Irreverent Prayer

Ok, this one really convicted me. I think most people if they are honest with themselves would admit to their mind's tendency to wander during prayer. This being the case with me, I was moved to try all the harder in this area after reading this paragraph by John Calvin. It's taken from his Institutes. I apologize for the sometimes difficult to understand phrasing. It took me reading some sentences several times to really get ahold of what Calvin was trying to say, it was worth it though.

"These two matters are well worth attention: first, whoever engages in prayer should apply to it his faculties and efforts, and not, as commonly happens, be distracted by wandering thoughts. For nothing is more contrary to reverence for God than the levity that marks an excess of frivolity utterly devoid of awe. In this matter, the harder we find concentration to be, the more strenuously we ought to labor after it. For no one is so intent on praying that he does not feel many irrelevant thoughts stealing upon him, which either break the course of prayer or delay it by some winding bypath. But here let us recall how unworthy it is, when God admits us to intimate conversation, to abuse his great kindness by mixing sacred and profane; but just as if the discourse were between us and an ordinary man, amidst our prayers we neglect him and flit about hither and thither."

It's a boy!

For all who are interested, we are having another boy!

His name will be Owen Isaac. Owen, after the great puritan John Owen (The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, read it if you can :)), and Isaac, after one of the great patriarch's of the Christian faith.

So, as soon as March comes around (hopefully), the score will be 3 boys to 1 girl. But, Lord willing, this will not be the final score, the girls still may have a chance to catch up!

I must say though, after finding out we are having our third boy, I have become ever so much more grateful that the Lord saw fit to give us Emmie. Our little princesa mejillas is walking now and will turn 1 year old in about 1 and 1/2 months!

I echo the common thought of my hubby, "I feel rich!"

Calvin's Institutes

Hi All,

I have taken upon myself the task of reading Calvin's Institutes...word by word. So I am about through the seventh page :)

I am currently reading the section about prayer. I read how faith and prayer work together, how NOT to pray, and now I am reading Calvin's "rules" of prayer, as outlined in Scripture.

I don't have the book with me, so I can't do it now, but sometime when I have the Institutes and a computor in front of me I will post a really convicting and awesome paragraph Calvin wrote about the irreverence of becoming distracted during prayer.

I hope you all will also be stirred to keep your prayers reverent and worthy of our thrice holy God.