Quote of Note #211: Humble and Audacious Prayer

"And it is in prayer thus understood that we are invited to participate, alone with God and in community. This prayer is at once an act of humility and an act of triumph." K. Barth

Quote of Note #205: Surrendering to God in Prayer

"Surrender is entrusting to God things over which we have no control." D. Benner

Quote of Note #202: The Necessity of Prayer

"[Prayer] is a need, a kind of breathing necessary to life."

Quote of Note #171: Jesus Prays our Prayers

"God is the Father of Jesus Christ, and that man Jesus Christ has prayed, and he is praying still. Such is the foundation of our prayer in Jesus Christ. It is as if God himself has pledged to answer our request because all our prayers are summed up in Jesus Christ; God cannot fail to … Continue reading Quote of Note #171: Jesus Prays our Prayers

Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge

On the morning that I learned of the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine, I was incensed.  My sense of justice was offended.  It was so simply and plainly and extravagantly wrong that I felt outraged.  And so, I found myself hoping that bad things would happen to Vladimir Putin and all his forces attacking the … Continue reading Pastor Note #121: Praying for Justice without Praying for Revenge

Prayer Note #62: Holy Kindness/Kind Holiness

Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho; photo by GAC Father, it is so hard for me to hold your terrifying holiness and your gentle kindness together in my conception of you. My mind wavers and falls out of balance as I try to keep those true aspects of your character in healthy tension. Then you either become a … Continue reading Prayer Note #62: Holy Kindness/Kind Holiness

Prayer Note #61: The Interference of God–A Prayer

Lord, there is in mea reluctance tosit quietly andattentively inyour presence.I want tobusy myself withthings that givethe appearance ofa devotional life, butwhich are,in fact,just externalactivity—busyness—withoutinternal reality.Yet it isthe internal reality ofintimacy withyouthat is the crucial element. Reading C. S. Lewis’s Surprised by Joy showed me something about myself.  He speaks of how, as a child, … Continue reading Prayer Note #61: The Interference of God–A Prayer

Quote of Note #119: The Grace and Hope of Prayer

photo by GAC "Our hope depends not on the right technique or the proper phrase or gesture, which borders on magic, but on the promise of God to look with favor on those who throw themselves on his mercy and who acknowledge the efficacy of the atoning sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, for their … Continue reading Quote of Note #119: The Grace and Hope of Prayer