Rev. Gerry Hutchinson
Retired Navy Chaplain/Endorser for CBF Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors, Stone Mountain, GA
As a retiree, I have a less harried schedule for prayer. No longer do I feel the constraints of squeezing in quiet time with God before leaving for work. The rhythm of my typical day is to take an extended time of reflection and prayer mid-afternoon. Weather permitting, I prefer to sit in an old wooden glider on our back deck. This affords me a view of the woods in our backyard where I commune with God in nature. I can watch the leaves of the trees sway in the breeze as the seasons cycle through. Leaves of green in spring and summer then yellow or red in fall. Eventually the trees become barren as winter approaches. Each day, I hear a chorus of birds sing and call out to one another. I observe the creek which borders our property and watch the slow waters flow. This past month, we observed the transit through our yard of two wild turkeys as well as a red fox. Deer frequently wander through the wooded area and jump the creek heading back from their daily foraging.
My soul communes with God as I see and reflect on God’s care for God’s creation. When I read the Bible and my devotional aids, I keep CBF’s Prayers of the People nearby. Having worked for CBF, I know many of those listed in the Prayer Guide. It is a privilege to pray for our chaplains and counselors, field personnel and staff on their birthdays. I thank God for their calling. I ask a special blessing upon them. I pray for God’s direction, provision and protection for them and their families. I ask God to work in and through their lives. I conclude my time in a prayer walk around a beaten path in the woods and our side and front yards. I began this walk reciting the Lord’s Prayer and conclude with expressing gratitude to God for God’s blessings. Such is the rhythm of my daily prayers.