And Even for This Day

And Even for This Day is a collection of poetic prayers initially delivered in worship at First United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon. It is a gathering of public thanksgiving, lament, complaint, and praise all hurled to God. This book is for anyone who finds it difficult to pray in public. These prayers are for those who are asked to pray in front of others on their behalf. It is for the introverts who do not particularly like to be in front of others. It is for leaders who are incessantly called upon to offer something truthful to God, about God, and about the human condition. It is for those who care about creation and understand that God cares about creation more than we do. It is also for those who struggle with prayer because acting as if God is acting in this world is hard. It is for those who find prayer impossible and need to be carried by the faith of others. Accompanying these prayers are paintings by Ryan Hutchison. We recognize that telling the truth when it comes to God is often bigger than what words can contain. Praying is an act of imagination. Words can only do so much.