Congregational Excellence Prayer Team [link removed] August 2020
Be. Be still. Be with. Be in.
It was the counsel my spiritual director gave as I started my 5-day silent retreat a couple of weeks ago. After an excessively busy season provoked by unprecedented change, he could see God was calling me into the stillness. “When we get more connected to who we are,” he said, “we get closer to God. Let God in the still point reveal who you are.”

I was not sure exactly how to do that, but I guessed it had something to do with breathing-in nature. Thankfully, the retreat center was nestled into deep woods along the shore of Pomme de Terre lake in Southwest Missouri. One morning I got up early to watch the sunrise. As I pushed off from shore in a beat-up, red kayak, I found myself all alone on a large section of that 12.3 square mile lake. The water was calm as the sun peaked through some low-lying clouds for dramatic effect. In awe, I sat stone silent in the middle of the lake. Soon fish started jumping all around me, a cow began lowing in the distance, and a Great Blue Heron swept by just three feet off the water. (I swear she winked at me.) The lake was both still and alive.

After paddling to the far side of a narrow finger of land, something caught my eye. The early morning sun was bouncing off the water onto the cream-colored rocks and bright green bushes along the shore. Like a scene from Exodus, they appeared to be on fire, but they did not burn up. The sunshine simply danced across them in carefree delight. Something about this private light show captivated me as I slowly drank it in.

Out of nowhere, the words of a wise friend came to me, “You know, Roger, the natural often mirrors the spiritual.” Suddenly, it all made sense. That gentle, shimmering fire of God was exactly what I needed to warm my heart and light up its dark places. Spontaneously, the 23rd Psalm began to pour out of my mouth. When I came to, “He restores my soul,” I knew why I was there. Drifting quietly in that kayak, I was living out the watch words for my retreat: “Be. Be still. Be with. Be in.”

“Solitude” said Henri Nouwen, “is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusion of the false self” (The Way of the Heart). I understood those words too well. In the absence of solitude, I had allowed my soul to get entangled in illusions of importance and urgency, while failing to tend to the deeper needs of my heart. When God reveals to you who you are, it is not always pretty, but it is always valuable. Apart from the truth about us, it is impossible to be deeply connected to God. Instead, we are buffeted by our compulsions to prove our worth, seeking ever increasing affirmations.

A truth I am slowly trying to embrace is “being comes before doing.” Who we are is more important than what we do. The question from Peter Scazzero I keep asking myself is: “Am I spending enough time being with God to sustain my doing for God?” The answer in July was “No, not yet.” It means I need a different rhythm that creates more space to be. Be still. Be with. Be in.

Help us, Lord, to set aside time to be with you and trust that in you we will be enough.

Roger Ross
P.S. For encouragement, you can receive a weekly Prayer Text by texting KINGDOM to 573-227-6557.

As our country and world continue to battle COVID-19, we are painfully aware of the racial and ethnic injustices that plague our national character. We have much to bring before God.
Feel free to pray for a different area each day. Thanks for praying!

SUNDAY: REPENTANCE & SALVATION- Pray that as we humble ourselves and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, God will release healing, salvation, and justice across our nation and world (2 Chron 7:14). By faith, see the people of God, the church, standing in the gap for the sick, the oppressed, the hurting, the lost, and the lonely. Lord, multiply your Kingdom through us.
MONDAY: PEACE- Pray for God’s perfect love to cast out all spirits of division, suspicion, anxiety, panic, and fear that threaten our communities and sense of community.
TUESDAY: LEADERSHIP- Pray for wisdom, truth, direction, compassion, and strength for all leaders (political, medical, economic, religious, judicial) facing tough decisions. In particular, pray for Bishop Farr, the leaders of the Missouri Conference, and all our pastors and church leaders to seek God’s wisdom to guide their steps to best care for those in physical & spiritual need. Bring before the Lord our online Annual Conference session on August 22, that God may be glorified, and we would feel a true connection.
WEDNESDAY: JUSTICE- Pray for justice to roll down like waters and right living like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24), so we may repent of racism and overcome the evil powers of this world with good.
THURSDAY: RESOURCES- Pray for sufficient human & medical resources for our healthcare systems as well as necessary resources for all other sectors (i.e. financial) and institutions (i.e. schools, churches, local government).
FRIDAY: PROTECTION- Claim the blood of Jesus as a shield and healing over people, institutions, systems, and policies as well as all first responders and medical personnel in the battle against COVID-19.
SATURDAY: RESEARCH- Pray for all types of researchers to develop an effective, affordable, and safe COVID-19 treatment and vaccine.


(Some prayers adapted from Rev. Dr. Peter Bellini, a United Methodist Pastor and Professor at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, [link removed] [link removed])



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