The Umbilical Cord...................."

My family gathered together in my living-room last Tuesday evening, concerned about an event taking place the next day, the details of which had troubled our minds for over a year. It was time for one final prayer. We stood in a circle holding hands; but, when they asked me, as patriarch, to lead them into such petition, I went to my knees in their midst and, as best I could, tried to forget they were there. For me, communication with God is a one-on-one affair, difficult in almost any way one goes at it, the goal not so much about making myself known unto Him as it is stepping into a connection wherein words are no longer required. That latter condition can be acquired, of course, in a communal setting. The individual just has to mentally “lose the group”. Once union is established, however, there should be an over-flowing of the vessel that brings everybody into the experience. Merely He and I in a “closet” is not all that different; but it is amazing how one’s thoughts can be so centered on touching the hem of His garment one minute and then, suddenly, you find yourself completely out in left field somewhere else. Humanity remains humanity. It’s not like, because we’ve been “born-again” and the Holy Ghost now abides within, two become one no more than we put ourselves to the task. Meditating in silence might well be as good a way to approach Him as any other, but I’ve found there is no “formula” to this, nothing guaranteed at all other than His promise to never forsake us. The well is there. Worshipping in spirit and in truth is a prerequisite. Humility works better than arrogance. Best I can tell, it’s much like that old iced-tea commercial: in the middle of realizing your appreciation of His grace, you find yourself falling backwards into another dose of it. The Bible speaks of it in terms of being saved by His "life”……