This section of our efforts is going to
be devoted to the ways and means by which we have such an ardent and fulfilling
spiritual life within our body of believers. As has been stated before, we do
not have any concrete and glass structure that we all travel to in order to
share and worship. Our community is an exclusively online fellowship, and,
therefore, involves followers from all over the country, and, indeed, the
world. Therefore, how we worship is strictly of personal preference, and
carried out in private spaces.
We
accept all who come to us with open hearts and minds, and we do not condemn any
belief system, except those that preach or teach hatred and violence. However,
we have found, through sharing with one another, that we have some common
practices that we have all found to be immensely helpful in our spiritual
walks. In this section, we will be sharing these practices so that others may
profit from them as we have. We do not contend that anyone must follow these
practices, as worship should be as individual as those performing it. But, we
do hope that this section will help those who feel they want to take their own
private worship to the next level.
Daily
Readings, Devotions, Prayers, and Affirmations
The
most important thing about worship is that it should not be something that is
done only once a week or on special holidays. Worship should be something that
is as much a part of life as breathing. The daily habit of reading, praying,
and affirming ourselves and our beliefs is very important, in that it brings us
back to the reasons of why we live and believe as we do on a daily basis,
thereby affirming our inner strengths and giving us peace.
Many
people prefer to do these things in the mornings, when they first rise and as
part of their morning routines, however there is no set time or place that they
need to be done. To do them in the middle of the day, before going to bed, or
on a lunch break, will in no way demean them or make them of less importance.
The important thing is that they be done, every day, regularly and faithfully.
The
first of these things is a daily reading of whatever Holy Scriptures that you
hold dear. These may be from the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Rig Veda,
the Koran, the I Ching, or any of the other numerous volumes of holy writings
that have come into being throughout the ages. If your belief system has no
holy writings, then a selection from a book of poetry that speaks to you of
your beliefs may be appropriate. The reading should be of fairly short
duration, 5-10 minutes, and should be of spiritual and personal quality to the
individual.
The
second thing should be some sort of devotion. A devotion is a short lesson
based upon a premise presented in the form of a verse or section of sacred
writings. There are devotional books from all the different religious beliefs
of the world, many of them for little or no cost, available in book stores and
online. Our suggestion is that you pick one and try it. If you do not feel that
it is correct for you, you will not need to get anything else from that
particular belief system again. This is also a great way of finding out what
other belief systems are and what they believe in. A good devotion should take
you about 10-15 minutes to get through.
Now
is the time for the third part of our daily exercises, the prayer. Prayers can
take many shapes, and the shape of the individual’s prayer should be
exclusively up to them. We, at Children of Father God and Mother Earth, are
rooted in the Christian belief system, and so we have many things that adhere
to that particular way of worship. We have a prayer for this time that is an
eclectic mix of certain prayers found in the Holy Bible, but is helpful in
focusing the mind of the person reciting it. It goes like this:
Our
Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed
be Thy name
Thy
kingdom come
Thy
will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven
Give
us this day our daily bread
And
forgive us our trespasses
As
we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead
us not into temptation
But
deliver us from evil
Dear
Lord, I pray that you will bless me indeed
Give
me the resources to keep a roof over me and mine
And
food on our table
As
I continue to walk the road that you have placed me on
Dear
Lord, I pray that you will enhance my domain
Give
me new things to do and to learn
To
stretch me as an individual
As
I continue in the work that you have given me to accomplish
Dear
Lord, I pray that you will keep your hand ever upon me to keep me from evil
Clothe
me in your armor
To
protect me from the fiery darts of the enemy
But
give me my own sword of courage and wisdom
So
that I may, through your strength, fight the darkness wherever it may be found
Even
if it is within myself
Dear
Lord, I thank you for yesterday, today, and tomorrow
I
thank you for all that you have done, are doing, and will do in my life
I
turn my family, my friends, and all that I hold dear
Over
to your guidance, your protection, and your peace
And,
giving you all the praise, and the honor, and the glory
I
pray all these things in the name of your Son and my Savior
Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
This prayer has been very helpful to
many of our followers, and we offer it to you here in hopes that it will also
be helpful to you along your spiritual journey.
The
last part of daily exercises should be affirmations. Affirmations are small
sentences that usually begin with “I am,” or “I will.” These are meant to be
self-affirming to the individual, in that they are a way to speak positivity to
our own subconscious, and therefore into our lives. There are many affirmations
that can be said to ourselves. Some of them may be like this:
I
am a beautiful person and God loves me.
I
do not need to be concerned with what anyone but God thinks of me.
I
am blessed and all is well.
I
am getting better every day and it will only continue.
Affirmations are ways to confirm our
specialness to God and the rest of the world we live in. These can be very
useful to those who are perhaps a little overwhelmed with the cares and worries
of life. Affirmations can be as few or as many as the individual wishes, but should
only take about five minutes to recite.
Daily
readings, devotions, prayers, and affirmations should usually take only about
20-30 minutes to accomplish on a daily basis. This duration may be lengthened
if the individual wishes to add meditation or a longer prayer time. However,
making time for these things in one’s daily routine can add immeasurable depth
and spiritual meaning to anyone looking for those things in their lives.
