Stay here while I pray
Jesus asked at Gethsemane
He placed disciples to sit nearby, but not with him
Going a little further, he went to the garden to pray alone.
Socially distanced, Jesus asked the disciples to stay present, but leave him alone.
It was so hard they failed, not once, not twice but three times.
They were asked to watch, and wait and be nearby, but not too close.
I wonder if they tried to pray while they were waiting.
I know Jesus asked them to be aware of what was going on around them as they waited.
Easy right?
I wonder why Jesus asked them to be there.
I no longer wonder why it was so difficult.

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Author: katyandtheword
Pastor Katy has enjoyed ministry at New Covenant since 2010, where the church has solidified its community focus. Prior to that she studied both Theology and Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also served as an Assistant Chaplain at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and as the Christian Educational Coordinator at Bethany Presbyterian at Bloomfield, NJ.
She is an writer and is published in Enfleshed, Sermonsuite, Presbyterian's today and Outlook. She writes prayers, liturgy, poems and public theology and is pursuing her doctorate in ministry in Creative Write and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
She enjoys working within and connecting to the community, is known to laugh a lot during service, and tells as many stories as possible. Pastor Katy loves reading Science Fiction and Fantasy, theater, arts and crafts, music, playing with children and sunshine, and continues to try to be as (w)holistically Christian as possible.
"Publisher after publisher turned down A Wrinkle in Time," L'Engle wrote, "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was too difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adult's book, anyhow?" The next year it won the prestigious John Newbery Medal.
Tolkien states in the foreword to The Lord of the Rings that he disliked allegories and that the story was not one.[66] Instead he preferred what he termed "applicability", the freedom of the reader to interpret the work in the light of his or her own life and times.
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Wow. That’s beautiful
I tried to figure out your last name because I have used two of your writings in the past week. They are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your gift and passion with us. Keep them coming. They are truly helpful.
I had a person say to me after I used it that it brought them to tears and exactly what she needed. I shared your blog with her. Such a gift…
Rev. Jen Evans, M.Div, M.A.C.E.
Associate Pastor for Youth, Young Adults, and Families with Young Children
Second Presbyterian Church
600 Pleasant Valley Road
Little Rock, AR 72227
office: 501.227.0000
mobile: 704.519.9091
http://www.secondpreslr.org
Wonderful. Which ones did you use 🙂
My full name is Katy Stenta. I’m up in Albany, NY 🙂
Hi, may I use this for Maundy Thursday? May I post it online? I could credit in the description too.
Yes definitely. Credit to Katy Stenta 🙂
Love the title