So Close

"Sometimes it's easy to forget what prayer really is.  For a Christian, prayer is nothing more and nothing less than conversation with the God of the universe!  Stop and think about that.  We are invited to talk to the creator of all things, at any time and in any place that we want.  There isn't a governmental advisor on earth who has more intimate contact with an earthly ruler than we the children of God have with our Father in Heaven."
--Valerie Hess, from "Spiritual Disciplines Devotional"

Wow.  Kind of cool when you think about it like that, huh?

This week, try talking to your Heavenly Father at bedtime - and then take time to listen.  Even if you fall asleep, know that you did so while trying to hear God speak to you.  When you wake up, simply try saying "thank you."  We all have time to take these 3 steps.  Give it a try!  Let me know what you think!

Sunday at SPUMC - Feb. 7, 2010

Our first Sunday spent focusing on "Prayer."  Something we do every Sunday... but mayeb this month with a little more intention and heart felt moments with God.

Our Education hour began the morning:
*  The children
*  The Confirmation class talked about the story of Mary and Martha - what is the one thing that is important?  Where are our priorities in life?  How do we make God a priority in our busy lives?
*  The Wired Word class had a conversation about a man being recruited into Major League Baseball (a chance at lots of money and success) who decided, instead, to become a priest after feeling a call to the ministry.  How do you know when you're being called?  What kinds of things are called to?  It could be a vocation, the ministry, or it could be small changes in your daily life...
*  Bettie continued teachign her class about caring ministries.  Only one class left, next week, if you'd like to check it out!

During worship we focused on Prayer.  We continue to use hymns that you have told us are your favorites!  Pastor Penny focused on the ABCs of prayer in her sermon.  She reminded us of the story of Abraham arguing with God over saving Sodom and Gomorrah if there were any righteous people left in the town.  It's a story of praying with boldness and confidence that God does hear us, and God does include us in the unfolding story of our lives.  She offered us a tool to pray, using the ABCs - moments to pray for anything that begins with "A," "B," or "C."  Reminding us that there all kinds of simple ways to think of where we need God in our lives.

We then took communion and celebrated God's involvement in our lives!

What will you "pray with boldness and confidence" about this week?

Websites

Here's another blog that has a nice post on prayer this week - "Why We Pray."  This is a topic that is discussed ALL over the internet on some great sites!  (Thanks, Beth, for passing it my way!)

Here are a few other places to browse:
A Sacred Space - this site has some beautiful daily devotions and guided prayers.
Belief.net - great resource!
The Upper Room - did you know they had a "prayer center"? 
MethodX - another prayer ministry by the Upper Room.

Do you know of some good sites?  Pass them my way!

Mealtime Prayers

Looking for some mealtime prayers to share with your family?  Here's just a few - but google "mealtime prayers" and you'll get ALL kinds!  Lots of musical ones out there too...  (Johnny Appleseed, the Flintstones, Superman, the Addams Family, the JAWS theme music...  Like I said, all kinds!)

"Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything. Amen."
 
"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."

"Come Lord, Jesus
Be our guest,
Let this food to us be blessed.
Amen."

"Thank you God for happy hearts
in rain and sunny weather.
Thank you God for this our food
and that we are together. Amen."

"Thank you God, for the food we eat,
Thank you for the friends we meet.
Thank you for another day,
To pass Your hug along the way."

Thank you Lord for this food
feeding our bellies its so good
we thank you for this time together
to share a meal and love each other.  Amen."

And it's always a good idea to teach kids young how to pray from the heart as well.  Memorized prayers are good to learn...  But ask the kids to simply say "thank you" for something from their day, or for something they like about God...  You never know what you might learn from them!

Do you have one you already use?  Please share!

One-Minute Prayers

Throughout the month of February, we'll be giving all kinds of ideas and ways to experiment with prayer.  Ways to discover what works for you, what doesn't, and how to connect with God on a deeper level.

Today we're experimenting with the One-Minute Prayer.

"There is a beautiful simplicity about learning to seize moments here and there to connect with the presence of the Lord.  Even pausing to say the word Jesus [or God] on occasion, mulling over what he means to you for a few seconds, can have a great impact.  This may not come completely natural for you, though, so here are a few suggestions that can help you pursue the practice until it is woven into the fabric of your life...

"Be intentional."  Decide how many times you'd like to take a moment with God today and then think about how you can make that happen.  If this is new for you - start small.  Maybe 3 times?

"Be God-centered."  One of the most important things is to come to God, knowing who God is.  Maybe choose one of the attributes of God that you connect with, or a scripture verse that means a lot to you - write it down, keep it close by.  When you take a moment for your one-minute prayer time with God, this can be a great way for you to concentrate on God for a moment (and not your own situation or feelings).

"Establish 'triggers.'"  Think of moments in your day-to-day life that you do all the time, everyday.  Decide that one of those triggers can be time to spend with God.  For me, when I'm driving by myself I talk to God (maybe not aloud, people might think I was crazy...).  When I'm in the shower, I sometimes pray.  Maybe mealtime.  Maybe when you brush your teeth.  Maybe before you wake your kids up and after you put them to bed.  The key is to think of specific times and places that you will take one minute to center on God.

"Take a deep breath, welcome [God's] presence with a few seconds of silent acknowledgement, thank him or praise him for some aspect of who he is and ponder what it means in your life.  Present any situation or issue you need his wisdom on.  Ask him if he has something to reveal to you.  Thank him for his presence.  You can do all of this in one minute's time, and before long it will become a habit you won't want to do without."
--reading in italics from "Sacred Chaos" by Tricia Rhodes

If you decide to give this a try, please feel free to leave a comment!  This is one of the ways we learn from each other, is by sharing our experiences (especially when we're all experimenting together!).

Praying Tears

"Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world - precisely because they have joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ...Praying is letting one's own heart become the place where the tears of God's children merge and become tears of hope."
--Henri Nouwen, from "Love in a Fearful Land"

One of the first things we learn about prayer when we are children is to pray for others...  Pray for the hurts of the world, pray for the lost, pray for the lonely... 

Who has prayed for you?  Who will you pray for this week?

A Month of Prayer

A month of Prayer begins today.  But not only that...  A month of "We CAN Pray!"

"Prayer, according to Brother David, is waking up to the presence of God no matter where I am or what I am doing.  When I am fully alert to whatever or whoever is right in front of me; when I am electrically aware of the tremendous gift of being alive; when I am able to give myself wholly to the moment I am in, then I am in prayer.  Prayer is happening, and it is not necessarily something that I am doing.  God is happening, and I am lucky enough to know that I am in the Midst."
--Barbara Brown Taylor, "An Altar in the World"

As we’re journeying forward to a life of Passionate Spirituality, we’re making a new stop every month, taking the time to explore a new Spiritual Habit. We started with Generosity and Thankfulness—how thanking God for blessings in our life helps us to realize how much we have to GIVE and serve those around us, thus doing God’s work in our world. In December, we took time out of our busy schedules to recognize the habit of Simplicity. We took notice of how we use our time, money, and energy—not just to satisfy the consumerism of the holidays, but to notice God, Jesus, family, tradition, and all the ways we connect to our faith without the peer pressure of our society.  And in January, we remembered why it is we Worship - and how, and with whom.

And so, this month we move into the habit of Prayer.
"Real prayer is life creating and life changing." 
"We are to change the world by prayer." 
And "prayer unites the soul to God."

What will you pray for today?