Chosen Portion Journal

Essays for dry mornings, honest prayer, and a quieter life with God.

The journal is now a real reading surface: published essays, companion field notes, and the same living ASCII imagery running underneath every card.

Recent essays

Four pieces from the same dry-spell field notes.

Start with the long essay, then move into the smaller field guides when you want one practice, one prayer, or one safer way back to church.

March 13, 2026 · Practice essay

The 4 P's of Dry Prayer

Place, posture, pages, and people: a small rule sturdy enough to hold you when prayer feels flat.

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March 13, 2026 · Field guide

Borrowed Words for Numb Seasons

When your own language is gone, the Psalms, the Lord's Prayer, and a few short collects can carry more than you think.

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March 13, 2026 · Companion essay

When Church Is Complicated

A quieter word for people who want a prayer life back without being shoved into rooms that still feel unsafe.

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From the same series

Shorter entries, anchors, and next steps you can actually use.

These cards point either to the full essay or to one of the companion pieces, so the journal stays readable on both web and mobile.

Main essay · Section

What Prayer Is When You Feel Nothing

Prayer in numb seasons is not a performance. It is fidelity, low-voltage contact, and staying put.

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Practice note

A Six-Minute Rule for Dry Days

If the bar is human, repeatability wins. Six quiet minutes can carry more honesty than an hour of strain.

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Main essay · Section

Permission Slips for the Scrupulous Heart

You have permission to be boring at prayer, to ask for help, and to let medicine, therapy, naps, and soup do their work.

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Field guide · Section

A Small Field Guide to Borrowed Words

Psalm 13, the Lord's Prayer, the Jesus Prayer, and one night office line can keep you speaking when you have nothing to improvise.

Open field guide

Main essay · Section

Relearning Results

In dry prayer, the right metrics are fidelity, honesty, and what helped you stay in contact today.

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