It has now been two weeks in which I have been involved in the St Francis Place Prayers of Peace and Wholeness prayer effort. Overall things have been going well, in spite of some rough times on the job. Work has been hard with new managers pushing our labor force to the maximum extreme. Due to people calling in sick, and others taking vacation leave, this past week our labor force has been cut in half with the same, or some days double, the work load. These have been the kind of conditions in which tempers flare, and people walk off the job. Yet through it all, calmness has prevailed, and days which started out bad have thus far ended well!
I have been observing the Prayers of Peace and Wholeness twice a day. My first Prayer Time is during my lunch hour at work; the second on the drive home. I have found the practice allows me to return to a state of calmness and God-Centeredness in spite of what the day throws my way. Also I have found it helpful to offer a Prayer of Peace whenever I feel tempted to say a cruel word, or experience thoughts of anger or ill will. The result has been Peacefulness within myself, as well as my co-workers. Even our bosses have shown a greater state of calmness then I would otherwise expect. All in all, in our own life here in Southern Missouri, the practice of this form of Prayer has been a success!
For those new to the Prayers of Peace and Wholeness practice, what we do is spend time each day focusing on feelings of Peace and Wholeness, feeling them as already present within our lives no matter what our circumstances, manifesting them within ourselves, and radiating these feelings to others. To that end we pray whenever necessary, as well as at the regular times of 8-9 PM CT (2-3 AM GMT), and 1-2 AM CT (7-8 AM GMT). I have also found that chanting quietly to myself while working has had a tremendously calming effect on myself and others. One of my co-workers, who is unaware of this prayer practice, smiled and bowed to me after I had gone out of my way to do her a favor. While this would not be worth mentioning in a place like India where bowing to one another is common practice, in Southern Missouri this is just about unheard of! Needless to say I will be continuing this practice for some time to come. :-)
If you would like to, please feel free to join us. Our Prayer group is Inter-Faith, and is open to all who wish to grow in Love, Peace, and Wholeness. You may even join us on our Discussion Board, the address of which is posted on the side bar of this site. Looking forward to your participation in this Prayer Fellowship!
Blessings,
Ralph Lindenberger
St Francis Place
Wheatland Mo. USA
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