Fixed-hour Prayers
Ideal for bringing structure to long days of sheltering in place.
"Fixed-hour prayer gives us a way to anchor our daily lives in rhythms of prayer, Scripture reading, and silence, ensuring that we do not get too far into any day without orienting or reorienting ourselves to the presence of God in our lives." – Ruth Haley Barton
Praying at fixed-hours of the day offers us a way to stop at regular intervals and turn our heart towards God in ways that are appropriate for whatever part the day we are in.
An ideal way to open to Christ's presence when a group gathers is to engage in rhythms of prayer at regular intervals throughout the day (morning, midday, evening, and night) or to pray whatever "hour" is closest and most appropriate to the time of the gathering.
To learn more, read Sweet Hours of Prayer: How Fixed-Hour Prayer Nourishes the Soul by Ruth Haley Barton.
Below you will find prayers that have been developed right here in the Transforming Center. We pray these prayers in Transforming Community, and we are offering them here for your personal use. They are not to be altered or reproduced in any other way.
Morning Prayer (pdf)
Mid-Day Prayer (pdf)
Evening Prayer (pdf)
Night Prayer (pdf)
NEW! Fixed- Hour Prayers for Families
Designed for families using words and songs simple enough for children to engage but still meaningful for teenagers and adults.
Because creating a new rhythm within a family can feel daunting
The liturgies come with helpful suggestions for how to get started and a few ideas for engaging children of younger ages. Our hope is that these liturgies will provide just enough structure for you to feel supported in bringing this prayer practice to your family in a meaningful way.
Receive four prayers as well as a document with guidance when you make a donation of any size.
Pursuing Gods Will Together: Resources for Leadership Groups
Becoming a community for discernment at the leadership level and practicing corporate leadership discernment involves many different kinds of tools. In addition to the prayers above (which you can use when your group gathers), feel free to download and distribute the charts below so you can clearly identify where you are in either one of these processes. They will also help you see where you need to go next. These are developed as a complement to the book, Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups.
Becoming A Community That Practices Corporate Leadership Discernment (Chart)
A visual representation of the entire process of becoming a community for discernment.
Becoming a Community that Practices Corporate Leadership Discernment (pdf)
Movements in Corporate Leadership Discernment (Chart)
It can be very helpful for group members to keep the "Moves in Corporate Leadership Discernment" chart visible during times of discernment in order to keep the group focused on where they are and where they are going.
Movements in Corporate Leadership Discernment (pdf)