How Often Do You Pray?

During my journey into Christianity praying is one of the hardest things I have tried to do. At first, just the idea of talking to God scared me. I felt like I had no right to ask him anything and I was scared to confess my sins. Sitting there with my eyes closed felt wrong and my mind wandered and leapt about to other subjects, so I started to write down my prayers and it became easier for me.

I now have no problem praying, in fact I regularly talk to God and have started including other people in my prayers. I still don’t talk to him enough and I still struggle to stop my mind wandering but I have made a definite improvement over the past few months. However, I still have some issues and I thought I would post them up here and if there is anyone out there I would love your thoughts.

I have always been told to pray first thing in the morning and last thing at night, but then I have also been told to not have a routine and should keep a continuous dialogue open with Him, well I have four kids and finding time to talk to God is hard son a routine works best for me but I also use other moments of peace to reflect and pray.

So firstly, how often do you pray? Do you keep a routine or just pray as and when you feel the need? Also, do you find it easier to start with a memorised prayer and then go into your own thoughts? A lot of questions I know.

Secondly, do you keep it formal or informal? I tend to talk to God as I would talk to my friends or wife and sometimes I worry that I am being disrespectful. After all, God has done so much for me; the least I can do is be polite.

There Must Be More To Life Than This.

A year ago I felt unfilled with my life. I have an amazing family, four children that I love dearly and a Fiancée (now wife) that I want to spend the rest of my life with but I was still unhappy, I felt like something was missing.

All my life I have felt there was something missing, I would go from job to job telling myself that if I get this job I will be happy, or taking up hobbies, if I learn to do this I would be happy, but inevitably I wasn’t happy. I would be bored of my new job within 9 months and be looking for something new, the hobby would be forgotten and I would still feel something was missing.

I remember looking at my friends who were all happy, they did a job they loved, they seemed fulfilled with working all week and going out to the pubs and clubs on a weekend, I used to ask myself why wasn’t I like them? What was wrong with me?

Then in January I started going to church, I started to read the bible and joined their Bible study, I did an Alpha Course and helped out with church activities and I never noticed that the feeling that something was missing had gone.

Talking with people in church and the people I have met through church I have found out that this is not an uncommon feeling amongst people. I felt alone and singled out amongst my friends who seemed so happy but I never discussed my feelings with them, for all I know they may have felt the same.

Like many people I attempted to fill the hole inside of me with superficial, external things like a new job, a new hobby, new clothes and going out drinking, but none of these worked. It was only when let God into my life did I feel my thirst abate. A thirst that I never knew existed.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst” and I can testify to that statement.

About this blog

About this Blog.

In a way this blog is about me, in a wider sense this blog is about Christianity, the Lord God and the world around us.

I am a new Christian, I started attending my local church in January 2012 and since that moment I have begun to realise that God is in everything. I see him, his works and his influence in countless things around us today and I thought I would start this blog to record some of those thoughts, feelings and experiences. I hope in time that you, the reader (if there are any) will also contribute your thoughts and experiences.

A bit about me. I am 26 and have a large family, there is my wife and our 4 children. As I have stated above we recently started attending church and since then all our lives have changed. I will not say which church I attend because I want to keep the denominations out of this, we all worship the Lord,  however we choose to do it. Also, the thoughts expressed here and mine and mine alone and I do not want to be seen as representing a certain denomination.

I am not a pastor, preacher of evangelist, just a guy who works in an office and is learning about our Lord and Saviour.

Hopefully, as I post more you will begin to learn and know more about me.

Happy readings and if there is anyone out there, then please feel free to let me know.

God bless you,

James