I love the way you weave together so many disparate subjects here in a common thread. Really thought provoking stuff, especially how to balance individual prayer with community…
When my husband was deployed we started praying the Angelus at noon and 6pm. We were about 6hours apart so it lined up perfectly. I think it really helped during that deployment to have that touchstone we could pray together even though we didn’t always have the ability to talk on the phone….Not to sound all Catholic triumphalist, but I do think the Divine Office is great for marking the day with prayer and gratitude and easing this tension between individual and communal life. Even when you pray alone, you know you’re joined by other Christians around the world and it’s easy to pray alone or in a group.
That is an absolutely gorgeous story, Amelia! I can’t imagine how wonderful of a ritual that must have been for you two in the midst of your separation. Thank you so so much for sharing that; I think that’s a perfect illustration for the power of ritual gratitude helps sustain and grow our love for God and each other.
You will not find me disagreeing that the Protestant tradition is sorely lacking in rituals…I mean, both biblical theology and ulterior academic disciplines all attest that ritual acts of worship (like daily or divine office) are good for us and bring us closer to God. Even Islam and Mormonism keep better rituals than Protestant evangelicals. I’ve been growing more and more frustrated about this lately.
Awh thanks so much Ruth! I’ve been compiling the research on this for almost six months now so it feels like such a relief to finally put a story to it and put it out into the world!
This past Sunday, we opened service with the practice of gratitude. We led ourselves in a prayer thanking God for even the most basic things. It was followed by a worship song about gratitude. It made for such a sweet time together. I think I cried through most of it. I love this series!
Great post. Love the idea of verbalizing what you are thankful for. I recently started practicing this with my kids (10 and 8) when I put them to bed. I got this idea from a Bible Project episode. It has definitely helped in getting me/us outside of ourselves. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
This was excellent, thank you for sharing! I’ve had the thought to try writing a thank you note daily to practice and share gratitude, but I’ve never actually attempted it. This was the inspiration I needed! Cheering you on!
What a great essay. Excellent practical advice on how to cultivate habits of gratitude, which are in turn neural circuits of happiness. I appreciated this very much.
Good write Gooch! Gratitude attracts. Criticism repels. Happiness, success, blessings. Good practice for our lives. Rejoice in the Lord always and again.
I love the way you weave together so many disparate subjects here in a common thread. Really thought provoking stuff, especially how to balance individual prayer with community…
When my husband was deployed we started praying the Angelus at noon and 6pm. We were about 6hours apart so it lined up perfectly. I think it really helped during that deployment to have that touchstone we could pray together even though we didn’t always have the ability to talk on the phone….Not to sound all Catholic triumphalist, but I do think the Divine Office is great for marking the day with prayer and gratitude and easing this tension between individual and communal life. Even when you pray alone, you know you’re joined by other Christians around the world and it’s easy to pray alone or in a group.
That is an absolutely gorgeous story, Amelia! I can’t imagine how wonderful of a ritual that must have been for you two in the midst of your separation. Thank you so so much for sharing that; I think that’s a perfect illustration for the power of ritual gratitude helps sustain and grow our love for God and each other.
You will not find me disagreeing that the Protestant tradition is sorely lacking in rituals…I mean, both biblical theology and ulterior academic disciplines all attest that ritual acts of worship (like daily or divine office) are good for us and bring us closer to God. Even Islam and Mormonism keep better rituals than Protestant evangelicals. I’ve been growing more and more frustrated about this lately.
Thank you so much for sharing :)
Excellent post. it did leave me wondering how all of this hooks up with william james. Maybe a future post?
Haha you gotta be a bit more specific! William James wrote quite a lot of stuff. What do you mean exactly?
Just wondering how the awe gratitude elevation schema fits with his understanding of religious experience in his main work on the subject.
Ohh I see what you mean. Yeah I think James’ work fits most neatly with the awe and elevation categories! I might see if I can work some of that in!
Excellent piece Griffin - You had me at the first sentence! Appreciate the layout of your articles and the interweaving of research and insights.
Awh thanks so much Ruth! I’ve been compiling the research on this for almost six months now so it feels like such a relief to finally put a story to it and put it out into the world!
I agree, Ruth. It was so interesting!
Seriously love how you bring together psychology and theology. So cool.
Thanks so much !!!
This past Sunday, we opened service with the practice of gratitude. We led ourselves in a prayer thanking God for even the most basic things. It was followed by a worship song about gratitude. It made for such a sweet time together. I think I cried through most of it. I love this series!
That’s so beautiful!! That’s the exact kind of thing I want to see more of in evangelical circles!
Great post. Love the idea of verbalizing what you are thankful for. I recently started practicing this with my kids (10 and 8) when I put them to bed. I got this idea from a Bible Project episode. It has definitely helped in getting me/us outside of ourselves. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
So happy you liked it!!
This was excellent, thank you for sharing! I’ve had the thought to try writing a thank you note daily to practice and share gratitude, but I’ve never actually attempted it. This was the inspiration I needed! Cheering you on!
Thanks I’m so glad you liked it :)
What a great essay. Excellent practical advice on how to cultivate habits of gratitude, which are in turn neural circuits of happiness. I appreciated this very much.
Thanks so much!!!
Good write Gooch! Gratitude attracts. Criticism repels. Happiness, success, blessings. Good practice for our lives. Rejoice in the Lord always and again.
Glad you liked it!!
This was so worth my time today. Thank you for the work you do to uplift.
So happy you liked it!!
This was a 12/10. *Grateful* for it.
Thanks so much!!