One day I planned to spend the next Sunday fasting and praying. I had a dream that I was visited by my former high school principal who was the head of the only high school of our denomination in our county.
She insinuated her people were owed a debt and I had to fast for her ethnicity. She acted as if she were simply exercising just and proper governance. Yes, she said her ethnicity, not our church.
In retrospect, she and some ministers may have been practicing acting as if they deserved and were even expected to provide governance of spiritual practices such as prayer and fasting. Perhaps they had been lectured by some judge on the responsible use of some power the law granted them, then rehearsed karmically usurping his spirit and attitude? IDK, but they may have stepped right into "acting as if" it was their duty to ensure the responsible use of prayer.
The incident of the dream seemed to lead to a loop of obsessive thinking in which I couldn't help but imagine that she and some of her former students and staff were trying their best to use quasi-legality to entitle themselves to the power which God might grant me in prayer. Any angle, anything I said about what I wanted to pray for. I thought to pray a little to help those who would have good will but had some little stumbling block, then I couldn't help but imagine various people repeating about how they could have something so good but they had "some little stumbling block, some little stumbling block."
Do I want to promulgate a decree that all must fast only for themselves as if I was Pope Just Some Guy the First? No, but I hope everyone reflects on the fact that they should not turn over power to people who might use it irresponsibly.
I hope everyone at least considers not praying with or for any given church or sect unless they have given it plenty of prayer and fasting in order to carefully weigh the wisdom and morality of doing so.
If you want to pray to help someone else, the intention could be directed toward "all men of good will" or "Church leaders of good will."
Oh, I can hear them now. "But what is this good will you speak of? Can you tell me? Does it mean you get what you want? Who should decide? Who should decide? Tell me."
She insinuated her people were owed a debt and I had to fast for her ethnicity. She acted as if she were simply exercising just and proper governance. Yes, she said her ethnicity, not our church.
In retrospect, she and some ministers may have been practicing acting as if they deserved and were even expected to provide governance of spiritual practices such as prayer and fasting. Perhaps they had been lectured by some judge on the responsible use of some power the law granted them, then rehearsed karmically usurping his spirit and attitude? IDK, but they may have stepped right into "acting as if" it was their duty to ensure the responsible use of prayer.
The incident of the dream seemed to lead to a loop of obsessive thinking in which I couldn't help but imagine that she and some of her former students and staff were trying their best to use quasi-legality to entitle themselves to the power which God might grant me in prayer. Any angle, anything I said about what I wanted to pray for. I thought to pray a little to help those who would have good will but had some little stumbling block, then I couldn't help but imagine various people repeating about how they could have something so good but they had "some little stumbling block, some little stumbling block."
Do I want to promulgate a decree that all must fast only for themselves as if I was Pope Just Some Guy the First? No, but I hope everyone reflects on the fact that they should not turn over power to people who might use it irresponsibly.
I hope everyone at least considers not praying with or for any given church or sect unless they have given it plenty of prayer and fasting in order to carefully weigh the wisdom and morality of doing so.
If you want to pray to help someone else, the intention could be directed toward "all men of good will" or "Church leaders of good will."
Oh, I can hear them now. "But what is this good will you speak of? Can you tell me? Does it mean you get what you want? Who should decide? Who should decide? Tell me."
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