Anne Witton on mission

Showing Tag: "prayer" (Show all posts)

Spiritual practices and habits

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, In : Reflections

It’s been a really tough couple of years and I realised that I let other things and people take first place in my heart instead of God. It’s been a long and painful process coming back to him fully, but I realised that the only thing that’s going to replace idolatry in my heart is to pursue Jesus with everything I have and delight in him. That’s not always easy. In fact, I’ve found it very hard, but I’m encouraged that it’s not something I need to manufacture for myself. Even th...

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What physical pain has taught me about spiritual healing

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, In : Reflections

There’s a real analogy between emotional pain and physical pain. If there’s something seriously wrong with you physically there’s pain before you have the operation and if you don’t do anything about it it will get worse and worse and make you sicker and sicker. Then you have the operation and you can’t feel it because you’re anaesthetised. And then there’s the pain of recovery. It’s not always easy, but it will get gradually better and better and is leading to healing and who...
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Prayer Walks

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, In : Prayer

I admit that I often find it difficult to pray or get stuck in a rut, so I'm always on the look out for creative ideas to mix things up a bit. I've blogged before about creative prayer so you might want to check out those ideas:

I find that moving my body and being away from distractions is really helpful, which is why I'm a fan of prayer walking. It's something you can do on your own or with othe...
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What I learned about prayer from my friend and her lucky crystal

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, April 20, 2020, In : Random stuff

I’ve just read ‘Faitheism’ by Krish Kandiah and found it really helpful and thought-provoking. He seeks to diffuse the ‘us vs them’ polarisation that often characterises interactions between Atheists and Christians and explores ways that we can find common ground and forge more meaningful relationships.

In the chapter on suffering he highlights a couple of case studies where Christians have been disciplined or fired from their jobs because they’ve offered to pray with people at wor...

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St. Patrick's Breastplate (I Arise Today)

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 21, 2020, In : Prayer

Some excerpts from St. Patrick's famous prayer:

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of h...

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6 of the best daily prayer apps

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, August 3, 2019, In : Prayer

I have recently been helped in the discipline of daily prayer by a number of apps, so I wanted to share 6 of the best free ones. The selection represents a number of different Christian faith traditions, so I hope that there is something for everyone.

(1) Pray As You Go (Free)

iOS app download

Android app download

This is my favourite daily prayer app. Each day there is an audio reflection of about 12 minutes which includes music, Scripture reading, questions for reflection and quiet time for yo...

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Picture This Thought - Meal [Food]

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, In : Video

We live in a world of fast food, drive throughs, TV dinners, working lunches and meals in a shake. But what if eating is meant to be a much more spiritual experience?

In this short reflection, I consider the importance of mealtimes in the early church, in Jewish history and in our own lives as we build community. We can learn some profound truths about God through our relationship with food if we're willing to stop and think.

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A prayer of John Wesley

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, February 4, 2019, In : Prayer

O God, seeing as there is in Christ Jesus an infinite fullness of all that we can want or desire,
May we all receive from him, grace upon grace;
grace to pardon our sins, and subdue our iniquities;
to justify our persons and to sanctify our souls;
and to complete that holy change, that renewal of our hearts,
Which will enable us to be transformed into the blessed image in which you created us.
O make us all acceptable to be partakers of the inheritance of your saints in light.
Amen.

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PrayerMate Send

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, August 30, 2018, In : Prayer

For a few months now, I’ve been using PrayerMate Send which is a brilliant way to help people know what to pray for in my ministry. It’s ideal for anyone in Christian ministry, churches, youth groups, social action projects, charities and anyone that wants to encourage others to pray for their work.

PrayerMate is a great, free app for smartphones which allows users to organise the things they’re praying for, add contacts, create lists and subscribe to feeds from organisations and individ...

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Picture This Thought

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, August 3, 2018, In : Video

I'm exploring different ways to do discipleship and outreach, especially over the summer as it's harder to see people in person. I think that digital media can be a helpful tool to engage people with faith and help them to think about Jesus.

I have just started recording a short video reflection each day based on a photo I've taken. The aim is to think about what the picture might tell us about God and his world and my prayer is that it will spark offline conversations with students and others...

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Prayer treasure hunt

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, May 14, 2018, In : Prayer

Prayer walking is a great way of lifting the needs of your area to the Lord and asking for his kingdom to come in your community. On a recent day of prayer, I was responsible for organising the prayer walk and I thought it would be fun to do it as a treasure hunt. I thought I'd share it here so that you can have a go too.

The idea is to go around spotting certain things from the list and praying for the corresponding needs represented. A route of about an hour works well. You can d ownload the ...
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New Year retreat guide

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 14, 2017, In : Resources

Once the mince pies have been scoffed and the wrapping paper's been recycled, it's time to pause to reflect and think about the year ahead.

