Week Ending Friday, November 18, 2022
{quotes}
All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In creating the world, God extended the astounding gift of existence to something other than himself, which, necessarily, means to something less than perfect. Tucker Landy
Live up to the best that is in you: Live noble lives, as you all may, in whatever condition you may find yourselves.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
Indira Gandhi
{blessings}
Use it!
Set aside time to think, generate and create new ideas. God has blessed you with a working brain, today is the day to use it.
For the Ones
For the ones who feel like they’re surrounded by too much information. For the ones who feel checked out but don’t know how to check back in. For the ones who feel exhausted by all the streams of communication. You are not alone. May God bless you with nearness.
Hannah Brenchner
Gift of Friendship
Love and kindness are inseparable friends. God has blessed you with the gift of friendship. Now you know why.
Solid Five
There are five levels of listening. 1. Not listening. 2. Act like you are listening 3. Partially listening 4. Listening to every word 5. Listening to understand the person who is speaking. May God raise you up and bless you to listen at level 5.
Unthinkable
The unthinkable happened. You didn’t have a choice in it, but you do have a choice in how you react to it. May God bless you with calm, rational thinking in challenging times.
{prayers}
Being Myself
Dear God. You love me with all my quirks and odd habits. Thank you for bringing me to this stage in my life where I can be myself, confident and brave. Silly and sometimes stupid, but always with a heart that beats in the rhythm of love.
Prayer for Money Miracle
Dear God, I try to be self-reliant and not ask too often, but this is one of those times I need Your divine intervention. Financial problems keep me awake at night and hound me constantly, leaving little time for You, me, or those who depend on me. I’m praying for a money miracle.
You Make Me Whole
Though I stomp and whine and moan for my own idea of completion, I see that You have already made me whole. And so I praise you for the body that sustains me and the spirit that fills me, for the friends that support me and the family that guides me, for the work that challenges me and the play that thrills me, for the knowledge that grounds me and the faith that centers me. You infuse my life with Your spirit. Thank You for the kind of completion only Your hands can design.
My Daughter, A Woman
Dear God, show me the way to help my daughter be the woman You call her to be. Grace me with wisdom, a gift of guidance and restraint from holding on too tightly, advising too freely, and meddling too much. It’s a fine line between mothering and smothering. With You by my side, I will keep a healthy balance.
No One Forgotten
Dear God, May every one of Your children feel truly recognized and appreciated. Let no one feel forgotten or neglected. The worker, the caregiver, the lonely, the overwhelmed. Let all feel the deep and enduring gratitude of the people who know them.
{bible affirmations}
Luke 2:40
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.
Psalm 147:5-6
Great and mighty is our Lord with wisdom that cannot be measured. God raises the humble and brings the wicked to the ground.
Ethics of the Fathers 1:2
Be careful in judgment.
Deuteronomy 31:6
I am strong and courageous. They do not scare me, I am not afraid of them or anyone else, for the Lord my God goes with me. God does not leave my side, God does not give up on me, Not now, not ever.
Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised. To God be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
{stories, features, videos}
Story: They Who Are Celebrated
Poetry: The One Who Thinks They Can
Video: Comedy Stand-Up by Michael Jr.
Feature: A Town Goes Offline
Video: Opera Child Prodigy
Feature: Tackling Senior Loneliness with Four Hundred Sixty Thousand Letters