Week Ending Friday, March 17, 2023
{quotes}
There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.
Alexander Woolcott
You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.
Jeannette Rankin
The faculty of returning wandering attention over and over again is the very root of character, judgment, and will.
William James
The most important thing in any relationship is not what you get but what you give.
Eleanor Roosevelt
{blessings}
Perfect Order
You see the sun rise in the morning and the sun set at night in a perfect order of God. You, too, have been blessed with a perfectly ordered plan for your life, arranged by God with your strengths in mind, with deference to your weakness, with a glorious purpose. The best part is all you have to do, is have faith and patience.
Omnipotence of the Lord
God’s existence is radically different from the existence of all else. Question if you must, but never doubt the omnipotence of the Lord and the blessings you receive each day.
React in Faith
When you get angry – your faith in God leaves you. But when you reaffirm God’s will, even, and especially during the low points, you won’t react negatively. You will be filled with awe instead. May you be blessed with faith-filled reactions to circumstances that come naturally with God’s plan.
Of God’s Choosing
All things from God are contingent and brought into being for a reason or cause of God’s choosing. May you be blessed to go with the holy flow of the unfolding of your life, a precious gift from God.
Irish Blessing
May your blessings outnumber shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go. May you never forget what is worth remembering, nor remember what is best forgotten. May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends that care. ~Irish Blessings
{prayers}
Buried Prayers
I stand before You, Lord, with only hope in hand. When the pain refuses to subside, I hope. When people in my life struggle, I hope. When my heart feels empty, I hope you uncover my deeply buried prayers—praise to You, source of faith and provider of hope everlasting.
Gentle Purpose
Make calm Your seas that lie ahead. Breathe gently, Your breezes. Shine bright, Your sun. Dear God, fill my soul with purpose and be with me as I sail to my holy destiny.
Bad Habits Prayer
Lord, keep me from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details, give me wings to get to the point. I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others’ pains. Help me to endure them with patience. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains. They are increasing, and my love of rehashing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally, it is possible that I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint, some of them are so hard to live with, but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of a life gone astray. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Make me thoughtful, but not moody, helpful, but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all. But You know, Lord, that I would like to have a few friends until the end.
Basketball Prayer
The ball is in my court. Dear God, remind me to play fairly, to share the ball with others passing it to my teammates when the time is right—boldly making the play when my shot is clear. Whether the calls are for or against me, help me display sportsman-like conduct for all the world to see and admire. May I be a good leader on the court and off, a humble winner and a gracious loser, no matter the outcome. I give glory to You, O God, Almighty, my coach, source of all talent, the reason for being.
Prayer for St Patrick’s Day
Dear God, On this day of shamrocks and celebration, when leprechauns adorn every restaurant and bar. Let me remember the saints. Those who resisted excess and practiced piety, humility, and sanctity of spirit. Help me be holy, not green with envy or greed. Bless me, dear God, as I strive to be good and noble, this day and all the days of my life.
{bible affirmations}
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy.
Matthew 17:20
If you have faith, even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’
Isaiah 55:8-9
God’s thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways God’s ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth’s, so are God’s ways higher than your ways. Therefore, God’s thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
Psalm 29:9
The Lord’s voice shakes the oaks. The leaves fall off the trees. All on earth say, Glory to God!
Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. He withholds no good thing from one whose walk is blameless.
{stories, features, videos}
Video: Stranger at the Gate
Blog: Monday Club: Going Back, Moving Forward Hannah Brenchner
Feature: Kung Fu Nuns
Feature: Sister Jean’s Memoir of Fath and Basketball
Humor: Scroller’s Prayer
Music Video: Irish Dancing