Agape's New Year Retreat Guide for 2018 has been put together to help our staff, volunteers and anyone connected with Agapé start the new year with prayer and contemplation. It's based on Colossians 1 and it's available here FREE ... it's really an excellent resource, so please use and share.

Download the free New Year Retreat Guide for 2018

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Letting God Drive: Pain, prayer and the Holy Spirit

Posted by Anne Witton on Sunday, May 21, 2017, In : Reflections

I suffer from Bipolar Disorder and have to be careful about my routine in order to keep my mood stable. I definitely overdid things in the first few months of this year, which led to me feeling burnt out and struggling with low mood. The doctor signed me off work so that I could rest and recuperate and my colleagues and friends have been very supportive in recognising this need to regroup.

The first few weeks were very difficult and I didn’t feel capable of much, but I very clearly felt held...

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Repentance 101

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 9, 2017, In : Reflections

I have been challenged recently that I’m not repentant enough in my walk with God. Sometimes I find it too easy to just say a blanket ‘Sorry for all the bad things I’ve done’ without really thinking about it. But I want to be better at being honest with God about specific areas of struggle and allow the Holy Spirit to change me to be more Christlike.

I searched for some stuff to help and couldn’t really find any step-by-step prompts that I could work through every day, so I decided...

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Starting out with prayer

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, January 9, 2017, In : Prayer

If your New Year’s resolutions include ‘pray more’, then you might be interested in this free January prayer guide from Agapé. The guide features something short and specific for you to pray each day, mainly for your personal walk with God and witness.

Download the free January prayer guide here.

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Allowing our Father to clean up the mess

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, December 8, 2016, In : Reflections

Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

The other day I saw a little boy running along and he tripped and fell flat on his face. He was covered in mud and gravel with blood all over his knees and snot and tears all over his face, but his Mum scooped him up and hugged away the pain, getting covered in blood, snot, mud and tears in the process. He wasn’t embarrassed that she saw him in that state. He didn’...
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Freshers' Week Prayer Diary 2016

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, In : Ministry

It's that time of the year when we get excited about welcoming new students to Newcastle from all over the nation and the globe. At Student Life, we have a wide range of activities designed to welcome new students, build friendships and engage people in spiritual questions and exploring Jesus' claims for themselves.

Here's the timetable of stuff we've got planned so far. Please pray for each of the events and that we will be a real blessing to the students, that lots of people will join in and...

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Creative prayer part 2 - 18 More Ideas to Help You Pray

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, In : Prayer

In my previous post - Creative prayer: 19 Ideas to Help You Pray - I shared some suggestions and practical tips to spend more time in communion with God. Since then, I’ve compiled some more simple ideas to kick-start your prayer life. Let me know what works for you or whether you have other ideas to add.

Pray directly for people via Facebook Messenger, What’s App etc. Maybe work through your list of contacts and send them a prayer every so often.
Have a friendship bracelet or leather band ...

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Thank you Lord

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, May 27, 2016, In : Prayer

Thank you Lord for...
Deliciously comfy sofas
and the smell of skin.
A lovely sweet cup of tea at the end of a long day.

Thank you for...
roller-skates, baboons, snooker, trees, funny-shaped vegetables and hair.

Thank you for making fields, cliffs, streams and woods.

Thank you for the taste of lemon sorbet, for the sound of seagulls, for the smell of blossom.

Thank you for the giggles, for the touch of a friend, for the feel of soft carpet on bare feet.

Thank you for when I wake up and realise that yo...
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Colouring with God

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, March 11, 2016, In : Prayer

I've recently been enjoying the current trend of colouring as a way to relax and get my creative juices going. Not being very artistically inclined, it's a good way for me to create something pretty to look at without being able to draw and it's a good way to focus the mind and get away from distractions.

I was really pleased to come across a website called 'Colouring with God' which is a great resource for Bible-focused colouring.

They sell colouring books, cards and bookmarks will wonderful ...
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Having a retreat day - Practical tips

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, In : Resources

In my last post, I shared with you a handy Retreat day guide which you can use to help you reflect when you have a day with the Lord. I thought it would also be good to explore some practical tips for making the most of a day set aside for God.

Over the years, I've found that having regular times where I choose to be alone with God has been a brilliant way to nurture my relationship with him, to grow spiritually and to enjoy "life in all its fulness" (John 10: 10). It's also been particularly ...

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Prayer and retreat guide

Posted by Anne Witton on Saturday, December 19, 2015, In : Resources

As many of us have some time off over Christmas and New Year, it's a good opportunity to reflect on the year that has gone and commit the upcoming year to God. I'm planning to take some time out of the busyness to pray and reflect and I'll be using this great new guide from Agapé to help me.

