I think of my prayer life as a journey. As a child, I prayed by kneeling at my bed, and by bowing my head at meals and in church services. I knew to thank God and ask him for my needs.  As a young adult, and since then, I’ve been exposed to different churches and different expressions of faith and worship. This exposure has broadened my realization of the many ways we can meet God in prayer: communicating our praise, our needs, and our love for him.  I’ve come to realize that our prayers are the expression of our spirit, influenced by the Scriptures, worship and culture. We can be enriched by praying alone or with other believers.  And then I’m struck by the fact that the Apostle Paul calls us to “unceasing prayer” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). So I’ve learned that we can incorporate our prayers into a daily “thought life” where we have constant communication with God, praying through what happens during our day and seeking his guidance as it unfolds. As a result, prayer can ha...

This is the second in a series highlighting the simple and the sacred. The “simple” invites us to relax and enjoy a variety of pleasant experiences – without analyzing or even evaluating.  The “sacred” invites us to see something as special, set apart, not for common use. This definition could apply to a number of things, including taking communion, participating in a Sunday morning worship service, or even offering prayers that Christians have shared through the centuries.  Today I want to highlight sacred music, because “music is the prayer the heart sings”. The point of sacred music is to experience God in a way that speaks to both our minds and our hearts. Such music can be experienced in any number of places, in any number of ways, with any number of voices or instruments. · In a candlelit sanctuary in England, in a very formal service, I listened to a choir of children’s voices.  · In a camp tent at a college retreat, a staff leader ...

This is the fifth in a series of six posts leading up to Easter. This period – often called Lent - can be a time of preparation and observance as we reflect on what Jesus did for us. When I first started teaching English to fifth graders, I was teaching in a Catholic school. Every week all the students took turns going to the chapel where they stepped into the confessional booth to confess their sins to a priest, and seek repentance for their sins from God.  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of  refreshing may come from the Lord. (Acts 3:19) Being a Protestant, I never had viewed this experience before, and found it interesting to observe the reactions of my students. Some of them made light of it and seemed to get little out of it. Others approached this as a way to humbly…and sincerely…repent and get right with God. They took God seriously, they took confession of sin seriously, and they believed in a lovin...

This is the fourth in a series of six posts leading up to Easter.  This period – often called Lent - can be a time of preparation and observance as we reflect on what Jesus did for us. On the last night of his life, Jesus is arrested by a large mob. Have you ever been struck – as I have – by the vastly different way that Jesus and his disciples respond to this horrible and unjust event? Peter lashes out with a sword, trying – in vain – to physically protect Jesus. Then, in just a few moments, he and all the other disciples run away in fear. Yet Jesus, the one who actually is the focus of the mob’s anger, accepts his fate peacefully and calmly. What explains these two widely differing reactions? Why isn’t Jesus fearful like the disciples? And don’t say, “Because he’s Jesus.” The real difference is prayer .  The extended time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane just prior to the arrest.  The time of prayer that Jesus embraces…and the disciples ig...

This is the third in a series of six posts leading up to Easter. This time period – often called Lent - can be a time of preparation and observance as we reflect on what Jesus did for us. The season of Lent helps us be intentional about taking more time to be with God, by laying aside other things that so often garner our attention. Today I wanted to highlight walking a Labyrinth as a way to unite our minds and bodies in the experience of prayer. There is something unique about the rhythm of walking, while praying, that helps us sharpen our focus on God. A labyrinth is a circular path that heads in one direction, leading toward a central point. We pray as we walk toward the center, then we pray as we turn and walk out. Labyrinths are of ancient design, and have been used by Christians for hundreds of years as places to meet God and pray. On our property, we are creating a prayer garden (called The Lavender Pavilion) and we built a labyrinth at the center. I love to invite ...

Several months ago, a sweet friend shared a prayer with me, attributed to Father Thomas Keating. I continue to read it because it helps my anxious spirit and restless heart. It begins with the word “Welcome.”  The Welcome Prayer Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me todaybecause I know it’s for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions. I let go of my desire for power and control. I let go of my desire for affection, esteem,approval and pleasure. I let go of my desire for survival and security. I let go of my desire to change any situation ,condition, person or myself. I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within. Amen I like the word “welcome”, don’t you? It’s a greeting that introduces someone to a new relationship, a new place, or a new situation. It’s meant to help someone feel at ease and accepted. I’m glad Father Keating starts with welcome…because...

