Invitation to a Prayer List - Christine Kane

A few weeks ago, I was emailing with a well-known author and speaker. At the end of our exchange, she wrote that she had “added me to her prayer list.” She wrote what she would pray for, and what she was affirming for me (as well as for my dad, who has been in the hospital). I was on the road in the lobby of a hotel when I read her email. Instantly I was filled with a deep peace and gratitude to know that I was being included in this amazing woman’s prayers.

Prayer is powerful. It is not about magic or “making things happen.” It’s about miracles and knowing the deep truth about any situation or person. It’s not wishful thinking. (“I’ll pray you win the lottery!”) It’s a recognition of the highest and best. (“I am praying and knowing that you are always taken care of, that you always have more than enough, and that you are abundant and at peace.”)

Prayer is not woo-woo or froo-froo. It is not owned by ministers or priests. It is not owned by any religion. It is a necessity in the everydays of almost every person to whom I am close. It is the most grounded activity of my day, besides writing. (And hiking with my dog.)

I love prayer lists. I am on the prayer list of a wild and remarkable minister here in Asheville. (She has a “powerful women” prayer list that is part of her morning routine, and I am absolutely honored to be on that list.) I think we would be wise to each start prayer lists and add people to them.

But remember: not everyone wants to be on your prayer list! And watch out for your own “stuff!” In other words, if you think your co-worker should be married and you feel so sorry for her that she’s still single at 34 — that’s your “stuff.” When you say, “God, please give Margie a good boyfriend so that she can feel happier,” what you’re really saying is, “God, please give Margie a good boyfriend so that I can feel more comfortable around her.” Maybe you should pray instead that you become more comfortable.

After all, maybe Margie wants a girlfriend!

Adding someone to your prayer list because you feel “sorry” for her brings a lower level of energy to the prayer. Prayer can realign and reconnect each of us our with own deep power, and in so doing, take us out of our victim state and propel us into our truth. We are all, every single one of us, powerful and creative beings. Knowing that truth alone can help you understand that there’s no one who benefits from you feeling sorry for them. And it will do wonders for your prayer list!

In all instances of prayer lists, the person who has prayed for me has asked me if they could add me, and has checked in about the language of their prayer. This is a good thing! I wouldn’t necessarily want any random person praying for me to get what they think I should get.

So, this is an invitation to you. I am facilitating another women’s retreat this weekend. We convene on Friday afternoon, October 27. At these retreats there’s always a small altar where the women place pinecones, acorns, candles, buddah statues, drawings, rocks and poems. If you would like to be on our prayer list throughout this weekend, I’ll be placing a list of names on that altar. Your being and presence will be a part of the weekend. And when we do pray, I will include you in that ritual. (Don’t worry. I won’t be shouting out any personal baggage to 20 women: “And LORD, please bless Annie May and her dark and terrible obsession with those Little Debbie Snack Cakes!” First of all, I don’t pray like that! Second of all, I’ll be discreet!)

Men are invited to be on the list as well. As are pets. (Though, if a dog actually places the request himself, then I may have to tell the women about it…)

So that you don’t have to review every detail about what you want or don’t want us to pray for, I’ll just let you know that the prayers we do are pretty basic, but very powerful. They are about intent and affirmation and knowing the truth about each and every person and situation.

If you’d like to be on our prayer list, please send me an email to christine@christinekane.com. I will be the only one who reads these. If you feel comfortable enough to leave your request in the comments below, I will print those out as well. And then you will be a part of this amazing group of women and you’ll get to benefit in subtle happy indescribable ways.

22 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • sal

    I have MS. Need prayers for remission and lottery funds.

  • Janet Keen

    I am a mosaic artist and teacher. I left a well paid advertising job 14 years ago to study art full time because I knew that a life of a full time artist was the best thing I could be. . I now write and illustrate childrens books, make m\osaics which I sell to overseas clients, run mosaic and painting classes from my inhome stdio in Rotorua New Zealand. I belong to Toastmasters International where i have encouraged artists to belong so that they can inmprove their public speaking and make our club more exciting and vibrant.
    I have recently helped to set up a mastermind group of women with like minded intentions where we create vision boards and make a range of creative things which are designed to encourage abundance, happiness, good health and vibrant energy. The women are writers, counsellors, psychiatrists, and massage therapists.

