Patrick Allen - For Today: A Prayer When Life Gets Messy

This book is based on a prayer written by Phillips Brooks, perhaps best known today for writing O Little Town of Bethlehem, one of the most beloved of our Christmas carols. However, in his day, he was regarded as one of the best preachers of his generation, and his sermons are still read today. And so is his prayer, For Today .

My wife and I first discovered this prayer while on a trip to South Carolina, tracing the ministry of John Wesley. We stopped by a beautiful little Episcopal church, and while inside we saw a small daily devotional booklet, Forward Day by Day, published by Forward Movement, the publishing arm of the Episcopal Church. For Today was printed on the back of the booklet. I was struck by the urgency and honesty of the prayer, so I left some money in the collection basket and took a booklet with me. We are now regular subscribers to Forward Day by Day , and have been so for more than fifteen years. We read or recite this prayer every morning as part of our devotions together. Even though I have prayed this prayer thousands of times, it remains fresh and vital each morning.

And I carry a copy of For Today in my meeting calendar and notebook. During especially tough times at work (and there have been more than a few), I opened my notebook and silently prayed this prayer. Sometimes during very tough meetings, more than once. It was a comfort and a challenge to not mind little stings or give them, to see good in all things, and to be a cup of strength to suffering soulseven at times when I was the one who was suffering. This prayer has helped me through many a difficult day.

I asked Forward Movement for permission to use this prayer as the foundation for this book, and I am grateful to them for their permission and indebted to Scott Gunn for his encouragement to do so. I have attempted to take each element from the prayer and fashion it into a chapter, first discussing the idea (for example, seeing good in all things), relating it to Scripture, and offering some practical suggestions for making it a reality in your life. There are also some questions for reflection at the end of each chapter that you can use in your private devotions or as part of a small group. It is my hope that the twelve chapters of this book will be helpful to those of us who are crying out, Oh, God. Give me strength to live another day! Im just trying to get through the day and back home by dark. As you will see, even in the toughest of times, we are not alone. When life gets messy, God is right there in the mess with us, working to bring hope and healing and grace for the journey.

At the end of the day, this prayer, For Today, challenges all of us to work through our own difficulties with Gods help, and ultimately become a cup of strength to other suffering souls. If this book, For Today: A Prayer When Life Gets Messy, can help us do so, then my labors will not have been in vain.

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One final noteeach chapter starts with a story. I do have a reputation for being a storyteller, so you might wonder at some point if the stories you are reading are actually true. I can tell you that many of the stories happened just the way I describe them. A few have been purposely modified or merged together with another story or two to shield someones identity or to make a certain point without sharing too much personal detail. And in a case or two, I tell the story just the way I remember it, but I must confess that my family, friends, colleagues, even a boss or two, may remember it differently. I have been prone to exaggeration on a time or two. This is no attempt at fraud; rather, it is simply the result of the passing of time, an active imagination, numerous retelling of the stories, and perhaps a faulty memory. In any case, the stories are true (that is, there is much truth for the taking) whether they happened just the way I describe them or not.

Patrick Allen

Newberg, Oregon

June 8, 2017