Last week I read Luke 22 and was struck by a phrase Jesus’ uses twice: “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Verses 40 & 46).  It’s the last night of Jesus’ life. He has gone to pray at the Mount of Olives, in order to prepare himself for the ordeal that lies ahead. In his humanity, he is tempted to turn away from the will of the Father and avoid the pain and shame of crucifixion. Yet as a faithful son, he does not want to choose that path.  He knows that prayer – and prayer alone – will sustain him. Only prayer will give him the strength of mind and heart to avoid temptation and hold firmly onto his trust in the Father.  Jesus knows that his closest friends also will be tempted. As they watch him be arrested, tried, and crucified, they will face the torment of fear and doubt.  “Will the authorities come after us next?” “Could we have been wrong about Jesus? Is he really the Messiah?” Such fears and doubts are real. Jesus knows t...

Do you ever pray…yet doubt? I certainly do. And my parents did.  My father was the youngest of five brothers. They all got married and then – one after another – my aunts and uncles all had sons. No daughters, just sons. Initially, my own parents followed that same pattern. Boys. Lots of boys.  After four sons of their own (along with two late-term miscarriages that also were boys) my dad and mom were passionate about having a daughter. They prayed fervently for a girl. They specifically asked God to bless them with a girl.  Yet when I was born, they didn’t even have a girl’s name picked out! Only a boy’s name. So I was nick-named “Sweet Pea” for 3 days while they decided what my name should be.  I find this fascinating, and so revealing, about how hard it can be for us to actually believe that God might respond to our prayers. About how easy it is for us to believe that patterns of life have been set in motion which won’t change.  Despite th...

You write your life story by the choices you make. Helen Mirren In the 1950s, the Appalachian Trail twisted through the orchard of the Belmonte family on the Tennessee / North Carolina border. Hikers often would pause at the farm, take a brief break, then continue on. How did they find their way along this lengthy trail that meandered for more than 2000 miles? They followed white marks (known as “blazes”) painted on a variety of trees, rocks and fence posts. There are roughly 80,000 blazes – signposts, really – that mark this trail from Georgia to Maine.  Kevin Belmonte has watched hundreds of hikers pass by his farm. He states that missing the blazes is a time-consuming and potentially deadly problem, because some areas of the Appalachian Mountains can “swallow up hikers like a haunted forest.” Choosing the right path, by following the white blazes, determines where hikers end up.  Choices matter. They matter because they affect the direction in which we head. ...

Creativity is one of God’s attributes. As people made in his image, we humans also are filled with the ability to create. We express our God-given creativity in any number of ways, and not just through the stereo-typical activities – such as “the arts” – that we routinely associate with creative expression. We use and rely on creativity whether we are a building designer, a chef, a manager, or a counselor. Creativity – simply put – is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. And we can use this aspect of our characters to enrich our experience of prayer.  A few years ago, I came across the book  Praying in Color by Sybil Macbeth. She invites people to connect with God and others, using a free-form way of praying that includes drawing. This practice can be helpful for the visual learner, the distractible soul, the word-weary prayer warrior, or the person who needs a fresh way to pray.  Learning to “pray in color” is an approach that can...

A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most perfect prayer. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Thanksgiving is an American tradition that began with the Pilgrims praising God for a good harvest. For some, it’s turned into just a day off and a big meal, or perhaps to a general feeling of thanks. For God’s people, however, it can be an invitation to proclaim our gratefulness and praise for God’s continuing power and presence. Scripture tells us to be "thankful in everything, in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The challenge for us is that we often give thanks only after a long litany of requests. Today might be a good time to focus on thanking God first, before any requests. Thank him – first – for the way he already has been working in your life and the lives of people you know. Thank him – first – for his answers to prayer and his provision for your needs; such blessings are just begging to be noticed. When we focus on giving thanks, it can help us pay more a...