Praying With The Church (11)

I finished Scot McKnight's book "Praying With the Church" this morning. Good book. I liked how it made me feel when I read it. Kind of like when I read "The Sacred Way" by Tony Jones.

A good summation is found on p.158 - Scot is talking about finding a "place of silence"... "not in the sense of the absence of noise but in the sense of attentiveness to God." Then he tells this story:

Ruth Haley Barton uses a potent image in describing what this place of silence is like. Her spiritual director, when she realized how disjointed Ruth's life really was, said this to her: 'Ruth, you are like a jar of river water all shaken up. What you need is to sit still long enough that the sediment can settle and the water become clear.' And that is what a sacred space of silence is: It is simply a place where the distractive sediments of our own life can settle long enough for us to see who we are so we can come to God in utter honesty.

Isn't that good? Sometimes I loathe spending most of my time alone - studying, praying, reading, writing. But what a privelege it is. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me the silence to find you... and to find me.

Perhaps the best contribution I make to this world is the time I spend each morning praying for the people in my church (plus a few others)? I currently have a prayer list of roughly 170 people, and some "issues" and desires as well. I'm not bragging, and there is probably much more I should be doing, but I feel like that not only helps my friends and family, but it helps me -- praying for someone pretty much makes it impossible to be angry or hold grudges; it keeps me in tune with these people's lives; it helps me stay focused on my place before them and with God.

At any rate, that's not really what "Praying With the Church" is about. It is more about learning the sacred prayer rhythms; using prayer books; the importance of corporate prayer; etc.

I have to admit, my prayers usually become pretty dry and mundane after awhile. And using the Psalms and other traditional prayers can add so much richness to ones prayer life. Plus, one of my favorite lines in the book is, "Prayer, like love, seeks intimacy through variety in constancy." (p.161) Yeah... 'intimacy through variety in constancy.' I like that.

Great book, Scot. I give it my hearty recommendation. It's not a thriller, but it should help you find a place of sacred silence. And we all need some of that! I will now be purchasing Phyllis Tickle's "The Divine Hours" to use as my prayer book (or one of them).

Peace, friends. Revolution(ate).