Well, I know that I have. Many times. People ask me all the time to pray for them, a family member, or some special intention very frequently. Perhaps they think I have some special connection with the almighty since I am an ordained member of the clergy. I assure you that this is not the case.
I have felt like the lowest of lowlife when all of a sudden days later, I realize that I forgot to pray for whomever or whatever that I have promised. Not liking the feeling of being a low-life, a worthless creature, I started trying to come up with ways to help me remember. I wrote notes. Then lost the notes. I kept a written prayer list. The list got very messy with all of the additions and subtractions. Often times, when I sat down to pray, I did not have the list with me. Arghhh!!! Not only did I feel like a low-life, but I was then also a frustrated, low-life.
I had to come up with a solution. Being a technology professional, the one thing that I almost always have with me is my phone (an iPhone 5) or my tablet PC (an iPad). The solution that I came up with was simple, inexpensive, easy to use, and reliable.
I created a recurring appointment on my electronic calendar entitled "Prayer List." It is a daily appointment with an end date way out in future which I continually extend. In the Notes of the appointment I keep my list of prayer intentions, with names and the specific intention. Now, when someone asks me to pray for X or Y, I open my calendar and add it to my list, along with any specific notes that I need to remember about that intention. At the appropriate time, I remove the intention. Some intentions, such as happy and holy lives for my grandchildren, the intentions of the Father, etc. are permanent and never come off. To the left is how the Prayer List "Appointment" looks on my calendar. Notice that it is just a line on my calendar along with the rest of my appointments for the day.
Regardless of the time of day or place where I pray, I can whip out my phone or iPad and meditate through my prayer intention list. To the right is what the actual prayer list looks like when I open the appointment to look at the detail. I blacked out most of the names and other identifying information out of respect for the privacy of those from whom I am praying. If this was not a screen shot, but I live version of my calendar, you could click on the link that reads "Show All Notes" and see the entire long list of prayer intentions for which I am praying. It is currently several pages long.
You don't need an iPhone or an iPad to use this solution. Any sort of smartphone or tablet PC that has a calendar application will due. Particularly helpful is one that synchronizes with a cloud application so that if you ever lose your device, you won't lose your list.
Possibly you do not have a problem of remembering intentions. Praise God!! Maybe you have another solution. Praise God for that also. However, if you struggle like I used to with remembering and organizing a prayer list, you might find this helpful. What do you think?
I have felt like the lowest of lowlife when all of a sudden days later, I realize that I forgot to pray for whomever or whatever that I have promised. Not liking the feeling of being a low-life, a worthless creature, I started trying to come up with ways to help me remember. I wrote notes. Then lost the notes. I kept a written prayer list. The list got very messy with all of the additions and subtractions. Often times, when I sat down to pray, I did not have the list with me. Arghhh!!! Not only did I feel like a low-life, but I was then also a frustrated, low-life.
I had to come up with a solution. Being a technology professional, the one thing that I almost always have with me is my phone (an iPhone 5) or my tablet PC (an iPad). The solution that I came up with was simple, inexpensive, easy to use, and reliable.
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| My Calendar With Recurring Prayer List |
Regardless of the time of day or place where I pray, I can whip out my phone or iPad and meditate through my prayer intention list. To the right is what the actual prayer list looks like when I open the appointment to look at the detail. I blacked out most of the names and other identifying information out of respect for the privacy of those from whom I am praying. If this was not a screen shot, but I live version of my calendar, you could click on the link that reads "Show All Notes" and see the entire long list of prayer intentions for which I am praying. It is currently several pages long.You don't need an iPhone or an iPad to use this solution. Any sort of smartphone or tablet PC that has a calendar application will due. Particularly helpful is one that synchronizes with a cloud application so that if you ever lose your device, you won't lose your list.
Possibly you do not have a problem of remembering intentions. Praise God!! Maybe you have another solution. Praise God for that also. However, if you struggle like I used to with remembering and organizing a prayer list, you might find this helpful. What do you think?
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