Introduction I must confess that the idea to write this book was not my own. Church members and friends over the years have been asking me to pull together some of the prayers that I’ve been led to write and pray during worship services, Wednesday night dinners, Bible studies, and other times when God’s people have gathered. I confess that I questioned how seriously to take this request. Would people really be interested in reading a book of prayers? Would it be presumptuous to share my prayers as if anyone needs words other than their own to pray? I’m also aware that there are people who deem spontaneous prayers superior to those written. The thought is that because they are spontaneous, they are more sincere and God-directed than those that may have been written days or even decades earlier. I haven’t always found this to be true. What I do know to be true is that praying with a pen or on a computer helps me pray more earnestly, since committing words to paper allows time for reflection, pondering, and reconsideration. I’ve also experienced epiphanies during times of prayer—insights and thoughts that seemed to come straight from the One who nudges us to pray. The memory of these special moments continues to offer reassurance of God’s presence and participation in prayer—written as well as spontaneous. In an attempt to make Confessions of a Female Pastor more relatable to your own life experiences, I have included stories and scripture passages that lend a context to each of the prayers being shared on these pages. My hope is that this collection will prompt you to reflect on your own journey, and by so doing, you’ll recognize, or be reminded, of God’s invisible footsteps alongside your own as you continue the journey. I also hope that the next time it occurs to you to pray, you will imagine God tapping you on the shoulder and saying, “Talk to me,” and
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