    I am running a free workshop on vision board making at a Toastmaster convention next month. I intend to run creativity workshops particulalry for women who are facing empty nest syndrome, perimenopause, depression or are just working too hard. I encourage them to become more creative through a series of simple mosaic or painting lessons. They often come in depressed , overworked and unghappy and leave buzzing. Several of them have become full time artists.

    I would also like to teach workshops overseas and I am praying that this will happen. I haven’t travelled enough and I really want to. I particularly want to travel to America and England to teach art and mosaics.

    I welcome visits to my mosaic garden and gallery from overseas people because it makes me feel like I’m closer to my dream.

    If you have any suggestions please email jkeen@clear.net.nz
    Regards Janet Keen
    Rotorua new Zealand

  • Connie

    Over the past 25 years I have “survived” jobs in which I worked with people in crisis. This included women and children leaving domestic violence and working with homeless families. In my last position I worked with homeless men in recovery from substance abuse. Over the years these jobs have taken a serious toll on both my emotional and physical health. I am seeking employment that utilizes my creative spirit and that will bring me some peace and happiness. I put this out to the universe. Thank you and God bless

  • Barbara

    Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

    I am between jobs right now, please pray that I find the right job.

  • josephine

    Hi Christine, May you be mightily blessed. I was feeling really low this morning and then i stumbled on your site. My challenge? I turned 38 on October 27(the day of the retreat) and i’m just tired of being alone, please pray that God will give me a mate in line with His will for my life. Funny as this might sound, i would love to spend christmas with him! And like Caren i also ask for openheartedness and that i will see everyone and every situation thrrough the eyes of love. That’s it-problem outsourced, halleluyah!!!

  • nunzia

    would love to know of other prayer lists out there. i have an urgent need… its on my blog and im hoping to get as many people to storm heaven for the sake of this innocent little life…

  • christine

    Hi Pam… That’s amazing. And you can take all the credit you want… It’s a bold thing to offer that to a client. It gave her another option, rather than the “default” mode we tend to go into. Thanks for sharing that. And, yes, you “done good!”

  • ChickiePam

    Hi Christine,
    I had an interesting adventure with prayer recently. I had a client with Bell’s palsy who came to me for body work. I had worked with her before for TMJ stuff she was going through. It’s not something that I normally do…offer to pray for some one. But this woman was quite distraught, had a patch over her eye and an occasional drool from her saggin mouth. So I explained affirmative prayer/treatments to her (the Science of Mind way) and offer to treat for her for perfect health. She left my office in much better spirits and even truned around at the door and reminded me to do that “prayer thing” for her. I’m not a very regimented/scheduled person. I don’t have a time and place to pray/treat every day. And I’m not even particularly good a doing any long involved treatments. But what I can do is put her name at the top of each day of my calendar, pause for a few minutes and know that she is perfect and whole. So that’s what I did. And she returned the next week with 90% of her paralysis gone. Now, she is doing many other things besides bodywork (acupuncture, diet, medications, etc) to heal her body, so I’m not taking any credit for this. But I will take credit for the lightness in her step when she left my office and for the hope that was in her eyes where dispair had lived. I will take credit for holding her up when she was too low to see the light, and then propping her there until she could do it on her own. To me, that’s what prayer is about….connecting, supporting, loving. I did nothing to heal her. I just helped her to see how she could heal herself. I just love my job!
    Thanks for listening. Sometimes I forget to tell myself when I’ve “done good”. I’m working on that.
    Love ya,
    Pam

  • Caren

    Your last line reminds me of something a friend told me… She was in a phase in her life when she was playing a *lot* of Dar Williams songs, singing them in her house, etc. One day she saw her youngest son looking at his knees saying, “It’s Christmas Eve!” She asked why he was telling his knees that, and he sang back, “He told his knees, It’s Christmas Eve, I know our life is not your style…” lolol From “The Christians and the Pagans”: he told his niece, It’s Christmas Eve… I thought, when she told me that story, it was so sweet her son lived in a world where it was not only fine but was expected of you to tell your knees it’s Christmas Eve. I’m glad Bob has joyful knees — make sure to wish them happy holidays from me when the time is right!