Whatever this year has held for us - and whatever next year may bring - we have a God who is faithful, loving and compassionate, and who longs for us to draw near to him. Let's do that.

Download the free P...
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Freshers' Week Prayer Diary

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, September 7, 2015, In : Ministry

There's a lot of activity planned for Freshers' aimed at building community, encouraging friendships, developing leadership skills and sharing the Gospel. Please pray that each of the events below will be used by God to build His Kingdom and bring new students into the Student Life community.

Northumbria

Weds 9 - Fri 11 | Oasis Lounge hangout in Trinity Square

Mon 14, 7pm | Pool night

Tues 15, 1 - 4pm | Quayside trip

Weds 16 11am - 5pm | Freshers' Fair

Thurs 17 - Fri 18, 1 - 5pm | Oasis Lounge hang...

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Prayer of abandonment

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 2, 2015, In : Prayer

Father, I abandon myself into your hands;

do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

and in all Your creatures -

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,

for I love you Lord,

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands,

without reserve,

and with boundless confidence,

For you are my Father.

--Charles de Foucauld (1858...

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Westgate Baptist Prayer Week

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, In : Prayer

This morning for our staff prayer time, we went over to Westgate Baptist Church. They are having their prayer week and have decorated the church beautifully with loads of creative prayer stations focussing on the Holy Spirit. If you get a chance to go down there, it's well worth it.

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December news update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Friday, December 19, 2014, In : Support

The great news is that I've now got all the financial support that I need to start full-time on campus in the new year! I'm so thankful to God for his provision and to you for your faithful prayers, generous giving and lovely encouragements to press on when things have been tough.

We're having some staff time this Friday to reflect on this term and look ahead to next year so please pray that God will direct our thoughts and discussion as we make future plans. It's difficult to say what my time...

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Enjoy the silence

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, November 24, 2014, In : Reflections

"Be still and know that I am God"
Psalm 46: 10

Our world is full of noise. Everywhere we go there’s background music, ‘special offer’ announcements on the tannoy, big screen sports and stuff clamouring for our attention. I was waiting for Abby at the doctors the other day and the TV was on showing Jeremy Kyle with people shouting at each other. What an unrelaxing environment to sit in when you’re already feeling ill! In the summer, they even put huge screens up in public spaces outside ...

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November news update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, November 6, 2014, In : Support

It's been another really busy month. The big news on the house front is that - after a number of delays - we finally exchanged contracts and got the keys last Friday! I'm really excited about getting our ministry house and so grateful to God for his provision. I must admit that I'm feeling exhausted at the moment as it's quite stressful dealing with solicitors, financial advisors, banks, removal companies, utilities, insurance companies etc. and trying to make sure that everything is sorted o...

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Support update and prayer requests

Posted by Anne Witton on Wednesday, October 1, 2014, In : Support

I hope you all had a good summer and are enjoying the driest September for 50 years!

While my colleagues have been busy with Freshers' Week activities, I am continuing to grow my team of ministry partners. My financial support is gradually increasing and God has now provided 65% of the monthly total I need to start working full-time with students. In the meantime, I've been supporting my colleagues behind the scenes and really enjoy doing prayer walks round the universities. Obviously, ...
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24-7 prayer room

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, August 25, 2014, In : Prayer

I have just returned from a week-long Agapé staff conference in Nottingham, which was a brilliant time of studying the Bible, praying for one another and catching up with lots of old friends!

As some of you know, I've been getting increasingly excited about prayer recently. At the conference, we had a 24-7 prayer room and we all signed up for slots so that at least one person was praying in there every hour of every day and night. It had been decorated beautifully with different areas to focu...

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Creative prayer - 19 ideas to help you pray

Posted by Anne Witton on Monday, July 21, 2014, In : Prayer

Recently, I've been inspired by the power of prayer and challenged to pray more. If we're honest, we all find it difficult to pray sometimes - whether that's because we're wrestling with doubts, going through a time of great pain, or just getting distracted by work, family, household chores, TV or iPhone apps.

Over the years, I've been making a list of ideas to help me pray and one evening at housegroup we all shared things that we found helpful. I hope you find them helpful too.

Write prayers ...

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Prayer for spiritual revival

Posted by Anne Witton on Thursday, July 17, 2014, In : Prayer

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more ...

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Reflections on a broken window

Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, In : Reflections

Yesterday I got home from a great team prayer meeting to find that the lounge window had been smashed. It looked very much as though someone had shot it so my first thought was "I wish I had one of those laser things they have in CSI so I can trace the trajectory of the bullet." Then I realised that I live in Gateshead and not Las Vegas, so I carefully examined the crime scene for forensic evidence of avian damage but could find no blood or bird carcass.

Then the reality sank in that it would ...
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