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I have been writing the Praying in Color blog for over a dozen years. The entries include theological musings, memoir, reflections on life and Scripture, and hundreds of posts on ways to incorporate Praying in Color into your prayer and spiritual life. In the search bar you can type words like “Scripture, Advent, Lent, calendar templates, intercessory prayer, mourning, gratitude, forgiveness…” or other topics of interest to find related posts. I hope you enjoy exploring this site.
Lenten Wilderness–Desert and Jungle
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished.” (Matthew 4:1-2 NRSV) One of my...
Lent Calendars 2023–Thorns, Vines, Desert, Circles,….
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. (Luke 4, 1-2 NRSV) Wilderness comes in many forms. After ten months in Jerusalem and the land...
Merry Christmas 2022
The “O Antiphons”–December 17-23
The expression “O Antiphons” was new to me a few years ago. But to my surprise, I have been singing the “O Antiphons” for most of my life in the Advent/Christmas carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The antiphons are descriptors of the expected Messiah and express the...
Gratitude Gobblers Revisited
This coming Sunday, November 27, is the first day of Advent. See the previous post, November 1, for Advent Calendar templates and ways to use them. Happy Thanksgiving! This post is a reprise of last year's. If I could offer something other than a turkey template, I...
Advent Calendar Templates 2022
Using an Advent calendar is my favorite way to pay attention and pray during the four weeks of Advent. Unlike the store-bought versions, my calendars have no doors, just blank spaces for the days of Advent. Each day I write a name or word and surround it with doodles...
Leafy Autumn Prayers
Trees on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are busy transitioning from their full-spectrum-of-green cloaks to their rich red, orange, and gold autumn wardrobe. In response to this magnificent change, the conversation as we drive along the edge of Lake Superior and on US...
O Christ, Heal Us
“You are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.” Eighteen of us, pilgrims on a Palestine of Jesus course, are on a bus headed to Caesarea Philippi,/Banias in northern Israel. Caearea Philippi, one of the three places of the springs of the Jordan River, is the site...
Cold Shower–Hallelujah, Alleluia!
I stepped into our cozy, dorm-room shower this morning anticipating its usual, wonderful solar-hot water. By the time I was head-to-toe wet, it soaked into my brain: "This water is COLD!" Then I started my familiar rant: "Nothing is predictable here. Things are always...