After my last two posts and because it’s Sunday I thought we all might be in need of a little prayer so here’s one from Thomas Merton that speaks well for the desires of my heart as I hope it does for yours. May it be a comfort for all who need comfort, assurance for those who need to be assured, and a nudge for all of us to continue to seek after the One who first sought us.

O Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going,
I do not see the road ahead of me,
I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,
And that fact that I think
I am following Your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe
That the desire to please You
Does in fact please You.
And I hope I have that desire
In all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything
Apart from that desire to please You.
And I know that if I do this
You will lead me by the right road,
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust You always
Though I may seem to be lost
And in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
For You are ever with me,
And You will never leave me
To make my journey alone.

First up is Sister Rosetta Tharpe singing “Up Above My Head, I Hear Singing in the Air.” Be sure to put it on pause until it’s completely buffered so you can enjoy it uninterrupted. Just wait until she starts strumming. Can I get a witness?!

One of our SisterFriends submitted this original poem in response to my post on Null And Void No More. It’s such a powerful piece I didn’t want to get it lost in the comments section of an older post and so I’ve taken the liberty to include Pam’s Poem here as well. Thank you for sharing your gift with us Pam.

I am not normal, nor was I made to be
This human shell which covers, the living, breathing me
Shows whoever watches, the inner workings of
Insanity, defiantly, multiplied by love

My wishes sometimes go, beyond my crazy self
To have a normal life…friends, family, health
Would seem to be a goal, one would wish to have
To be piece of a whole, or even just a half

Of what our modern culture, deems to be okay
To open up my mouth and scream that “I am gay!”
Would that make any difference, would anybody see?
What it means, how it feels, to act-ually be me?

I tried hard to conform, to standards set before me
I sacrificed, I hid my self, ignored and cursed my feelings
And yet they never changed, if only they would have…
To not have had to tell, my family…mom…and dad

“Hey, guess what? I am gay.” And hope that they would not
Be like all the others and live as they’ve been taught
To ostracize the different, to illuminate the truth
By spotlighting the darkness, and showing them the proof

That who they are is wrong, that how they feel is sin
That in order to be loved, they just have to give in
To what the Bible “says,” no matter what it meant
At the time when it was written, before it was in print

You must obey the word, the living sword of God
Don’t look too close at what, the author’s intent was
Take it as it is, and we’ll take you as you are
As long as you don’t live it out, or take our grace too far

If grace can go too far, how can it really be?
The free gift of God, for everyone, for me?
To love without condition, to live without remorse
To not just fall in line, is to carve out my own course

And live as I was born, to be JUST AS I AM
A child of God, loved, forgiven,
To just be simply…
Pam

Several years ago I discovered a prayer by Flora Slosson Wuellner in a little book called, “Soul Weaving: A Gathering of Women’s Prayers.” It came at a time in my life when every line of the prayer held meaning to me, speaking to a season I had just walked through or the very place where I was standing. For weeks, if not months, I read it every day and then I misplaced the book. This week while sorting through our storage unit I found the book again, opened to the page with the folded corner and spent time with my old friend again. As you read through it, is there a line or two in the prayer that connects with where you are in your faith walk today?

The risen, living Christ
Calls me by my name;
Comes to the loneliness within me;
Heals that which is wounded in me;
Comforts that which grieves in me;
Seeks for that which is lost within me;
Releases me from that which has dominion over me;
Cleanses me of that which does not belong to me;
Renews that which feels drained within me;
Awakens that which is asleep within me;
Names that which is formless within me;
Empowers that which is newborn within me;
Consecrates and guides that which is strong within me;
Restores me to this world which needs me;
Reaches out in endless love to others through me.

a prayer by Walter Brueggeman

.

God hidden from us in your myriad verbs,

…..we confess you where we do not see you;

…..…..in healings,

…..…..in emancipations,

…..…..in feedings,

…..…..in forgiveness,

…..…..in many ways of newness.

We do not see you, but we dare to name you

…..by our best names -

.…..….we name you father and mother,

…..…..we make you lord and savior,

…..…..we praise you giver and lover.

In our daring naming of you and in our very glimpsing,

…..we know you are beyond us

…..…..…..…..unutterable,

…..…..…..…..hidden,

…..…..…..…..refusing all our manufactured labels.

You are known in hiddenness,

…..powerful in suffering,

…..whole in woundedness

And we are yours. . .all of us. . . gladly. Amen.