  • christine

    Kris, I’m glad to include your wife (AND you) in our work this weekend! I’m a big believer in “no coincidences” too… so I’m more than happy to support you in this part of the journey!

    John, That’s an amazing intent you’ve set. It’ll be an honor to know this for you!

    Joy G, I totally understand those kinds of situations in life, and we’ll certainly be holding you in that space of letting go and forgiveness. (I actually lead an entire section on letting go, so we’re right there with you!)

    Caren, wow. That’s an amazing intent. And it is absolutely possible to live each and every moment like that.

    Joy, You’re on the list! (Can I pray for Bob’s joyful knees?) 🙂

  • Joy

    what a wonderful thing for you to offer to your “readers.”

    yes, please add us to your list.

    bob wants everyone to know for him that he is vibrantly, radiantly healthy.

    i want you to know for me that i am fully present in each moment.

  • Caren

    I had to pray to know what to ask to pray for… in my morning prayers, I usually ask to be helped to make choices that would be best for my family, to open myself to the will of God (scary word, eh? Substitute if you need to… Goddess, higher power, highest good…). After recently attending a Universal Chanting workshop by Jon Seskevich, I remembered that when I first consciously started out on this spiritual path I’m on, I used to want my heart to be opened to everyone, to be able to see everyone with eyes of love… I think that’s a nice prayer. Somehow forgotten over living life these years. And, you know what? I think, this time, I’ll include myself in that. So, I’d be honored to be included in that circle of women by asking you to pray that I am able to remain open-hearted, and see everyone and every situation (including me) with an open heart full of love. Thanks for asking.

    Gassho –

  • Joy Gardner

    Christine,
    I agree with you wholeheartedly that prayer is an extremely powerful and moving practice, both for the pray-or and the pray-ee. In ways we cannot even touch or imagine, this simple and humble act for another can change lives, heal, bless, and facilitate breakthrough. As I will hold all of you on retreat in my prayers, please pray for me, as I struggle with feelings of immense hurt and betrayal due to a person who owes me a lot of money and has chosen not to repay. Strange that I would seek the mystical for the material, but there it is. I also lead womens retreats here in the Northeast, and I want to try to free myself from this anger before engaging in one again. Thanks!

  • John Hulsey

    It’s flattering to be included. My prayer is to be better somehow for each of the lives that cross paths with mine.

    I use to pray that I would leave people and things a bit better than when I found them, but it began to feel a bit judgemental. How could I decide what would be “better”? Now, I focus on making myself better, and I leave the rest to sort itself out.

    (I also used to pray to find the strength to avoid those darn delicious smelling rolled tacos outside of my office building, but that, too, seemed a waste. Life is too short to not indulge from time to time.)

    John : )

  • kris

    I know I shouldn’t be surprised but I always am when these serendipitous moments occur.

    My 26 year old life partner (and wife, according to Ontario) was just diagnosed with a serious kidney disease. As we travel through this difficult path together, I would be most honored to know that there were people praying for her health and for our combined strength.

    Really…I shouldn’t be surprised when these come up. 🙂

  • christine

    DBLWYO, I’ll certainly put you on there. But I don’t know if all the readers of my blog WANT that! That’s why I’m offering it as a volunteer thing. (I live in the bible belt.. there’s people here who are downright scared of people who pray! And with good reason in some cases!) 🙂

    FiveCats, That’s so funny! I didn’t even REALIZE I was doing that. Now I’m a little embarrassed. No, I don’t think of men and pets as the same grouping. (But I do love the bumpersticker.)

    Jackie — Thanks! I’ve added you on there.

  • jackie

    This is a wonderful opportunity for those of us who can’t be at the retreat in person. I woul love to be on your prayer list as I search for a business/lifecoach.

  • fivecats

    On the way into work the other day I saw a bumper sticker that read:

    “All Men Are Animals: Some Just Make Better Pets”

    Your bundling of men and pets as allowable on the prayer list reminded me of this. 🙂

  • Dblwyo

    If it wouldn’t break the process or protocols perhaps you could add the readers of your blog – who from the comments have clearly not come here by accident nor stayed/returned for lack of intent. May they find clear-headed peace, ground to stand on, courage for the next step and the path to the best that’s in them.