Pray some more

RantWoman keeps trying to hit the right notes about a much needed “I’m sorry.” RantWoman IS sorry and the topic is tangled with threads where RantWoman’s Excessively Plain English to Quakerese filter is both badly needed and at great risk of malfunction, and malfunction more serious than words just not making it out of RantWoman’s mouth at all. So in the meantime, let’s talk about prayer.

Praying across differences

RantWoman deeply believes in the power of praying across differences.

Judging by

--several lively email threads related to the NPYM minute on eradicating racism

--numerous process and conceptual hiccups related to the history and present of talking about disability in RantWoman’s Meeting

--the All RantWoman all the time flow of ….

the “praying across differences” theme that first help draw RantWoman in needs some shoring up right now.

Prayer, impatiently

RantWoman, if you wanted to organize a “Prayer for Dummies” study group to talk about different people’s experiences of prayer, different ideas about prayer / holding in the Light at your Meeting, who would you ask? How would you find out whether anyone else is interested?  How many conversations would you need to have about materials to start from, videos, books and the same materials in alternative formats such as ebook or audio and library-related themes connected with the alternate formats issue? Do you even want to convene the group? If not how can all those darned questions help get the group convened on some kind of finite calendar?

            For extra grins, do you think anyone who was in either the Barclay reading group or the two-year-long meander through John Woolman’s journal even thought about you dealing with alternate format issues?

South Africa: that country people in the US love because race issues are even more stark than…

RantWoman remembers when Dudu Mtshazo  from South Africa was Friend in Residence for NPYM annual Session. She talked about people of different races violating that era’s pass laws to pray together.

RantWoman read some of Desmond Tutu’s book about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission is a powerful story. The book is not good bedtime reading.

RantWoman has also been digesting Trevor Noah’s book Born A Crime about growing up in post-apartheid South Africa. The author’s mother is very Christian and on Sundays they often went to church 3 times, once to white church, once to colored church, and once to Black church. White church was intellectually stimulating, Colored church brought the author in contact with a lot of good stories, and at Black church there was a lot of loud music and casting out of demons. In other words, Trevor grew up, to use a favorite RantWoman term, theologically multilingual. For a time Trevor skipped Black church to spend time with his father, and he weaves rather arch observations in here and there.

Prayer was not a big topic in the book. RantWoman thinks race matters and prayer is still needed, but does not think anyone should be required to pray any specific way.

I need to pray with these people.

RantWoman thinks she may already have posted about one of her hats outside meeting, the state affiliate of a national blind consumer group (terminology alert: blind consumer group. Concept extremely relevant to RantWoman, outside Meeting activity always nurtured by RantWoman’s connections to Friends). Blind Consumer group is avowedly secular but a teleconference prayer group formed. The group is convened by a very committed Christian. The group uses all sorts of language that is other than RantWoman would use. But when RantWoman received the initial email, RantWoman’s first thought was “I MUST pray with these people.” The group meets by conference call at a time that is awkward for RantWoman but who says people cannot pray by email too?