Week End June 1, 2018
{quotes}
Worry is like a prayer gone wrong.
I saw impossible things and fear did not win.
The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.
Solomon Ibn Gabriol
Carry into evening all you want from this day.
To limit your desires and your hopes is to misunderstand God’s infinite goodness.
Love means substituting “I” for “Thou”
{blessings}
Powerful Prayer
Prayer. There is tremendous power in it. Prayer has the power to settle you, center you and bring you close to God. May you be blessed with powerful prayer.
Grief
Grief can bite like the stinging wind and no overcoat can take away the chill. At other times grief becomes a memory that warms like the sun. May God bless you with heartwarming memories to comfort you in times of loss.
Marc Shapiro (adapted)
Overlooked
Being a good friend is about overlooking another’s faults and missteps. May your friendships be blessed by your goodness and may you only see the good in others.
Sail Away
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. May God bless you with safe sailing away from the harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (adapted)
Open Arms
You survive and thrive not by holding on to what was, but by creatively changing to what is. May you be blessed with open arms ready to embrace what’s new. God lives in the present – stand there by His side.
{prayers}
Loss of Life
In the quiet sanctuaries of our own hearts, let each of us name and call on the One whose power over us is great and gentle, firm and forgiving, holy and healing: You who created us, who sustain us, who call us to live in peace, hear our prayer this day. Hear our prayer for all who have died, whose hearts and hopes are known to you alone. Hear our prayer for those who put the welfare of others ahead of their own and give us hearts as generous as theirs. Hear our prayer for those who gave their lives in the service of others, and accept the gift of their sacrifice. Help us to shape and make a world where we will lay down the arms of war and turn our swords into plowshares for a harvest of justice and peace. Comfort those who grieve the loss of their loved ones and let your healing be the hope in our hearts. Hear our prayer this day and in your mercy answer us in the name of all that is holy.
Austin Fleming
Silence
At times I wonder if You are listening. Your silence leaves me thinking I have been abandoned. There are days when my heart is silent. Words for prayer just won’t come. I struggle to string thoughts together in a way that makes sense. But there is always something deep down inside, to stir my soul and prompt me to keep praying.
Gift to Myself
Prayer is a gift I give myself. I turn to You, God because then I am not alone. I give You my troubles: You can bear them. I give You my thanks: You grant me all my needs. I give You my praise: You give me more to admire. I get more than I can ever give, and that is why I’m here today to say thank You. Amen
Light of Giving
Let me give not only of my resources, but also of my spirit. May the kernel light of goodwill within me be made greater with the giving, radiating outward, passing from fingertip to fingertip, each kindness kindling another. May every hand learn the warmth of fellowship to receive in need and to give in prosperity- passing the flame ever forward until all the world is awash in the brilliant light of giving.
Frequency of Gratitude
Dear God, Help me to tune out the channel of darkness and despair and turn on the frequency of gratitude. I declare! It is in my power to focus on the love and goodness in the world. Amen
{stories, features, video}
Story: The Man Who Wanted to be Poor
Video: Memorial Day Tribute feat. Vets Speech by Ronald Reagan
Holy Humor: Heaven’s Welcome
Video: Belove God, by Brene Brown
Feature: Officer Discovers Toddler in Hot Car
{bible affirmations}
Deuteronomy 4:39
Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
God is here.
Nehemiah 9:15
You provided bread from heaven for their hunger. You brought forth water from a rock for their thirst.
The miracle of the manna story is not the manna – it’s that God heard the complaining of the Israelites in the wilderness and did something about it. God hears and God delivers.
Psalm 118:19
Open to me the gates of righteousness and I will enter.
I will be morally correct – righteous but not pompous.
Hebrews 13:2
Show hospitality to strangers. Some have entertained angels without knowing it.
I will reach out to those seeking human kindness.
1 Peter 1:6
There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.
Praise God! I look forward to the good times ahead. My faith sustains me.