nativity nature new year's resolutions parables peace pluralism prayer prayer practices religious diversity resurrection Rules for Prayer Rumi saints sexual abuse spirit spiritual direction spiritual discernment spiritual mentor spiritual path spirituality stewardship Super Bowl terrorism theology transgender Uncategorized violence visioning vocation

Select a Month February 2026 December 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 July 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 September 2022 August 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 July 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TRENDING AT PATHEOS General Christian