Carol Poston writes:

Last Thursday, March 22, Steve, Leslie, Jim and I gathered at Leslie and Jim's home. We studied the lectionary psalm for the day and had our evening prayers. We discussed a name for the group, but came to no consensus. We also discussed a meeting location for this Thursday's meeting on March 29. Steve had mentioned his house, but I don't remember whether that was for this Thursday or later in the spring. I had occasion to call Fr. Birch. He said Our Saviour would be available, but that he would be in Berea with the college students. I will not be able to be present Thursday night--I'm already overcommitted and the week hasn't even started!

And Andy appends this note:

Right now I'm in the village library at Barnesville, Ga. My laptop went ka-blooey yesterday, and I'm not sure if I can get back online this week. I'll call Steve Locke and chat with him to see if his home is available and/or if would like to shepherd us at Our Saviour on the 29th--and we'll go from there! Need I say that I wish I could be with you all! Yes!

Last Sunday afternoon Fr. Birch--and a whole household of friends and neighbors--blessed the home of Leslie and Jim Farris. The Lord heard our prayers as, from room to room, Scriptures were read, the waters of blessing were sprinkled on walls and the gathered guests, and Lesie, Tom, and their son Jason, gave thanks to God for their new home. As the sun shone brightly through the windows and filled the house with light, we were reminded that the Light, Jesus Himself, lives in and among the Farris family. And you should have seen--and tasted!--the tables of lovely food; and in the kitchen, "wine" to gladden hearts. Thank you, Leslie and Jim, for inviting us to be with you on such a special day!

It was cold and rainy last evening, Thursday, when the doorbell rang, and Leslie and Jim Farris came in for Evening Prayer. Just wonderful to see them! Although we did take time to talk about Psalm 85, we spent the better part of our pre-prayer evening simply getting to know each other and how our children are faring. That too is a great blessing the Daily Office brings to those who gather to listen to God; they also get to listen to one another.

In addition to inviting us to the blessing of their house this Sunday at 4:00 p.m., Leslie and Jim have also graciously invited us to their home for next week's Evening Prayer. The Psalm appointed for the evening of March 22, next Thursday, is Psalm 69; it's a long one, so the Office suggests we prepare ourselves to pray verses 1-38.

Here's how to arrive at their home, 136 Stevie’s Way, Berea, for both the Sunday's Blessing and Thursday's Evening Prayer, :

From Richmond:

• Take 25/421 (at the Kroger’s) to Berea.


• Turn left onto 421 past the Depot, Kingston.


• Tollow 421, go past Pilot Knob Baptist Church.
  
• Immediately on the left, at the end of the guard rail after the church, turn left onto Pinewoods.


• The first right is Stevie’s Way.


• Their home is at the end of the cul-de-sac.
  

From Berea:

• Follow 21 to Big Hill.


• Turn left onto 421.


• Turn right into Pinewoods(After Redlick Rd and before Pilot Knob Church).


• The first right is Stevie’s Way.


• Their home is at the end of the cul-de-sac.
  

It's a lovely drive to the Farris' home; enjoy the journey!

In this contribution to the Washington Post/Newsweek On Faith online discussion (posted 5 February 2007), Jim Wallis responds to the question: What is prayer? Do you pray? If so to whom and for what?

Yes, I pray. But there are many misunderstandings about prayer. For many, prayer is talking to God, sometimes with a great list of requests and needs – sort of like childrens' Christmas lists mailed to Santa Claus.

But, at least for me, prayer is more often becoming a time of listening than talking. There is so much noise in our world and our lives (much of our own making); prayer becomes a quiet space enabling us to stop talking long enough to see what God might be trying to say to us. The disciplines of prayer, silence, and contemplation practices by the monastics and mystics are precisely that – stopping the noise, slowing down, and becoming still, so that God can break through all our activity and noise in order to speak to us. Prayer serves to put all the parts of our lives in God’s presence, reminding us of how holy our humanity really is.

And also for us, prayer is the act of reclaiming our identity as the children of God; it declares who we are and to whom we belong. The action of prayer places us outside the realm of the powers and principalities. As prayer declares our true identity, it destroys our false identities. In prayer we act upon who we really are, and thus prayer has the effect of diminishing the illusions that have controlled us, and helping us remember what is really true. Prayer allows us to step out of our traps and find ourselves again in God.

Contemplative writer and priest Henri Nouwen once shared with our Sojourners community that the desert fathers regarded prayer as an act of "unhooking" from the harness of the world's securities. Such prayer may be the only action powerful enough to free us from our spiritual bondage to property, money, power, ideas, and causes, which often control our behavior.Only those who have truly found their identity in God can resist the violent tugs and pulls of the false values offered by the world.

By re-establishing our security in God, prayer becomes an effective weapon in resisting the world’s false securities.

Prayer changes our frame of reference; it is not merely a preparation for action. Prayer must be understood as an action in itself, a potent political weapon to be used in spiritual warfare against the most powerful forces of the world. Prayer is not undertaken in place of other actions; it is the foundation for all the other actions we take.

