Add Pray To Your Day!
Abigail Wurdeman
Monday Rebirth
Monday Rebirth Today I am born to a new week.I thank You for the view from Monday,for the wide, unworn week stretching out before me,for all the possibilitysimmering beneath the surfacesff appointments and deadlines.Thank You for standing beside me today,stepping with me into another new beginningand filling me...
The Temple
The Temple Remind me that You live here,that You designed this bodyas a place for us to meet,an instrument to serve You,a vessel through which I exploreand experienceYour diverse creation.Teach me to revere it as You do,to protect and honor it,to forgive it when necessary.Like me, it is...
Machinery
Machinery
Family Complete
Family Complete I have already lost a baby. I have already lost holidays with a little one. I have lost peanut butter fingerprints in the kitchenand unidentifiable globs
Knowing I am Home
Knowing I am Home This place is not quite home, but soon enough it will be. And it all begins with You.Come inside. Live with me here. Surround me in these walls. Guard me with this roof. Support me with these floorboards. Be in the food that I eat....
One Soft and Certain Voice
One Soft and Certain Voice I feel as though I am at everyone's beck and call.I am surrounded by a chorus of needsand I cannot hear myself anymore. I cannot hear You.
Blessed Meal
Blessed Meal Thank You for this food.May I savor each bitemindful of the blessings that bought it,the work that produced it,and the hands that prepared it.May I be nourished and renewedby this gift of sustenance,eager and able to pass Your blessings on.
Sustenance
Sustenance For the love in the hands that prepared this food, I thank You.For the warmth of the meal and the warmth of the conversation, I thank You.For the laughter bubbling over the spread before us, I thank You.I praise You for the joyful spirits You sustain,for the willing hands so happy to serve,for...
Owning It
Owning It Every curve and corner,every breath and impulse,it's all mine.And with the courageYou've instilled in me,I finally hold it in my hands,I stand firm and own it.
Career Steps
Career Steps I am at the very dawn of my career.I know exactly where I wantthis journey to lead. You know, too; time and again I have asked Youto take me there and nowI ask You once again.
Greater Purpose
Greater Purpose As we gather together today,we praise You for the diversity among us,for the many experiences and perspectives that make our group complete and make our mission possible.
Wednesday Perspective
Wednesday Perspective I praise You for this blessed hump—this high, centered placewhere I can be still and look around me,at where I have been this weekand where I am trying to go.Thank You for this center,this place to reevaluate,to amend and adjust my plans,to take in the events of yesterdayand weight t...
How Silently
How Silently, How Silently "What's your favorite Christmas song?" When I am asked this question, I usually over-answer. I break it down into categories. How can I help it? How do you compare "Merry Christmas, Baby" to "
Momentum Tuesday
Momentum Tuesday Today, it is full speed ahead.Here I standwith my focus on the road aheadand Your powerful hand against my back,pressing me ever forwardtoward a week well-spent.Thank You for the potentialthat remains in this week,and for the energetic spiritYou bestow, so that I may encounter the week's challenges—it's...
In My Own Words
In My Own Words Thank you for accepting my words,for opening Your armsto the sloppy child I am,my voice tripping and stutteringover a limited vocabulary,a warped perspective,an inconsistent temperament.Please help me acceptthat Your holiness is here to cover...
Impossibly Alive
Impossibly Alive I was absolutely certainI was going to die.I saw the world spin around mewhile my hands gripped the wheeland my foot frantically pumped the break.I plead with You; I begged for my life.And You were beside me.Taking control because I could not.Your strong hands guided me to...
Next Generation
Next Generation Raise the little girls.Be the first to teach them beauty,that they may honorthe light in themselvesover the faces in magazines.Be the first to teach them affection,that they may seek companionshipwithout settling for attention. Be the first to...
Help of God
With the Help of God My niece's baptism is this weekend, and for a Lutheran, that is a very big deal. In the faith of my family, baptism is the sacrament through which God enters our hearts and binds Himself to us. Although I know God has been with Rylie all this time anyway, baptism is considered the dawn of her spiritual life and the birth of her faith.
The Hike
The Hike The world seems endless.The hills rolling on below and around me,the trees tall and unbendingfrom here to the horizon and beyond.I see You.I see the work of Your hands,I hear the sound of Your voice,I feel Your breathsoft and cool on my skin.
