PRAYER W2 D2 ... and There He Prayed (Mark 1:32-35)

Today we learn about "prayer as a holy rhythm" and how Jesus prayed, even at busy times, making His time with God a part of "His spiritual center". We are encouraged to think of our prayer life as the eye of a hurricane... the calm surrounded by the strong winds and destruction.

What does your hurricane look like? Mine has the swirling winds... problems with work, family concerns, grief, times when I feel I should do more in some areas and don't do enough in others... the winds come in all directions sometimes.

In the center is the eye... my prayer life. It's the period each morning when I come before God for solitude - and solace.

PRAYER W2 D1 God is Our Refuge and Strength (Psalm 46)

I needed today's lesson badly. You see, I've been dreading tomorrow for almost 10 years... really. I guess I should explain a bit. Ten years prior to tomorrow (Dec 29, 1999) my son died and ten years before that date (Dec 29, 1989), my father died. I will be really relieved when tomorrow is over and I still have all my close friends and family (which I fully expect to be the case whenever I think about this logically).

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. This whole psalm is about trusting God when everything is going wrong in your life. A lot of people feel it is easier to trust God when trouble brews (because we tend to forget Him when things are going well). But I guess I'm a bit different in this regard. It's easy to thank God for all my blessings (and I do), but I find that I want to blame God first in bad times rather than trust in Him.

That's where prayer comes in. Daily prayer is the only path I've found to keep God front and center in my thoughts during both the good times and the bad ones. It's sort of like keeping the communication open. Our book suggests on p.23 that we commit to ourselves to do this thing called prayer daily, and that we start now.

It's a good thing it's New Year's Day soon!

PRAYER W1 D5 Teach Us How To Pray (Luke 11:1-4)

Today we read a slightly different version of The Lord's Prayer as found in Luke. We are then invited to rewrite the prayer, adding our own "real life stuff". I wrote...


Your Name is HOLY, O Father!

Bring your kingdom throughout the earth so that we may have justice for all people, but especially for those we meet in our lives.

Provide good nourishing food to us every day - food for our bodies, our minds, and our souls - so that we can go into our world and be your example before others.

Forgive us when we do wrong... and when we do it again... and again. Help us forgive those who wrong us - even when they do it again and again.

And do not surround us with temptations - all the bright shiny beautiful objects which distract us from you.


The "grey words" on the bottom of p.21 contain a nice summary of The Lord's Prayer. "With this simple prayer, Jesus teaches us adoration, integrity, trust, compassion and dependence on God."

PRAYER W1 D4 Your Will be Done (Matt 6:9-13)

After reading The Lord's Prayer in Matthew today, we are to spend 10 minutes praying "Your will be done, on ____________ as it is in heaven" while filling in the blank with an area of concern or a part of our life. As we do this we should be thinking about how we might be "carriers" of God's will during our journeys in our pilgrimage, thereby "infecting" His will on the earth.

"Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in Iraq, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done for our soldiers, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in America, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in Middletown, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in J2A/Confirmation, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in my home, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done on the internet, as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done in my mind, as it is in heaven."

You get the idea...

It's eye opening to realize that I have tasks (a to do list?) related to God carrying out His will here on earth for each of these areas of concern for me. A key part of my work on my journey is to so connect with God that my thoughts and desires express His will.

I still have a long path to go...

PRAYER W1 D3 Confessions of St. Augustine (prayer)

Today's reading was not from the Bible, but was a prayer from The Confessions of St. Augustine. We are to read it twice and let it permeate our heart.

My favorite line in the prayer was "And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things you made." He goes on to say that those "lovely things" kept him from God.

I think I like these lines because it's an issue I have as well. I frequently get sidetracked in my journey by "lovely created things"... maybe it's photography, guitar practice, or heck even youth work... where I allow these "lovely things" (I'll call them wonderful distractions) to get in the way of my life and purpose. Now you could say that life is the journey (and you'd be right), but I think our lifetime journey is in the balancing... or maybe continuously putting the distractions aside and focusing on God.

I've done the exercise on the bottom of p.16 many times... stand outside under the stars and ponder what others who have done the same have thought. (Did I tell you that one of my distractions is astronomy?) So go outside tonight and look up at the stars for a bit (bundle up... it's cold). It's one of the few things we can see just as our ancestors saw it (well, except for light pollution).

Ponder... how is our life like that of St. Augustine's

PRAYER W1 D2 Speak LORD, for Your Servant is Listening (1 Samuel 3:1-14)

Today's passage is a favorite of mine because it tells of hearing God's voice and being confused (something that happens to me from time to time). The boy, Samuel, is confused when God calls out his name, thinking it was Eli. Finally Eli helps him understand how to listen to God.

How to listen to God...

It's a powerful thought because it implies that when we talk to God through prayer, sometimes he talks back! What could the Creator of our universe possibly have to tell us individually? We have to learn to listen to find out.

OK, so I tried the prayer exercise... 5 minutes of meditation while repeatedly whispering "Speak LORD, for your servant is listening". While doing that I let my thoughts share with God an area of my life I would like to change. Interestingly, while I did that, I noticed some new thoughts enter my brain. They shifted to discussions I had with Dean and Brother Adam (from my monastery vacation) about how I need to fully involve other key people as I go about my discernment, and how I need to contemplate change in my life with a spirit of stability.

Was that subtle change in thinking a form of God speaking to me?

I think it might have been...

PRAYER W1 D1 I Love You, O LORD, My Strength (Psalm 18:1-2)

Today we switch books from "BIBLE: Pilgrimage Travel Guide" to "PRAYER: Heart of the Pilgrimage", and I have a feeling this section will turn our prayer lives upside down in the same manner that the other book affected our approach to scripture. Believe it or not, we actually started changing our approach to prayer in class yesterday as we prayed out loud for each other as individuals.

I re-wrote Psalm 18:1-2. Here is my version...

I love you, O LORD, my strong guide.
My God is my guide, leading me through dark forests, showing me where to cross swift waters, teaching me what to eat and what to leave unpicked, showing me where to rest and when to run, and guiding me to the wonders of His universe.

Our first surprise is we can pray while doing something. We are to spend 10 minutes today in prayer, by celebrating God's presence in our lives some way that the spirit moves us. I'll pray for 30 minutes today on the rowing machine... no TV, meditative music on my iPod, trying to zone into God while I do my morning workout.

I think it's going to be a fun journey...

BIBLE W6 D5 Give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26)

Today we get to read as psalm, and then we get to write one.

Our book suggests using and acrostic (the first letter of each line has meaning... perhaps sequential letters of the alphabet), which I'll do, but I'm using my name as the first letter of each line.

So we have ... G E O R G E

Today, I'm in a thankful mood, so...

Give God thanks and praise
Everything He gives us is good
Over the span of our lives
Receiving His blessings
Give God thanks and praise
Everything He gives us is good

There you have it... Chapter 1 of The Book of George.

BIBLE W6 D4 Your Choice (Matt 11:28-30, John 3:16, or Romans 8:31-39)

Today we get to take one of these three readings and rewrite it to make it personal... as though God is speaking directly to us.

I choose Matt 11:28-30. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

My version is "George, if you work hard at a job which sometimes is thankless and exhausting, join Me for rest and relaxation in God's presence. My work is easy and gratifying."

How does it feel to take the great words of scripture and personalize them?

It's another way to connect with God through His word. Try it!

BIBLE W6 D3 Healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6)

We read the passage in Mark 3 about healing on the sabbath today. As we have been, we'll read it three times.

The first time through, we focus on who the characters are and the setting. We have Jesus, the man with the withered hand, some onlookers and of course the pharisees. The setting is a "meeting place" which was probably a large room (about the size of one of today's really large living rooms).

The second time we read it, we activate our senses. What did the rooms smell like back then? How much light was there? Can you feel the heat from the large crowd and everyone pressing together to see? What sounds do you hear? Can you fully sense the place and event?

Finally, a third time we read it and imagine we are the man with the withered hand... getting called forward to Jesus and being asked to hold out that part of us which isn't well. Is it a part of our body (like the man's hand) that's painful, or is some inner part of us that's hurting? As we hold it out, we realize that Jesus has healed us... the part that was painful or hurting is now whole again. How doe we feel as we are healed?

It's a different way to read the scriptures and try to put ourselves into the scene.

Page 61 is a neat introduction to a way of reading the scripture using a method from St. Ignatius of Loyola. It involves a group reading experience... try it.

BIBLE W6 D2 Comfort my People (Isaiah 40:1-5)

Today we read this very familiar passage from Isaiah three times...

The first time, we read it to find a word or phrase that you feel God is asking you to consider more deeply. I picked "that her sin is taken care of - forgiven!" (Note, I'm taking this from "The Message".)

The second time, we read it again while looking for a word or phrase that touches your life in some way. I picked "been punished enough and more than enough and now it's over and done with."

the third time we read it, we read to find a word or phrase as an invitation or call to do something. I picked "make it very clear."

It's a different way of meditating on scripture that's more doable by individuals.

Try it!

Then read p.65 in your book. It seems we aren't the only group to redo their youth room...

BIBLE W6 D1 Out of the Depths I Have Cried to You O LORD (Psalm 130)

Today we try a different sort of meditation on Psalm 130. We read the passage three times as we've done on other times, but this time when we read it the third time, we are to read verses 5 & 6 aloud. Try it that way and notice how different it is to read the Bible out loud.

Most of my Bible reading is done in silence... I read the words, and the voice inside my head is relatively monotone as I take in the meaning of what I'm reading. However, when I read these two verses out loud, I immediately noticed I put more expression into the words. So I then went back and read the entire passage with the type of expression (inside my head) which I'd use if I were reading out loud. It made a difference for me in the feeling of reading the passage.

