I believe that God prays in us and through us, whether we are praying or not (and whether we believe in God or not). So, any prayer on my part is a conscious response to what God is already doing in my life.

Jesus is an example. We have other examples, including many of our ancestors as role models who understood the inner meaning of our orientation.

However one might pray - in any verbal way or completely without words - is unimportant to God. What matters is the heart's intent.

Our prayers must spring from the indigenous soil of our own personal confrontation with the Spirit of God in our lives.

I find in the Psalms much the same range of mood and expression as I perceive within my own life of prayer.

Five days a week I drive from our home to the Episcopal Cathedral Center of Los Angeles where I have an office, my computer, and a wonderful sense of community - especially nurtured by the presence of several younger gay men and women who are good friends.

By my definition, prayer is consciously hanging out with God. Being with God in a deliberate way.