Vain Repetitions

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“I grew up in evangelical circles and knew the public prayer ropes. I could pray readily in public settings, particularly in church, and did so in accordance with the accepted canons for many years. When I finally began to write my prayers out before the service, I noticed something funny. I had stopped repeating myself. I found myself praying in new territory. In short, the previous situation had allowed me to pray predictable prayers that I had not really thought about. Composing prayers beforehand, sitting down and actually thinking through what I was going to say, brought a whole new world of possibilities in prayer. Too many people, when they pray extemporaneously, pray in the same way they comb their hair. It is a habitual action that requires no thought” (Mother Kirk, p. 147).

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