Hey Denny,

Unless you and Snoopy have a "past" (some history of conflict or animosity that I don't know about), like Gary Larson's mad scientist Dr. Jenkins and the duck, I took his comment as totally humorous and not by any stretch insulting -- frivolous perhaps.

As to St. Ephraim's prayer, I have memorized it and pray it often. If Pelagius hated Augustine's petition to "Command what You will, and give what You command," he would have REALLY hated this one.

This may be equally "off thread" (bring on the rebukes!) but sometimes reading the prayers of great saints, both biblical (David), and post-biblical (Augustine), allows me to better focus my energy on worshipping and communing with God rather than on what I'm going to say next. It's like being led in prayer by the greatest teachers and leaders the church has ever had. Of course, to avoid "vain repitition" one must always make the words one's own, and many of our petitions are unique and personal and cannot be covered by prayers written by others. But again, I have found them to be a great source of spiritual encouragement and enrichment.

I keep including the prayer in my posts because I would like to make it part of my signature, but it is apparently too big to fit.

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