Is anyone among you...?

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  - James 5:13-14 (ESV)

This is what we did yesterday at church.  It was wonderful.  I prayed for my writing, because graduate school has just knocked all confidence out of me, I feel like I'm rebuilding the way I think.  It's good and I see positive change, but it's a struggle, a very hard struggle.  I sang praise for the way the Lord has reassured me of his provision through the people I've meet and the jobs he provided.  I don't want to just be happy about that, I want to be joyful about it (if you haven't heard my spiel about joy and happiness, I'll write about it some other day).  And although I didn't get anointed (long story, but it was not a come down the aisle thing), I know that the prayer of others can clear the pathway to healing (for me that means the homesickness that comes and goes).  Anyway, I must get back to writing, but I feel like God is calling me to admit that I feel weak when it comes to writing, and I just need to admit that, pray about it, work on it, and continue praying.  I'll probably turn in my seminar paper and not feel just FANTASTIC about it, but I don't believe James means that this prayer will miraculously give me the writing abilities of a fourth year.  I think that prayer (and admitting it to the INTERNET! or just my three bloggees, but this is a quick and efficient way to tell many people at once) will help me deal with pride issues that are really at the core of this lack of confidence (odd how that works, but it's true).

Okay, back to writing!  Women in 1970s Mexico City!  Patriarchy! Photography! Hooray!
emm.jay.zee.