Daily Archives: September 15, 2018

When we use pen on paper to write, something happens in our brain to awaken it (apparently typing or reading don’t have the same effect). When we intentionally write down Scripture, prayers and responses, we have slowed down the process and are paying more attention to those prayers and Scriptures. Therefore, copying Bible passages can make our prayer time more meaningful. When I began to practice this discipline almost twenty years ago, it was significant to my own personal renewal and ongoing spiritual development since.

There is no longer any question about the value of thanksgiving. This is true for the person expressing gratitude and the one receiving the thanks. Lots of studies show the importance to our own well-being of be thankful. I have even found that it is helpful when I am struggling in a relationship with someone to practice thanking God for them as I pray for them. God uses that prayer to change my own heart toward them. But thanksgiving must also be directed toward God. If, sometimes, you’re not sure that you have something to be thankful for, just thank God for your last heartbeat and breath. To regularly practice the discipline of thanksgiving is as sure a path to change as one may take.