Categories
prayer

With prayer

With prayer, one can go on cheerfully and even happily, while without prayer, how grim is the journey. Prayer is as necessary to life as breathing. It is drink and food.

Day, Dorothy. The Reckless Way of Love: Notes on Following Jesus (Plough Spiritual Guides: Backpack Classics) (p. 40). Plough Publishing House. Kindle Edition.

Prayer isn’t like sit ups.

It’s not a thing.

It’s not a thing you do to get some other thing.

Prayer is knowing Someone is there

who loves you,

who would die to be with you,

who hears and understands,

who knows exactly who you are,

who you are meant to be,

who will take you there no matter what,

who will never leave you or forsake you.

Prayer is staying close to that Person as if your life and hope and happiness depended on it.

That Person, for me, is Jesus.

If you like, he will be that Person for you, too.

  • How does the quote from Dorothy Day strike you? How is your experience compared to hers?
  • Do you view prayer as a ‘spiritual exercise’, like sit ups? If so, what do you seek to gain by such exercise? Do you find it helpful?
  • How does my reflection on prayer strike you? What seems true or helpful? What seems far-fetched or missing?
  • I encourage you to take time to write out your thoughts, to share them in the comments below if you like, or to share them with someone close to you.

Grace and peace to you…

dw

Copyright © 2020, becomingflame.com

Categories
Current Events Music prayer Prayers

Prayers for Perilous Times

Two young boys walking away arm-in-arm

We live in a perilous time, a time we need to pray through so we can act with honesty, courage, and love…after we listen with honesty, humility, and love. Listen to the Spirit within us, in the pages of the Bible, and in those we may or may not agree with. Act by following Jesus on his path toward Golgotha and the Cross, in order to finally arrive in Glory, all together, beyond our differences and unified.

Two prayers come to mind for times such as these. Let’s take the opportunity to consider, to imagine, to lean in, and to appropriate these words for ourselves, our loved ones, and even for those we don’t love so much.

I hope you find them encouraging and uplifting.

Grace and peace to you…

dw

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;


may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;


may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;


may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 50). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

You may be interested in reading a previous post about this prayer here where there are some prompts for reflection.

The second prayer, a hymn attributed to St. Patrick, comes in two parts (with music by yours truly). You can see the original posts here and here.

Stone Irish cross in rural landscape
Image by krystianwin from Pixabay

Part One

I bind unto myself to-day
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
⁠By power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river;
⁠His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb;
⁠His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
⁠I bind unto myself to-day.

I bind unto myself to-day
⁠The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch. His might to stay,
⁠His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
⁠His hand to guide. His shield to ward;
The Word of God to give me speech,
⁠His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
⁠The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
⁠The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh.
⁠In every place, and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
⁠I bind to me these holy powers.

I bind unto myself the Name,
⁠The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same,
⁠The Three in One, and One in Three.
Of Whom all nature hath creation;
⁠Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation
⁠Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Part Two

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
⁠Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
⁠Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
⁠Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
⁠Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Categories
Scripture

Light and Darkness

Person standing before window in dark room looking at bright light.

“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.

They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God.

Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure.

But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”

John 3:19-21, Peterson, Eugene H.. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language . The Navigators. Kindle Edition.

I’m enjoying reading The Message, Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, because it gives me fresh insight and perspective on passages that are very familiar. This is an example.

I wrote on this passage a couple of years back, using a more familiar translation. I updated the original post this week with what I hope is a more engaging response. I’d be honored to have you take a look.

Read Original Post

Grace and peace to you…

dw

Categories
prayer Scripture

A prayer when reading scripture

Child reading tattered Bible in bed.
Child reading Bible

Yesterday I looked back at one of the earliest posts on this site. It describes a habit I formed back then and still practice now when I read the Bible. I added some current thoughts, extended the section that invites reflection, and spruced up the design a bit. I offer it again to anyone who may find it helpful.

Read Original Post

Grace and peace to you…

dw

Categories
Current Events Music

Things are a’changin

Forgive my poor allusion to Bob Dylan’s great song (which I think is at least as appropriate now as it was in 1964). It’s probably worth hearing again:

Speaking of change, though…

After two-and-a-half years of working on this blog – and enjoying every minute of it – I’m starting to think about what I could do differently; how can I share what’s on my heart and mind more effectively, more faithfully?

I’m not talking about making it commercial or more glitzy and I’m not interested in “going viral.”

But could I make Becoming Flame something better, more engaging, a better help to folks who are looking for conversation and encouragement on their journey through and toward Life, toward God?

I have some ideas I’m working  on and will share once they are ready. But I’d like to hear your thoughts, too: how could Becoming Flame be more useful to you or to people you know?

Thank you for reading – it’s a joy to know that what I share here makes a difference.

Grace and peace to you…

dw