If you’re reading this & you aren’t caught up on some of the previous blogging from the first three weeks, go do that first! Also, don’t forget to participate in the discussion on last week’s questions. You need to comment on at least 2 teammates posts.
Wow. This chapter gets right to the tough stuff. One of the aspects of this book that I really appreciate is that Mark doesn’t avoid the hard parts of prayer…he gets right into the thick of it.
The presence of suffering is something that has perplexed people for centuries. Mark offers some great suggestions on how to think about it & some practices for dealing with suffering in your own life. One of my favorite musicians wrote a song about this difficulty of understanding suffering. Rich Mullins actually died before he was able to record the song (which makes the song all the more meaningful), but you can check out someone else’s interpretation of the song here.
Start by telling me about what in this chapter really stuck out to you. Why?
There are 4 experiences this week. Remember that I’d like you to try out every experience each week (by spreading them out throughout the week). Please write about 2 out of the 4 experiences here (but you can journal about all of your prayer experiences in your journal : ).
Looking forward to reading your reflections and experiences.
What really stuck out to me was that in the story was the girl with the eating disorder she found the parts in the bible that showed how she felt and prayed those as prayers. i mean we all would do the same but what we should be doing is finding the parts in the bible thanking God for all the good things in our lives. she was probably wondering does God care for me?, is there a God?, why wont he help me when i ask because the bible says ask and you shal recieve. all those thoughts go through many christians lives every day because they may be dealing with things much worse than the things that we could be going through every day.
I agree Isaiah, we need to be thanking God for the good things. When we do that and realize how good God has been to us, it’s hard to feel like God isn’t there.
What really stuck out to me was the second paragraph second page, it stuck out to me a ton. I really like how the girl found stuff in the bible that kind of related to her. I liked the first prayer experince the best it meaning to me some thing different than the ordinary. It was different because it was long and powerful.
Sarah Busken just blogged a lot!!!!
Chapter three makes you think, just like all the chapters it is great. I love how it’s makes you reflect on how your life is, I was having a talk with one of my friends today and have any of you had a moment where your thinking about something important and it just so happens to come up in the conversation? Well the first thimg I thought was, “was God reading my mind”.
Anywho, Only about one more week till Boston, “YAHOOOOO”
But is there anyone else who is kinda scared, please tell me I’m not the only one scared.
Hannah Scarpino.
You shouldnt be scared thats just silliness!!:)
boston will rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We will flip(d) Boston upsidedown!!!!!
You don’t have anything to worry about because God will take care of you when you trust in him, and we will all be there with you.
Chapter four makes you think, just like all the chapters it is great. I love how it’s makes you reflect on how your life is, I was having a talk with one of my friends today and have any of you had a moment where your thinking about something important and it just so happens to come up in the conversation? Well the first thimg I thought was, “was God reading my mind”.
Anywho, Only about one more week till Boston, “YAHOOOOO”
But is there anyone else who is kinda scared, please tell me I’m not the only one scared.
Hannah Scarpino.
Hun don’t worry last year I was scared too but once I got to NC all the worry went away.! And don’t forget your going to be with a bunch of amazing people.! And me.! HAHA but yeah dont sweat it you will be fine.! (;
im good as long as katrina do not sing
Katrina can sing as long as …..(I’m not in the room…JK!) U know I love u Katrina. but yea, it will be a lot of fun
Ya, Katrina! I’m with the rest of the group with you not singing! Just kidding! I don’t care if you sing but now with your braces on I don’t think you can sing!
I kinda scared too Hannah! Don’t worry. I didn’t go on this trip last year but I really anxious for this year’s trip!
“Lord, keep us safe!”
Amen
Hannah theres no reason to b scared and i hope u do sing katrina i cant wait to hear ur beutiful voice.
I think Katrina has a good singing voice.
Something that really stuck out to me this week was how the girl with anorexia was able to find verses in the bible that explained what she was going through. It was almost as if the bible was able to take the words right out of he mouth.
One of my favorite exercises was “Carried to Jesus.” I think it’s amazing that a friend would care so much about someone that they would tear open the roof just to get them in the presence of Jesus. I also liked the activity because it made me think about being in the presence of Jesus. I never really thought about that. To be honest I’m still not sure what I would do in that situation.
