"Prayer is humbling work. It abases intellect and pride, crucifies vain glory and signs our sprirtual bankruptcy, and all these are hard for flesh and blood to bear."                         -EM Bounds

This past year has definitely been a year to learn about prayer. Praying for a sick baby (www.ethanipowell.blogspot.com), praying as my husband sought work, and praying for families we know who are separated... even knowing what to pray was overwhelming at times. There were times I felt like I had prayed all I could pray, anything else would be a broken record. Yes, our intellect will take us only so far. Vain glory - what was there that I could do? I had no gift to offer them, I had no talent to make it all better. All I could do was pray. Spiritual bankruptcy - many moments of this. What more could I pray? How much more of this burden could I carry and for how long? I was empty and I knew it. Yes, it was a difficult year, and I still have not recovered. But I am still in the boat of the Christian life, battered and bruised, but still in the boat.