Baking and Miracle-Making… 5/16/21

What do you believe about yourself?  Are you a muffin?  Have you prayed to be changed in the twinkling of an eye (I?)?  Or, have you prayed, and then done some hard work?  Father Martin in his movie, Chalk Talk, told the story of a priest who was asked if prayer could actually move a mountain.  The priest answered, “Yes, bring a shovel!”  Be willing to pray as you change your thoughts and actions.  As you begin to do so, break out the frosting and the sprinkles!  Peace, John   

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Guest Blogger: Loosing Control…..4/22/20

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Last summer, I got on a plane for the first time in 15 years.  As we began to take off, I started to feel fearful.  I had no control.  I could not control the plane or what happened to any of us on the plane.  I held on tight as we soared into the air.  And I prayed.

Recently I again found myself in a place of fear, actually panic.  This time it was due to my concerns over the Coronavirus.  I wasn’t feeling good and I started to panic.  I was short of breath and my heart and mind were racing.  I was overcome with anxiety.  Prior to this, I had been constantly reading articles, searching for the latest news, and I was absorbed with any updates on the virus.

When life seems to be spinning out of control, the temptation is to tighten our grip and try to control.  We can expend all of our emotional energy trying to control everything around us and have nothing left.  This can affect our ability to function in everyday life.  When we hold on to control, we can become controlled or paralyzed by stress, anxiety, fear, worry, and/or panic.  These can have a detrimental effect on our mental and physical health.  When we come to the place where we recognize that we can’t control everything, we can loosen our grip, open our hands and relinquish control.  In letting go and releasing control, we can experience peace.

I have a prayer journal.  I write my concerns, pray about them, and let them go, knowing that God has them.  That means trusting Him and leaving them in His capable hands. This takes an enormous amount of faith.  What is the alternative?  Living a life controlled by fear and anxiety or living in peace?  What can help you to release control over outcomes that are out of your control?  For me, I quiet my spirit through prayer, reading/meditating or listening to music.

You do have control over your actions, your thoughts and what you allow to enter your mind.  Dwelling on the negative and the “what ifs” could cause you to spiral downward. What are you filling your mind with?  What are you holding onto?  What are you trying to control?  

I am resting in God’s control. There is much more freedom here.

Today’s guest blogger is Kristin from our staff.  I thank her for sharing her thoughts with us this way and, as I told her when I previewed her post, I couldn’t have done it better if I wrote it myself!  Thank you Kristin. We look forward to reading future blogs from you.  Peace, John

    

 

Praying…. 11/6/2016

I used to think that I wanted to pray like a fella in my prayer group. When I shared that with him, he set me straight. He told me that my “talk time” with God was not supposed to be like his.  He then told me whatever I had to offer to God in prayer was 100% acceptable to God.  It took a long time of thinking about that and coming to believe it.

Sometime later I spoke with a trusted spiritual guide.  I shared with her that I felt guilty for not taking the time to pray the way I thought I should. She asked what I meant and I told her that I had good intentions of setting aside time but then I got caught up in the things of the day, my work and didn’t get to it.  I did tell her that I prayed in church and sometimes with certain clients.  She asked me if I had conscious awareness of God throughout my day. I told her yes, that often I think of Him in the “inter-stitches” during the day, times between activities, times when I’m in my car, and times when I’m in transitions. She simply said to me, “That’s prayer!” I was taken aback, but as I reflected on it, I realized she was right. She also told me not to worry about the structure and the amount of time. She also asked how God communicates with me. I told her in different ways – sometimes an idea in my head (“aha”), sometimes something from my reading, sometimes in a song or the words of another person, sometimes in what I see and, at times, just a sensation in my heart.  She also pronounced this as fine and told me I was on the right track.  I was relieved, but it still took me a while to work this through and to let some of the guilt dissipate for not doing it “the right way.”

“The power is in the One who hears it.”  The receiver has all the power. He is a better listener than I!  He hears and knows everything, even my weak and sometimes infrequent attempts to communicate with Him.  He loves me just as I am, with all my shortcomings, blemishes and character defects – I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one!  He doesn’t judge – He just loves me for who I am.

Be mindful of God’s presence in your life and you are already praying.  Your prayers are not wasted.  Be humble, contrite, thankful and ask on behalf of your self, and others. When in doubt, to paraphrase Mother Teresa, “Pray anyway!”