Ship of Fools: Managing a Personal Prayer List

Thread: Managing a Personal Prayer List Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

So, when you say, "I'll pray for you", how do you keep your list? And if you do keep a list, how often do you review it? How often do you remove people? What happens when it gets to be super long?

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

I assign people beads on my rosary. No kidding. I even have some blank wooden beads and a leather cord with which I hope to create a personal string of prayer beads featuring my "regulars."

For Shipmates, though, Telepath has her handy -dandy lists that a lot of us rely on. A huge help.

Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

I'm thinking of my Twitter friend's mother-in-law who broke her hip, my parishoner's auntie, et cetra-- the kind that you want to remember to pray for but not neccesarily for the rest of your life (that's a lot of beads to carry around).

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Actually, the pre-made rosary would be the one I'd use for that-- situation over, assign a new person to the bead(I just keep track of which bead is what in my head.)That's why I specifically wrote "the regulars" for the wood one.

The physical, concrete act of holding a bead works as a memory prompt for me.

[ 23. May 2013, 21:46: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]

Posted by South Coast Kevin (# 16130) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spiffy:
So, when you say, "I'll pray for you", how do you keep your list? And if you do keep a list, how often do you review it? How often do you remove people? What happens when it gets to be super long?

I have an A5 notepad by my bed, in which I'll write situations and people I want to pray about regularly. If it's someone close to me, or the situation is time-limited (like a job interview or something) then I'll write it in the notepad and aim to check back with the person to see how things are going.

For things like 'Twitter friend's mother-in-law who broke her hip', I might simply spend a few moments praying when I hear about the situation. I find it tough to pray for people and about situations I don't really know, so I focus on people and issues that mean more to me personally.

Posted by Percy B (# 17238) on :

Bit of a cheat I know but I like to pray sometime each week 'for all who have asked for prayer'

Posted by Oblatus (# 6278) on :

I admire a friend in an online Anglican forum who keeps a prayer journal and prays daily for those listed therein. Once an entry is a month old, he posts, "[Name], been praying for a month. How are you doing?" to encourage an update. If they've recovered or the need for prayer isn't there anymore, he deletes the entry. If not, it renews for another month.

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

Huh... had a friend asking for some serious prayer on the way home from the pub earlier. Got me thinking about this very topic - so thanks for starting it Spiffy.

I guess I would keep praying until I heard that things were well, or until I thought it reasonable that they would have been resolved. And yes, this might mean taking recourse in 'all who have asked me, unworthy as I am, to pray for them', especially for people I don't see very often. A bit weaselly but better I guess than nothing.

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

ETA: as to remembering people... no particular systems. Just try to keep everyone necessary in mind!

Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spiffy:
So, when you say, "I'll pray for you", how do you keep your list? And if you do keep a list, how often do you review it? How often do you remove people? What happens when it gets to be super long?

Currently, "badly" is probably my answer. My prayer list is a mental one, so people tend to fall off the bottom of my list as new people replace them, and I forget about the old ones. So close family stay on, my neighbour who is particularly ill stays on, because I see him on a regular basis, so am reminded of his need; other people - whether it's colleagues, shipmates, victims of the recent tornado in Oklahoma etc. tend to stay for a while, then get replaced.

I would like to be more organized about this. SCK's notepad would work, except that I have a dozen similar notepads with the first couple of pages used for something that I have generated over the past few years, and find once every month or two. If I had a smartphone, I might successfully use that for this.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

Saw something on the net a few months ago.
A really old nun had died and they had this huge pile of pocket-notebooks going back 50+ years of all her pray-ees.

Posted by Custard (# 5402) on :

When I say "I'll pray for you", I usually do so within a few minutes and then as it occurs to me.

If something makes it onto a written list (daily / weekly / monthly), I'll pray for it until the prayers are no longer needed, or the situation has changed. For example, when I move churches that usually means I stop praying through the list of people at the church I've left.

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

I fail. Though I do mumble off an immediate prayer, and then I maintain a spontaneous and chaotic serendipity for months. But that's the story of my life.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

Bishop Jack Nicholls (formerly of Sheffield) relieved me of a great deal of guilt when he confessed to the same problem of forgetting to pray for people who had asked. His wise spiritual director had said, 'if you have a pastoral concern for them - which you do even if all you know about them is a name - then they are part of your life. Whenever you pray you bring your whole life before God, and that of course includes all these people who are part of it.'

Posted by Zacchaeus (# 14454) on :

An acquaintance of mine, when asked to pray for somebody, writes their name on a piece of paper and places it at the foot of a cross on his sideboard.

Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Galilit:
Saw something on the net a few months ago.
A really old nun had died and they had this huge pile of pocket-notebooks going back 50+ years of all her pray-ees.

Wish the good Sister had left instructions on how she did it-- maybe she'll whisper them to the Holy Spirit to pass along.

quote:
Originally posted by Zacchaeus:
An acquaintance of mine, when asked to pray for somebody, writes their name on a piece of paper and places it at the foot of a cross on his sideboard.

How often does he sort the pile, do you know?

I'm going to have a kind of ora et labora long weekend (a staycation retreat, if you will, combined with installing many, many garden beds) so I'm going to try a couple things out and report back.

[ 24. May 2013, 16:01: Message edited by: Spiffy ]

Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :

I have a basket that I keep prayer stones in and I hold each stone as I pray for the person. I also have a special stone which I hold when I add prayers for others on a temporary basis. I try and use my basket each day and for the most part do. I also use two on line prayers lists, one on the Ship and one on our church web site. Those I use once a week. Finally if someone needs prayer I do it right then and there in person on via phone, rather then saying, "I will pray for you." I will also often continue to pray for them as well.

Posted by Oblatus (# 6278) on :

When I remember (which is all too seldom), I respond to a prayer request with "For N., Lord, have mercy." Sort of an ongoing litany.

Might be a good practice for me to pray the parish weekly prayer list that way, which might help me remember to do that when other prayer needs or requests come along later in the day.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spiffy:
Wish the good Sister had left instructions on how she did it-- maybe she'll whisper them to the Holy Spirit to pass along.

At the time I imagined she walked about with the notebook and pen or pencil - the pic showed she used both - so maybe she just grabbed what was nearest.
Easier to do in public as it were if you're a nun than a layperson...I'd feel awfully self-conscious.

[fixed code]

[ 27. May 2013, 16:27: Message edited by: seasick ]

Posted by The Phantom Flan Flinger (# 8891) on :

It will come as a surprise to almost no-one to learn that there is an app for that [Biased]

Smartphone types can download Prayer Journal - I find it useful.

Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Galilit:

quote:
Originally posted by Spiffy:
Wish the good Sister had left instructions on how she did it-- maybe she'll whisper them to the Holy Spirit to pass along.
At the time I imagined she walked about with the notebook and pen or pencil - the pic showed she used both - so maybe she just grabbed what was nearest.
Easier to do in public as it were if you're a nun than a layperson...I'd feel awfully self-conscious.

[fixed code]

I was more interested in the mechanics, did she read through every one of those journals every day? Did she add people more than once (intentionally, I'm sure any human will forget eventually). Did she just write it down and then use a catch-all prayer?

quote:
Originally posted by The Phantom Flan Flinger:
It will come as a surprise to almost no-one to learn that there is an app for that

Smartphone types can download Prayer Journal - I find it useful.

59 results named "Prayer Journal" or "My Prayer Journal" in the Google Play store.

[ 28. May 2013, 16:41: Message edited by: Spiffy ]

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

Interesting I found 2! I am trying the one from FirstStepMedia, so far so good. Its allowed me to set up family requests for my immediate family. So I pray for them over a week.

If this works I will set it for more things.

Jengie

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

I keep a list in MSWord. If it's something temporary, prayers continue until the situation is over. If it's long-term, they stay on indefinitely.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

I have a 33-knot wool bracelet type chotki with one red bead. (It was the cheapest on the site that someone on The Ship linked to and the guy had the cheek to say it was merino! Yeah, Bulgaria is chock-full of merino sheep).

I just thought to use that red bead to say "LJC, SofG, have mercy on N. N being someone in particular desperate need at the moment.
After I have done my 20 min/200-odd I am going bead by bead with "the usual suspects" and then various others till I run out or start praying rubbish.

Posted by Arabella Purity Winterbottom (# 3434) on :

Post it notes around the edges of my computer screen, that being the place I sit still longest. My workmates think its really weird, but it works for me.

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Custard:
When I say "I'll pray for you", I usually do so within a few minutes and then as it occurs to me.

Yes, me, too. Most often, I'll hear about a situation, and just wordlessly toss it toward God.

During a long stretch when I was sorting out a lot of baggage from my past, I kept a little notebook with a list of people who hurt me, those I hurt, and others who were just in my life at various times. I took it to church on Good Friday, and worked through it. It was enough to help me heal; but not so much that I'd get re-entangled, because I didn't spend a great deal of time on it. FWIW.

Oh, and candles are good, too. I've tried a rosary and Buddhist prayer beads (108!); but the truth is that, for me, working the beads interferes with prayer/meditation. I can do repetitive prayers better on my own. Beads work better for just holding for comfort and encouragement, or even just having them around.

I also like doing prayers for everything and everyone, and the well-being thereof. Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfulness techniques are very useful. See The Miracle of Mindfulness and Peace Is Every Step. Helps you include blessing, centering, and prayer throughout your day, in small ways--even when just walking.

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