A Litany for Our Hearts
But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 7: 3)
Holy Spirit, soften the hearts of the leaders and teachers of the Episcopal Church.
Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard (Exodus 7: 13)
Holy Spirit, soften the hearts of the President and his advisors.
Pharaoh’s heart became hard (Exodus 7: 22)
Holy Spirit, soften the hearts of the judges in this land.
But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart (Exodus 8: 15)
Holy Spirit, soften the hearts of the members of Congress.
But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, (Exodus 8: 19)
Holy Spirit, soften our hearts and help us listen to you.
But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart (Exodus 8: 32)
Holy Spirit, help us and our leaders repent of our hardened hearts.
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen (Exodus 9: 12)
LORD, in our time give us government that heeds you and your word.
He and his officials hardened their hearts. (Exodus 9: 34)
Jesus, move in the hearts of the officials of this land.
So Pharaoh’s heart was hard (Exodus 9: 35)
LORD, we say the words, but our hearts are still heart. Move among us and soften our hearts.
“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials” (Exodus 10: 1)
Holy Spirit, raise up witness to the leaders and teachers of the Episcopal Church and the rulers of this nation.
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, (Exodus 10: 20)
LORD, let your word, your living word, lodge in our hearts.
But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 10: 27)
LORD, come among us and soften our hearts.
Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 11: 10)
LORD, we have seen your work among us and yet our hearts are still hard; have mercy on us.
Wednesday: 119:97-120 * 81, 82; Jeremiah 8:18-9:6; Romans 5:1-11; John 8:12-20
Thursday: [83] or 42,43 * 85, 86; Jeremiah 10:11-24; Romans 5:12-21; John 8:21-32
Notes from the Front Line
***** Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011
From: Noel Dawes
Subject: Welcome Home Initiative, 10th Retreat, March 28-30, 2011 – Day 2, Mon, Mar 29th – Please Pray!
10th Welcome Home Retreat (28-30 Mar 11)
Day 2 — Tue, Mar 29th, 2011
To All Our Prayer Warriors Who Intercede for the Welcome Home Initiative:
Thank you to everyone who has sent back an email of encouragement and/or inspiration. We are grateful for these, but can you leave them until the retreat is over, please! Time management issues in reading and, sometimes, answering them albeit briefly! But don’t want to sound ungrateful one iota!
After breakfast on Tuesday morning (during which most of the hosts met separately to share experiences and prayer needs) we got started on the PTS Day soon after 9:00 AM. The whole morning session, split into two distinct parts, was moderated by a host in a way designed to get the Veterans and their spouses thinking for themselves and discussing between themselves. We were in one large group considering what is combat operational stress, combat trauma, post-traumatic syndrome all about. The session hinged around the question, “What has it been like for you and your family since your Veteran came home?”
A couple of times during the morning, Veterans were encouraged and exhorted not to try and put right federal and state systems that might not be working but to give themselves the gift (albeit painful for many) of considering the question from the standpoint of their own personal lives. Some excellent points made. Towards the end of the session, before we stopped for a break, a Navy Veteran, a Chaplain, clearly articulated how his war experiences had driven him to reconsider the whole basis of his life, the attitudes of his birth culture, and his ministry. He decided his past was not going to ruin his present or his future. He felt he had to rise above all that was holding him back from being healed — his life, his birth culture, his ministry — and move on. Some would say he was seeking post-trauma healing. Others, that he found resiliency. He had suffered unspeakable trauma, which he never sought or desired, but by the grace of Jesus, the Healer, he eventually found new life and started again. Much as he wanted things to be as they were before he deployed they would never be so. He had changed and so had his family. Although healing didn’t happen quickly, or as quickly as he wanted it to, he was transformed by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He was set free. His soul was given a gift from God, which accepted. He knew that God brought him through the trials and sufferings he had experienced so he could help and comfort others. He had persevered, grown in character, become full of hope instead of despair and had committed his life to helping fellow Veterans. He found a deep love for others which Jesus put into his heart. The layers of his artichoke had been peeled off, leaving a tasty heart! And all this happened to a man who said that when he came back from war, “I was in shock! I couldn’t readjust. I could not function with the values and priorities I had when I came home. Too much had changed. I realized that nothing would ever be the same. I went out, got retrained and started life again. This time I wanted to be more like Jesus and wanted to do more for him!” At least one other Veteran shared a similar story but in his own very individual and unique way, coming through the valley of darkness into the light of the Lord. Things are still not easy today, but he is not going backwards and is on the path towards the true and only Light, Jesus.
