July 11, 2008

my new mantra

When I was interviewing for the position here in Foley, TKT asked me what my prayer sounded like as I discerned God's next step. "Your will be done," I replied, "and sooner would be nicer than later." That really was my prayer for such a major life-changing decision. I think with the Collect for this Sunday I have found a better one - one that can be used for the little things like should I work on a website or habitat house today - and for the big stuff like should I buy a hybrid or what will twentytwentyone look like.

Being the emerging low churchman that I am, I don't really have a problem changing the outmoded language of the prayer book, so for me the prayer is something like, "help me to know and understand clearly how I should be living - what I should be doing - and by your grace and power help me to live it and do it with faith and perseverance."

As Paul told us in such a rambly - just out of seminary - fashion last week, it is one thing to know what we ought to do and quite another to actually do it. Our prayer must be for both. To know and not do or to do and not know are both problematic ways of living, but to know God's will and then to do it - well that is none other than they way of Jesus whose will was one with the Father.

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