The third-from-last reading in the coursepack is also the longest: the first three chapters of Philip Sheldrake's Befriending Our Desires. My appreciation for spiritual readings may be dulled at this point, but I didn't find that much substance in the lengthy excerpt. It didn't help that the version copied into the coursepack had someone else's "footprints" (underling, notes, and stars).

I did appreciate his point that contemplative prayer can expose our true self, thereby (ironically?) making petitionary prayer more effective. By practicing the presence of God, we can unmask our true selves, increasing the possibility of petitioning rightly (as opposed to falsely or shallowly), that is, asking God for what we truly, deeply desire -- not for what the world (our culture of conspicuous consumption) tells us we desire. Contemplative prayer, opening oneself to receiving the present moment, can "stimulate" "our deepest desires" -- which are not always evident given the ubiquitous "temptation to counterfeit behavior." For a negative example, I'm reminded of Augusten Burrough's descriptions of the manipulative advertising market in his memoir Dry: "Advertising makes everything seem better than it actually is.... It's an industry based on giving people false expectations." For a positive example, Kierkegaard calls this purity of heart "willing one thing."

And, oh yes...Happy Hannukah! It's the first night of Channukah! It's also the youth lock-in at the church. We're watching The Hebrew Hammer to celebrate.