thanks, hank...

last night, i looked over my books and tried to decide which ones to take on vacation... i spotted a book by henri nouwen called a cry for mercy... it is a book of prayers he wrote while in a monastery... i used one of the prayers during a sermon in seminary for my preaching class... since then, it is one of those books that i can pick up, read a prayer or two and gain some insight... sometimes they are just a quick read and sometimes they have more impact than i had bargained for... there is not one for everyday... but i like to find the prayer that is closest to the present date...

there is a prayer for may 13... and here's what it said,

"Dear Lord, I bring before You all the people who experience failure in their search for a creative, affectionate relationship. Many single people feel lonely and unable to sustain a friendship for a long period of time; many married people feel frustrated in their marriage and separate to go different ways; many children cannot speak to their parents; and many parents have become afraid of their children. All around me I see the hunger for love and the inability to experience it in a deep and lasting way.

O Lord, look with favor on us, your people, and impart your love to us - not as an idea or concept, but as a lived experience. We can only love each other because You have loved us first. Let us know that first love so that we can see all human love as a reflection of a greater love, a love without conditions and limitations.

Heal those who feel hurt in their most intimate self, who feel rejected, misunderstood, or even misused. Show them your healing love and help them on the way to forgiveness and reconciliation. Amen"