MEDITATION EXERCISES

1. Think about your religious upbringing. Did you have one? If you not, what brings you to the church now? If so, which elements have you kept and which elements have you modified over the years? In either case, what aspects of faith do you wish to gain in the future?
2. Prayerfully read John 20:30-31. Who is the "you" the text refers to? What do you think "life in His name" means? Imagine being a member of the Johannian community writing this verse. Would they be happy that you are reading their gospel?
3. Using the "fill-in-the-blank" handout of the Old Testament and New Testament, work during the week at memorizing the books of the Bible, testament by testament, section by section. Memorization is its own type of meditative activity. Once memorized using the handout, try to simply write the books of the Bible, in order, on a blank piece of paper.

PRAYER GUIDE

If you are new to prayer, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Perhaps you can start with the Lord's Prayer and simply then add whatever you would like to say to God. God knows our hearts, so do not worry about the words you use.

For this module, perhaps we can ask God to help us read the Bible with an open mind and an open heart. If you grew up in a Bible-beating situation, perhaps you can ask God for the power of forgiveness and courage, and for new possibilities and relationships with scripture.