Everyday Contemplative

What does it mean to be contemplative? Many of us carry around stereotypical pictures of contemplative types—people who seem so unlike us that there is no way we could ever be contemplatives. But what if the word contemplative doesn’t just name a narrowly defined kind of prayer but also an approach to all prayer? And what if the same word doesn’t denote a specific way of life—extreme, alone with lots of somber sitting—but can describe any life that seeks to be more open, available, and responsive to God?

In other words, most contemplatives are everyday contemplatives—people living common, ordinary lives, responding to a call of divine love from God who speaks into the depths of their being.

This Lent, Roger Owens invites us to approach prayer and life differently. We’ll explore a contemplative approach applicable to all spiritual practices—indeed, to life itself. Each week will focus on a particular characteristic of contemplative living: longing, attention, patience, playfulness, vulnerability, nonjudgment, and freedom. We’ll begin each week with a reading and spiritual practice designed to set a focus for the week. Each day, we’ll be guided in a simple practice designed to deepen our awareness of the week’s theme.

Our online experience includes:

• Weekly LIVE sessions with Roger Owens and The Upper Room staff and friends.
  – Mondays from 6:00-6:45pm CENTRAL time, February 20 through April 3.
  – All LIVE sessions are recorded for those unable to join live.
• Weekly readings from Everyday Contemplative: The Way of Prayerful Living.
• Daily spiritual practice prompts.
• An online space for comments and conversation.

To purchase a print version of Everyday Contemplative: The Way of Prayerful Living, visit The Upper Room online store.

Interested in online learning options based on your favorite Upper Room books? Look for this graphic and click it to learn more as you explore The Upper Room online store.