Lord, teach me. . . .

  When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the Creator. –Mahatma Gandhi As people of God, we are drawn to worship and to prayer. Right? So why is it, then, that prayer can seem so difficult at times? We come together from our busy lives, gathering in our houses of worship to praise and to pray. The praise part seems to come naturally. After all, there’s music and exhortation from the worship leaders to engage us. Then the time comes to pray. Silent prayer seems terminally long sometimes. And spoken prayer—well, please , let’s leave that to “the professionals.” Please don’t ask me to pray aloud! Even Jesus’ disciples asked for help there. Lord , they pleaded, teach us to pray . And he did—but the words we know as The Lord’s Prayer were not really intended for memorization; rather, Jesus was offering a method . A way to pray, no matter the situation. A more contemporary idea: the word PRAY can be seen as an a...

  If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. –Loren Eiseley A friend recently asked about preserving water from the River Jordan, so it wouldn’t go all skanky (a theological term) before a few drops were added to the baptismal font each time. Someone suggested freezing the water in ice cube trays, then thawing one or two for each baptism. Smart, right? Then he continued to offer this reflection: While it is symbolically cool to add a few drops from the river where Jesus was baptized to our modern day ceremony, it really isn’t necessary, because at some point, every drop of water on earth has passed through the River Jordan. How about that. Every drop of water, throughout all time. The water that courses as blood through or veins was once part of the Nile, or even Lake Superior. Talk about an effective recycling program. For me, not only is this a wonderful, mind-boggling observation; it also connects us, one to another, over the course of history, furth...

  Economy, prudence and a simple life are the sure masters of need, and will often accomplish that which their opposites, with a fortune at hand, will fail to do. –Clara Barton   I was thinking yesterday about the Thrift Shop we have in the basement of our church. Everything there is freely donated by members and friends of the church. The shop has no costs to run it; the church pays its utilities, and volunteers operate the shop. Prices are extremely low; in many cases, the ladies will take very needy guests on a “shopping spree” and allow them to choose several items at no cost. (It’s a great Thrift Shop, and if you haven’t visited it yet, I highly recommend it.) So then I got to thinking about God’s Reign, and our role in it. Everything we have is a gift from God. Everything . God give God’s Love so freely, the Psalmist says, that we shall not want. When we have extra, then, shouldn’t we open our hearts and our hands and freely give to those whose needs are greater...