What is prayer?
I make a list:
Praise Gratitude Begging/pleading/cutting deals Fruitless whining and puling Focus
There the list breaks off; I had found my word. Prayer only looks like an act of language; fundamentally it is a position, a placement of oneself. Focus. Get there, and all that's left to say is the words. They come: from ancient times (here, the round of Psalms, wheeling through the seasons endlessly in the Office), from the surprisingly eloquent heart (taciturn Thomas last night with his intercession, precise as a poet), from the gush and chatter of the day's detail longing to be rendered.
—Patricia Hampl, Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life
4 comments:
Please hold in your prayers my partner, Ellen (aka Fellow Traveler to my blog-buddies), who is facing major surgery in the upcoming month or so, to correct a problem caused by her ileostomy. Her surgeons are going to create a kind of living sling, made of tissue from her stomach, to suspend her bladder so it doesn't fall; at her last exam the lead surgeon doing this procedure gave her a good prognosis but warned that recovery is going to be a very painful process, and it may take 8 weeks for her to get back into a normal life routine. She is being very stoic about the whole thing, but I know she's anxious, especially because she had a very difficult time, and life-threatening complications, with her first surgery. Anyway -- lots of anxiety and trepidation here. Thanks, all, for your thoughts and prayers.
Oh, yes, prayers for Ellen--and for you as you support her.
Thanksgiving/follow-up for my prayer request yesterday: it was a no answer, but I'm cool with that though a little sad. It turned out I was not able to combine the two fellowships, as Michigan wasn't comfortable with moving theirs to summer semester, so I will be accepting the one in Toronto (details on my last couple posts if anyone's interested). It is a wonderful opportunity, and having the other one offered was a confidence boost, and will still help my scholarly reputation, and made Toronto inform me faster so I can start planning...so still worth it.
New prayer request: smooth logistics and happy outcomes for an international move in about four months, especially in the areas of Matt's work, schools for the kids, and housing. Today Matt will broach the idea of working from home for the year with his manager, which would make everyone's life much easier, and I will start researching the other fronts.
Please hold up in prayer the "faithful remnant" at one of my congregations-- Our Saviour's church.
Due to a dislike for my leadership, a woman has left the congregation and taken her *large* extended family with her, leaving a scarred handful in the pews (long story of triangulation, manipulation and generally unpleasant behavior that I chose not to condone or allow control).
These are loving, godly, wonderful folks, brothers and sisters in the Gospel; and though I believe (and they are beginning to see) we will be a healthier faith community in the long run, it's still unnerving and scary and sad.
Praying on all of these issues.
hugs to you all
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