Tag Archives: prayer

Choose the Good Part Every Hour

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I beseech Thee,
let not only my prayer
but my whole life,
my every act, thought, and word,
be a sacrifice to Thee today,
unblamable and worthy,
through the power of Thy Spirit.

Let the message of Thy Word
fill me with assurance
of the forgiveness of my sin;
let the counsel of Thy revealed will
point out to me the way I am to go;
let Thy Spirit give me courage and strength
to choose the good part every hour.

Hold me in oneness of faith
with my fellow-Christians
and let me be a salt that has not lost its savor.

Keep me Thine
for the sake of Thy Son,
my Redeemer.
Amen.

~ Thursday Morning page
from The Lutheran Book of Prayer

The Tasks of This Day

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Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day rejoicing.

Teach me that I labor to Thee,
that I eat and drink to Thy glory,
that I think and plan to the ends
which Thou hast laid before me.

Do Thou strengthen me that I may
become willing to sacrifice for others.

Teach me to look upon my life today
as given me to help my fellowmen.

Let me see in my profession,
in the need of those who depend on me,
in the want and struggle of the world about me,
my field for loving service.

Remind me again that my life,
my speech, my faith
is nothing without love.

Grant that I be ready to forgive,
quick in sympathy,
earnest in my rejoicing with those who are happy,
and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellow-men.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

~ from the Lutheran Prayer Book

Going On in Courage

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The best birthday present I received last year was the friendship of this woman.  My friend Katie brought her by for a brief hello and
goodbye.  She was headed home to Zimbabwe; I was leaving for a visit with my
brother in Pennsylvania. But in that half hour overlap of
our travels, we connected.  In the numinous moments we were given, a bond formed. We both were in the habit of sending weekly emails
to our family and friends and added each other to our email list. 

In 2007 her
messages have described the impact of the political and economic crisis that is
taking place in Zimbabwe. 

Fuel and food are scarce. 

Violence has moved in.

Justice is a fugitive. 

Normal has fled the country with her sister
Peace. 

I remember the shock that stabbed me when I saw the movie Hotel Rwanda.  My first question was, “What was I doing?  How could this take place so recently and we could be so unaware?”  I remember a few articles in World magazine, but genocide of that magnitude didn’t register.  Sometimes we need a personal connection to make us care.  Sad, but true.  My BIL cares deeply for Angola, because he’s been there, he knows the people. This friend is my connection and my reminder to pray.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall
preserve thy soul.
Psalm 121

I cling to the promises of Christ which I memorized as a
child as I pray for my friend and for her people in Zimbabwe. 

Lo,
I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

I will never leave you,
nor forsake you.

And the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are so apropos, so
potent.

Give us this day our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses.
Lead us not into
temptation.
Deliver us from evil.  


photo credit: RLF

We
live as those who are on a journey home:

a
home we know will have the lights on

and
the door open

 and
our Father waiting for us when we arrive. 

That
means in all adversity

our
worship of God is joyful,

our
life is hopeful,

our
future is secure. 

There
is nothing we can lose on earth

that
can rob us of the treasures

God
has given us and will give us.  

~
John Oxenham

Courage
is not having the strength to go on;

it
is going on when you don’t have the strength.

 ~
Theodore Roosevelt

Today’s Poem

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             Grace for a Child
                Robert Herrick

       Here a little child I stand,
       Heaving up my either hand;
       Cold as Paddocks though they be,
       Here I lift them up to Thee,
       For a Benizon to fall
       On our meat, and on us all.  Amen.

       Paddocks are toads, Benizon means blessing

Monday Morning

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After a rich and glorious weekend of celebrating Curt’s 50th birthday, there is a natural let down this morning.  I would love more than anything to tune out; to curl up with Dr. Thorne, a blanket, and a cup a tea, and finish the last 100 pages.  

One of the difficulties of being home is governing my impulses.  I’m getting some help this morning from a little red Lutheran Prayer Book published in 1941.  I picked it up at a book sale last spring and it has picked me up many mornings since.

Here are some snippets from prayers for Monday Morning:

We need Thy help and Thy grace as we are again returning to our daily task. Grant us true faithfulness in the performance of our calling.  Guard us against becoming selfish, careless, and slovenly in the pursuance of our daily work.

Give me joy in my labor, sincerity in my service, and unselfishness in all my striving.

Guard us against the temptations that beset us, and make us hopeful, confident, cheerful, and courageous.

As I prepare for the tasks of the day, I ask for Thy divine blessing.

Amen.

Pax Vobiscum

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Friend, you have come to this church,
leave it not without a prayer.
No man entering a house
ignores him who dwells in it.
This is the House of God and He is here.

Pray then to Him Who loves you
and bids you welcome
and awaits your greeting.

Give thanks for those who in past ages
built this place to His glory
and for those who,
dying that we might live,
have preserved for us our heritage.

