This workshop has ended. We thank everyone who participated and hope to see you again in another Spirituality & Practice Zoom retreat or e-course.
The concept of “prayer” has been weaponized by fundamentalists and weakened by politicians, but what is it really, what is it for, and what creative power might it hold for our collective liberation?
Join Micah Bucey, the author of The Book of Tiny Prayer, to explore the four main imperatives of prayer: Attention, Intention, Time, and Quiet. In a world so laden with distraction, apathy, productivity, and noise, how might these simple ingredients demystify our complicated histories with prayer and lead us into an embodied exploration of Søren Kierkegaard’s words: “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”
When New York City went into lockdown in March 2020, Micah found the world and himself in desperate need of prayer. While social distancing created disconnect, Bucey began a daily practice of writing a “Tiny Prayer” each morning and posting it on social media, each offering a reflection on what was going on in his own heart and in the wider world. These prayers were also posted in the "Praying the News" blog on SpiritualityandPractice.com and linked each day off our homepage.
Soon, a solitary practice became a communal one, with others engaging and sharing the prayers that touched them most, suggesting issues and topics for future prayers, and creating connection across a digital divide. Now, Micah spreads the gospel of crafting "tiny prayers" in order to help others to respond to the overwhelm around us with bold and bite-sized creative commitments.
Whether you’re a regular pray-er, a curious pray-er, or a non-pray-er, you are invited to attend this three-hour e-workshop on Zoom (10 am - 1 pm PacificTime — click here to find other time zones) on Saturday, June 4th. We will co-create a sacred and playful space to ask questions, compose individual and collective blessings, and together reimagine what prayer can be, as we ask:
- What if prayer were not a lazy cop-out from active engagement but the intentional invitation to active engagement?
- What if we prayed not only out of occasional helplessness and hopelessness but also to regularly open ourselves up to becoming the help, the hope, and the justice we need?
- What would happen if we met the overwhelming information cluttering our screens and our minds with prayerful intentionality every day?
Micah will lead us in understanding the ingredients of prayer and share samples of his own tiny prayers to illustrate the process of naming, going in, and going out. We'll take time to write our own prayers and share them, if you wish, in small breakout rooms. The group interaction will be a valuable part of the e-workshop, but if you cannot attend live, Micah's portions will be recorded for later listening.
Micah Bucey writes film reviews for Spirituality & Practice and contributes to our Praying the News Blog and the Practicing Democracy Project. He serves as Minister at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, a congregation committed to curiously seeking the intersections between expansive spirituality, radical social justice, and uncensored creative expression. While ordained in the Christian tradition, Micah’s imagination is most activated by an interspiritual approach that celebrates the diverse ways that divinity manifests in everything and everyone.
This e-workshop promises to give you fresh perspectives, an accessible approach, and practical experience using your prayers to express your commitments. To join us, click on "Subscribe" below.
Saturday, June 4 - Saturday, June 4
$60.00
