Prayer

Saturday was full of prayer but first, something special from Friday night.

Friday I drove up with my family minus Faye & Melanie to my Aunt & Uncle's farm. It was a big family get-together with all my Dad's immediate family minus my Aunt Joy & Uncle Mike who live far away in the US. There was lots of fun and good food, as usual. The reason for this occasion was a visit from a pair of ladies who were good friends of my grandparents. My Dad and his siblings all knew them well and I remember only vaguely visiting them in Minneapolis on the our way to Ontario one summer (I didn't remember a dispute over which TV show we would watch, that ended in the plug being pulled).
At the end of the evening Lois spoke up as she wanted to say something. She thanked my grandparents' for all their friendship and all of us for making her feel so loved by coming up to make sure we saw her. My grandma had some wonderful things to say in response and then Lois did something wonderful. She prayed.
I got shivers up my leg (it's been doing this whenever the Holy Spirit has been prominent all week).
It was a beautiful prayer and I thanked her afterwards during the exchange of hugs.
It seemed so curious to me, thinking on the way home, that even though the whole family are Christians, the only time we pray together at these gatherings is before we eat. It is especially curious to me since I know for a fact how deep and wonderful everyone's faith is. My grandparents keep us all in prayer every day.
I need to go visit them again! It's long overdue. I should see about carpooling with Andrea on her visits up to Olds.

Saturday was fantastic. RJ phoned me up in the morning. Then I made some absolutely delicious pizza for lunch for my family (with the left-over dough from Melanie's party). Then I went over to Shay's and we got to pray before his realtor came over. Then we went off and celebrated the conditional sale of his house with ice-cream cones. Back to his house for some more prayer before I headed home to meet Jason.
Shay is such an awesome guy. I've had the pleasure of hooking up with him a good 3 times this week at least.
Very special to hear how interested he is in the UM. It was also intriguing to hear how closely we resemble an Aushur(sp?) in India, which is his dream to have in Canada.

So then I went home just in time to get a call from Jason asking me if I wanted to meet him for supper downtown at an Iranian restaurant called Atlas. Off I went even though I was full from just having had icecream (it's easy to get full when you can't even walk all day).
I just ordered an appetizer, a fried eggplant dip with pita. It was good to hang out with Jason and his boss and another guy he works with.
Then we decided to head off to see a movie. We watched Miami Vice which I had heard good things about.
It was 14a for violence and sexuality and I had just figured it would be the standard 30 second avert eyes scene. I don't know where I've been but apparently there is no such standard anymore. So I don't recommend watching this intense crime drama / porno. The intense crime drama part? Very good. The rest, not so much.
So at the end I apologized to Jason for making such an assumption, and then I started praying as the credits rolled.
I don't often pray at the end of the movies. But I couldn't just leave it at that. And so I saw the beginning of fruit from praying every day, the written prayer Ricardo gave me.
And with such a simple beginning, God crafted a wonderful time of prayer that grew so much.
I drove Jason home and it was awesome. Warm with the windows down and Vheissu loud. The lights in the night seemed so pretty with such a soundtrack and fellowship.
We made a couple quick stops at banks and a 7-11 before hanging out at his house for some more prayer.
And I went home soaring (no not speeding).
God directed me on a short detour and brief stop for a sing and some final prayer, and then it was home with the piece of paper before the lights went out.

I wondered how it could be that I had just filled so much of my day with one thing. And the prayer was thick. It was like eating full meals all day, but I wasn't over-full.

Thank you Jesus. I need you and love you again today.