SP500 Journal Week #2 “Celtic-ish”

I don’t usually like to share homework, but this is a personal reflection I enjoyed, due to it’s creativity requirement, and thought I would enjoy sharing it with anyone who would like to read it.

Below are five celtic-ish prayers I was to write and use every day this week.
I say celtic-ish, because they’re not Gaelic or even Irish or Scottish, but rather have hints of Irish prayer elements, such as nature references, trinitarian references and basic rhyming schemes.

(As with anything I write, I hope my lighthearted wit comes across with warmth and not disrespect. Meaning, it’s okay to giggle at my prayers, I like to think that God does.)

Please enjoy!

My journal this week consists of these five prayers I have written and this brief explanation of my journey this week. I have always loved poetry, and while my rhyming pattern has never left grade school, my fondness of creating has developed. That is why I was excited to do this particular spiritual practice. It is in cute rhymes and repetitions that I believe many people learn important life lessons. It is the nursery rhymes of younger years that stick with many of us and their basic values that have an impact on the decisions we make even today in our adult lives. With that in mind, it is a refreshing opportunity to focus on simple and honest lyricism as a way to focus my thoughts this week. What a joy!

A Coffee Prayer:

As I buy my coffee and bagel rye,
I ask your presence to arrive.
Upon my mind and in my ear,
Breathe words of love while I shmear.
While within my belly the sacraments rest,
Provide me wisdom to profess.
And as I need the caffeine’s drug,
May I feel your endless love.
In Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
With my coffee cup I toast.

A Shower Prayer:

Scrubbing high and scrubbing low,
Upon my back, between my toes.
I remove the filth, which upon me lies,
And ask for favor within your eyes.
As I rinse away my sin unseen,
I ask your love to keep me clean.

A Lunchtime Prayer:

As I break to feed my face,
I pause to thank you for your grace.
Holy Spirit, Father and Son,
Thanks that I might enjoy the sun.
As my mind relaxes from the daily stress,
Rest my soul upon your chest.
Confide in me that I might see,
A glisten of divinity.

A Study Prayer:

I read my books and wonder how,
This wisdom learned is truer now,
That you have come into my life,
And taught me naught but sacrifice.
For wisdom learned is never fair,
Unless wisdom learned is ever shared.
I ask your wit to come with me,
As I search eternity.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Teach to me your uttermost.

A Bedtime Prayer:

I sit on the edge and ponder my day.
Did the mysteries of life unfold in this way?
I ask for your guidance, in life, as I dream,
That tomorrow I wake up refreshed and serene.
The faith I have lived in Son, Father and Spirit,
May my restful slumbers only endear it.
Tomorrow I look to your face as I rise,
From prayers I now speak, when I close my eyes.

Close to Home…

Both locations mentioned in this article are within 3 blocks of Fuller and one is literally across the street from my church.
What would you do if you knew this was happening in the apartment complex next door.

Well guess what, it most likely is.

This, unfortunately, is not that rare, whether it be the city, a small town, or the countryside. It’s there.
Don’t be ignorant, make a difference.

Close To Home

Proper Worship Techniques

Why do all girls think they’re fat – Reel Big Fish

There’s a little girl
On my mind (little girl)
All the time (little girl)
There’s always one (little girl)
Look what she’s done

She makes me look at her thighs
You know I don’t have to lie
But why can’t I tell her
You know she’s so beautiful
But why do all girls think they’re fat?

Hey, hey, hey, she’s so pretty
Hey, hey, hey, my friend
Hey, hey, hey, I feel stupid, again

She said “it’s all right”
(She said) “Come over tonight”
(She said) “Mom’s not home”
(She said) “I’m all alone.”
She drove me back to her house
She pushed me down on her couch,
She said “Now it’s all right”
“We’re gonna be good friends”
“Cause’ that kissin’ only leads to the end”

Hey, hey, hey, she’s so pretty
Hey, hey, hey, my friend
Hey, hey, hey, I feel stupid, again

Hey, hey, hey, she’s so pretty
Hey, hey, hey, my friend
Hey, hey, hey, I feel stupid, again

Hey, hey, hey, she’s so pretty
Hey, hey, hey, my friend
Hey, hey, hey, I feel stupid

Sex offender… who’s more offended?

So, here’s this mornings question. Do you think an iphone app for locating sex offenders is a good idea?

Iphone sex offender app article

(As far as the fine line between safe and a risk when it comes to recovering sex offenders, obviously it’s not so fine and not an easy thing to ascertain. In that vein, I would appreciate your comments to be the same way. I want people to see both sides of this and comment about the whole subject, not just a “I hate sex offenders, they should all go to hell” kind of comment. Let’s iron some of this out with a good healthy conversation.)

I’m reading this article I found on CNN this morning about an app that allows you to track sex offenders in your area. In the article, Tracy Rodriguez admits to checking her sex offender app “…several times daily. “You can’t be too careful.” This doesn’t seem helpful to me, it just seems a way to build paranoia and give people a reason to hate.

Sex offense obviously is a horrible crime. But, it also encompasses a whole bevy of legal scenarios, each unique in it’s own offense. It can be anything from a juvenile mistake to an adult addiction of the most perverse nature. All should and will, I believe, be held accountable for the crimes they have committed. But let’s be honest, we’re only human, which means we make mistakes and suffer from inadequacy’s as well. Sometimes our desire to seek justice can become a thirst for revenge and glorification. This is where the problem lies, in an individual’s accountability to proceed appropriately in such matters.

Now I want you to know that before I go into this next part, I can’t begin to explain how much it breaks my heart when I hear of the offenses we’ve done against each other as human beings, and I do believe that we should be held accountable for our deeds and prevented from doing them again if we are ever at risk of hurting others.

That said, here’s the devils advocate position. What if there are sex offenders who are in a good program and are working really hard at being a good citizen and a good human being? It’s kind of hard to believe that there is redemption when you’re constantly reminded by neighbors what a horrible person you are. i.e., Let’s say a 21 year old male had a one time, incident, with a 17 year old girl? Whether it was legit or not, maybe that went down hill fast and the court found him guilty. Then, after spending his sentence, that experience taught him that lesson. I’m not excusing him for what he did, but people do grow, learn, change and become better people. Or people are haunted the rest of their lives with hate and fear of a society that continually strikes out against them. So, is he to be haunted the rest of his life as a sex offender because someone next door has an app? And not just any app, one that is very invasive of their information. Each sex offender in the app has a picture, stats, and corresponding info, etc.

So, what I’m getting at is that if we, everyday people, are given this information, can we control ourselves with it. There’s a lot of people that could easily rationalize causing more damage. One night of a couple drinks with the guys and suddenly a joke turns into an attack. Whether you think an offender would deserve this or not, the real question is, do we have the right to take the law into our own hands and punish as we see fit?

Anyway, I am interested to see what you have to say.

Grace and Peace my friends,