Table of Contents

Letter from Pastor Aaron

Since the beginning of our church in 2012, we have set our hearts to be a people of prayer. Our rally cry has simply been, “Pray First.” In every situation, whether good or bad, easy or hard, we try to pray before we act. Many times people act first and then want God to bail them out, but prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

We believe prayer matters, not as a way to get God to do what we want, but to get in on what God is doing. We join in with the prayer of Jesus: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Understanding the necessity of prayer is a good first step, but in order for it to become a regular part of your life, it needs to become something you look forward to. I’m convinced most people don’t enjoy prayer because they have never been taught how to pray. That’s where this simple prayer guide can help. Utilizing Scripture to provide direction and some tools to make prayer more personal, this document is designed to help bring joy and purpose into your time with God. I also encourage you to write notes, prayers, and insights as you move through it. When we discover the beauty of communication with God, we will experience His presence in powerful ways.

For His fame,

Aaron Stern

A Lifestyle of Prayer

Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. So, how do we make prayer a part of our everyday life?

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35

We can learn from three things Jesus did...

1. Time → Jesus regularly spent time with His heavenly Father. For prayer to be integrated into your life, you should do the same. Make a daily appointment with God.
2. Place → Jesus often slipped away from all the things vying for His attention to pray. Find a distraction-free environment to pray out loud, perhaps have some worship music playing in the background.
3. Plan → Go into your prayer time with a plan. If it changes that’s okay. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them what we call "The Lord’s Prayer." This outline along with several other tools are available in this booklet.

Praying The Examen

What is the Examen?

The Examen is an ancient prayer practice that uses prayerful reflections of your day’s events, in order to help you center on God’s presence and discern His direction. It’s a simple, four-step way of reflecting and praying through the day.

“The Examen is an immediate solution to the problem of ‘what do I pray about?’ The answer is: everything that's happened to you today. You might have the impression that your everyday life is the dreary same old, same old. It isn't. Daily life is rich and meaningful. Every encounter, every challenge, every disappointment, and every delight is a place where God can be found.” - Jim Manney

How to pray the Examen?

The Examen can take five minutes or one hour. If you do it once, it will be useful. If you do it every day, it can bring transformation.

Follow these four simple steps: