Laura Stephens Reed of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers these suggestions for entering into contemplation during Lent (and reminds us that the Spirit’s wisdom can be found in many places)! Pray with your eyes open. Celebrate beauty of all kinds. Ask for God’s help where you see struggle. This prayer could be as you are stationary, or you could be moving around. Maybe you are thinking or journaling words, or you could simply let awareness or emotion well up in you. Pray with the Church. [Catholics, for example] have set scriptures and prayers for each day, and we can join them. This shared experience provides structure for our devotional times but, just as importantly, reminds us that we are part of a larger body of Christ watched over by a communion of saints. Engage silence. Silence is not just a vacuum. It is an opening to all that God might pour into it. Breathe deeply, settle your body and mind and see what the Spirit will do with your receptivity. Create something. You don’t even need formal materials for this… This kind of prayer allows us to celebrate the goodness of the created world and get a glimpse into the divine imagination behind it. Move your body. Sometimes I am most amenable to the Spirit’s whisperings when I am moving just enough to quiet my mind. Walking or repetitive motions often work well for this. Examen the day. Examen is the practice of reviewing the day, noting when God felt closer or more distant. You could add an open-ended question to that reflection, such as, “What is God up to in this?” Seek out a new (or not so new) acquaintance’s story. When we hear the narrative of someone else’s life, we learn fresh ways that God moves through our lives and connects all our stories to God’s own. And, when we become closer to a person by knowing more about them, the door of our heart opens a bit wider, and we catch a new glimpse of God’s image. Listen for a word from God. Engage in lectio divina on a scripture passage, listening for and sharing what word or phrase jumps out at you and what God might be saying to you through it.