13,372 (written) Prayers ... and still counting
It sounds rather simplistic, but I just "pray and write" ... about whatever is on my mind! (I could say, "however God leads," but some of my prayers surely don't please Him as much as I wish they did) ...
On June 1, 1975, I began keeping two journals: "A Thought Journal" and "A Prayer Journal." There are days when I don't write but, if so, I catch up; on other occasions, I write ahead. Nevertheless, for these 36 1/2 years, I have an entry for every day. I have no particular discipline re: subject or length, but the "Thought Journal" entries are always at least one-page in length, sometimes longer; the "Prayer Journal" entries tend to be shorter, but can range from one line to a few pages.
I have a "Ten Things to Enjoy" (TTTE) mailing list; I send these items out on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month (35 editions per year).: On November 5, 2005, I put ten items together qand sent the combined list to five friends; I titled them "Ten Things to Enjoy" ... and the response was excellent; so, I continued to send these mailings on a regularly scheduled basis ... and have now been doing this for 6+ years -- (#CCXV -- or #215) was forwarded to my list of almost recipients as of December 20, 2011.
On June 1, 2010, I began including/adding an item called "PDQ" (Prayers, Daily journal entries, and Quotations from one of the four books I have written); in other words, some "samples" of my prayers have been included with each edition of TTTE for the past 18 months [as you can surmise, though, 18 of 13,37 is a rather small sample]. My TTTE/PDQ mailing list has almost 500 names. It began after I retired and, at age 75, it is one of the ways I minister and engage in interaction with people across the US and around the world ...
I'm afraid I am a much better writer than marketer; I sell very few books, TTTE/PDQ involves no income on my part nor expense on anyone else's part; it has been and continues to be a labor of love.
The Prayer Journal simply keeps me in touch with God and myself; for me, I need more than an intangible spiritual relationship. I read voraciously, write extensively and, in the process, grow in knowledge, grace and, hopefully, wisdom and discernment. I write in longhand on notebook paper and there are more than 100 loose-leaf volumes of "journals" in my home office in Oregon.
A little bit about me: I have been blessed beyond belief: born in the Arkansas Ozarks, educated (formally) in Missouri (BA, MA, Ph.D.), served at the Dean's level or higher for nine colleges and universities, eight of which were church-related (three kinds of Baptist, two UCC colleges, one Episcopal, one ELCA Lutheran); I am an Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Senior Vice President for Advancement and Marketing at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois; I am also an Emeritus member of the Board of Directors for Holt International Children's Services in Eugene, Oregon -- the largest adoption agency in the world. My wife and I have been married for 54 1/2 years, we have six successful children (three of whom are Korean adoptees), seven grandchildren (two of whom are Korean adoptees), have had 60 foster kids (licensed in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Virginia), etc. Three of our children live in Oregon and three live in Virginia; and we spend six months in each state. Although I have been a member of 17 Baptist churches in my lifetime, we presently belong to a Presbyterian church in Glen Allen (Richmond), Virginia and are Associate members of a Presbyterian church in Aloha (Portland), Oregon. I have lived in ten states, visited all 50 states (often), been around the world twice -- including visits to 30+ nations.
To quote the final line in the blind, anonymous Confederate soldiers' poem, "I am, among all men, the one most richly blessed."
If you would like to receive "Ten Things To Enjoy"/"PDQ", just send me your e-mail address. There is no charge ...
and remember to "Pray without ceasing ..." (I Thes. 5:15)
C. Neal Davis, Ph.D., ACFRE / nealpatdavis@hotmail.com
80 SW 172nd Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006 (April-September)
9710 Candace Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060 (October-March)
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