A Thankful Prayer

Eternal, Awesome, Holy, Compassionate, Righteous, Redeemer, Recreating, Lord of my life, Lover of my soul, Giver of all that is good, Jehovah Jirah my Provider, Great God, thank You for this beautiful new day that I may praise You for Your unending grace and love for me. Thank You for the way You nurture me and help me grow. Thank You for Your presence with me today and always for I will never walk alone. Thank You for Your unending grace that You pour down from heaven upon my life.

Thank You for the wisdom You give me as I walk in the calling You have placed upon my life. Forgive me for the times that I doubt my call and let man try and take away what You have gifted me with. Forgive me for the times that I fail to see Your unending grace and purposes in my life. Forgive me when I listen to the lies of the enemy as he whispers fear and condemnation in my ear. May I listen more to Your voice and less to the voice of the enemy as You whisper love, hope, purpose and joy deep within my soul.

Lord, as I step out in faith and trust, hold my hand so that I will not trip over the edge of the boat as I step out onto the waters of my life. Speak words of hope into my life as I focus on You and not the world or circumstances around me. Draw me so close to You that not only do I hear but will feel Your heartbeat. Hide me so that I may find rest beneath Your wings of Love.

On this Thanksgiving day...I am truly Thankful for the Giving You have done in and through my life. I am Thankful for the Giving of the gifts and graces that You have given me that make me uniquely qualified for Your purposes in my life. I am Thankful for the Giving of the family You have given me as we sit around Your table where every we may be. Most of all, I am Thankful for the Giving of Salvation found only in and through my Risen Lord, Jesus Christ in Who's Name I pray.

Amen, amen and AMEN!

In Our Anger May We Not Sin...

1 Peter 4:10/Proverbs 12:16

(1 Peter 4:10New International Version (NIV)

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.)

(Proverbs 12:16New International Version (NIV)

16 Fools show their annoyance at once,

    but the prudent overlook an insult.)

It can be so easy sometimes to hold on to those "offenses" that we feel others have done to us. As we hold onto them we are the ones that are hurt, not those who we may be angry at. When Jesus walked this world, He was offended in many ways. But, even as He hung on the Cross, He was full of compassion and forgiveness.

Now...if the Author and Perfector of our faith can forgive even as He was crucified, how can we not do the same? As we stretch out our hand in forgiveness, we are changed and become more like Him. As we are transformed, we can affect a transformation of those around us. Just think about that…

God of Hope

God of Hope and Peace, full of compassion and healing, I pray for the gates of Heaven to be open and Your hope, peace healing and grace would pour down from Heaven upon Your people and Your land. We are thirst for Your showers of mercy to rain upon us...renewing us...redeeming us...flowing upon the dry parched land of our souls. We pray for Your grace to forgive those who trespass against us so that we too will be forgiven. Forgive us, we pray, for those times when we have ignored Your nudging to forgive others and hold onto anger and bitterness. Forgive us, we pray, for those times when we should have shown mercy but have taken on "self-righteousness". Help us to set aside our differences and our agendas and see each other as beloved children of the Most High God in order to understand and believe that everyone is of Sacred Worth to You. May we bring wholeness and healing, hope and peace, joy and healing, mercy and grace. Help us to be Your hands, feet, face, voice and grace to a world full of despair and chaos...

God of Peace

God of Peace, on this Sunday of Advent we are reminded of the Peace that You give all who believe. Thank you that even though the world around us is in chaos, You still offer that peace that goes beyond understanding. Thank you that that our Risen Lord Jesus taught us how to live in peace with one another. Oh, if we would just learn that lesson there would truly be a "Peaceable Kingdom" here on earth. May this Advent be one that we, as humanity, would embrace that peace and treat each other a little kinder, with more compassion and hope. May we, as humanity, learn that vital lesson that Jesus taught...everything and everyone is of sacred worth. You are our hope, our peace, our joy and our love. In You there is no fear of rejection...no fear of worthlessness, no fear at all for Your love and compassion casts out all fear... May we be at peace within our Spirit so that we may reach out to those in need of Your saving grace. May we be Your light bearers of change...of hope...and of peace...

God of Advent

Forever God of Advent, full of hope, peace, joy and love. Thank you that You loved humanity so much that You came down in a form that we would understand...the form of a human child...and taught us how You want us to live. Forgive us for those times that we forget the true meaning of this season. You are not found in the noise and confusion, You are not found in the tinsel and garland, You are not found in business of the season, You are found in the quiet, still, small voice of our hearts. Thank you for the most precious gift of Yourself found in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. May we share the perfect gift of the season, You, with all those who live in darkness. May we be light bearers  for the world that still is in need of light for it's eyes.