I recall the way Archbishop Desmond Tutu would pray in South Africa, during the apartheid era. His prayers constantly affirmed God’s power over the claims of the state, and that was a threat to their power. And prayer, in recognizing God's authority over the evil powers, moves us beyond opposition to affirmation, and beyond resistance to celebration. Thus prayer and the results of prayer can be the most revolutionary of acts. The powers that be in this world are aware of this – that is why they consider those who pray in this way to be a threat.

Last Thursday, Fr. Birch shared with us A Disciple's Prayer Book, a "pastoral adaptation of the Book of Common Prayer to help disciples hear the Gospel and see Jesus." As the Preface says, this forty-one page Disciple's Prayer Book is "a gift to the Church from Native Episcopalians to be used in our journey together woward becoming a church of disciples in mission to all of God's creation." If you would like a printed version of this book (40 pp, 3 1/2" x 8 1/2") please email your request to Native Ministries. More information is avaiable at the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska. This wonderful little book is a gem; you may wish to have one or more copies with you as you travel and give witness to Christ; it makes a great gift as an expression of evangelistic love.

And here's another that Carol Posten has loaned us for our review--A Guide to Prayer for Ministers & Other Servants. It has been exceptionally popular for more than a decade. This classic devotional and prayer book includes thematically arranged material for each week of the year as well as themes and schedules for 12 personal retreats. The authors have adopted the following daily format for this prayer book: daily invocations, readings, scripture, reflection, prayers, weekly hymns, benedictions, and printed psalms. You can purchase it from the Upper Room Bookstore, where a deluxe gift edition is also available .

Last evening at The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, sitting in a circle near the altar, we decided that we want to continue meeting weekly on Thursdays. We made this decision because our conversatons and prayers during the past eight weeks have been so wonderfully helpful to all of us. We also decided that, whenever possible, we'd like to meet in one another's homes, begin our conversations on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and then start Evening Prayer at 8:00 p.m. While we know that not everyone will be able to come each week without interruption, we want nonetheless for some or all of us to meet regulary so that everyone knows without doubt that he or she always has the ungoing support of our Davily Office community. Finally, we decided that for next week, before Evening Prayer, we'll ponder Psalm 85 (one of the appointed Psalms for next Thursday) "African-style," a way of listening to God's Word that several members of our group use at the Church of Our Saviour. Here's how it might be described:

In this kind of study a group listens to the reading of a selected scripture passage and responds to the question, What word or phrase seems most significant or meaningful for you, and why? The passage is read a second time and each participant responds to the question, How does this passage speak to your life now, and why? The passage is then read for a third time and participants respond to the question, What will you change or do this week in response to this passage, and why? The passage is read a final time as a closing prayer.

Fr. Birch led us in Evening Prayer; after the Psalms and after the Lessons, we sang several Taize songs. It's safe to say that we all deeply appreciated one another's prayerful companionship and the Presence of the Holy Trinity, Who immerses us in his love and proclaims encouragement on the Way.

We are so glad to welcome Lynn Shearon into our community. From now on, we remember Lynn and her family in our daily intersessions.

Here, then, is an updated list of those with whom and for whom we pray:

Virgil Brewer (623-5292) virgil.brewer@eku.edu
Tom Bryan (328-3334) Tom_bryan@bellsouth.net
Leslie Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Jim Farris (228-0277) momfarris3@aol.com
Grace Gutekunst (624-2090) gegutekunst@aol.com
Patricia Harris harlov4@cs.com
June Harnack (626-8535) rjharnack@yahoo.com
Andy Harnack (582-3368) andrew.harnack@eku.edu
Stephan Locke (623-2068) slocke@uky.edu
Mason Smiith (623-0692) mason.smith@eku.edu
Carol Poston (985-5572) casposton@yahoo.com
Fr. Birch Rambo (623-1226) tbrambo@bellsouth.net
Steve Sells (859-523-0806) sfsell1@uky.edu
Lynn Shearon (623-6185) shearonl@bellsouth.net

June and Andy Harnack are our hosts for our next meeting on Thursday, March 15. Bring along a translation of the Psalms so we can do an African-style study of Psalm 85.

Here's how to get to their home at 281 Marengo Drive, Richmond:

• Go to I-75, Exit 87.
• At Exit 87, head west for 2.3 miles (towards and then past St. Thomas Lutheran Church) on Barnes Mill Road. (You'll go through a stop light, past St. Thomas Lutheran Church on your left; when you see a yellow intersection highway sign with a 35/mph note under it on your right, get ready to turn right at the upcoming intersection.)
• At the intersection, turn right on to Crutcher Pike.
• Go .4 miles to what what appears to be a T.
• Turn left onto (unmarked) Mule Shed Lane.
• Go .8 miles, driving past the House of Prayer Church on your right.
• Look for Chrisbrooke Subdivision (and Marengo Drive) on your left. (Marengo Drive is the only street in the subdivision.)
• Turn left into Marengo Drive until you come to 281 Marengo Drive, on your left at the crest of the hill.

Andy will stake out signs--Daily Office--along the way. If you need help, call 626-8535 and the rescue squad will get into action. Hope to see you there next Thursday, March 15!