Prayers for Podiatrists

Have you ever prayed for plasterers, podiatrists and prepress operators?

Thanks to Mary Kaye Ashley, the folk at Como Park Lutheran Church (St. Paul, MN) have.

Mary Kaye's working through a dictionary of occupational titles, crafting weekly petitions for particular professions. She's currently working through the 'P's. Here's a sampling:

• Mighty & glorious God, we give you thanks for plasterers and all who work to create shelter for us, places to live & work. Help them to feel Your spark of Creation as they make things new. Lord, in your mercy,
• Powerful & loving God, we give you thanks for plumbers and pipe fitters as they go about their work to care for others by bringing clean water & means for sanitation, to serve the health of all people. Help them to know your Spirit as their work touches people they never know. Lord, in your mercy,
• Great & gracious God, we give you thanks for podiatrists, and for all others who give care and treatment to people so they may be the feet of Jesus in our world, healthy and strong. Lord, in your mercy,
• Mighty & merciful God, we remember today police officers, detectives and special agents. May all who protect and serve seek to do so in ways that bring you glory .Protect them as they go about their work. Lord, in your mercy,
• God of direction and detail, thank you for people who do precision assembly. Help them to know that the care they bring to their work makes a significant difference for others in your world. May we all see You in the intricacies of life. Lord, in your mercy,
• Glorious & gentle God, we thank you today for prepress operators. As their work helps us to get accurate information in ways that are well-able to be read, and catch our eyes, may they have a sense of the wonder of your creativity and attention to every detail in our lives. Lord, in your mercy,
• God of nurture and growth, thank you for the persons in our world who teach preschool and care for children. Give them energy and patience, strength and Your wisdom for the work they do to invest in the future of the world. Lord, in your mercy,
• Amazing God, we thank you for those who operate printing presses in our world. May the work they do bring good news to people longing for hope and information. Lord, in your mercy,
• Powerful God, thank you for private detectives and investigators. May they serve people's needs for information and justice in ways that reflect Your concerns for mercy and righteousness in the world. Lord, in your mercy,

Sabbatical Opportunities for Pastors

Two clergy renewal opportunities recently came to our attention:

1) Pastor's Retreat Network
"Retreat centers dedicated to spiritual formation designed for pastors, pastor couples, or ministry teams."

2) National Clergy Renewal Program
Lilly funded grants "to strengthen Christian congregations by providing an opportunity for pastors to step away briefly from the persistent obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection."

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us

The folk at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, WI commend Adele Ahlberg Calhoun's Spiritual Disciplines Handbook as a new Faith Practices resource. Here's the blurb:

"Fasting. Solitude. Contemplative prayer. Lectio divina.Have you heard about these practices and wanted to try them? Have you wandered from one practice to another not sure quite what to do? Are you overwhelmed by all the to-dos of your spiritual life?We have good desires--for a more intimate prayer life, perhaps, or deeper insight from God's Word--but we don't know how to get there. So we give up our pursuit, tired from wandering aimlessly, and end up feeling guilty and more distant from God instead of closer. In the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook Adele Calhoun gives us directions for our journey toward intimacy with Christ. While the word discipline may make us want to run and hide, the author shows how desires and discipline work together to lead us to the transformation we're longing for--the transformation only Christ can bring. Instead of just giving information about spiritual disciplines, this Handbook is full of practical, accessible guidance that helps you actually do them.Mothers, fathers, plumbers, nurses, students--we're all on a journey. And spiritual disciplines are for all of us who desire to know Christ deeply and be like him. Here is direction for our desire, leading us to the ultimate destination: more of Christ himself. "

Mission in the Neighborhood

This month's Connections, the e-letter of CenteredLife.org, highlighted a provocative editorial from Doug Wysockey-Johnson and Faith@Work Magazine. Here's a snippet:

"Church programs are great, as long as people come to the church. Most of the world however, is out where we are in our daily lives. Mission is nothing more than attempting to be Christ’s presence to those nearest us in everyday life."

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