This was not an easy session and we ‘lost’ a couple of Veterans to feelings of nausea, headaches, pain and feeling under the weather. Remarks such as these characterized the conversation:
USMC Veteran: “I had delayed reaction. It took nearly 10 years to realize I had trauma and I’ve been fighting it for another 10 years.”
Army Veteran: “My marriage was destroyed. I was destroying it and I didn’t recognize it.”
Female Army Veteran: “I was fed up being told I didn’t have trauma when I knew I had.”
USMC Veteran: “I put my wife through hell and didn’t realize it.” Later, “I’m still learning about PTSD.”
Female Army Veteran: “Even though the Army is trying hard to deal with trauma, suicide and divorce issues, they are still stigmas, especially when mentally based. Soldiers are coming forward sooner than before but it is still not soon enough. We are trained to keep it all in.”
Female Army Veteran: “For me, isolating myself was a major factor — and often I wanted to do it.”
Air Force Veteran: “It has been like opening Pandora’s Box and not knowing what is coming out next. I want to get rid of the Box. “
After a break, we followed up with a brief discussion about the need to keep the different parts of our beings fit and healthy. These are the physical, the emotional, relational and the spiritual – the foundational part upon which all the other parts fit together as a whole. We broke for lunch with the request that we each consider these different parts and think of ideas for ourselves on how we might grow in overall health in each of these areas.
After lunch we split into two groups — Veterans and Spouses. In the Veterans group a host explained, using his own experiences, about the value of telling our story. Jesus, the Healer, had ministered to him over the years as he had told his story from time to time in the right environment. Sometimes he had ‘seen’ Jesus in the depths of a terrible situation taking the burden of it on Himself. Our host had been substantially set free and filled with joy. At this stage the group split into 5 smaller groups and each person in each group was given the opportunity to share his or her story and receive prayer. It was reported that Christ seemed to be doing some significant things in people’s souls. In the group the author led, this was certainly so. Meanwhile, the spouses reported back that they also had a good and productive time of sharing, which had ended with many of them making pretty bracelets of colored beads as they talked. During this time, our Closing Ceremony speaker, Bob Dees and his wife, Kathleen, arrived and immediately joined the groups, settling in quickly and contributing measurably to the ministry of the groups they joined. Praise God for answered prayer concerning their travel and also about what Jesus did in the small groups!
Immediately after small groups, soaking prayer was ‘soaked’ up by one or two folk and there was an opportunity for anyone who wanted to do so to have their confession heard in private, receiving absolution.
Tuesday evening saw a change of pace and tone in the retreat as we tried to lighten proceedings with comedy and an inspirational preview of a Christian show called ‘Godspell’, which is taking place at the SLC on 7, 8 and 9 April. We were wonderfully encouraged by this performance skillfully produced and performed by staff from the SLC. We thanked God that those Veterans who had felt ill earlier in the day felt well enough to join us again, but please keep praying for them as they are still troubled by illness. An informal group met in the Great Room in the King’s Inn to fellowship, eat candy and talk. Some good ministry took place during this time too.
All in all, this was a very long and emotionally tiring day. But we saw God move with great power and Jesus the Healer, heal with beautiful grace and peace. Please keep praying as we enter the third and last day — might it just be a Resurrection Day for some?
The whole Welcome Home Initiative team thanks you so much for all your prayers!
Albany Intercessor
