While en route from city A to city B during last week's travel experience. I came across a group of folk praying. They were a group of twenty or so travelers. I often feel a little uncomfortable when I come across groups such as this one because I feel like I am intruding.
You see, my understanding of pray (this not my exhaustive understanding but I would need a lifetime to communicate a full understanding of prayer) to put it too simply is that prayer is how a person or a community attempts to become consciously oriented to God's will.
What prayer is not, is humanity trying to convince God that they have been faithful enough for God to do what they want. It also is not minimizing God's works by minimizing our gratitude to God's mighty acts. For example "Jesus I just want to ..." being self-deprecating in public pray minimizes God creation (the prayer.) Remember God does not make junk. From my point of view it should be "Jesus I want to..." There is no Just with Jesus! Our response to God in our life should be as complete as God gift to us.
All that said. As I paused at the edge of this group in the space between the gate I arrived at and the gate I need to get to, and need I say, without any other route to get there. I was not alone in my blockage I could feel the mixture of frustration, anger and awkwardness (mixed with a little bit of GUILT) in the non-praying travelers surrounding me.
I could tell this group had just gotten off a plane. I could not tell if they were thankful for safe arrival or worried about the next leg of their trip. You see I was trying not to listen, not to intrude in their prayer. While at the same time trying to figure out how to get past them as to not miss my plane.
Here are my tips when praying in airports:
- Do not block passage ways, your prayer might be interrupted by angry agnostics.
- Do not remind the bystanders in your pray of a recent plane accidents at the airport and that the if it was God's will the next plane taking off will have the results.
- Amens do not need to be shouted as to echo in vaulted terminal.
10 comments:
Hi PT Pastor! I look forward to reading your blog. I especially like that you have chosen your wedding ring to put up on your site. What a visual for a positive affirmation for your marriage. I am a christian and look forward to your blogs. I am also a political junkie so that will be interesting too. However, you may think I am aligned with the dark side of politics (do I dare -she says with some trepidation- say the R word?)as I am a REPUBLICAN. :) We were married in the Presbyterian church back in 1975. I consider myself a babtipresbycostal - bottom line Christ in my heart. However,I have been MIA from church for most of the year and then some, kind of like the prodigal daughter. My behaving this way is at best, stupid as I KNOW our Heavenly Father exists and the price he and his son paid to demonstrate their love for us. My faith is strong, but I have been following the flesh and not doing my best to honor and live for him. Thank God for his tender mercies.
I too am a new blogger and am enjoying it so much. I am so touched your wife thought my (oh so new) blog worthy of linking too. Now, I will have to step up to the plate. :) I need to learn how to put pics up etc. So Happy Blogging to you!!
Its been really kwel to read your blog and laffing pastor - pulling me down to various thoughts about belief and religion in my context
Do you know of a good blog in the Jewish sense - my husband is reform
in many ways I see similarity and just want to read more and learn in all context of experience
Wanna hear more of your adventures :)
medstudnetwife
I tried to reply to your gamil but got a no reply allowed responce. So, here is what I would have said.
I am relative new to blogging (real new less than a week) but I will try to search the blog-o-sphere (if that is possible) to see if I can fined something. There should be a way to find something like "Jewish reformed blogs" but I don't know.
PT
Hey PT Pastor -
You are starting off with a bang! Four blog entries in four days.....wow! Your lovely wife has rubbed off on you.
"No just with Jesus" is a point well taken. I like your premise but I think sometimes when those kinds of judgements are made we make people unwilling (and even afraid) to pray publicly. As a pastor's wife, I have been praying publicly for years, but when I am with a group of "seasoned pray-ers" I still find myself afraid that I will say something that someone else will view as stupid. I guess I lose sight of Who I am talking to. I am with you on praying aloud in the airport - that would be uncomfortable for me, too. I don't think I have ever experienced that.
Okay, just so you know (and your wife knows me well enough to already be thinking this), if I were talking to you face to face I would never have been bold enough to say any of this. The beauty - and danger - of blogging.....
I still really like what you had to say - and I can't wait to meet you!
medstudentwife and PTP
Here's a site that connects to many religious sites of every flavor. They are listed on the lower right side of the webpage
http://www.streetprophets.com/
Txs PT Pastor - if you get anything that would be great :) I really will appreciate it
I havent figured this blogger thing out ie wrt email back & stuff... guess like my voice mail at work, I just dont have a knack for easy replies *lol*. It took me 2 hrs to do the Edmund Fitzgerald blog on mine.... if you like Gordon Lightfoot - best song :)
Cheers
I am also looking for a troll on my "meme" *heheheheee*
More sites for "Jewish sense" google for the url
• Also from Matzat
o Corner Prophets
o Jewschool
o Matzat
o Mazal Tov Cocktail
• Blogs
o Andy Bachman
o Bartholomew's Notes on Religion
o Cannabis Chassidus
o Coalition for Darfur
o Deitybox
o Dov Bear
o Heeb n' Vegan
o Israel Peace
o Jeremy Rosen
o Jerusalem Syndrome
o JSpot
o Kosher & Humane
o Mah Rabu
o Meretz Blog
o Mystical Politicis
o New Zionist
o NIForum
o NJDC
o Orthodox Anarchist
o RAC Blog
o Religion & Society
o Semitism.net
o Soferet
o Street Prophets
o SynaBlog
o Velveteen Rabbi
o Virtual Talmud
• Friends
o American Jewish World Service
o Jerusalem Peacemakers
o Jewish Funds for Justice
o Jewish Women's Archive
o Judaism Without Borders
o Kavod House
o Keshet
o MyJewishLearning.com
o Nehirim
o NeoHasid.org
o Tel Shemesh
o Teva Learning Center
o The Shalom Center
Hi strong gayle warning - I like what you said about remembering WHO we are praying to - keeps things in perspective.
Txs for the links ORV :)
needless to say, praying does not mean forgetting consideration to others. after all, God watches even those who are not praying.
by the way, better late than never...welcome to the blogosphere:)
may, from www.aboutanurse.com
used my old blogger account to comment.
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