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for grace to live well

  • October 5, 2007
  • By Happy
  • 1 Comments
for grace to live well

photo courtesy of ©Depositphotos.com / SergeyIT

Something beautiful happened today.

Actually, it started a few days ago, when I remembered my friend Sara talking about how she’d finally ordered the Book of Common Prayer. I’ve been meaning to do it myself for ages – Madeline L’Engle and Lauren Winner have both talked about its significance in their lives, and since they’re two of my favorite “women i’ve never met but wish i had and with whom I look forward to conversing in heaven” people, I figured it was a book worth reading on their recommendation.

But here’s the truly beautiful thing: I debated between the $15 burgundy-covered copy from 1979 or the more expensive copy of a modernized 1559 Elizabethan prayer book with original artwork on the cover – and went for pricey, for the sake of history and rootedness in the faith, etc.

Apparently, the word “modernized” has different connotations for different people…

But as I was reading through the order for morning prayer at 2:00pm this afternoon, I came across The Third Collect, for Grace – and it said it all. I suspect that if I am truly disciplined about using this book the way it was meant to be used, it will transform my prayer life – and I can’t wait.

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, which hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

By Happy, October 5, 2007
  • 1
1 Comment
  • Happy
    March 5, 2015

    previous comments on this post:

    Amy said…

    Happy, started using Phyllis Tickle’s Divine Hours series…similar.

    I love it. It is very centering for me and I love know that people all over the world are praying the same words with me. Such a feeling of rootedness.

    I’m praying with you!

    Heather said…

    I think my prayer life is funny in that ordered, written prayers really, really don’t work for me. I can pray through music, through conversation with God – but not through reading words from a page. I’ve never figured out why, when so many other people seem to glean such peace from it.

    Thank you so much for all your encouraging words yesterday. They really helped.

    Oh, and by the way, I just tagged you. 😀

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Meet Happy
Simple Felicity is, at its heart, a blog based on the unshakeable belief that happiness really isn't all that complicated. It's often found in the simplest of things: good food, good books, and good company. So those are the things I write about, along with a few other things that really matter to me, including faith and feminism. A bit about me: My name is Happy. I have an amazing talent for misplacing my keys, a deep appreciation for whomever looked at the coffee bean and thought, "Hey, I wonder what would happen if I roasted this?", and road trips to Michigan are pretty much my favorite.
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