Claimed, gathered and sent

I spent the last year on internship in WV, a coal state. Thanks to Ben Witherington for this insightful, honest post. Creation Care—- and Clean Coal??? | The Bible and Culture

  Why Community? Years ago when I was working with new members in the community, there was always one session in which I asked each of them individually, and in turn, why they went to prayer. The answers were always full of the piety that comes with newness and the theology that comes from books. "Because," someone would say, "prayer is what leads us to perfection. That's why I go to prayer." I'd shake my head: "No," I'd say. "That's not why we go to prayer." They'd think a while, then someone else would try. "We go to prayer to immerse ourselves in God." I'd shake my head: "No," I'd say. "We are always immersed in God but that's not why we go to prayer." ...

On Thursday my hot pink cast was removed! I was so excited about that. The best thing is that I could take a shower without fear of getting the cast wet or falling and putting weight on the cast, which was a huge no-no. I am now wearing a special boot when I walk and am using a traditional type walker. Gone are the days of my scooter-like walker with wheels. So, I've been out and about. Friday I did quite a bit of walking. Now, what you need to understand is that I can only put very little weight on my foot at this time. This means that my arms and hands are bearing the weight as I step onto my right foot. Consequently, when I woke up Sat. morning, I hurt from so much walking. Now it wasn't my foot that hurt, but the heels of my hands! I walked so much my hands hurt. I took it pretty easy yesterday and was raring to go to church today and did just fine. I am healing well and looking forward to the time when I'll be able to drive. That won't be for at least anoth...

Well, it's time for an update. We've been back in Gettysburg for  a month. It wasn't that long ago that we were surrounded by boxes and could hardly find a place to sit. We're all settled now except for a couple of boxes in the den. A few days after our arrival, I had a planned surgery on my ankle and Achilles tendon. I was sporting a hot pink cast and making my way around with a Roll-A-Bout . This has obviously limited what I've been able to do around the house. Yesterday had a follow up visit with the surgeon. Now I am sans one hot pink cast. Yeah! And the Roll-A-Bout will be packed up and shipped back. I have a boot that I wear now and use a regular walker to get around. Slowly I am working my way up to weight bearing as tolerated. The best part is that I can now shower! Ray, my husband, has been amazing during the time of my convalescence. He keeps saying he's been "domesticated." He has been cooking, unpacking, and doing virtually everything...

Thanks to Clint for posting these prayers. Lord in your mercy... Lutheran Confessions: Prayers for Norway

A Place for Prayer: Sunday Prayer 11A/Pentecost 6

Thank you to Helen Harms, Assistant to the bishop of the WV/W MD Synod for sharing this devotion.   Immeasurably More Than We Ask The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?:  So she went to inquire of the Lord. Genesis 25:22        Rebekah’s prayer was for her own life and that of her babies.  Yet her prayer resulted in giving birth to two great leaders and all their descendants.  She asked God for only a penny but obtained a mountain of gold-something she hadn’t hoped for or dared to believe.  She kept her prayer modest and reasonable, and she was willing to be satisfied with small favors.        We too are in the habit of praying for trivial and insignificant things.  When we pray, we don’t take into account the great majesty of God.  If God wanted to give us only petty and superficial things, he wouldn’t have given us such ...