Guess who’s on the margins when it comes to hearing about God’s grace?
Sure, Harley Davidson has mainstreamed, and its product logo is on everything from sunglasses to underwear, but a big segment of the riders are unreached by genuine Christian love. Some riders are just bad-boy posers who take their expensive bikes out after a hard day in the cubicle, but other riders have lives filled with pain, substance abuse, violence, crime, and are looking hard for hope, or have all but given up in despair. Plenty more, are somewhere in the middle.
My mom’s church has a special ministry for those who ride.
Each Spring they hold a big gathering called The Blessing of the Bikes. It’s a time to gather, talk shop, and pray for a safe riding season. A gospel message is preached, “Blessing” shirts are sold, riding buddies are made, Bibles are given out, and folks from all over come in hopes that prayer will keep them safe. Thousands attend.
Each week, the Murrysville Alliance Church has a few scheduled group rides (MAC riders: They even have their own patches. woe.). The ministry has been so helpful, and well-received, that ashtray receptacles have had to be installed outside the church, the building expanded, and they’ll soon have to go to three services on Sundays. You should see all the tattoos, beards, bandanas, and leather in that place on a Sunday morning. It’s a place awash in the grace and Spirit of God in there, and awfully noisy when they start up their bikes to leave after the service too!
WPXI Channel 11 in Pittsburgh has video of the event this year. It’s worth a look!
At my school, if you have ever taken Dr Mellinger, then you have engaged in this particular prayer form.
Praying this way, is a way of praising and worshiping God–a useful spiritual practice.
It’s quite simple, and may take on variations, or adaptations. It’s helpful for individual prayer time, or in a group setting.
I’ll present something simple here.
If you use it, or come up with something else, I’d love to hear from you.
Art work – Names of God
Prayers of Adoration/Praying the Names of God: A “How To”
1. Make a list of 10-20 words for God (Encouraged is including names for all 3 parts of the Trinity: Creator, Redeemer, Spirit, etc.).
Adjectives are fine, or names of God found in the Bible.
(Examples: Savior, Father, Light of Lights, Lamb, Protector, Reconciler, etc.)
For Prayer in a Group:
Pick a name from your list that seems to stand out as be more meaningful, and take turns praying your selections in adoration to God, calling God by the name, and saying something of your own, similar to the following:
“God, you are Savior. I thank you that you are a Savior to us, and you’ve given yourself up for us.”
Everyone then may respond together in agreement: “God you are Savior”
(or whatever name has been selected)
It’s amazing how 5-10 minutes of this will change the whole atmosphere in the room. Truly. amazing.
For Individual Prayer time:
• Work down through your list, in a similar way.
• Rest, and consider each name, as your finish adoring God with that name.
At the end, jot down some observations, thoughts, insights, feelings, associations, etc. that came to mind during or after your prayer time.
GROUPS: Take turns sharing some of these.
Individuals: May read over your observations again; and later come back to them, and re-read them.
I’m curious to know if you’ve ever been on a prayer walk? Would you please tell me in the comment section/link below?
The weather (in North America) is changing to mild temperatures, and the beauty of Spring is here.
I’d like to inspire you to carve out 20-45 minutes, (or more, if possible) within the next few days from the time you read this, to absorb the beauty of creation, and the God of it.
This beautiful picture gave me the kick to write this post. Let’s both do it. Go to your calendar now, check for a spot, and mark it down. Morning time, evening, weekend, whatever. You truly have 20 minutes, I know it. Go ahead, I’ll wait. We both know-once you mark it down-it’s quite likely to happen.
With this time, you can allow yourself the experience of a guided prayer walk, using some, or all of the guidelines I’ll lay out below. It will help create a place in your heart to experience the presence of God within and around you. It’s really the perfect Rx for the spring season.
Some suggestions for your walk time:
Items to bring along-
– Comfortable, durable, Shoes
-(if needed) Sunscreen/basic first aid kit
-Water
-Snack
-Notepad and pen
-Camera
(Some of you may want to bring a Bible. If you feel this is important, I am suggesting that you read Scripture before you go on this walk, and if you’d like, bring along a passage, or verse that is on your heart.)
First, allow yourself to acclimate to your environment. Notice your surroundings. Walk deliberately, and also wait, sit or rest, once in a while, and take in your surroundings. Put hurrying aside.
Second, as issues, or chatter run through your mind, push them gently aside, or if they are quite intrusive, jot them down, and give yourself permission to think of them, at another time. (You may may find it helpful to briefly lift those things to God in prayer, and purposefully “hand them over,” before you continue your walk.)
