Povey Prattle

“Let thy soul walk soft within thee, as a saint in heaven unshod. For to be alone in silence is to be alone with God” I ended my blog entry yesterday with these words: “If we listened (to God) how might we hear, and what would we hear?” 1.     HOW? I offer a few suggestions. (a)    Some of the mystics and saints (of many religions) have heard a clear and audible voice. They believed it to be the voice of God. I do not discount the possibility of such a voice, but I must also be reminded that some megalomaniacs, or tragically mentally ill folks (and I do not place them in the same “box”) have claimed to have heard God’s voice.   Should we hear such a voice, it will only be congruent with the will of God if it is congruent with the witness of scripture. Only those “voices” which instruct us to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8) may be trusted. (b)    After long silences in the presence of God, we may well hear God’s voice in our intuition. Godly intui

“Let thy soul walk soft within thee, as a saint in heaven unshod. For to be alone in silence is to be alone with God" At some other time I told the Rector of a parish that I would not be attending a pot-luck supper because I didn't want a “certain person" to sit near to me.  I offered “no names, and no pack drills". That Rector immediately offered a name.  He was “spot on". It's not that I dislike the person.  But she has an annoying habit of breaking in to others' conversations without invitation;  and of trying to dominate the conversation with her “wisdom". I can sometimes “put up with her" (for indeed I am sometimes like her!) , but on that particular day I was bereft of patience and did not want her insistent company. Maybe God is like that with our prayers.  Maybe God sometimes wants us to shut up; not to interrupt, and not to dominate the conversation. Do you think that God would sometimes like to get a word in edgewise?  Do you s

Laurie Lee was a fabulous author from the village of Slad in Gloucestershire, U.K.   The village of Slad is right next to the town of Stroud, which in turn is not far from my home City of Bristol. You can read more about Laurie Lee at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Lee His book “Cider with Rosie” is a minor classic - well worth the read. Do buy it, borrow it, or download it on “Kindle”. Do the same for his other superb book “As I walked out”. As “I walk out” (five or six times a day) with my beloved pooch “Penne” I pray. I pray for so many folks whose lives are engaged with sickness, sadness, tragedy and joy. I do not know how best to pray for them.   I am not that wise. So I simply “lift their names” to the Holy One.    I say “Lord be with (n) and (n) and (n) That’s the best that I can do “as I walk out”.