Prayer

At church we've been going through Habakkuk, looking at his relationship with God and talking about/thinking about our own. At first I kept thinking back to undergrad...the time when my prayer life/time with God was intense and constant. When I'd wrestle with things in bathroom stalls or pray for people as they'd walk by. Prayer became something constant and automatic for me...something I could do as I went about other things during the day. Don't get me wrong, there were times that I consciously sat and journaled etc., too, but it was way more than that.

As we've gone through the series and talked through Habakkuk, one of my prayers has been that I would get that CONSTANT, deep relationship back. I'm not even sure I realized it, but it was something in my thoughts and in my heart constantly. And God answered. I realized that I have that connection back where even if I'm not journaling (which I have started again...not consistently, but started!) or I am doing other things and my mind may not even be focused on Christ, my HEART is and I can FEEL it. I'm not even sure it's even something that can be described for someone who hasn't felt that...but does ANYONE know what I'm talking about? SO AWESOME.

Boy, what have I not "dumped out" since my last entry?

I am not good at keeping this thing up! 4 classes this semester...planning for the "Day of Respect" on campus March 16 (also the day I was baptized, confirmed and took my first communion 12 years ago). I'm doing my presentation on physical access that day. Using the presentation I did for my worship class last semester with a couple minor changes.

Did I ever write about my thoughts on the Living Word after my friends and I from school went to synagogue? I don't think so. It was really cool to hear about and see in action beliefs about the Torah.

http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm This probably would explain way better than me
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2005/10/Christian-Gives-Ruined-Torah-Scrolls-Jewish-Burial.aspx Cool related story

It made me think of my own conversations within Christian circles about our interpretation of the Word of God. Some believe you shouldn't write in your Bible because it's the Word of God. For someone like me, writing in it helps it "stick"...and it helps to go back and see thoughts I've had when I've read it or things I have been taught that I thought were important enough to write down and remember in relation to the passage. Some believe the Word is literal, some believe it is something up for interpretation...others believe it's both (I tend to be in the "both" camp). For me, I rarely look at it the same way when I open it. I see something new every time. That's what makes it LIVING for me. Some of it seems historical, and other things are like getting a peak into someone's diary/prayer journal etc. Whether it's one or the other or both...it's all something to learn from and to help me grow closer to the LIVING GOD.

What is YOUR interpretation of The Living Word? I was going to write about one other thing, but leaving things on a question note might be a good idea. :-) That will leave more to come!