New and Old

I've been gradually getting in the habit of praying regularly again. It's difficult and rewarding at the same time; difficult, because bad habits are hard to break, but so rewarding, because I know that I'm doing the right thing and because I love getting closer to God again. Prayers that it continues to go well would be much appreciated, especially since I'm moving to a new city to start seminary in less than a week.

I've also started a new prayer practice. Over the summer I noticed that ideally enjoy praying while I'm doing things with my body: writing out my prayers, walking, (both of which I've been doing for a while), and making friendship bracelets. I decided to continue this practice (especially the friendship bracelets), but with something a bit more useful. So I've been learning to crochet! So far I'm still learning, making it hard to pray while I do it, but I'm getting better. Here's my first completed "project" that I worked on while praying:

I hope to make a bunch of them and see them together to make an afghan to donate.

I know that it would be hypocritical, to say the least, to knit with any old yarn when that yarn was probably produced with slave labor and environment-destroying chemicals. So, I'll probably complete this first project with yarn I have lying around the house (there's a lot of it), and afterwards I'll buy local, environmentally friendly yarn. I'm excited already!

A Prayer

Lord, you have given us this beautiful with the ability to harvest its products for our nourishment and comfort. Yet in our greed we are robbing future generations, poisoning your world and destroying many of your creatures. Help us, dear Lord, to come to our senses, to know that we interfere with your world at our peril, for it is your hand, not ours, that rules your world, for you created the universe and we have been put on earth to look after it in your Name.                                                                                                   Amen

(Souce: Christian EcologyLink's August 2013 Prayer Guide)

Lazy

I have become so lazy recently--in everything, including prayer. I haven't prayed for more than ten or fifteen minutes in... shamefully long. Prayers that I can make it out of this rut!

I hate summer. No, that's not entirely true, but it is possibly my least favorite season. I am very externally motivated, and have trouble motivating myself if I don't have things to do, things that others are telling me to do. What does that tell me about myself?

I commit again to praying more, and more intentionally. I intend to go back to carving time out of every morning to pray. I hope and pray that I can hold on to that intention, based on the knowledge that prayer is important and something that God wants us to do and something that changes the world. I hope and pray that I can root out this fear that I now have, that the world is too big for my prayers to do anything at all and/or that prayer is a waste of time.