The Hidden Life of Prayer, Chapter 2

I know we’re only two chapters into The Hidden Life of Prayer by David McIntyre, the book we’re reading for the latest round for Reading the Classics Together at Challies.com, but so far I’m wondering why this is considered a classic. I’m finding it rather ho-hum. Staci Eastin calls the book “more inspirational than informational”; I’m afraid I may need information in order to be inspired. But I’m sticking with it in hopes that it (or I) get better as we move along.

This chapter is titled “The Equipment of Prayer”, and lists three things essential to prayer: a quiet place, a quiet hour, and a quiet heart. Of all the examples of people who prayed given—Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, and more—the one that stuck with me was that of Jesus. When it comes to prayer habits (or almost anything else) there’s no better example to follow, is there? Even though the Son of God was always in perfect communion with the Father, he was also in the habit of going away by himself to pray. How much more do I need to find time for regular private prayer?

Next up, chapter three, The Direction of the Mind. 

Thankful Thursday

Another week has passed and it’s the day to list a few of my gifts from the good God.

• I am thankful for the languid ladies beginning to bloom in the wildflower garden.
• I am thankful for the rain, because it waters my newly planted garden for me. It saves me from needing to hand water twice a day while I wait for the seeds to sprout. Once the garden is up, if it’s still rainy, I’m not sure I’ll be so thankful, but that’s an issue for another day.
• I’m thankful for my May Day tree. It might be he most beautiful tree in all of Whitehorse and it sits in the middle of my front yard. The window beside my desk looks out on it, and it brings me daily joy. I’d take a picture to show you, but it’s impossible to get far enough away from it to capture the whole in its weepy branches blooming beauty. You will just have to come visit. 
• I’m thankful for jobs for my sons. My son runs his own business doing more or less seasonal work, so each spring we wonder if the work will come in again this year. When the jobs start to roll in, I am thankful, and doubly thankful because he also employs his younger brother.
• I’m thankful for Natalie, who has learned to crawl and stand up to cruise the furniture all in the last week or so. I’m thankful for Amelia, who has learned to smile real smiles, and gained nearly 1 1/2 lbs in her first three weeks. I’m thankful for growing, learning, healthy and happy babies.

Round the Sphere Again: Seeing Things

Hell
Scripture gives us the sense of hell by picturing it in many different ways (Gentle Reformation). 

The Past and the Future
I tried to write a description of Viewing the river from the bridge by Steve Hays at Triablogue but couldn’t. I’ll say this: You should read it.

The Universe
Marc Cortez explains Jonathan Edward’s view of the universe (Credo Magazine). Edwards taught that God “re-creates the universe every moment,” but God’s “actions are so faithful that we can talk about natural ‘laws.’” For instance,

If I let go of my coffee mug, it will fall. That’s the law of gravity. But what we mean by “law” here is simply that God acts faithfully so that every time a mug is dropped in one moment it falls in the next. Studying the laws of nature is nothing more than studying God’s own actions in the universe.

Edwards, then, saw “every created thing as an immediate expression of God’s glory,” and some call him a Christian panentheist because of it. Read the article and tell me if you think he is one.