My other favorite exercise was “Healing a Hurt.” I really liked this activity because it made me think about what life would be like without pain and suffering. Another reason I liked this activity was because it really showed me what things meant the most to me in life.
p.s. I can’t wait to spend a week with all of you (:
BOSTON COUNTDOWN: 8 DAYS (: (: (: (:
First, I thought that this chapter was true to real life. You know what I just saw suffering today with C.O.O.L. I can’t believe that people can live like that. I really liked the experiences this week. I kind of don’t get why he focus on the breathing I guess I don’t think like him. “Carried to Jesus” I felt like I was going to sleep, but I didn’t so yeah. The other is “healing a hurt”.I liked about this one was that you got to interact with Jesus (I like to do that sometimes, too). Okay I’m in pain you guys because I’ve been working like all day so I will see you.
Ya! I can’t believe people live like that either! I love interacting with Jesus, too!
7 days left till Boston!!!!
I love how we all liked the way the girl with the eating disorder found the bible versues. Wow I spelled that so wrong.! Anyway I loved that part because it opened my eyes and showed me that if I am ever in a dark time the bible can help. This week I was really just feeling a little blue,and after I read this chapter I started looking through some scriptures that just really boosted me up. I can not wait till saturday to spend a wek with every single one of you.! (;
I also liked the story that he shared. But more so the part that stuck out to me was where he said “Most of us have been trained to keep the agony and pain of our lives a secret.” (pg. 58) When I read this it really stuck with me. I would hope that each of us would have at least one person that we can count on and turn to when we are feeling down or hurting so that we do not have to keep our pain a secret. Just this past week in the Canton blog with the 8th graders we talked about mentors and how important they are to one’s life. I would hope that each one of you, just like I challenged the 8th graders to do, would have a mentor to turn to and ask tough questions and share your suffering and struggles with. Keeping our agony and pain a secret is no fun…if you do not have a mentor then I challenge you to at least verbally share them through prayer if nothing else!
The prayer experiences this week were a challenge but also great. It is always challenge to look back on things that were difficult in your past, but after you do it is a relief. It is as if God is helping to lift a huge load of something off of your chest and help you move on. Each one of the experiences had a different way of showing God’s grace and love for us through difficult times, even when we don’t see it.
Just like the rest of you…I cannot wait for the trip
What really stuck out in this chapter is that God is always with us when we need him and that he really really cares about us. My praying experiences were amazing. In “Healing a Hurt” made me really think about my life and all that’s happened. It was almost scary except for the fact that Jesus was with me. In Carried to Jesus, it made me feel really special because I was thinking of all the people who care about me.
What really stuck out to me in this chapter was the part when the girl’s friend read parts from the bible to her that really stuck out to her. That touched me and it stuck out because it made me think abouit actually looking through the bible and doing this. And as Mark said, “In the midst of suffering, we need prayer.”
When I pictured myself taking out one of those pains out of the wooden box, I felt ashamed to tell God about it because he’s so perfect but then I remembered that God cares about me and he wants to help me and not let me suffer.
Once I had prayed “The Jesus Prayer”, my eyes felt open and I felt like there really was a man (Jesus) next to me and there for me. Although I suffer, I always think about “…Lord, have mercy on me” and that Jesus died on the cross for us and it calms me lets me know that God is helping me through my suffering.
I love our amazing Lord!
I realy liked this ch. just lik all the others but something that stuck out to me was lik olivia said how the girl with the eating disorder found that amazing verse. also this week i read my book at the computer before i blogged but i did some of the prayer things and it was realy nice to just tell God my prayers and sufferings .
Cant wait till BOSTON only lik 7 more days!!!!!!
Something that stuck out to me while I was reading was the suffering I’ve experienced in the past. How some of it seemed so horrible. But God brought some really good things out of some of it. And in perspective with everything else, it really wasn’t all that bad. What is important is that God with me during suffering. I did the Jesus Prayer. I thought it was interesting the method the early church used. I also prayed for the people involved in a tragic death in the paper.