I have a little bit of Spring Break\/Easter hangover. Many of our family members have Spring Break the week following Easter, and I think I am ready to petition for that idea. It has been an exhausting effort to get back on track!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, when I am feeling depleted or lacking inspiration, I enjoy the gift of shared communication through liturgy or poetry. One evening this week I was reading through a reflective poem by Jeremiah Webster. The poem was thought provoking and engaging, and it led me to an interview recorded with Jeremiah regarding his poetry in general.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He draws a connection between poetry and prayer, it caused me to pause in consideration of intentional mindset as I pray.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe love what we pay attention to\u2026 I think that has deep application to our work as poets. Taking the time to really pay attention. I think of prayer in this way. Why do we close our eyes to pray? It\u2019s a defiance of our empirical senses. It\u2019s a very public acknowledgment that the material world is not the sum total of reality. You have to shut off the noise to attend to the heavenly realm. At its best, the Christian life should be a way of enchantment and wonder. Jesus is always interrogating what we perceive to be true. \u2018You say\u2026but I say to you.\u2019 The Christian life should lead us upward and onward to the beatitude economy where the worldly order of things is disrupted. This is the source of abundant life\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of my prayer happens while I drive or walk.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s not a good time to shut my eyes and defy my senses. But, when I am praying with my kids or at the dinner table or in the quiet morning moments, closing my eyes is a symbolic way of asking God to let me see what he sees and to bring me into awareness of the kingdom around me. Closing my eyes to earthly perception allows me to wonder and be enchanted with imagination. It\u2019s the physical expression of releasing my interpretation and receiving his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Webster goes on to say, \u201cPoets spend their time and energy on something the world doesn\u2019t value and they do so in faith that the work will have enduring significance. It\u2019s a way to preemptively enter the habits of heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And to that idea I feel my heart quicken and say, \u201cYes please to habits of heaven!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This week I am praying with my eyes closed for heavenly input as I hold thoughts of contributions to church finances, provision for our staff and building, and the responses of every heart that engaged Easter\u2026at our church or any other place they had the opportunity. Following the resurrection, Jesus spent time individually connecting with his friends. I am praying for those same kind of personal interactions with his children this week and in the days to come. He came in expressions of relational significance to speak directly to their hearts, and he is still doing that today. From those places came renewed faith, healed perceptions, new identity and calling, restored understanding, and overflowing love.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s close our eyes together and see how God is inviting us to partner in the delivery of these miracles into our family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have a little bit of Spring Break\/Easter hangover. Many of our family members have Spring Break the week following Easter, and I think I\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":620,"featured_media":1391400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":471,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141,126,299],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1391399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-and-ministry","category-kingdom-culture","category-prayer-initiative",""],"blockli_fields":{"post_type":"","post_action":"","post_type_icon":"","background_image":""},"bb_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"app_bookmark":{"bookmark_id":0,"is_bookmarked":false,"bookmark_date":0},"comments_count":"0","content_native":[{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" I have a little bit of Spring Break\/Easter hangover. Many of our family members have Spring Break the week following Easter, and I think I am ready to petition for that idea. It has been an exhausting effort to get back on track!<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"I have a little bit of Spring Break\/Easter hangover. Many of our family members have Spring Break the week following Easter, and I think I am ready to petition for that idea. It has been an exhausting effort to get back on track!"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Often, when I am feeling depleted or lacking inspiration, I enjoy the gift of shared communication through liturgy or poetry. One evening this week I was reading through a reflective poem by Jeremiah Webster. The poem was thought provoking and engaging, and it led me to an interview recorded with Jeremiah regarding his poetry in general. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Often, when I am feeling depleted or lacking inspiration, I enjoy the gift of shared communication through liturgy or poetry. One evening this week I was reading through a reflective poem by Jeremiah Webster. The poem was thought provoking and engaging, and it led me to an interview recorded with Jeremiah regarding his poetry in general. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" He draws a connection between poetry and prayer, it caused me to pause in consideration of intentional mindset as I pray. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"He draws a connection between poetry and prayer, it caused me to pause in consideration of intentional mindset as I pray. