This paperback is the twentieth anniversary edition of Methodist minister Ted Loder's lively, poetic, creative, and soul-stretching collection of prayers. Here you will find devotional material organized around these themes: quietness and listening, thanks and praise, unburdening and confession, comfort and reassurance, restoration and renewal, commitment and change. seasons and holidays.
Taking a cue from the prophets and from Jesus, Loder wants us to engage in the guerrilla battle "to reclaim some territory, or some part of life, for a higher purpose, a truer cause." To do this, our prayers must be grounded in grace and imaginatively open to both the winds and the whims of the Spirit. We appreciate the varied ways in which Loder addresses God and explores the many emotions that animate us. This minister is not afraid of the imagination: he uses words and images that point to the infinite richness of human life and experience.
Loder links these prayers to prophecy, playfulness, and the power of social renewal. He opens new doors to spiritual practices such as silence, listening, and forgiveness. Here are two wonderful prayers on living in the present moment:
Guide Me Into An Unclinched Moment
Gentle me,
Holy One,
into an unclinched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go
of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy
that is you.
I Need to Breathe Deeply
Eternal Friend,
grant me an ease
to breathe deeply of this moment,
this light,
this miracle of now.
Beneath the din and fury
of great movements
and harsh news
and urgent crises,
make me attentive still
to good news,
to small occasions,
and the grace of what is possible
for me to be,
to do,
to give,
to receive,
that I may miss neither my neighbor's gift
nor my enemy's need.
