Prayer and Scripture

Prayer and connection with God is our defense against the dictates of our sterile and material seeking civilization. Prayer and connection with God is what gives us the strength to live the good news of the Gospel. Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty. We believe scripture is God’s way of communicating with us, shaping us, and informing us.
Jesus Christ wants to pray with us and to have us pray with him, so that we may be confident and glad that God hears us. We learn to speak to God because God has spoken to us and continue to speak to us. God’s speech in Jesus Christ meets us in the Holy Scriptures. There is peace in the will of God, which we can discover through prayer.. Spiritual formation is the process of coming to know God and allowing God’s vision and values to shape us. We participate in this process through prayer. Prayer is really nothing more than coming into greater consciousness of what already dwells within us and within every person and creature.
We are invited to live with a heart that yearns for life, a heart that desires God, and a heart that delights in the voice of God. The invitation is always there even if it is difficult for us to respond. As we recognize God’s tremendous love for us, we grow in our love for others. When we live out of an awareness of our union with God and others, we live a life full of gratitude. Our gratitude deepens as we develop an appreciative eye. Scripture emphasizes the importance of gratitude and shows us the way to live our thankfulness. An unconditionally positive attitude moves us toward more positive life experiences. We no longer live tied to the standards which are tied to the “normalcy of civilization” .
While efficiency and control are the great aspirations of our society, the loneliness, isolation, lack of friendship and intimacy, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness fill the hearts of millions of people in our success-oriented world. The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. That is the way Jesus came to reveal God’s love. God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life.

Peace and love,

Sue




"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)