Melanie Irizarry’s Reviews > Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? > Status Update

“for guidance on prayer, Lawrence now looks to the passage in John 15 in which Jesus holds up the image of a vine and branches. The branch bears fruit not by striving or agonizing simply by “abiding” or resting.”

“ teach me, oh God, so to use all the circumstances of my life Today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.”

“When I really want something, I strive and persist…. I’ll do whatever it takes. Do I show the same spirit in prayer?”

“Why creation? free will? Why human history in the onslaught of time? From the beginning, before the beginning, God willed to share with other creatures the love and fellowship -the life- enjoyed in the Godhead before creation, now, and forever. Despite all that has happened and is about to happen, God is committed to restoring creation to its original design, to regaining perfect intimacy and love with humans”

Christian discipleship is not a question of our own doing, it is a matter of making room for God so that He can live in us.

How can I slow down?
How can I simplify things?
How can I bring silence into my life?
How can I savor this moment?
How can I speak up? (Tell the truth)
How can I settle in? (Establish roots and rituals)
How can I shed my armor and masks?
How can I soften my approach to life?
How can I serve the community?

“We are a gap, an emptiness that calls for fulfillment.”