Prayers in Portland

Day one of Face to Face, which is the time each semester that our seminary cohort travels from points of origin around the states to descend upon George Fox in Portland, was a day of prayer unlike any I've experienced in my life.  The class we held today was on prayer.  So in addition to looking at the theology of prayer and various prayers in the Scriptures, including the Lord's Prayer and the Gethsemane Prayer, we went on a field trip....to pray.

High upon a hilltop in Northwest Portland lays a jewel of a location to enter into the deeper realms of prayer.  We had three separate assignments to participate in this afternoon: individual prayer and meditation guided by Scripture and poetry, conversational prayer in small groups, and a walking prayer labyrinth.  The home on the hill provided multiple places throughout for groups and individuals to be spend time praying without interruption or distraction.  But the highlight for most of us, myself included, was the prayer labyrinth which was outside on the beautiful grounds of the estate.



A prayer labyrinth for the novices who are reading this (I was a novice prior to today;-), is a pathway of circles working their way inward towards the center, which is symbolic of Christ.  As we walked the path we listened to God, shared our hearts and experienced his creation.  The labyrinth, being a physical activity, was successful in keeping us from the distractions that often come during prayer times due to the noise in our lives.

One of my favorite parts of the day was experiencing the variety of weather patterns that we encountered within the four hours we were on this retreat.  Rain, sleet, wind, hail and even snow fell during the afternoon.  And there were rays of sunlight that would break through offering a glimmer of hope in the darkness.  While it was cold and often uncomfortable, the storm provided for me a metaphor of my life over the past several months.  Praying in the midst of the storm was a perfect remedy for what I've been experiencing...and something I often fail to do.  The rays of sunlight represented for me a hopeful outlook on life and ministry though I can often times only see the storm.