Spirit to Spirit Writing Project
The word Lent comes from an old English word meaning lengthening of days. In Christianity, it refers to the time before Easter, traditionally observed through repentance and learning. It's a season to be intentional about changing and growing. Some people give up items to create space and time for new life and habits to grow. Instead of giving something up, I invite you to try to commit to answering these writing prompts each of the 40 days of Lent. The discipline it takes to set aside time each day to reflect and write about God and your relationship with spirituality is a journey that you will emerge from with a renewed spirit. Every writer has their own special voice to add to this project, whether poetry, prose, essay, thoughts, lists, or through comments, prayer, and encouragement.
How do I participate?
Each day, a writing prompt will be posted. A prompt is a question or statement that is meant to inspire your thoughts in whatever genre you feel moved to write. Post your reflections as a comment under each day's prompt (for further instructions, see 'How To Post' on the right side of the page). It is up to you if you write, read, or pray along with us each of the 40 days of Lent or just drop in from time to time when the spirit moves you to participate. Writing regularly is a discipline that many writers struggle with and this is a way to involve that discipline as a Lenten practice. Through writing and leaving encouraging words for others in this project, we become a supportive spiritual writing community
Lent 1, Friday
ReplyDeleteFour Prayers
Unsafe driver behind me, less than 4 seconds distance between us, no passing lanes.
Tailgater
Keeper of All move into this driver’s awareness, awaken alarms.
Calm the fevered need, reduce all possible harms.
Bring safely travel to the destination of choice.
May no incident occur that is distant from your voice.
Small business baker who’s not been delivering the yummy Swedish Rye for a month;
Swedish Rye
Ah, but the shelf sits empty once again, hopes dissolve.
Sweet Aroma of God, bring wisdom, all obstacles resolve.
Lift up the enterprise, restore the commercial need.
May loaves shelved, route run, your daily bread feed.
Lonely figure awaiting the bus, backpack, tired posture, impatient air, scanning eyes;
Future Passenger
Weather asks only respect, regard for its pervasive presence,
Light flashing at the bus stop, reminds of hope’s essence.
Make the day’s movement easy from home to place next,
Bring assurance of a warm ride, love’s care in screen’s text.
Family members outside the hospital ICU, a sudden event has occurred, love awaits in the unknown.
Unknown Future
Life progressed until this sudden happening, a body threatened lies in bed.
Word Made Flesh bring your presence in kindness, hugs, words said.
Pull into this four minutes the attention, the resources of life,
Bring truth, honesty, mercy, resilience, remove the scars of strife.
The Rev. Ronald Allen Melver, M.Div.
20.2.15
.... love awaits in the unknown .... so true
DeleteI love the flashes of different people you encounter in a day and your heartfelt prayers for each of them : )
DeleteYes, very nicely done. Doug Millar
DeleteAs I started to post I realized my prayer could actually be for you, the kind strangers who have entered my life. Instead, with deepest gratitude for your welcome, I share the following.
ReplyDeleteTwo lanky young men, buttoned shirts hanging loosely on their bodies, not dressed as they would choose, but as they are required to for work. A nearly empty grocery store, the displays oddly advertising the event that the rest of the nation is already in the midst of enjoying. The room seems too big, the lights too bright, the signs too bold. We're hardly customers, buying only a few snacks and breakfast items. But they are supposed to attend to us, and so they do, in an off hand, distant sort of way.
Travelers, we ask a question, and in their stumbling responses it becomes apparent that we are worlds away. "Can you tell us where we might find a quiet restaurant for dinner?"
Young men, this is my prayer for you. May peace settle into your bones and fill out your flesh. May you come home to who you are, and begin to experience the life around you. May you come to see, not just the task that sits at hand, but the richness of possibilities that exist for you. May you find food in the desert of your life, be nourished, and dream dreams.
But just as importantly, I am reminded that I too need a prayer, for I have grown so insulated in my world that I have begun to neglect whole companies of people, and ways of being. The freedoms I experience, the radical nature of the ways I now pursue my life, have made me blind as well.
