prayer in a time of crisis

I've been thinking about prayer lately, especially how we often use prayer as our fallback position in a crisis. I think we (all people, everywhere) are probably in crisis most of time, we just don't often realize it. Certainly it is easier to recognize in third world countries, where just trying to survive is an everyday reality. During our times of crisis, when danger has clearly crossed the boundaries of our comfort zone and after we've exercised our options of trying to keep things under control then finally, maybe, we'll turn it over to God. This can be a giant leap on our faith journey. Recognizing we're in crisis and that we're not going to be able to "fix" it, is the first step. But the crucial step is not simply crying "uncle" at all the crap the world can throw at us. It's not just giving up, but giving it up to God. To pray is to hope. To pray is to have faith that God is going to save the world.

Even though prayer has been around me all my life, I feel like a prayer newbie. It did take a crisis I could recognize to propel me along my faith journey and I find that more and more I want to be in prayer, but I still have difficulty finding the time and getting focused. I've found some online resources that I think will help me:

pray-as-you-go - daily audio-guided prayers
sacred space - daily web-guided prayers

link list

I've been working with images today and stumbled upon these somewhat related, yet cool sites.

• Rev. Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping


• don't buy a vowel, find it @ one letter group on flickr


• gallery of issues & icons


• flickr toys


• quick online tips

prayer

prayer
Originally uploaded by kimxtom.

image created for worship this weekend using flickr photos & flagrantdisregard.com/flickr

link list

• Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation - looks like a new book even I'll be able to relate to, I always knew I was a late bloomer (found on subversive influence)


• Serve! - new e-zine, love the t-shirt logo (found on emergesque)
  
  
  


• pp backgrounds from purple.pastor - can't beat good looking free stuff (found on the journey).

does anybody out there even care?

Probably not, so I'll continue to amuse myself with the instructions for women from the brick testament (NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN) and probably sacrilege, but this week I've been feeling like a women in a burning church and nobody's paying attention.