Thoughts: prayer.

Wildflowers on my walk.

For all of my life until last year I didn't want to lead congregational prayer. And then suddenly I enjoy it.

• I give myself a lot of time to write it well ahead of when it's rostered, so that I don't feel pressured. Then I can properly enjoy thinking and writing.
• I noticed in the Valley of Vision prayers that repetition sounds poetic, and when I do that prayers feel better to read than they used to, less abrupt. Very easy trick.
• Instead of quoting large bits of scripture eg psalms, I weave scripture in as phrases all through.
• Bible Gateway and Valley of Vision are my prayer-shaping tools, giving me patterns and phrases to use or imitate.

I now see prayer as the chance to do a lot of things other than pray for upcoming events from the announcements, so I'm never short of content.

• Tell the gospel. Just in case it's not spelled out at other points in the meeting like a song or in the sermon. Just in case it's implied and referred to but not actually explicitly proclaimed. We always have visitors and the lost among us.
• Confess our sins. Related to the above. I think we forget that we don't have to carry them. Or we forget the practicalities of sin and it's an abstract word, so it's good to make it personal.
• Remember the persecuted church. That's my hobby horse, but we should pray globally in some way and not just focus on ourselves. 
• Acknowledge people who are struggling, to make space at church for people who aren't feeling happy.

I find the ACTS structure easy to use. I like to go praise, gospel, confession, thanks, requests, give glory.

It actually hasn't rained as much recently and I find the hay-making quite peaceful, all the browned off grass being rolled up into bales. Not growing.

I've started my next prayer today which isn't rostered until April. Partly because it was already on my mental to-do list so starting it is a relief. And the opportunity was that I'm trying to finish The Cross of Christ by easter and I read a related passage Romans 12-13 and there was some good material to pray! So I pasted it into a doc and started.

Also I'm home alone and a bit bored, and not letting myself watch all the TV, so yay, it's good to fill time with book and prayer and things. I used my willpower to drive to the bathes for some ocean laps, then I washed the car and some clothes, then it's really a matter of doing things that allow for sitting in front of the fan. I am so keen for autumn, except for the loss of swimming and daylight savings. Man I hate short days. But autumn, sweet cool autumn with crisp air, cardigans and unsweaty sleep.