Oh Lord, open not only my eyes, but my heart. Re-connect me to this world in which I live. In my desire to see it all drawn into your embrace, let me not neglect those who do not have the luxury of my slow and impassioned life, but are held by the constraints of daily existence.
Perhaps I should begin again.
Young men, may you have more than enough of what you need. Food, shelter, clothing. Meaningful work, enriching friendships. Places of beauty and wholeness. May you, in that more, find the graciousness and bounty of a loving God, and find yourselves reborn.
Gloria Winters
your invitation into the world of life next to you, brings a clear opportunity to be prayer agents. thanks.
DeleteI love how this poem and prayer opens and develops into a prayer that is so symbiotic and beautiful : )
DeleteI've just left a store having purchased a new wallet. As I approach a busy intersection, I see a man who looks like he's in his late 60's or early 70's holding a cardboard sign. The image is all too familiar. He's unkempt, limping, and pacing the corner. As the cars ahead of me move, I inch closer to where he stands. Now I can see that he's probably younger than he looks. I'm also able to read his sign.
ReplyDelete"I've built more than 200 homes. I now live in a van because of multiple surgeries. Can you please help?"
My mind races. Mostly with excuses.
I need to get to the school. I've only got 10 minutes before the bell rings.
What could I possibly do? I'm not sure what he needs.
I only have a couple of dollars.
What if this is a scam?
There is no thought of this verse I claim to love:
He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8, RSV)
With this prompt, I am challenged not only to pray for this builder of homes - and my hardened heart - but also to return to this corner tomorrow and help.
-----
Holy and Just God,
Thank you for your abundant love, grace, and provision. You have placed me in a rich world with more than I could ever want. Help me remember those who are in need. Help me to see you in them. Help me to cease judgment and move away from fear. Most of all, help me to stop and do something.
Heavenly Father,
Forgive my callousness and inaction. I ask that my path crosses that of your child again. Please be present in our conversation. Give us the right words so we can communicate clearly and I can help him with what he needs.
Healer of our every ill,
I lift up this carpenter to you. Be the balm that soothes his body, mind, and soul. Give him the physical, emotional, and spiritual strength needed for each day. Give him hope. Please make a path for him toward a permanent home. Please lead him to resources that will help him with his medical issues. Keep him safe from the elements and from those who might wish to do him harm.
In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
you've brought us into the honest, ethical place. I add my prayer to yours.
DeleteI too have been moved by our brothers and sister with signs, in need...
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFlying By
DeleteHe sat down
adjusted his seat
slid his carry on under the seat in front of him
and put on his seat belt.
Then he started a simple conversation
with the older woman next to him.
After saying “hi”
and telling her where he was going
he asked her if she worked.
When she told him she was a Pastor
he simply said “Oh…”,
looked a bit bewildered
and he opened his book to read.
He couldn’t have know
that she had presided at the funeral
of a six year old leukemia patient yesterday,
gave the parents space to both cry and celebrate
and was still grieving herself.
He couldn’t have known
that she had sat with a young couple
last Saturday as they moved from anger
to tears,
as they opened up to her about
thoughts of divorce
and looked to her for wisdom.
He couldn’t have known
that she had wonderful, powerful
stories to tell
of people who had died, seen the light
and come back to life, with purpose and passion
and wanted her to walk with them
into their new life
He couldn’t have know
that she had would have listened to his story,
his search
his questions
and honored them
and encouraged him to continue to pray
and continue to talk.
But he never asked.
He simply said “oh…”
when she said she was a Pastor,
and he let that blessing
fly by.
(Not 'tight' with the prompt but this is what came - so I wrote it!)
Oh, Larry! Thank you! I love this! And holy moly, I can relate!
DeleteI'm glad you went rogue with the prompt ; ) This is great stuff!
DeleteSpirit embraces with quiet grace.
DeleteFor the audacity to wear a tutu under your skirt,
ReplyDeleteeven as the candles on your cake must outnumber the speed limit on the freeway….
For the tenacity to walk to the drugstore yourself
when surely there are others in your ballet company who would be willing to go in your stead…
For whatever was holding all of that fabric together,
wrapped upon itself and perched atop your head…
For the creature who walked on the end of your leash…
whose aggressiveness made us all slightly wary to stand in line behind you….