Praise God for His gifts of beauty
in painting and architecture,
handicraft and music.

Ask that we who now live
may build the spiritual fabric of the nation
in Truth, Beauty and Goodness
and that as we draw near to the One Father
through our Lord Jesus Christ
we may draw nearer to one another
in perfect brotherhood.

The Lord preserve thy going out
and thy coming in.

Note: This is what comes from cleaning your desk.  Two years ago, my husband and I were out driving with my brother and his wife when we came upon this country church.  Yes, the one in that microscopic photo above.  It was unlocked and we went in to explore. There was an illumined  manuscript  framed in the foyer with this message. The colored words  were ornately decorated.  It was a  beam of beauty in a glorious day. No author was given. I grabbed the only paper available (a deposit receipt) and copied the charge.  These words were kept safely in a drawer that always gets the most cluttered.  They have sifted towards the bottom of the “someday” pile and resurfaced today. Pax Vobiscum, dear reader.


Indulge Me For A Moment

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I try not to overdo the grandma thing: I have not yet approached a stranger and offered to show family pictures.  [thought strikes me]  But that’s what I’m doing now isn’t it?  Horrors!  I’ve become the woman people hide from!

This is my oldest son with his son.  They are some of the greatest delights of my life.  Dependability and responsibility have been hallmarks of this young man’s life.  I snuck a peek during prayer group this week and I saw him holding his beloved son on his lap and demonstrating folded hands and a quiet posture.  The toddler mimicked his daddy.  No greater joy, folks, no greater joy.

Monday Marriage Prayer

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Lord, heavenly Father,  Thou hast joined us in this holy wedlock that
together, hand in hand, we courageously walk life’s journey. 

Bless our
home with Thy divine presence and fill our hearts with a love for Thee,
who hast sent Thy Son into the world to hallow every walk of life.

As we daily receive Thy divine forgiveness, make us also forgiving
toward each other. 

As Thou art merciful and kind, full of compassion
and long-suffering, teach us likewise to be thoughtful, considerate,
and reasonable as we face together the problems of our home.

In our joys let us not forget Thee. 

In our sorrows lets us not despair
of Thy help. 

Protect us as we go in and out of our home. 

Keep us
faithful and steadfast to Thee and Thy Word,
through Jesus Christ our
Lord.  Amen.

From the Lutheran Book of Prayer

My Search for a Dress

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“And why worry about your clothes? 
Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry about theirs.”
Matthew 7:28


My son is getting married in December.  I’ve been looking for a dress to wear for several months.  It’s been a struggle to find something in between frumpy and slutty.  Something between dowdy and “how-dy!”.  Something between a potato sack and a pretty slip.  A dress that fit and was fitting.

I’ve shopped locally, I’ve shopped at the big cities 2 1/2 hours away. My MIL and DIL (who both have better tastes and ideas about clothes than I) have each taken up the cause: one looking through piles of catalogs and the other spending hours surfing the web.  My usual nonchalant attitude evaporated as the countdown to the big day continued.

I’ve prayed before in general “Lord help us” prayers; it was time to get specific.  Friday night I started praying intentionally for a dress that was 1) under $100,  2) beautiful, and  3) modest. 

Yesterday my mother-in-law burst in my front door so full of excitement.  She had found a dress in a catalog that she thought would work.  As she was picking up a catalog order in our small department store she mentioned how beautiful this particular dress was.  The lady behind the counter stared at my mother-in-law and said, “That dress was just returned today. I’ll be shipping it back tomorrow, but if your DIL wants to buy it today she could.”  One dress, my size, one day, here in my small town.  I went down, tried it on and it was perfect!  Thank you Lord!
 

LadyCordeliaFitzgerald

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You must  go over to my neice’s new blog and check out the pictures she took of her PA farm.  They are stunning.  Her artist’s eye has captured the countryside.  Does anyone get the literary reference to her  blog title?  (Hint: she loves all things gabled and green).   If  I’m allowed to brag, she is a  beautiful  young woman, whose loveliness goes very deep.  

Our prayer group has expanded and just about doubled in size to 35 people.  We’re meeting at our house tonight and I’m providing the meal.  Yikes! The menu is Company Mashed Potatoes (the kind that keeps in the oven), Hamburger Gravy (two crock pots), Green Salad, another veggie I haven’t decided, fresh rolls (my DIL makes these and they are perfection) and Apple Pie for Dessert.  I’m always afraid that we’ll run out of food and I’m not used to cooking for this number.  It’s a tweener number, ya know?  It’s not 20 and it’s not 100.  We set up long tables in our large garage and it’s like a big banquet.

The best part of prayer group is praying.  We pray around the circle and I love to listen in on the kids’ prayers.  While some have learned formulaic prayers, others pray straight from their soul, i.e. “Thank you for getting our family through this divorce.”