A Prayer

This is the prayer that I was referring to in our gathering yesterday evening. This prayer has inspired and challenged me, and has really shaped the way in which I relate to God. Hope it brings peace to someone else too!

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My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following

your will does not mean

that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that my desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire

in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything

apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this,

you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always,

though I may seem to be lost

and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear,

for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me

to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

Just Do It

"Prayer is not so much about convincing God to do what we want God to do as it is about convincing ourselves to do what God wants us to do."

--from the Introduction of Becoming the Answer to our Prayers, by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Yesterday's discussion (or at least the part that I caught) made me think of this book that I read last year. To be honest, I didn't think it was as great as Claiborne's other books, but I did take some new ideas away from it. The main thing being something along the lines of: "Don't pray for things unless you're willing to be a part of the answer." For instance, don't just pray for poverty to end. Pray about it AND be a part of the solution. If you know a child that needs a coat but her parents cannot afford it (and you can), you don't need to wait for "A Sign" to tell you to just buy the coat and meet the need.

Anyway, very much on the same track with our conversation yesterday. We also own the book, and anyone is welcome to borrow it.

Refugees from Iraq

Joy and I have a friend ...Heidi. Heidi works (lives and breathes) for Food for the Hungry. She is the one who has connected us with the refugees from Iraq, who fled the country and came here because it wasn't safe there. These refugees love it here but it's not exactly what they expected.

Please read some of their stories. http://bit.ly/6FQn3

It is now Ramadan, which is a time for cleansing.. physically and spiritually. Heidi is providing some families in her writings ...for us to pray about.

http://bit.ly/6FQn3