Walk Away Gently
Walk Away Gently I cannot love him.Not the way he is asking me to.When I look at him,I see what a masterpiece You have made—An admirable mind,a kind spirit,a man deserving of genuine,unrestrained love.
With Me
With Me Here beside You, I am known. You have the words I cannot find. You know the truths I will not speak. You offer me peace I thought was out of reach. You are my warmest companion, my perfect joy.
It's All About Me
It's All About Me Confession time ladies. I stand before you all today (metaphorically, of course), and I admit it. I am self-centered. Horribly, terribly, embarrassingly self-centered. I am capable of caring about others' lives. I am also decent at putting things into perspective, at recognizing—at least cognitively—that most things are not about me and that others generally do not suffer a wild need to know what I had for lunch and how I felt...
Unfolding
Unfolding I belong to You.I know this best when I am here,sharing this space and timewith only You. I unfold here,bringing each part of myself forward againto be seen by Your familiar eyesand to be held in Your focused affection. Please unfold for me, too.Let me meet You the way You meet me--with exclusive attention,with...
Totality
Totality Let me love Youwith everything.Let my intellect adore You,my body understand You,my heart envelop You.Teach me to open entirely,that I may learn to reach for Youwith more than my words,for I am madeof more than words myself,and I am madeto commune with You. ...
Transition Friday
Transition Friday This is at once both a day of endingsand a day of beginnings.As I close the door on the work week,I praise You for the experiencesof the last five days:for the successes that have brightened meand the failures that have taught me.
Heart Opened
Heart Opened Open my heart, so I can see the truth around me.When I am shown anger,help me see the hurt that sparked it.When I am shown arrogance,help me see insecurity. When I am shown aggression, help me...
Your Name
Your Name May I honor Your Name alwaysas a blessing on my lips. Your Name is not a weapon.It is neither a catalyst for anger,nor is it proof of my righteousness. Your Name is the hand of kindness,the voice of hope,the source of all possible joy. May I only speak itin reverence and in love.
Whole
Whole Though I stomp and whine and moanfor my own idea of completion,I see that You have already made me whole.And so I praise youfor the body that sustains meand the spirit that fills me,for the friends that support meand the family that guides me,for the work that challenges meand the play that thrills me,
A Blessing in Uniform
A Blessing in Uniform Please bless the strangerin the faded uniform.Give him the peaceof a career well-served,and a service completed.Give him my thanksfor the doors he opened,the paths he paved,the battles he spared us. Please bless the strangerin the muddy uniform.Hold her...
Prosperous Soul
Prosperous Soul Remind me,when my transmission diesand the numbers in my checking accountturn red,that I am blessed—that this phase of my lifeis nothing short of a miracle.Without financial disaster,I may not discover my own creative potential.I may not learn to simplify.I may not see the love that surrounds me,the open hearts...
Saturday Freedom
Saturday Freedom Thank You for this wild, unfettered day!This day may not be all play:I still have chores to complete,responsibilities to honor—but the day is mine.The schedule is in my hands.Today, I choose my moments. Thank You for this day to center myself,to get caught up,
Ritual
Ritual I clear the space that surrounds us.I set aside the clutter of my dayso the chaos does not obstruct my view of You. I clear myself.I breathe out the weight of my egoso my heart is opened to you. I open my eyes.I find you at my side,waiting for my frantic mindto settle finally on You.
Emerging
Emerging I am great at withdrawing,at crawling deep inside myself,forgetting that I do not, cannot operate in isolation.Draw me out againand show me the community You've given me.Make me humble enoughto accept the blessings of...
What Remains
What Remains Please sit with me here,in the dark and the cold,and help me remember. Help me remember the natural peaceher presence gave.Help me remember the grace of her heart,the generosity of her spirit,the sincerity of her kindness.Help me remember all the waysYou touched the world through her.
Unloosed
Unloosed Help me release.Lay Your hands over my fists.Teach my fingers to relax,to uncurl and spread wide,letting my resentment fall away,and leaving my palms open to receiveYour waiting blessings.
