"The saints and spiritual masters say if you want to be a saint, you must make time for mental prayer (conversational and consistent prayer). They even say things like if you want to stop sinning, you have to do mental prayer." – Katie Patrizio

In Episode 3 of The Water Jar, Katie Patrizio joins Lisa Schmidt at The Well once again and they dip into the mailbag and answer questions sent in from 1% Challenge™ participants. Tune in and hear the conversation around these questions:

1. How do you know when God is speaking to you in prayer?
2. What are some helpful postures for mental prayer?
3. Does Mass "count" as daily mental prayer?

Even if you're not participating in the 1% Challenge™, know the wisdom shared in these podcasts are helpful for anyone desiring to develop or strengthen an intentional prayer life.

In times of discernment, we can wonder if it's truly God's voice we're hearing during prayer. In these moments of desolation, confusion, apathy, anger --- that is, any emotion moving us away from peace and consolation --- ask two questions:

1. Am I praying daily?
2. Am I being generous to others?

If the answer to either question is no, there's your call to action. Get back to a regular prayer routine by spending at least 15 minutes in daily mental prayer. Also double down in being generous with others. These two actions will help us move toward faithfulness with God during our discernment process.

• Do you have a tally chart to keep track of each time Katie mentions Fr. Jacque Philippe? :) He makes an appearance once again. This time Katie recommends his book Searching for and Maintaining Peace along with the previously mentioned Time for God: A Guide to Prayer as two excellent spiritual reads. These books together touch on the two keys of spiritual life: 1) prayer and 2) how we dispose ourselves to the Holy Spirit to maintain the peace He gives us. 
• To dive deeper into discernment of spirits, explore Ignatianspirituality.com.
• Lectio Divina, or “divine reading” is a traditional way of listening and talking with God through Scripture. Learn more about the four steps of lectio divina here.
• We've been meaning to say a word about our bumper music. Isn't that song fun? It's called "The Well" (simply perfect, right?!) by the delightful J.J. Heller. Her music is a calming soundtrack to accompany daily life. 

Thoughts on the show? Share your highs and lows, celebrations and challenges with the 1% Challenge™ in the comment section below, over at Facebook, or via email at [email protected].

In this episode of The Water Jar, Katie Patrizio joins us again as we chat about DISTRACTIONS.

Do you find it hard to focus in prayer? Do you find the stuff of life from the mundane to the monumental keeps taking your focus away from Jesus? We discuss how to deal with different types of distractions, and Katie offers some practical advice to purge those distractions from our prayer life. 

Call to Action: The call to action this week is to begin journaling your distractions as Katie recommends, both the minor ones you want to flush from your mind and the major ones you need to take with you to prayer.

In this episode of The Water Jar, Katie Patrizio joins us as we discuss preparing for Lent, specifically the Scriptural call to pray, fast, and give alms. We dig a bit deeper with prayer and introduce the 1% Challenge – a movement encouraging us to spend 1% of our day, or 15 minutes, in God’s presence. Katie shares practical tips for getting started on the 1% Challenge. 

Call to Action: This week, pledge to take the 1% Challenge this Lent and begin praying 15 minutes a day. Let us know you're joining us by taking the pledge here. 

Resources: 

• Lectio Divina, or “divine reading” is a traditional way of listening and talking with God through Scripture. Learn more here. 
• Time for God: A Guide to Prayer by Fr. Jacques Philippe.
• Download the 1% Challenge 30-day Bible reading plan to get to know Jesus better here. 

Rachel Brown opens the 2017 Advent at The Well gathering on December 12 at The Tea Room in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. See more at www.thewelldesmoines.com.