Spiritual Steps: Pray | Listen | Grow

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." This old prayer, which comes to us through the orthodox church, in which it has been used since at least 600 AD, is one of many short prayers that can be used repetitively as a way of moving our hearts towards stillness and quiet contemplation. This episode of spiritual steps explores how such a tool can be used to help us learn to be praying people.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about sharing the podcast in your social feeds, or leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

An important step in cultivating a life of prayer is crafting a prayer routine that works for you. Here are some reflections on what that's looked like for me, and some pointers on what crafting your own routine.   If you need a little bit of structure in your prayer routine but don't know where to start, here are a few helpful books that can provide a good starting place. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God Upper Room's Disciplines for 2016 Common Prayer The Divine Hours

  Prayer wrestles with the same struggle as many of the church's practices in our day: an over reliance on emotional intensity. This episode is about allowing our prayer lives to take on other dimensions.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about sharing the podcast in your social feeds, or leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

Praying for the fruitfulness of God's work in the world, among our friends, neighbors, and churches, and in ourselves. This episode explores the prayer of Paul in Colossians: “we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:9–10 NRSV) It's an incredibly rich few lines of prayer that echo the Lord's Prayer. Yay for episode 10!     Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about sharing the podcast in your social feeds, or leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

Praying towards the fulfillment of God's work in the world, via the Lord's Prayer.   Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

Cultivate the virtues, one by one.    Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

Learn to pray on behalf of those who are suffering injustice!   Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

This episode is about incorporating the Psalms, with their range of emotional tones, into your prayer life.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com) Please think about leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

In a culture built on consumption, one of the best small spiritual steps you can take is one of small denial. This episode encourages you to incorporate mini-fasting into your spiritual life.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com Please think about leaving a review of the show on iTunes! You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

Letting Go is hard, whether that's letting go of fear, guilt, hurt, grief, or any of the other weights that we carry around. This episode is about the prayer of letting go, a physical way of praying and releasing our grip on some of those things.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

If you feel lost in the Bible, or get overwhelmed in its breadth, this episode points the way forward by providing a small step to help you engage in the scriptures.    Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater Web: stevenhovater.com   You might also be interested in my podcast The Craft of Ministry, which is about developing key capacities for ministry.

  Rest is a vital, if often overlooked, element to a life of prayer. In this episode, we talk about what it means to strengthen your prayer life through taking the small step of making sure you get enough rest.   Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater, Web: stevenhovater.com) I'd appreciate it if you would share the podcast with others, and please remember to subscribe for future episodes. If you're involved in ministry work, check out my other podcast, The Craft of Ministry!

The simple prayer "Thank You" can be a foundation for a life of prayer.  This is the first episode of the Spiritual Steps podcast, dedicated to helping you find small spiritual steps that can help you grow in your journey with God.  Host: Steven Hovater (Twitter: @stevenhovater, Web: stevenhovater.com)