The Standard
The Standard Show me Your standards again,each time I grow fearfulof becoming the spinster aunt. Remind me that I am not lookingfor a warm body to prove my worth;I am looking for a partner. I am looking for someonewho will come with me to find Youin the quietest parts of ourselves. Prepare my heart only for a lovethat places...
The Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence
The Greater Purpose of Self-Indulgence A few year ago, while working with a touring theatre company, I had a debate with a touring partner of mine regarding the nobility of acting. He argued that there was nothing noble about his career choice. I begged to differ. “Theatre is all about empathy,” I said. “Theatre gets people to sit down and be quiet long enough to imagine what it would be like to be in someone else’s shoes. I’ve seen and read so many plays that have helped me understand that people I thought were completely...
Radiant Morning!
Radiant Morning! What a wild burst of energy today!I woke this morning to Your beautiful sunlight,to Your blue skies, and a world of possibility!I am motivated. I am ready. I am Yours.
Raging Heart
Raging Heart I feel my anger overpowering me. I have lost my sense of balancemy sense of controlmy sense of security.Now I stumble my way to You and ask You,lay a calming hand over my raging heart. Give me the wisdom to see my righteous angeras an alert to danger,so that I can respond by...
Sacred Agent
Sacred Agent I ask that you make me Yours—not only your child,Your wayward lamb—but also Your instrument,Your agent of change.Teach me to surrender not to the darkness,but to the light of possibilityas Your strength sustains me,and Your wisdom guides me. For once, I...
Known
Known There is no part of meYou cannot see.You know my guilt, joy,my fear and my hope.Your knowledge of my secretsfrees me from the weight of them.Your knowledge of my soulbrings me closer to You.You know me completely,and still You love me completely.
Tail End of Hope
Tail End of Hope I cannot see the light at the end anymore.All I can see are the months stretched out before me,each one representing a new set of bills I cannot pay.I see no way out.All I see is deeper debt, deeper failure.I would love for You to guide me out of this.I am asking to be rescued.I am asking to see results.If...
M-Word
M-Word I have been afraid of money . . .afraid that understanding finances would make me cold,that preferring security makes me faithless,that wishing for prosperity makes me greedy.Please clear my heart of fear,so that You can finally provide for meby teaching me to provide for myself. Grant me the courage to put a price on my...
Restoration
Restoration My body seems to have turned on me.My head is fluid.My stomach has flipped upside downand I've got a wretched caseof the shivering sweats.I am losing time to my sickness.My body is an enemy.Stay here with me, won't You? Lay a cool hand on my foreheadand soothe my...
Sunday Stillness
Sunday Stillness Today I hold stillTo balance and recharge,To release the week beforeAnd prepare for the week ahead.With You here beside me,My mind quiets to hear Your voice.My heart opens to draw You in.And, with Your peace within and around me,I thank You for this opportunityto be made new.
Let It Ring
Let It Ring I woke this morning in America,and I know what freedom is. Where there is injustice,I am free to fight.Where there is silence,I am free to speak,Where there is hate,I am free to love.
New Love
New Love Let me be a blessing to this man.I cannot know what the future holdsand the relationship is still so young.Whether I am with him for weeks or years, help me to love him well. Give me the personal strengthto...
Pulse of the Generations
Pulse of the Generations We raise our faces to You.You who has sustainedcountless generations;with the steadiness of Your love,with the strength of Your wisdom.You are the blood that unites us.You are the pulse that revives us.You are where we begin,where we end,where we are. I...
Dear Young Girl
Dear Young Girl *Note: I write this week's post with a spirit of gratitude to my parents, who had a gift for preaching the message of pre-marital abstinence as a celebration of intimacy within marriage, rather than a warning against making myself "worthless." Thank God for all parents who raise their girls to know sexuality as a blessing. Dear Young Girl, When I was your age,...
Workplace Hazard
Workplace Hazard I dread the workday. Every day I struggle to keep peace with a difficult coworker. When I work with this personI feel my sense of self-worth diminish.I feel disrespected and unheard. As I go in to work, I feel myself bracing for a blow.Please surround me today with Your perfect peace.
Root of Love
Root of Love What a remarkable gift You've designed!Today, let those sharing Your love open their lives for one another.With bold and unbending love,each lets the other in,standing side by side in vulnerability and in strength,in suffering and in joy,in past, future, and...
