2016-07-27

Something very big is going on with worship and the Internet. For me, it started when I got my iPhone. I realized that portable prayer is a great way to add more pray to my day. I wanted to share my joy and started www.Prayables.com. Who’d of thought, 3G and 3w’s could improve so many lives? Like a cook in the kitchen who tweaks a recipe, I tweak interactive media to find the perfect secret sauce for online prayer.

We’re working on new and different ways to bring our prayer community to more women. is one great option, and  is another, but even with all of the technology available to do almost everything virtual, nothing replaces the warm interaction of being with a real live person.

I was talking to my cousin Gerry about how my synagogue, , recently started  High Holiday worship services and Sabbath services.  There’s some folks in our congregation, who are aging or no longer living in the area, and are unable to get to synagogue. Gerry thought it was a bad business decision that would affect the bottom line. He figured if anybody could pray for free, no one would support the synagogue with membership dues. Gerry doesn’t understand what it means to be part of a spiritual community. He hasn’t experienced the camaraderie and friendship of a congregational family.

When I go to synagogue to pray, I am made to feel welcome. Everyone I meet seems to be in a perpetual great mood and they’re truly happy to see me. And vice-versa. We “good morning” each other to pieces! When you’re getting ready for God talk, there’s a tendency to be extremely cheerful. One regular worshipper told me that being with his daily prayer group is like being back in his college fraternity— his brothers “have his back.” He feels safe, loved, and understood. In order to find the secret sauce for the ultimate prayer experience, the same three principles are needed. Take one part relationship, add two parts love, and mix in three parts of understanding.

 

They're the ones that I can count on,
sure as the beads on an abacus.
It is miraculous to me
how You fit them into my life:
the childhood friend,
the college roommate,
the confidante,
the sisters by birth
and by marriage.
Treasures, all...
a profusion much greater
than one woman deserves.
Thank You for the bonds
forged by women's hearts,
for tangible evidence
of Your enduring love.
Knowing You could not
be present in flesh,
You sent me those
who can and are.

-

 


more from beliefnet and our partners