Week Ending Friday, September 2, 2022
{quotes}
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller
Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
Let your cares drive you to God. I shall not mind if you have many of them if each one leads you to prayer. If every fret makes you lean more on the Beloved, it will be a benefit.
Charles Spurgeon
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Our maturity will be judged by how well we are able to agree to disagree and yet continue to love one another, to care for one another, and cherish one another and seek the greater good of the other.
Desmond Tutu
{blessings}
No Expectations
Loving-kindness goes beyond simply being kind. It’s being kind without expectations. May you be blessed to perform the act of doing deeds fully in the spirit of God’s love.
Up Close
You can see life through a telescope, gazing at stars, observing people unnoticed, or looking for the future. With a microscope, you can see what’s under your nose. May God bless you with clarity of vision today that gets close up, and personal.
Easy Path
It’s an easy path to happiness when you quit worrying about things that are beyond the power of your will. May God bless you with an end to useless worry.
End of Summer
You’ve had your summer fun, now it’s time to get things done. May you be blessed with a smooth transition to the new season that’s upon us.
Positive Happy Words
Imagine learning a new language that only had positive happy words to choose from. May God bless you to speak words of faith, hope, and joy today.
{prayers}
Call Me Higher (day 1)
Hear my cry Oh God, listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth, I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Oh, how I long for higher ground. For safety and security, Yes! But also for a different perspective. A clear view. A new vision. Call me higher.
Call Me Higher (day 2)
Hear my cry Oh God, listen to my prayer. Call me higher to that place where I can find the courage to lay down the rod of the oppressor when I find that it is me who is holding it. Call me to that place where repentance and forgiveness are signs of strength. Call me higher.
Call Me Higher (day 3)
Hear my cry Oh God, listen to my prayer. Call me higher into human decency. In to the healing embrace of a higher power. Call me higher into the dream of God.
Call Me Higher (day 4)
Hear my cry Oh God, listen to my prayer. Call me higher to that place where the bonds of common humanity are recognized and honored and celebrated across the full spectrum of human beings. Call me higher to that place where the foundational ideals of liberty and justice for all are not perceived as existential threats to some who are privileged. Call me higher.
Call Me Higher (day 5)
Hear my cry Oh God, listen to my prayer. Call me higher to that place of peace. Salam, Shalom, and give me the courage to heed the call for the life and love and good of our nation and our world.
Full Prayer by Reverend Brian Grantz (adapted)
{bible affirmations}
Malachi 2:13-14
Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure. You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
Psalm 103:17
Praise the Lord, my soul, from everlasting to everlasting. God’s love is with the children of each generation and God’s love is with those who give honor to Him.
Proverb 15:13
Greet everyone you see with a cheerful countenance.
Genesis Rabbah 5:12
In many places, we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed respect to the elders.
Bible commentary from ancient sages 300-500 CE
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes before you. God will be with you. God will not fail you or forsake you.
{stories, features, videos}
Story: Good Luck, Bad Luck
Feature: 11 Years Old and College Bound
Feature: Funny Morning Prayer
Feature: The Only Survivor of a Lightening Strike Wonders Why
Feature: Moses Humor
Feature: Politician Votes Against Same-Sex Marriage Attends Son’s Same-Sex Wedding