What I Can Give
What I Can Give A million eyes follow me-tired eyes, hopeless eyes,searching for answers,for restoration, for miracles.But I am not a miracle worker.I am a Doctor, exhausted by long shiftsand limited energy.
Army of Hope
Army of Hope In a world rocked by devastation,by earthquakes and tsunamis,by starvation and cruelty,I am only one person.It is so easy to claim I can do nothing,so easy to be intimidatedby the disasters before me. Please soften my heart again.Remind me of my brothers and sisters,of all...
The Word
The Word There are words for what I am...words that describe someone whoshatters connections with her anger,injuring strangers and loved ones alike,as she indulges her selfishness time and again. There are words for what I am.But teach me to let them go,to look within and see You,You with your own words.Loved.Learning.Forgiven.
Unparalleled Gift of Community
Unparalleled Gift of Community The friends You have given mebring explosive joy.They bring laughter and hope.They hold and support methrough trials and uncertainty.They give me a sense of purposeby allowing me the opportunityto be an encouragement to them.Through my...
Wealth is a Jellyfish
Wealth is a Jellyfish I was a jellyfish for Halloween last year. I built my costume by way of Goodwill and Michael's, hot-gluing long ribbons to the rim of a hat covered in white fabric, and shredding a second-hand skirt for complimentary inner tentacles. It was a simple costume . . . and it was a tremendous success. At parties, strangers would run up to me, pointing and shouting like they were my Pictionary teammates:...
Intervention
Intervention The pain never stops.It has become as much a part of meas my skin, my eyes, my pulse. Please, please intervene.Reunite my body with your blessings ...with joy and life and strength. Remind me what it was to be safe in my body. And when I cannot hear Your reminders,
The Sacrifice of Strangers
The Sacrifice of Strangers Great Uncle Vic was married to Ruby only one year when he enlisted as a US soldier during World War II. He was probably younger than me when he came home on furlough and convinced his sister-in-law, Naomi, to go bowling with them. "C'mon," he said. "This may be the last chance you get to bowl with me." Naomi told me this story recently, adding, "I think he already knew somehow."
Cycles
Cycles Thank You for the seasonsYou've designed for Your creations;for the sweet and gentle signalsthat it's time to change,time to blossom and thrive,time to release and restore.May I be always opento unfamiliar winds,confident each new changespeaks of new life ahead.
The Gift
The Gift Let me give not only of my resources,but also of my spirit.May the kernel light of goodwill within mebe made greater with the giving,radiating outward,passing from fingertip to fingertip,each kindness kindling another. May every hand learn the warmth of fellowshipto receive in need and to give in prosperity--passing the flame ever...
Day of Endless Failures
Day of Endless Failures I feel as if I have not doneone single thing right today.This day has been one failureafter another:failures at workfailures at homefailures with friends.
Holy Shmoly
Holy Shmoly I was recently explaining my work at Prayables to a friend of mine, and he asked a question that I'm finding is surprisingly common. "You can write prayers?" I assured him that you could. "I thought you were supposed to just read prayers. Like from scripture or whatever."
Tribal Rhythm
Tribal Rhythm I have learned that belly dance is all about isolation. My teacher taught me this several weeks ago, explaining that the hypnotizing nature of the dance comes from the way the hips and the torso move independently. I have also learned that the act of learning belly dance is a sort of isolation.
The Interview
The Interview I want this job.My mind is whirling with the sense of possibility,a heart heavy with the fear of disappointment.As I go into my interview,please keep my head clear of what-if'sand my heart clear of if-only's.Give...
My Girls
My Girls As my mother and I sliced cheese and summer sausage at her kitchen counter, my dad lit a fire in the fireplace and asked me, “What time are your girls coming over?” My girls. I felt a stream of giddiness shoot from my gut to my heart—we lived miles apart and our lives had taken very different paths, and yet they were still my girls, my crew, my posse.
Machinery
Machinery
Vlog: Holiday Gifts
Holiday Gifts
Thursday Promise
Thursday Promise Today I will work hard,I will focus and endure.And I will do so cheerfully,because today I have the joyof knowing I am 'almost there.'I am grateful to Youfor the work of the week,and as I look at my to-do list,I am grateful that thereis still time aheadto complete unfinished tasks.But my...