For whatever circumstances led you into my path this day…
Blessings, deep and wide and running over…..
~JGH+
Julie Hutson
"and running over"! I love those words. I will tumble them around today - and let them run over. Thanks!
DeleteDear God,
ReplyDeleteShe's not a total stranger; she's not a stranger at all. She's a friend,
whose friendship has blessed me, whose generosity has inspired me. But
she's becoming “stranger.” She is losing inhibitions and becoming what we
used to call "childish." Why did I never notice before--or has it just
become true--that her voice carries stridently across a quiet restaurant?
Give her the grace to draw closer to your Spirit in this stage of her life,
to experience emancipated innocence, to feel unadulterated joy. Give me
the grace to let go of my constricting sense of public propriety. Give me
courage to confront and exorcise lurking embarrassment about her behavior,
the wisdom to join her in a pool of childlike playfulness and simple zest
for life. Help me truly welcome the “stranger” from the place of your
abundant gift of her friendship.
Amen.
Troy Faith Ward, Diaconal Minister
Prayer includes the presence of each to and with the other.
DeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteI did not want to go to the grocery store today. It was way too cold and my body was tired. I had to go because I needed some ingredients for a meal I was making for a friend who had cancer. I also knew if I went it would be a big load since I had put off grocery shopping for as long as I could. I put up a prayer for my friend since I was reminded of her. When I was shopping amidst all the things I had to buy I remembered to buy powdered baby formula which I do on a regular basis for our food pantry. It is my thing. I cannot imagine being a mom (or dad or other family member) who cannot buy for their own baby. I pick up 2 since it has been awhile since I last shopped. I send off a prayer for the family who will receive. How hard it must be to be in their situation. I have to say, that it lifted me up. First, because I remembered and second because it just felt good. That night my husband who was doing our income tax said with a twinkle in his eye (no joke), "It seems we have a big charitable deduction for baby formula." My smile back said, "I hope so." Deb Bengtson-Ahrendt
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you bicyclist on your way to work this morning. God Ever in Motion, help this man to be alert and drivers passing him to have patience and judge carefully how to go around him in a safe manner for all concerned on this patch of Riverside Drive where there is no bike lane or shoulder out of the traffic lane.
ReplyDeleteGod help this girl who, in her enthusiasm to get into Target has darted away from her mother. May she understand her mother's shouts as loving protection that she will not be harmed by the doors or others coming out with their carts.
God bless this mother who is hurrying with a younger brother in hand to reach her daughter and keep her out of harm's way. May she have some time today to rest and have fun moments with her children.
God bless the Hagen's store employee who checked with the elderly man on the bench to see if he had someone there with him or needed someone to be called. I don't know the reason for the inquiry, but I hope the man, if he does need some assistance, is not being stubbornly independent. Help him, for his sake and his loved ones to admit if he needs more than a few moments of rest.
Must add another this morning:
ReplyDeleteFor the mother and daughter in the high school parking lot. At first paused in traffic lane, seemingly just for girl getting out. But then the time lengthened, girl leaned in, checked herself out in the side mirror, almost shut door, then got back in instead. Car progressed to drop off area, pausing again where cars can get by as the main line of cars did.
What mother-daughter conversation was going on, causing the delay I do not know, but most of us have been there.
Lord, bless this young woman and her mother and help them through whatever Let love, calm and confidence bubble up to refresh the start of the day for both of them. And if it is a simple matter of clarifying schedules and exchange of necessary explanations, may their flow through the day be easier for the communication. I give it to you, who knows their relationship best and each individual stresses and needs. May the girl have a good day at school and the mother at her work. Peace be with them and all parents and teens. Amen
I feel this prayer as I think about picking up my younger son after school. After months of quiet, which disturbed us - he spoke and family life is much better. Deb Bengtson-Ahrendt
ReplyDeleteYes, I find the need for prayers for my granddaughter at pickup time to just say hello and wait, let her start to talk about her day when she wants to begin, and mostly listen.
ReplyDeleteYes, I find the need for prayers for my granddaughter at pickup time to just say hello and wait, let her start to talk about her day when she wants to begin, and mostly listen.
ReplyDelete