When Etienne Martin was 12, and the Germans came to occupy his hometown of Bordeaux, France, he and his friends decided they would not idly sit by. Because they knew the city so well, and the occupiers didn't, they were able to move around almost freely at night, hiding from guards and doing incredibly destructive things to German vehicles.

Specifically, Etienne and his friends liked to put things in gas tanks: water, urine, sand, metal shavings - anything to foul up the car's engine.

Yes, we don't need to remind anyone here in the Motor City of an automobile's need for refueling, specific fueling; gasoline, Diesel fuel, and now electricity. Automobile makers clearly communicate the exact kind of fuel that's needed to make the vehicle functional. Cars don't run well on orange juice, Maple syrup, or Diet Coke - no matter how many Mentos you add...

This Sunday you and I will hear a familiar parable Jesus uses to tell his disciples about their need to pray. After all, prayer is the Christian's fuel. 

It's our regular act of talking with God, reflecting and meditating, in which we take in the values, goals, and ambitions, indeed the image of the Most High, knowing that the more connected we stay with God, the more likely we are to find our own wholeness, to do God's will, to lead altruistic and contented lives.

Of course the problem arises when we put other things into our tanks, when we think that we will run optimally on things that are not recommended by the manufacturer.

So when Jesus talks about our need to pray, we can ask ourselves, how are we fueling our tanks?

What are we letting in and what are we keeping out?

How might we put more of the right fuel into our souls?