Sweet Hour of Prayer

This Sunday's sermon and music all really helped me. I've often wondered if I'm praying the right way... using the right words... do I pray enough? ... why do I struggle to pray out loud?
And then there's that nagging question in the back of my mind...  "am I doing an ok job teaching my children how to pray." Well, now I feel better... more open, less worried, ready to "cast on Him my every care." There's always room for improvement, but after some quality family time this weekend and the message from Sunday, I think it's all ok.
During my boys' Cub Scout camping trip this weekend, I sat with my youngest son for lunch at a picnic table. He asked if we could pray together before our meal... wow. He pressed his hands together and squeezed his little eyes shut so tight. I think it's the most I've ever seen him concentrate! I have no idea what his prayer was about, but my short prayer was one of thanks for this amazing little boy. 
Because I would like to offer my boys some guidance during their prayer time, I thought we would make Prayer Calendars. 

Each child worked on their own calendar (I wrote the names for my youngest as he told them to me). I asked them to choose someone that they could pray for by name each day... yes, there are a few dogs on their lists.  :}  It was a good activity to work on together, and I know this will help them begin to understand how important prayer is.

One of our hymns on Sunday was Sweet Hour of Prayer. It's such a beautiful hymn, with powerful words. If you are not familiar with this hymn, a search online will give you oodles of choices. I found several options in iTunes and on YouTube. If you would like to see just one recording I found lovely to the ears, this link will take you to it.  Enjoy  :}