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" \"We love what we pay attention to\u2026 I think that has deep application to our work as poets. Taking the time to really pay attention. I think of prayer in this way. Why do we close our eyes to pray? It's a defiance of our empirical senses. It's a very public acknowledgment that the material world is not the sum total of reality. You have to shut off the noise to attend to the heavenly realm. At its best, the Christian life should be a way of enchantment and wonder. Jesus is always interrogating what we perceive to be true. 'You say...but I say to you.' The Christian life should lead us upward and onward to the beatitude economy where the worldly order of things is disrupted. This is the source of abundant life\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"\"We love what we pay attention to\u2026 I think that has deep application to our work as poets. Taking the time to really pay attention. I think of prayer in this way. Why do we close our eyes to pray? It's a defiance of our empirical senses. It's a very public acknowledgment that the material world is not the sum total of reality. You have to shut off the noise to attend to the heavenly realm. At its best, the Christian life should be a way of enchantment and wonder. Jesus is always interrogating what we perceive to be true. 'You say...but I say to you.' The Christian life should lead us upward and onward to the beatitude economy where the worldly order of things is disrupted. This is the source of abundant life\u2026\u201d<\/strong>"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" A lot of my prayer happens while I drive or walk. It\u2019s not a good time to shut my eyes and defy my senses. But, when I am praying with my kids or at the dinner table or in the quiet morning moments, closing my eyes is a symbolic way of asking God to let me see what he sees and to bring me into awareness of the kingdom around me. Closing my eyes to earthly perception allows me to wonder and be enchanted with imagination. It\u2019s the physical expression of releasing my interpretation and receiving his.<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"A lot of my prayer happens while I drive or walk. It\u2019s not a good time to shut my eyes and defy my senses. But, when I am praying with my kids or at the dinner table or in the quiet morning moments, closing my eyes is a symbolic way of asking God to let me see what he sees and to bring me into awareness of the kingdom around me. Closing my eyes to earthly perception allows me to wonder and be enchanted with imagination. It\u2019s the physical expression of releasing my interpretation and receiving his."}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Webster goes on to say, \u201cPoets spend their time and energy on something the world doesn\u2019t value and they do so in faith that the work will have enduring significance. It\u2019s a way to preemptively enter the habits of heaven.\u201d<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Webster goes on to say, \u201cPoets spend their time and energy on something the world doesn\u2019t value and they do so in faith that the work will have enduring significance. It\u2019s a way to preemptively enter the habits of heaven.\u201d"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" And to that idea I feel my heart quicken and say, \u201cYes please to habits of heaven!\u201d<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"And to that idea I feel my heart quicken and say, \u201cYes please to habits of heaven!\u201d"}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" This week I am praying with my eyes closed for heavenly input as I hold thoughts of contributions to church finances, provision for our staff and building, and the responses of every heart that engaged Easter\u2026at our church or any other place they had the opportunity. Following the resurrection, Jesus spent time individually connecting with his friends. I am praying for those same kind of personal interactions with his children this week and in the days to come. He came in expressions of relational significance to speak directly to their hearts, and he is still doing that today. From those places came renewed faith, healed perceptions, new identity and calling, restored understanding, and overflowing love. <\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"This week I am praying with my eyes closed for heavenly input as I hold thoughts of contributions to church finances, provision for our staff and building, and the responses of every heart that engaged Easter\u2026at our church or any other place they had the opportunity. Following the resurrection, Jesus spent time individually connecting with his friends. I am praying for those same kind of personal interactions with his children this week and in the days to come. He came in expressions of relational significance to speak directly to their hearts, and he is still doing that today. From those places came renewed faith, healed perceptions, new identity and calling, restored understanding, and overflowing love. "}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}},{"type":"core\/paragraph","render":" Let\u2019s close our eyes together and see how God is inviting us to partner in the delivery of these miracles into our family.<\/p>","content":[{"type":"text","data":"Let\u2019s close our eyes together and see how God is inviting us to partner in the delivery of these miracles into our family."}],"data":[],"style":{"textAlign":"left","color":"","dropCap":false,"parent_style":{}}}],"app_access":{"can_access":true,"restrict_message":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1391399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1391400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1391399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1391399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lwrv.org\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1391399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}