Prayer

Many people struggle with prayer. I am one of them.

Some days I feel like I should be more focused - writing down cohesive thoughts in a journal where I can savor names and situations, celebrating joys and engaging griefs for more than a fleeting moment.

Other days, I am riding my bike, daydreaming during a meal, or sitting at a traffic light when I pray.

And there are other days, when I struggle to pray, either because of time or focus. I arrive at the end of my day wondering if I ever prayed at all.

Prayer looks like these moments and many other moments.

Too often, I fall into the trap of defining prayer in a single way. I get stuck thinking that prayer is only happening when my eyes are closed and my hands folded. As with all intimate conversations, the deep sighs, a raised eyebrow or the space of silence conveys so much. God hears and speaks to us in a variety of moments and ways.

Recently, the BBC website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/) has been helpful in reforming my daily prayer. A visit here forces me to look beyond my own world and experiences. The breadth of this website is a wonderful vehicle for prayer. The opportunity to explore and survey issues around the globe, following links and threads deeper into lives and situations stirs me to think bigger and stretch my prayers.

May you discover the presence and voice of God in many places today.

Peace.

Genesis prayers

As part of our junior high ministry, we are spending this year studying key Bible stories.

Tonight, we focused on Genesis 3 and talked about the connection between sin, our senses, temptation and our tendency to pass the buck. The fruit looked good, but Adam and Eve were quick to shift the the blame elsewhere.

Small groups take turns writing the prayers for the closing worship each week. Here are some of the prayers from a group of eighth grade guys:

TEMPTATION
God, give us strength and courage to follow our hearts and not our senses. Help us to resist the temptation of our senses.

PASSING THE BUCK
God, give us the strength and courage to admit to our own sins and not blame others.

SENSES
...Help us to resist the "sights" and "sounds" that lead us to sin.

CLOSING
God, guide us through the following week so that we may follow your example. Give us strength to resist temptation and the faith to accept you and your loving grace. Amen.

These thoughtful prayers are fuel.

Peace.

Lowell