Prayer: God Moves Us

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Tuesday, February 26, 2019

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Prayer: God Moves Us

Prayer can be so intimate, so up-close-and-personal.

So many accounts of times when people felt utterly awestruck, as with M. while he read John 10, where Jesus talks about Himself as the Good Shepherd. “It was a beautiful time of prayer, an intimate time. There was so much in the words; it’s so beautifully written. I wasn’t reading words; it was alive, almost directly touching my heart.” [1]

I read about these times of prayer, and I feel uplifted, just reading these words. And then—at the same time, I feel so sad. Sad, and almost resentful. Why can’t I have these types of experiences on a regular basis? I do have similar experiences, but rarely. Why has my prayer life been dry and parched, like wandering in the wilderness, for decades? (Yes, for literal decades.)

The idea of letting the words of Scripture swim in one’s heart is certainly an imaginative one. Being immersed in the words of the Bible—so much so that I feel all filled to the brim with these life-giving words—what an image for my sometimes overactive imagination.

I would think this feature of our brains really causes Ignatian prayer and meditation to bear a great deal of fruit. How wonderful to be an imaginative pray-er. I do not think that access to prayer (speaking to God) and meditation (listening to God) are both required for our communication with our Heavenly Parent, but I suspect it helps.

But…what if the usual ways of praying don’t really work for some people? What would it be like to never have a close relationship with God from prayer? I am assuming some people have real difficulty in this. I truly do not know what I would suggest, other than the different more kinetic ways of prayer. I know it is possible to do Ignatian prayer and walk the labyrinth at the same time. (I’ve done both—at the same time.) But, other than kinesthetic praying, I do not know what to suggest to these friends. I guess I need to learn more about prayer styles, and refresh my memory with suggestions of diverse ways of communication with God.

We ought to breathe a prayer of thanksgiving for this opportunity to find hope. Hope in our dear Lord Jesus. Dear Lord, thanks for giving us a number of ways to communicate with You. Help each one praying find a way of prayer-communication that each one feels touched now. Dear Lord, in Your mercy, hear all of our prayers.

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

Why not visit my companion blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.  #PursuePEACE. My Facebook page, Pursuing Peace – Thanks! And, read my sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er

[1] Meditation and Contemplation: An Ignatian Guide to Praying with Scripture, Timothy M. Gallagher, OVM (United States of America: Crossroad Publishing, 2008), 24.

Prayers of Preparation for Peace

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Sunday, October 23, 2016

Prayers of Preparation for Peace

Pursuing Peace just doesn’t stop. Peace: that elusive article, that hopeful state of being. No, pursuing Peace can be an elusive quest, indeed.

Instead of me searching for personal, private ways of pursuing Peace, I am going to look for ways of arriving at Peace in a group fashion. Corporately. In the neighborhood. In the community.

Correction: WE are going to pursue Peace.

I have no idea where this is going. Yes, some could scoff that we are not exactly going after Peace. Strictly speaking, this could be true. In a broader sense, we will combat fear and anxiety, facilitate ease in communication, work together to reach people in trouble, all in the individual neighborhoods.

Yes, WE are going to pursue Peace.

I feel like I am going to step off into the Wild Blue Yonder, or something. Yes, a bit of trepidation. Yes, some butterflies in the stomach. This will be a community partnership, and I have only a vague idea of what it’s going to look like. And, it may change. (But, that’s okay.)

Pursuing Peace is a great possibility. Just around the corner. To be continued.

Dear God, give us good ideas. Help us to come up with a strategic plan. Bring together dreamers of dreams, and give us concrete ways to bring those hopes and dreams to fruition. Help us #PursuePEACE. Please, God. In Your mercy, hear all of our prayers.

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

Why not visit my companion blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.  #PursuePEACE. My Facebook page, Pursuing Peace – Thanks! And, read my sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er

Loving Someone, Loving my Higher Power

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Sunday, November 15, 2015

Loving Someone, Loving my Higher Power

Today’s reading was even more practical than usual.

When people are caught up in their addiction or compulsion (whatever that is), they are often totally focused on themselves. Their preoccupation with their addiction or compulsion. They often try to fix, manage, or control outcomes. Or, people, places and things.

However, once we are on the recovery road, things radically change. Love becomes a possibility in the life of recovery. When my heart opens up to love God and to love my neighbor as myself, I am living the way God wants me to live.

What is more, when you or I am on the road to recovery, finding God as each of us understand God, miracles can happen. God can come into each person’s life in an extremely personal way. Yes, love is powerful. Yes, my Higher Power loves me, unconditionally. And, recovery from addiction or compulsion is also powerful. With God (or, the Higher Power), there is a solution.

I particularly like the Action for the Day: “I will list three things I love that help me know my Higher Power/God is near me.” [1] That sounds like a worthwhile exercise. Something I can really sink my teeth into.

Dear God, help me to be more loving, to everyone. To anyone who especially needs love, comfort and encouragement, help me offer it freely. And, help me know that You are there, even when it doesn’t seem that way. Lord, in Your mercy, hear my earnest prayers.

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.   @chaplaineliza And, read my sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er

[1] Keep It Simple: Daily Meditations for Twelve-Step Beginnings and Renewal. (Hazelden Meditation Series) (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1989), November 15 reading.

Fourth Sunday in Lent – Pray, Praise, Commission! Thank God.

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Sunday, March 15, 2015

Fourth Sunday in Lent – Pray, Praise, Commission! Thank God.

As one of my good friends said, it’s done! As of this afternoon, I am now officially Rev. Elizabeth.

It was quite a day, to cap a jam-packed week of preparation. Two others were commissioned with me, under the Federation of Christian Ministries. The congregation at the church I pastor, St. Luke’s Church in Morton Grove—a suburb of Chicago—were kind enough to host our joint commissioning service.

Much prayer has gone into this, for years. Prayer, anguish, tears, pain. (And that was personal, inside of me.) I know that many, many times I had despaired of ever entering the ordained ministry. But, God had different plans. God kept on putting me in places where I would find myself ministering, naturally. Like water rolling right off a duck’s back, that is almost always how naturally ministry has come to me.

For example, I was minding my own business, eight years ago. I spoke to a fairly large group, and afterwards someone I had never seen before came up and engaged me in conversation. He picked up on my making an offhand comment about seminary in my speech. “So, you went to seminary.” Wanting to keep it low key, I kind of nodded. He pursued it. “So, you have a degree from a seminary?” I sighed, and came clean. I admitted I had a Master of Divinity degree. The next words out of his mouth floored me: “I’m on the search committee at my church. I would love for you to meet our interim pastor.”

This amazing kind of thing has happened to me at least five times in the past fifteen years. Real God-things, or God-incidences, as my pastor-mentor likes to say.

I so appreciate the many people who for over a decade supported me, encouraged me, picked me up when I fell on my face, and cheered me on when I thought I could never make it. Some of these people were at my commissioning service right here at my church. I sincerely thank these friends, near and far, for their constancy, continued nurture, and abiding love. I love you guys!

And, God, thank You for Your support and vote of confidence in me. A common clay pot, filled from within with Your light, shining out into the world. Help me show Your light, Lord, and not get in the way. Lord, in Your mercy, hear my earnest, grateful prayers.

@chaplaineliza

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

(Check out #40acts; doing Lent generously at www.40acts.org.uk )

Why not visit my sister blogs, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.   @chaplaineliza And read #40acts sermons from Pastor, Preacher Pray-er .