The Power of Prayer

Today's posting is a little different for me. As though of you who know me personally, you know that I do not buy into "man-made" religion. Another way of describing "man-made" religion is that or the organized church. The organized Christian Church left me when I was 10 years old because of my homosexuality. There are those friends of mine who criticize me for "always being the victim." Well, sorry about that but when the man-made church tells me I will burn in Hell for eternity because of who I am, and then I have no choice but to leave that church for the Select Few who were lucky enough to be born with the socially acceptable chromosome makeup.

After I left the organized man-made Christian Church when I was 10 years old I continued to have my own personal religion. Many times over the years I have prayed for guidance in this perilous minefield called Life. Many times I have had guidance from a Greater Power that has helped me through some very difficult times. I don't know whether it was my guardian Angel or Buddha or just a Spirit in the Sky. One thing I do know is that organized religion has never helped me nor has man helped me. The only thing that has gotten me this far in life (67 years) is my personal spiritual belief.

A friend sent me an e-mail this morning that best epitomizes the way I feel sometimes. The friend who sent this e-mail to me this morning is going through a difficult time of her life at this time. She recently lost her job. Then she discovered she had breast cancer. Just last week she lost her father, with whom she has lived with and cared for these many years. Now she is alone except for her brother who is caring for her.



I met my friend many years ago (1965) when I worked at Girard Bank in Philadelphia. She started work a short time after I began working for the bank. We were good friends even after we both changed our jobs and went to work for another bank up the street when Mellon Bank took over Girard Bank.



We worked together at the new bank for about seven years until I left in 1994. Over the years we have remained in touch by e-mail. Her friendship is one of the few I have maintained over the years in all my job changes and travels. She is one of those True Friends. I am very fortunate because I have a handful of these True Friends whose friendship I value more than just about anything.



My friend believes in religion but makes no judgments. My friend doesn't warn me about burning in Hell because I am a homosexual and I refuse to "accept" Jesus Christ as my Savior. My friend does not discount me as a human being because of my homosexuality. My friend does not patronize me by saying she "tolerates" me in spite of my "weakness." My friend accepts me just as I am, a human being created in the image of God.



This is her prayer. It has meaning for me. I want to share it with others who feel as I do. And why do I post an image of a made-made representation of Jesus Christ? It is only a symbol of Peace and Love which in the end is what religion is all about anyway.



 

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards.



Let's always pray for one another.






The prayer:






Father,


Thank you for each and every day you have


blessed us here on earth.


Thank you for your tender mercies.


Thank you for giving us friends and family to share these internet joys with. I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and those I care deeply for who are reading this right now.






Where there is joy, give them continued joy.


Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy.






Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence.


Where there is need, fulfill their needs.






Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.














In Jesus' name..






Amen.

Tis Christmas Eve at the Inn

It is all quiet in the hotel now. The guests have departed to visit their children and grandchildren, bearing their gifts as they go. The silence of the lobby is punctuated by the clatter of the ice machine turning over new ice cubes and Christmas music playing on CD’s in the background. And here I am, exactly where I want to be on this holiest of all days in the Christian calendar, by myself.

Many years ago I discovered the special peace of Christmas Eve. When I was young I was all caught up in the tradition of our culture to rush about getting just that right Christmas gift. I would be oh so careful in wrapping the presents in appropriate Christmas paper, just like I saw in the movies and on TV shows about Christmas. I would take my profit sharing bonus from the bank where I work, and spend it all on Christmas presents for everyone from the mailman to my nieces, nephew, friends and coworkers.

These days I only buy Christmas presents for my Mother. Her 85th birthday is today, one day before Christmas. My Mother’s mother died when she wasn’t quiet two years old, shortly before Christmas Day. My Mother has told me many times that when she did receive a gift, it was usually lumped together with the explanation “This is for your birthday too.” Her mother wasn't around to protect her from such insensitivity. I always make a special effort to separate the two days. That is why I have always taken special care in selecting gifts for my Mother, one for her birthday and all the others for Christmas. I always made sure her birthday present would be wrapped in birthday paper.

This year I wasn’t able to visit my Mom this week to deliver her Christmas presents AND birthday present in person because of the weather. However, I did call her this morning and sing “Happy Birthday” to her, which has been our tradition for more years than I can remember. First nice sunny day, I’ll be on the road to take that 2 ½ drive to Pennsylvania to deliver her presents in person.

For now though, I will take in the special pleasure this night affords me. Working or not working, I have always been able to experience the promise of peace of this one time of the year. I believe that promise. Those Christmas Eves, when I did not work, I would turn down invitations to visit or party and instead I would stay at home alone. That is my way of celebrating Christmas.

In the past, when I was at home, I would stay up until midnight. Shortly after midnight I would look out of my bedroom window to the cold, dark night sky. Sometimes the stars would sparkle like sequins on a flasher entertainer’s jacket. On other nights, clouds would roll across the nighttime sky. But, even on those cloudy nights, the clouds always seemed to part and the moon would shine through, illuminating the cold landscape below. And, if I looked hard enough I could see one star that shone brighter than the others. Perhaps that star is Venus , perhaps not. But it is there, shining brightly, silently beckoning to me.


Tonight, as I drive down the road to my nearby home, I will look again up at the cold, December nighttime sky and feel that inner peace that I only feel this one time of year. That is the gift He has given me. I am at peace.