Prayer

I've been thinking lately about prayer and what makes it worthwhile.  If I think logically about prayer, it doesn't seem to make sense at all.  I mean if God is all knowing, all powerful and has a plan, why would I want to ask for things that could possibly mess up that plan?  At best I could feel neglected with unanswered prayers and at worst, he could actually give me what I wanted and mess up his perfect plan.  But I discovered prayer isn't really about asking for things.  Prayer is more about shaping me and my character than changing the mind of God. 

If I pray alone, it helps me to be grateful for the things I have, it helps me to think about the needs of others and keep them in my thoughts, and it helps me voice my concerns about whatever is going on in my life.  Sometimes it gives me a sense of direction and purpose.  If I pray with another person, it makes me feel less burdened to know that someone else is involved in my concerns.  If I pray in church, it gives me a sense of community and a reminder that we are all in this together. 

The most valuable format of prayer I experienced was during my time in Greenville.  A person would offer up an issue in their life and the pastor would simply say "For this person, who is dealing with this..." and the congregation would respond with "Lord have Mercy".  We didn't tell God what we prefer he do about the situation, it was simply offering the problem to God. 

What I get out of philosophy (specifically Plato)

So, I'm doing this paper about Plato and trying my best to adequately explain his theory of the Forms to such a degree as to receive an A on my paper and I realized, my cat serves as the perfect example with which to demonstrate said theory.  My kitten, lets call her Olive (cause that's her name), partakes in the Form of cuteness.  Now Olive herself is not Cuteness because she of completely different substance than that of a baby chicken which also partakes in the Form of cuteness.  Also, Olive cannot be the Form of cuteness itself because she also partakes of many other Forms such as whiteness, kittenness, and claw-the-shit-out-of-my-handness.  Some Forms are necessary for other Forms to be present, for example, Olive must necessarily partake in both cuteness and claw-the-shit-out-of-my-handness at the same time.  If she partook in the later without partaking in the former, she would get kicked out of the house because no one would have efficient cause to put up with her shit.  Therefore, when Olive stops partaking in the Form of cuteness (as she grows older), she will also cease to partake in claw-the-shit-out-of-my-handness.

Olive partaking in the Form of Get-in-between-me-and-Jon-Stewartness