Deacon Anne Strong

Dear friend,

If we take to heart what Saint Paul writes in his first letter to Timothy (2:1-6) it seems logical to conclude that prayer is the business of the church.

For me, prayer is a gentle tugging on that invisible thread that connects my soul to the Mysterious One that created and called me into being. It is less about the perfect words and more about discovering who I am, who God is and what I believe.

I especially love the words of the French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Our divine conversations can happen anywhere and everywhere. Some of my best “heart to hearts” have been when I have nowhere else to go. No perfect prayer but an open heart.

God will meet us where we are: in church, in the mountains of Arizona; at any age; dark skinned, red, purple, divorced, gay, single, abled or non-abled, married forever; happy, sad, full or empty. And there is no judgment nor crazy expectations with God. God knows most of us are doing our best!!

Most important, when we pray, it’s our way of confessing that we believe something magnificent, redemptive, loyal and loving is at work in our world and invested in us. We are not alone

“Prayer is the door into the castle of my soul.” St. Teresa d’Avila

Deacon Anne Strong