Healing river of the Spirit, bathe the wounds that living brings.
Plunge our pain, our sin, our sadness deep within your sacred springs.
Weary from the restless searching that has lured us from your side,
We discover in your presence peace that world cannot provide.
Wellspring of the healing Spirit, stream that flows to bring release,
As we gain our selves, our senses, may our lives reflect your peace.
Grateful for the flood that heals us, may your church enact your grace.
As we meet both friend and stranger, may we see our Savior's face.
Living stream that heals the nations, make us channels of your pow'r.
All the world is torn by conflict; wars are raging at this hour.
Saving Spirit, move among us; guide our winding human course,
Till we find our way together, flowing homeward to our source.
Text: Ruth Duck
Tune: Beach Spring
4 comments:
Friends, please keep me and Jane in your prayers this evening as we dine and talk and pray together.
She is an acquaintance from church who confided to me on Sunday that she has suffered very much from depression in the last few years and felt very "dropped" by folks in our congregation during her marital difficulties. She said she has even considered suicide. She is a professional counselor, so knows what help is available.
I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed, but I also believe that the Holy Spirit will speak through me if I remember to shut up and just be there as a listener and a friend in Christ.
Interstingly, I took a QPR suicide prevention class just this morning. Hmm.
Dear God, Mary Beth, you and Jane so have my prayers this evening. I am shivering a bit because I just logged on to request prayers for something related.
I would appreciate yours and everyone's for the repose of the soul of Margaret, who took her own life at Christmas after being rejected from the religious community she hoped to enter. Also for her family and friends, those who harmed her, and those, including me, who were not able to help her as much as she needed and deserved. (Her family was very secular and rather baffled by her Christian and Catholic faith, so they won't be praying much or have many people praying for them).
Margaret was a brilliant, holy, hilarious grad student who was in my dorm in Toronto during my fall postdoc. I did a couple spiritual direction sessions with her there and one over the phone at the beginning of Advent and when she didn't call as promised at Christmas I feared this...But I didn't really think it could happen, just thought she decided to get help elsewhere. So I was shocked when I just found out from the nun who runs the dorm.
I know she is safe in Jesus' love now but also believe that she may still need deeper healing and complete freedom. And I need prayers to balance learning from this without taking on too much responsibility and letting it impair my own deep but fragile
peace of mind and heart.
Many thanks, all.
Oh, ML, I'm so sorry to hear about this tragedy, and I'm praying for her and your healing in time. Your gifts to her were many, and it's hard to realize that there is only so much we can do.
And so grateful for your prayers yesterday. They were felt, and HS really was with us.
My hope is that I was able to listen well and maybe help Jane to think of ways to get help and get more plugged in. She is very isolated. I need to remember, tho, as was said at the main RG blog yesterday, "I'm not Jesus."
Sigh.
I am so glad things went well with Jane, Mary Beth.
Thank you also very much for the prayers. I am feeling peaceful about Margaret and finding natural ways to remember and learn from and be grateful for the time I did have with her. The experience will leave a lasting effect on my work as a director and especially the training program I will be starting this year.
Keep taking good care of yourself as you support Jane, okay?
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