Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
An urge to write
This morning there is nothing burning in my brain to write about, but I feel compelled to write something. It’s time for my lava lamp mind to send something random into my consciousness.
Last night before I fell asleep – which usually happens a few minutes after head hits pillow and Mollie Dog is settled under the covers – I made a decision about today. I know I was just off for a whole week, but I decided to take a few vacation hours and not go in to work today. That decision suddenly opened up my morning and made my day manageable.
It’s going to be a busy afternoon and evening. Rose got us tickets for a Christmas brass concert at a local Methodist church. That starts at 2:00, with the admonition to get there by 1:30 in order to find a place to park. Rose attended this last year and raved about it afterwards, so off we go to hear the music of the season. Never mind that I have been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving Day. I don’t think I will ever get tired of listening and singing along. Christmas carols offer such an opportunity for this Alto to harmonize with the melodies…
As soon as the concert is over, and perhaps I might need to leave a little early, I am headed south on 270 to get to church by 5:00. Tonight is meant to be a small ceremony for the prayer chaplains to dedicate ourselves to another year of service. As soon as that is over, the other reason for gathering happens: we go to Bartolino’s South for dinner, a glass of wine, and fellowship. There are only three of us, so we each serve our congregants every three weeks both before and after church on Sunday. We are also on call for prayer requests that can come in any time of day or night.
This past Sunday was my day to be the prayer chaplain. I took my position in the sanctuary’s prayer corner 15 minutes before service started. I was pleasantly surprised to be approached by two people for prayer. Usually before the service is a quiet time and very few people ask to pray, so this was an added pleasure to the morning. After the service I went back to my corner of the sanctuary and waited to see who might be in need of prayer.
Again, I was surprised. There were five people who needed prayer for a variety of life circumstances. I can only write in generalities where prayer requests are concerned because they are kept confidential and released only to God. I will say that this time of year makes things particularly painful for some. At First Unity Church we have learned to pray affirmatively. That means we focus on the good we desire rather than the negative condition or situation we are praying about. We do not ask God for something; instead we connect with God within us and concentrate on the blessings and gifts we are given that will help us move through our situation. We follow Jesus’s saying from Mark 11:24: “So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
This kind of prayer helps us to acknowledge the circumstance while recognizing our internal spiritual strengths, and identifying choices we may have. God and Spirit are always accessible within us, so we don’t need to petition a God that exists at a distance. Affirmative prayer is a holistic way of recognizing the abundance of God’s grace and love that surrounds us and indwells us.
Oh boy. An hour has flown past and I have stuff to do this morning, like get the slow leak in my left front tire seen to, and get my steps in, and bring up our new little Christmas tree so It will be ready for Jan when she gets home!