There has been a kind of new trend beginning to happen. Now those of you who know me know I enjoy fashion and although I can’t afford fashion anymore I still enjoy following it. Yes, a shallow pastime indeed. Judge not though, we all have our little shallow secrets…. at least that is what I tell myself so I don’t feel bad about having such a shallow hobby. OK, OK, the new trend that I’m talking about has nothing to do with fashion actually, (just a little tangent to fool you,) it is prayer. Prayer done instantly. The kind of prayer when someone says something they are struggling with you don’t say “Hey, I’ll be praying for you”. Instead you say, “Can I pray for you?” and they mean right then.
Steven Curtis Chapman said it best 10 years ago in his follow up album to his popular The Great Adventure, the Signs of Life in his song, “Let us Pray”. (I am feeling overloaded with using bolds, italics, parentheses and “quotations”.) I know my last couple of blogs are flash back, but I think b/c of the recent tragedy in his family he’s been on my heart and it reminded me of this song.
One of the verses (I’m totally doing this from memory so I could be a word off here and there) is “I see you say your heart is achin’, you got trouble in the makin’, and you ask if I’ll be praying for ya please. and in keepin’ with convention I say “yes” with good intention to pray later, makin’ mention of your needs. But since we have this moment here at heaven’s door, we should start knockin’ now tell me what are we waiting for?”
I always wondered what that meant b/c no one I knew ever did that. I grew up SOBA (my just invented merging of “Southern Baptist” which has some fine points not discussed here)and we didn’t pray. Well, I did when I prayed no one would go down the aisle to “Just as I am” b/c I was hungry. I still don’t like that song. My mom used to be mocked- seriously- b/c she was a prayer warier. People would say when they shared a prayer request “Well, tell that to Karen, she’ll pray for you!” chuckle chuckle! Since I started going to NH I’ve noticed people doing the Instant Prayer thing, sometimes I was an uncomfortable recipient at first, but now I’ve grown to the point that I LOVE it and I’m trying to do it more myself. I totally wimp out sometimes when I hear God’s whispering voice in my ear “pray now… PRAY NOW!”, but I’m praying (alone) that I’ll become more bold. 
PS “and I don’t want no MO” Steven Curtis Chapman at the first concert that I ever went to in 4th grade. He was talking about how he nicknamed his kids “Eenie” “Meenie” and “Mineie”. hardy har har, I re-told that joke to anyone who would listen! He has been such an advocate for adoption and an encouragement to people in the process. His foundation called the church when I was working one day to give us 6 tickets to see him in concert specifically to encourage people who were either in process or those who have adopted. (I thought it was a prank and gave the phone to Brian.) My sympathy is with him and his family during this time.