Warning! Everything you are about to read may or many not reflect the opinions of the members of this establishment. In the case that any person or idea represented here is similar to real people, living or deceased, or truths found in scripture, this is completely by chance and not intentional. No laboratory animals were used in the testing of this product. All rights reserved.

Perhaps you think I should start every bulletin this way! Indeed, I do have friends that are ok with condoms at school, nasty “lifestyle choice” classes discussed (as positive alternatives, of course) at early ages, and other such things but would blow a fuse if children at the same ages were to be <gasp!> taught about God. They feel anything that has to do with religion should have a disclaimer! But no, that’s not my intention at all. I really do have some opinions to put forward here, so watch out!

In our study on Thursday nights at the Dugas house, we’ve been going through a workbook on prayer. Now, the last couple lessons have been difficult, but this current one has been a lot of fun. It’s about problems with prayer, and we’re considering what some folks think prayers should include.

For instance, should we use thee and thou? Some argue that it’s a more formal, respectful way to address God. However, most people these days don’t use this kind of talk. But would you be ok if someone prayed to God for us in the assembly and instead of calling him “Father” referred to him as “Dad”? I mean, do you want to feel “close” to God, and intimate, or cold and distant, stuffy and formal? Easy, killer! What about women praying? Can they pray in children bible classes? What if a non-Christian man is present? What if it’s in a hospital and the man is in IC and asleep, or in a coma?

Can we pray to Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? Do we have to say “amen” at the end? Can we pray while we drive, while we mow the grass, or doing some other task? Is singing hymns a form of prayer (and if it is can we repeat other pat phrases in prayer, like some kind of hail Mary thing?), or does a prayer need to be spontaneous?

If you want to know the answers to these and other questions, well, ask Dave the deacon to come to your house and have a study with you! He could do it! <smile!> But maybe wait a couple more months until we finish our current study first.

Kurt comes to our study, and I gave him a nudge to write this bulletin but he wouldn’t take the bait, so I’m going to use the topic myself. So, how about chain prayers? Chain prayers are when a bunch of folks get together and they go around the room, or circle, or whatever taking turns praying. I have heard where one person starts and the last person says amen. So it was one long prayer, with just different speakers. That style of chain prayer seems like a filibuster to me! I suggested a chain prayer where each man, and yes only the men should speak, pray an independent prayer – a link in the chain (get it?) where each individual prayer is on the same topic. Kurt (who had earlier confessed to our group that the had once taken part in a chain prayer) suddenly proclaimed chain prayers were scriptural. Huh? “Sure” he said, “Paul and Silas were chained up in prison!” Kurt, you’re killing me!!!

So here’s my real disclaimer. Warning! If you ever take part in a home study you might find yourself smiling, enjoying the word of God with good company, discussing ideas that we don’t have time to look at in depth in the larger classes here in the building but you always wished you could, and that other people think some pretty neat thoughts! Even if they won’t write them down as bulletins!

Randy