I still remember the first time I had to read the Bible out loud in our church when I was growing up. I was in 9th grade - the year I was confirmed. Holy Trinity Lutheran was an ornate Gothic building and the Lectern (the place where you stand and read the scriptures) was big and imposing. I jumped at the chance to do this because you could skip a day of Sunday School to practice with the head reader. Of course, it wasn't the "get out of jail free" opportunity I was expecting because I had to read the passage over and over as he coached me on how to read in public (very slow... careful in how you pronounce the words... put some feeling into it...). It was a bit of a tussle since he wanted me to read slowly enough to be understood, and I only wanted to quickly get it over with and goof off.

And as you might expect, being my first time reading in public, it couldn't be a simple new testament reading with words like Jesus, Mary and Love. No, it had to be some old testament reading (probably from Chronicles) where the Amorites were fighting with the Hittites and Jehoshaphat was doing something to Nebuchadnezzar (or something like that).

For some reason, I kept doing it...

BIBLE W5 D5 The Wedding Banquet (Luke 14:12-21)

Today we consider how do we translate a Bible story into modern times? One way to meditate on imagining a Bible story is to actually imagine how we would do the story in real life. In today's passage, a man prepares a great banquet and then sends his servants to let the guests know everything is ready. But the servants come back with excuses instead of guests and the master opens the banquet to everyone to ensure a full house.

Actually, I already translated this parable into real life a number of years ago...

It was a Christmas in the mid-90s. The boys were still very little, and I think Christmas day fell on a Monday. As we were approaching the weekend before Christmas day, we were planning to host the big holiday dinner and my whole family would be traveling to NJ to be with us. We started doing all the preparations and already purchased most of the food.

Then on Saturday afternoon we received calls from my sister, brother and mom that they couldn't make it to NJ for the holiday. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it to their place either. So on Sunday (Christmas Eve morning) I spoke to my minster and asked if he knew of someone that might be celebrating the holiday alone and would appreciate an invitation to Christmas dinner.

He said that he knew about a newly single mother and her two children... so we got their contact information and made the necessary arrangements. They didn't have transportation so on Christmas evening, I went to their apartment and picked them up.

It turned out to be a very enjoyable evening, and a great feast. Kristen overdid herself on the dinner. We purchased a couple of toys for her kids. They seemed very grateful for not having to spend Christmas alone... and we were grateful for the same.

It was a wonderful way to directly live Christ's teaching for an evening.

BIBLE W5 D4 Jesus Heals the Crippled Woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17)

What would it be like to be the woman whom Jesus heals in today's passage? I imagined it thinking of the emotional roller coaster she must have went through that day.

The first think you need to know is that simply moving a handicapped person is a significant undertaking. Today with wheelchairs, special vans, etc, it can still add 20 to 30 minutes to a simple trip. Back then it must have been much more difficult. So her first emotion would have to be indecision - should I go to see Jesus or not?

Then there's the frustration while she calls friends and tries to find help to get her to the synagogue, followed by pain and discomfort as she is transported.

Once she's at the synagogue, she maybe experiences some peace as she quiets herself while others arrive. I'm sure she's excited as Jesus enters, followed by enlightenment as He's teaching and she's directly hearing Jesus' teachings.

But then Jesus calls her forward. That might have been frightening. She was certainly awestruck as Jesus touched her and said "Woman you are set free from your infirmity." And of course, she was thankful... extremely thankful as she realized she was healed.

But...

But then the synagogue ruler comes forward and reprimands Jesus for healing on the sabbath! That must have set both her fear and her anger on edge! She must have thought to herself "How can he say come back another day? Does he know what I went through just to get here?"

And then Jesus answers... and makes it perfectly clear what God intends the sabbath to be... humiliating the leaders and delighting the people with the wonderful things He was doing.

What do you think she felt then?

A Day Off to Serve

Kristen and I helped World Vision at the Kenny Rogers concert this evening, so some things had to get shifted to this morning. Sorry I couldn't do the blog. Here's my journal entry...

BIBLE W5 D3 The Birth of Jesus Foretold (Luke 1:26-38)

We visit Mary at the time the angel came to her in today's passage. Again we meditate today by trying to imagine the scene, using all our senses to re-envision it during our meditation.

Let's remember first that Mary was a young teenage girl - most authorities I've read say she was around 13 or 14 years old. (Also remember that full adulthood was younger back then, around the late teenage years, since life expectancy was shorter too.)

Imagining the scene, my first thought was to wonder what mood Mary was in at the time. Teenage girls can be extremely happy one moment and depressed the next, and they always seem suspicious of strangers. You can actually sense that in the reading since we are told that Mary is troubled and actually QUESTIONS the angel. "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be?" (Luke 1:29) Later she asks "How can this be,... since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34) It is only after getting a full explanation that she agrees... "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38)

Continuing my meditation, I imagine other questions. Where did this happen? Was Mary at school... at home... perhaps in her bedroom? Was she completely alone, or were other people nearby? What did she do afterwards? Did she immediately go text her friends or did she keep this to herself for a while?

Then I move on to what this means for me. What if this were me in the room and God (or an angel) came to me and said "I'm gonna completely change your life, but in the process many people will be greatly helped."

Wow...

How would I react?