This is what I submitted for my 'week of prayer'. The people in the Urban Monastery have been taking turns being in charge of a week of prayer and it has taken several different forms. I actually went out and got temporary tattoos for everyone as a visual reminder to pray through these things. Obviously you don't have to do everything. It's an inspirational starting point. The days aren't in a specific order so if you want you can re-arrange them ahead of time if you know which they might suit.
Day MMMMMmmmm:
Music – Listen to a CD, or the radio, or yourself singing. Listen while you are driving, or working, or standing in the kitchen. Pray. Dance, Jesus will love it. Pay attention to the lyrics – pray in response: emotional intercession or romantic praise or quizzical musings. Ignore the lyrics (or make up your own) – thank God for great music and pray for the musician
Read 13 verses (M is the 13th letter in the alphabet) from any of Malachi, 13 words Melchizadek said, or 13 poems about the Moon. You can even read 13 pages from a book you're already reading. Pray. Make an improvised over-dramatic play to illustrate what you read. Re-read it with silly (or morose) voices until you smile (or cry), Jesus will too, I promise.
Movie – Watch a movie, by yourself or with friends. At the theatres or in your basement. Eating popcorn or sitting upside down. Pray. Who do the characters remind you of? Which pair of shoes do you think God liked the best? Was there any social injustices you can cry about?
Eat a muffin. Experience God's kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven. Thank God for blueberries or chocolate or zucchini or bananas and whoever made the muffins and for their eye colour, because it's rather grand of God to make different eye colours.
Responsibility Day:
Cooking – Pick up groceries, browse through a cookbook, cut your finger chopping onions, yell when you burn dinner. Pray. Thank God you get to eat food every day. Thank God that sometimes you don't have to cook your own meals and that other people do it for you. Thank God you still have all your fingers. Thank God that he doesn't get too scared while you yell and scream and that he still loves you.
Cleaning – Wipe the counter, vacuum your car, iron your kitten's shirt, discover the floor. Pray. Take a picture, it might never be clean again, and then ask God if he did that before he made pigeons. Ask God to bless whomever might be appreciative that you're cleaning. Ask God to bless children in orphanages who might never get to be clean and to bless parents who adopt. Pray for protection against the toxins in the vim you're still using up before you switch over to Andrea's Mamoomka brand.
Errands – Do something on your to-do list. Get an oil change. File something. Go shopping. Prepare a week of prayer with multi-colours and dollar-store give-aways. Pray. Thank God that he is with you, holding your hand, keeping you company, watching over you. Tell him you can't wait until heaven when you get to be married. Offer him a treat, perhaps a coffee slurpee? You can't see him? Well fine, give it to that guy washing people's windows. He's busy? Fine, invite him over for dinner later.
Pretty Bum Day:
Walk or bike somewhere instead of driving. The bank, the store, JLYS, the backyard. Pray. Thank God for the smells, the sunshine (or the rain). Pray for shops and homes you pass. Smile and say hello and God bless to people you pass. Listen. Ask God to speak about the UM. Ask him for someone to focus on for a week.
Go to the gym, or a pilates class, or a non-spectating sporting event. Do an extra lap, or 10 push-ups before you go to bed. Pray. Thank God that life is a struggle. Thank God that he made you beautiful and that you haven't contracted diabetes yet from eating 6 cookies when you got home yesterday. Speaking of which...
Make a healthier food choice. Eat porridge without sugar. Eat a salad with lots of vegetables. Skip desert. Drink water instead of juice. Pray. Thank God that you don't always get what you want. Contemplate that most people don't. Thank God for will-power to resist, sin and chocolate bunnies. .
The Day of Chill:
Make yourself a smoothie. Have a bubble bath. Watch Seinfeld. Go lie on the trampoline in your bathing suit. Sleep in. Turn off your cell phone. Light candles at dinner. Put on slippers. Pray. Whisper something unintelligible but friendly the first 3 times you wake up. Thank God for silence and then stop thinking. Thank Jesus that he rested, and that he told you to too.
Amnesia Day:
Forget to pray. Be busy and crazy and hectic. Don't worry about it. God was with you the whole time and he already knew it was going to happen and he said to tell you he thinks you're wonderful and not to worry about it.
Making Money:
You have to do it. You might like it. You might hate it. You might wish you were better at it. You might wonder how you will do enough of it. You might spend much more time than you'd prefer doing it. Pray. Ask God to help you today before you start. Ask God to reveal himself to your co-workers. Ask God to interrupt you several times to chat. Ask God to show you the calling on your life. Ask God to help you figure out a better means of paying bills. Thank God for where you are right now. Give some of what you made away.
Shooting The Breeze:
Call your Mom. Have a DTR (define the relationship). Ask a child random questions, like where they would put an extra eye if they had one and listen to their answers. Compliment your cashier or waiter. Tell your friends cheesy jokes. Stab someone in the face, verbally. Pray. Ask forgiveness for not calling your Mom sooner. Tell Jesus you think it's wonderful that he match-makes. Thank God you're not a parent yet. Tell him you hope you have 5 children when you are. Ask for someone's salvation. Beg him to send his Holy Spirit to minister healing and understanding and love and forgiveness and break down hardened hearts and open eyes and to fulfill Jesus' prayer for unity.
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