Third, continue until you feel like you’d like to find a comfortable place to sit, or rest, for a little while. The jot down something about your surroundings, and associations that may come to mind about God, and God’s character. Note your response to God, or his creation. Or, record other thoughts you feel are meaningful, or maybe things you would like to explore further, at some point.
Fourth, enter into a time of prayer. It can be any length of time. This is a time of conversation, and also worship. Worship involves adoration of God. Speak, but also listen.
Fifth, be where you are.
Sixth, Continue your journey until you are ready for it’s conclusion. During this time, you may want to spend more time in prayer, engage in vigorous exercise (walk at a rapid pace, for instance), gaze appreciatively at nature, or sit in quiet, or a bit of each. It’s a free-play, or freeform period of the hike/walk, where you can have all the freedom to enjoy it in the way which makes the most sense for where you are right now in your life. Sense God’s love for you, and his delight in you. If you cannot, ask him for the grace to do so. Forgive others, and forgive yourself.
Seventh, when done, offer a brief prayer of thanksgiving, and accept God’s grace. Receive from God. After a few minutes, write down noteworthy thoughts, experiences, ideas, sensations, or insights that happened along the way, or during your prayers.
Eighth, Later, share some, or all, of your notes with at least one other person.
You may want to walk with another friend, a spouse, or in a small group etc.
How rewarding this is!
For this, I suggest that a period of prayerful silence be observed during the whole time,
and conversations between people be postponed until after the walk is through.
Group discussion after the walk may prove very fruitful.
If you give this a try, I’d love to hear how this goes.
Will you please share your experience here?
(Photos you’ve taken can be sent to ovationeneterprises (at) verizon (dot) net)
So, I was thinking….
I have a lot of fun with my blog, but
Do people who want to gear their lives around prayer, also have crazy personalities, and really enjoy a good laugh? (like me) Are these things mutually exclusive? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Christians are not a terribly funny bunch. Okay, let me rephrase that.
Prayerful Christians are usually on the serious side. No, not all, but plenty of them.
I realize I fall into a very narrow minority. I’m an odd mix of God-aware and straight off the silly truck.
This is where Triple Dog Dare comes in.
You would not believe how hard it is to start the ball rolling to get people unified and interested in prayer, but humor? That covers a lot of people. It’s transcends culture, geography, age, and clothing preferences.
On Facebook, I’ve started a page, and I’m letting out all the stops. That’s some kind of euphemism for going hog wild, which is something hogs do all the time when they aren’t laying around in a contemplative fashion in the soil.
Triple Dog Dare is about having fun, sharing humor, and enjoying a great time laughing. “Killjoy” is never an adjective used to describe me. I’ll be posting a lot of photos that are ridiculous and comedic or ludicrous (or other things described with the endings of “ous”)- and stuff that probably doesn’t fit the theme here so perfectly. (It’s possible that I pushed it with the Crucifixion Pastry. For some reason some in the lesbian community really enjoyed that one, but I still don’t get why. oh well.) I’ll be sharing the tid bits of my ordinary life that somehow have a way of being extraordinary bizarre (in a good way), and hilarious. Won’t you please join me?
Why did I call it Triple Dog Dare?
If you’ve ever seen the movie “A Christmas Story,” it’ll make sense. See if this link to the video clip works. About once a week, I’ll Triple Dog Dare fans with some creative jape. Then we’ll see what results, hopefully in video, photos, and tales of adventure.
Will this blog get more serious? I have to admit, I have not a clue. It may get more focused, but I see some intertwining as a distinct possibility. Let’s see this new extension as all part of organic growth. I have an overactive Muse. So-Click & link up as a Facebook fan, and let’s get started!
Triple Dog Dare page (facebook)
Random question:
Which do you usually prefer laughing or praying?
Have you ever done both at once? If so, explain :)
Really excited to post that I’ll be the speaker, at chapel time in the morning- May 30th, on Memorial Wkd. at Camp Swatara. This is a wonderful camp for families.
May 29, Saturday a.m. Kid’s Carnival
May 29, Saturday p.m. Dreamakers-Family Show
And again July 25th. benefit car show
Come on out and visit. It’s beautiful at Camp Swatara. Plus, I’ll be building my famous Lasagna Campfire Formation. I’ll bring the marshmallows, you bring the chocolate bars.
Guess who’s on the margins when it comes to hearing about God’s grace?
