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How A Sweat Lodge Ceremony Showed Me the Power of Prayer
I’m Now a Big Believer in Prayer…Just Not for the Reasons You Might Think
I’ve never really prayed before. At least not out loud. And certainly not in front of people. But in just a few minutes that’s exactly what I’m going to do and I’m terrified.
Somewhere East of Missoula, Montana, nestled in the hills, is a real-life homestead. There’s an industrial-sized greenhouse, a couple of log cabins, teepees, a yurt and a workshop. There are chickens racing across the lawn and goats leaning on Fir trees to scratch their flanks .
There are little wooden signs, pointing the way to the garden, to the bridge that crosses a small creek, and a sign pointing the way to something called a Prayer Lodge. The sky is Royal Blue and vivid against the grassy mountainsides that ring the property. We pull up and park.
Out of the main cabin steps a man that doesn’t look like I expected. His hat is western-style and wide-brimmed. Suede. Not a cowboy hat, but something like it. His shirt is plaid but made of technical fibers that you’d find at a high-end fly shop. He’s wearing tall, waterproof boots. And he’s just kind of…standing there. He’s not looking at us. He’s looking up at the sky beyond the mountains.
