Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Eyes of Faith....
Set aside the cares and concerns of your day and rest in the presence of God, who is with you at this moment.
Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, in word or
deed, do everything in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through him.
Loving God, I am so very grateful for the gift and grace of faith in my life. May that gift continue to bear fruit, so that I might be a light for those in darkness....
....also Loving God, I know that you want to help me live in right relationship with you and others. Help me to know your will and have the courage to change my ways. Amen.
Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, in word or
deed, do everything in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through him.
Loving God, I am so very grateful for the gift and grace of faith in my life. May that gift continue to bear fruit, so that I might be a light for those in darkness........also Loving God, I know that you want to help me live in right relationship with you and others. Help me to know your will and have the courage to change my ways. Amen.
Friday, October 8, 2010
God's living Care...
Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
God saw to it that creation meets our every need. In this passage from Genesis, we find the tree of life at the center of Eden. God's care and love for us are manifested not only in the life he gives us today but also in his desire for us to share eternal life with him. Each day we are called to praise God for his love in the way we love each other.
How can I better learn to trust in God to fill my needs? 
Bountiful God, give me the peace to share generously, trusting in your abundant blessings to meet all of my needs. Amen.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
God saw to it that creation meets our every need. In this passage from Genesis, we find the tree of life at the center of Eden. God's care and love for us are manifested not only in the life he gives us today but also in his desire for us to share eternal life with him. Each day we are called to praise God for his love in the way we love each other.
How can I better learn to trust in God to fill my needs? How can I praise God in the way I treat others?
Bountiful God, give me the peace to share generously, trusting in your abundant blessings to meet all of my needs. Amen. 
Monday, October 4, 2010
Hope...
I place no hope in my strength,
nor in my works:
but all my confidence is in God my protector,
who never abandons those who have
put all their hope and thought in Him.
~Francois Rabelais~
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Changing Focus....
1 Corinthians 13:13...
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
When the pressures of life seem unbearable, it is natural to want to escape. The church has a rich history of religious who chose to leave worldly concerns and turn their attention to God. Their choice was not to escape but to change their focus. The same change can happen to us when we focus on the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith allows us to believe and give ourselves totally to God; hope gives us the assurance that God's way will be done; and love frees us to give ourselves completely to others. Faith, hope, and love are the gifts poured out on us by the Holy Spirit.
How would my life be different if I lived by faith, hope, and charity?
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
When the pressures of life seem unbearable, it is natural to want to escape. The church has a rich history of religious who chose to leave worldly concerns and turn their attention to God. Their choice was not to escape but to change their focus. The same change can happen to us when we focus on the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith allows us to believe and give ourselves totally to God; hope gives us the assurance that God's way will be done; and love frees us to give ourselves completely to others. Faith, hope, and love are the gifts poured out on us by the Holy Spirit.
How would my life be different if I lived by faith, hope, and charity?Do I ever let my timetable or expectations cloud my ability to be hopeful? How can I encourage others to be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit that conveys each of these gifts?
Lord, you know the stresses and issues that cloud my mind and heart. Send forth your Spirit that I may with greater clarity embrace and act upon the gifts of faith, hope, and love. Amen.
Passionate Care...
Psalm 8: 4-6:
When I see your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars
that you set in place__
what are humans that
you are mindful of them,
mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them
little less than a god,
crowned them with glory and honor.
Have yu ever found yourself overwhelmed by the beauty of nature? it is humbling to realize that the same God who created all of these things and so much more also created you. But this realization also invites us to reflect on the ways we see God's handiwork in ourselves and in the people aroind us. it's not always as evident as the moon and the stars but it is equally as awe-inspiring! the Cretor of the universe cares passionately about each of us and calls us to the glory and honor for which we were made.
When I see your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars
that you set in place__
what are humans that
you are mindful of them,
mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them
little less than a god,
crowned them with glory and honor.
Have yu ever found yourself overwhelmed by the beauty of nature? it is humbling to realize that the same God who created all of these things and so much more also created you. But this realization also invites us to reflect on the ways we see God's handiwork in ourselves and in the people aroind us. it's not always as evident as the moon and the stars but it is equally as awe-inspiring! the Cretor of the universe cares passionately about each of us and calls us to the glory and honor for which we were made. Where have you noticed God's mindfulness in your life today?
How is God's handiwork revealed to you through others?
God of all creation, thank you for your loving and tender care of us. Help me to grow in awareness of the great dignity to which you call us, and to share it with those I meet. Amen.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
August Garden....
A PRAYER FOR FORGIVING ONESELF....
Gracious God, my heart is heavy with my own failures. I try to excuse them and explain to myself why they occurred, because I want to be free from the feeling that I am unworthy and incapable of being all that I can be. But I find it easier to accept your forgiveness than to forgive myself. When I try to forgive myself, it seems I only remember and re-play my failures in my mind, and a sense fo hopelessness floods over me. Help me to know that my past actions are a part of my growing humanity and that even when I fail to live up to what is your will for me, every single moment can be lived anew. Remind me that refusing to forgive myself only keeps me from experiencing that newness. Assure me of the truth that by casting "my sins into the depth of the sea" (micah 7:19), you have freed me to discard them myself and live the next moment as if it were my first--for indeed it is. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
Thank You for letting me experience your forgiveness in the garden, which all the beauty is from you.
Gracious God, my heart is heavy with my own failures. I try to excuse them and explain to myself why they occurred, because I want to be free from the feeling that I am unworthy and incapable of being all that I can be. But I find it easier to accept your forgiveness than to forgive myself. When I try to forgive myself, it seems I only remember and re-play my failures in my mind, and a sense fo hopelessness floods over me. Help me to know that my past actions are a part of my growing humanity and that even when I fail to live up to what is your will for me, every single moment can be lived anew. Remind me that refusing to forgive myself only keeps me from experiencing that newness. Assure me of the truth that by casting "my sins into the depth of the sea" (micah 7:19), you have freed me to discard them myself and live the next moment as if it were my first--for indeed it is. I ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.
Thank You for letting me experience your forgiveness in the garden, which all the beauty is from you.
This is my prayer,
Rhonda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)