Center for Transformative Prayer
The biblical record is replete with instances of the authors reminding us to be prayerful and present with God. From Genesis to Revelation, prayer is one of the most common means through which we enter and maintain an intimate relationship with God. The Center for Transformative Prayer (CTP) at First United Methodist McKinney represents a methodical and organized way of “re-imagining” the prayer lives of our saints. CTP is set up as a resource for prayer, including:
Online and In-Person Groups and Gatherings
Prayer Retreat
Join Pastor James, Pastor Andrew, and the Center for Transformative Prayer in a day of prayer, food, meditation, and Holy Communion. We will focus on the theme of Silence and Solitude.
First United Methodist Church McKinney
315 N. Church St.
Saturday, November 16, 2024, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
To learn more and register, click here to email Roger Smidt.
Contemplative Prayer Service
Experience the presence of God through silent guided meditative prayers.
Leader: Andrew Clifford
Sundays, 9:00 am, B205 & Zoom
Christlike Mindfulness Class
Promotes biblical and historical Christian practices of contemplative prayer and meditation.
Leader: Andrew Clifford
Sundays, 11:00 am, B205 & Zoom
Lectio Divina Groups
Lectio divina is an ancient practice of reading, meditiation, and prayer focused on Holy Scripture. It is a powerful way to grow in the spirit and connect with a group for fellowship and support.
Wednesdays at 11:00 am, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, and Sundays at 5:00 pm
Contact Andrew Clifford for more information
About Transformative Prayer
Traditionally when we think of prayer, we imagine petitions or supplications. While requests for sustenance and intercession are essential, these appeals represent a subset of the riches of the full prayer life. Age-old contemplative practices such as praying the scriptures (lectio divina), silent presence (centering prayer), or simply mindful walking in nature are but a sampling of the treasure trove of means we have of communicating with God.
Many of these methods we experience every day, but we don’t identify them with prayer. Most of us have had biblical passages leap out and speak to us for long moments at a time. So too have we been so deeply engrossed in an activity that we lose track of time. And we’ve all had our breath taken away at vistas like the Grand Canyon or the waves of the ocean. All of these are moments of prayer. Our task is to recognize them as such, and then intentionally (and frequently) put them into practice!
The effect of doing so is a life transformed by prayer—a life that is attentive to God in every aspect of our being!
Resources
Related Links
Certificate in Spiritual Direction, SMU
Sometimes referred to as “spiritual friends,” spiritual directors are trained to listen, pray, and ask questions in a fashion that encourages directees to look for the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They ask the kind of questions that nurture the growth of wisdom, using the tools and values that have been sharpened over two millennia of prayerful observation.
Center for Action and Contemplation
Open the door for a critical mass of spiritual seekers to experience the transformative wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition and nurture its emergence in service to the healing of our world.
Christ-Like Mindfulness Fellowship
Being, feeling, thinking and living like Jesus Christ. Practicing a cognitive-behavioral lifestyle of loving-kindness as demonstrated by Christ Jesus and his early followers.
Assumption Abbey
We are a community of monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, popularly known as Trappists. Monks first came to Ava, Missouri from New Melleray Abbey in Iowa in 1950 to establish the monastic life here. We hope that you take a few moments to pray with us, to learn about us and our work, and to discover who we are here at the Abbey.
HeartPaths DFW
HeartPaths welcomes those who desire a growing closeness with God in daily life through prayer. One of the treasures of this experience is being in a circle with people from a variety of faith backgrounds, gathered together to listen to God and deepen their spirituality through the Christian story.
Maria Kannon Zen Center
The Maria Kannon Zen Center is a non-profit corporation which offers a setting for people of various backgrounds and faith traditions or of no faith tradition to practice Zen. The members are bound together by a common commitment to cultivate wisdom and compassion.
Bibliographies
Reading lists for greater discovery.