Outside the Pigeon Holes

Vineyard Westside has a monthly worship service called "Enter In" which is a simple format of music and prayer time around a particular theme such as healing or grace. The last one was "Rest". It opened with a prayer and then the band went into about an hour of music, familiar tunes as well as some extended free-flowing music interspersed with singing of spontaneous prayers. Being the geek that I am I brought my sketchbook, oil pastels and pencils for any arty inspirations I might have. At the beginning of the song "I love your presence" I had a picture form in my mind. So I drew it, not really knowing why it had come to me. It had sort of a sad feeling...Like looking out the window on a rainy day. When I finished drawing it I sat with it a few minutes more and then put it aside. Worship continued. The band moved into the song "Let it Rain" - one of my favorites. During the song I felt like Papa was asking me if I wanted him to break off some of...

A few years ago I pulled a little pink paper heart off of a bulletin board at Shiloh church. It was to remind me to think of the person whose name was printed on it in my prayers - someone who was serving overseas during the heat of the war with Iraq. The name on my heart was Dr. Brad Wenstrup. I taped it to the dashboard of my car and it stayed there for a year or so. I thought of this person - who I'd never met - when I'd glance at his name as I was driving or getting into my car.  And I would say a short breath prayer. "God bless Brad" or "Be with Brad". I confess I am not gifted in deep intercessory prayer. My prayers for him were short and sometimes I didn't pray, but would look at the name and wonder who this person was, what he looked like, did he go to my church or was he a friend of someone who went there? What was his job in Iraq? I wondered if I would ever meet him. I hoped that I would, or at least know that he was OK. One afternoon dur...

These lovely eyes belong to one of the precious students in our class. Her name is Lucy. She was born with Gardener's syndrome which is a rare genetic disorder mostly affecting the colon. Typically -from what I read- cancers do not start showing up until teen years. But Lucy's doctors recently found cancerous cells in her blood-work. They can do nothing until the cells "settle" into her colon at which point they will begin chemotherapy. Lucy is just shy of turning 5 years old. Please stand with me in prayer against this illness, that she is completely healed and that God shows up in a wonderful way in her life to restore her to health. She is a strong, energetic and beautiful girl. I know that she has big things to do in her life!

The path that is set before me is uncertain. It seems that proverbial rug has been yanked. In some ways I feel liberated from stuff that needed to be shaken off ages ago. On the other, something I thought was working out turns out to have been a false sense of security. So with no words to pray and no idea which way to turn I have one choice but to "go boneless" as we call it in preschool and lay at my Father's feet. And wait for him to lift me up and point me in the direction He would have me go. None of my options look appealing so I will wait. And listen and let the Holy Spirit pray for me.