How Do We Spell God?

A New York City pastor tells of the time when his parish was presented with a large supply of kneeling cushions. The donor suggested that a special ceremony be arranged to bless and dedicate the beautiful, ultra-soft cushions. The pastor felt a little uneasy about composing his own prayer for the ceremony, so he thumbed through a new, popular “Prayers-For-All-Occasions” book someone had given him. Although he didn’t find a kneeling-cushion prayer, nevertheless he did discover some other interesting prayers. Among them …

“Grace Before Outdoor Barbecues”

“The Bird Watchers’ Prayer”

Prayer Over a Lottery Ticket

Such “prayers-for-all-occasions” to the contrary notwithstanding, we must remember that prayer is neither wishful thinking nor organized pious prattling. Said the New York City pastor:

I suppose the real reason I didn’t trust myself with a prayer of my own composition is that deep-tufted, foam-rubbered kneeling cushions are obviously a symbol of softness where softness should not be. When we bend our knees before…