Blessed

Gratitude

For those who have gone before me

Those who taught me

Those who showed me

Those who loved me though I was unlovable(They are truly grace filled)

They are the Saints that I love

Holy God,

I give thanks today for being loved

For all my faults made me unlovable

Someone saw something and changed me

The Saints that came into my life

Who lead me to where I needed to be

And held me when I was down

Thank you for the Saint that have lived and died and now live again

Thank you for the grace to accept these Saints into your care

For in your mercy, I am loved

Amen

Silence

Trying to have silence while the yard crews are doing their work outside.

Praying that this feeling passes. The feeling of being tired. about 4 hours of sleep last night.

Trying to find the right words for a newsletter.

Trying to figure out what is going on in my heart.

I'll just keep praying.

Walking in circles

The Heart’s Blossom. I was at the Cathedral last night for the Labyrinths, quiet time and music.

As I walked to the center I had thoughts (emptying did not happen)

At the center of a Rose.

Being surrounded by beauty

Being present in the center

Being present to others around me

All seeking center

All quiet

Growing

Quieting walking

Passing each other

Making turns on a path

Wondering where the curves, intersections will lead.

A center in silence

Being present in my heart to your heart

Feeling the beauty as the flower slowly unfolds

With me in it.

High Anxiety

Serpents and traveling.  Anxiety setting in?  My readings for today seemed to be focused on serpents and traveling and all I could think of was my upcoming trip. I may not be as settled as I seem.

Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer,

Calm my anxiety, Bring peace to my inner being, Slow my thoughts down, Clear my paths of serpents, Slow me down and let me see the obstacles that threaten me. That keep me wandering on the wrong paths.

This I pray, is my journey toward hope.
While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.

Amen

Desire

Psalm 19:9- 10 the fear of the Lord is pure,
   enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
   and righteous altogether.
¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
   and drippings of the honeycomb.

Lord,

Do I desire the sweetness in your living?
Do I seek to be righteous within you and with you?
Do I respect what you have taught me and are teaching me?
My prayer today is for listening to your word.
What you will be saying to me as I go out.
What calls me and envelops me to be more that I can be by myself.
For your hope is with me and your love holds me.
This I pray, is my journey toward hope.
While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.

Come to Rest

Henry Nouwen writes that the literal translation of pray always is “come to rest”
p. 6 Katheen Norris, Acedia & me.

 

Lord,

May I come to rest in you as you come to rest in me.
My journey this lent is about being restored to you.
My time in this wilderness apart is about reflecting on my past and being made whole in you.
By you.
I know that I am always with you and you are always with me.
I know my journey is about what I have done,
What I have said,
Where I have been.
But Lord,
How can I,
What can I,
What shall I be with you?
New in life and new in creation!
This I pray, is my journey toward hope.
While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.
Amen

Where is the sleep?

Sleep was alluding me. The snow is falling in a silent blizzard. But I want it to be all over and I wake up with the world white.

 

Patience and being a patient. Waiting while healing. I was hurting from so much. The hurts of the past were on my mind. My body ached from the weather outside. I sat in bed trying to sleep with words of a song going through my head,

 Oh Lord hear my prayer,
Oh Lord hear my prayer,
When I call
Answer me,
Oh Lord hear my prayer,
Oh Lord hear my prayer
Come and listen to me.
This I pray, is my journey toward hope.
While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.

Amen 

Praying for sleep.

floating around

Creator, Sustainer and redeemer,

 

There are times in my life I knew what I was doing, 

Things were so clear.  Things were so right.

Now I feel like I am adrift again.  In a small boat on the sea.

But sometimes lost is where I need to be.

Not knowing my direction doesn’t mean I don’t have one.

There are currents moving me along directions I cannot see.

There are winds that I can feel blowing me along too.

My sea is my wilderness,

My temptations are the things that want me to veer off course.

Even if I don’t know the course.

This I pray, is my journey toward hope.

While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.

Amen

Prayer for Today

Crying out in darkness and a reply.

I was sitting and reading when I heard a cat crying.  I was not sure where the cry was coming from so I searched it out.
It appeared Sam had been locked in the garage for some time and was crying out to be released
from his prison, his darkness.
When I opened the door, he was friendly, loving, purred all over me and wanted to be held.  This is so unlike him.

 

I started wondering, Am I like that? 
When I am released from my darkness, do I stay close to God?
Am I changed?  forever?

Most holy and living God,
In the darkness I cry out.
Not certain of being heard.
Yet I cry out.
I cry out in the prison I made,
In the darkness I entered, I cry out,
What I fear most, I have made myself.
When you hear me and let me out of my own prison,
I come close to you,
I stay by you,
Being held by you,
Gazing at you,
Knowing you are loving me.
Blessing me,
Giving me grace and mercy, 
Grace and mercy.
Thank you Lord,
This I pray, is my journey toward hope.
While I wait for my soul to catch up, my heart to heal.

Amen

Giving thank for what is

Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.
   - Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

Loving Creator,

I am moved today in the new light of your glory to be present.
To remember I am loved as your child.
I am held as your child that goes out and stumbles.
I am blessed that I can cry mercy and receive grace.
I am loved beyond belief.
For all of this, I give thanks.
Today is enough.
Today is a start.
The sun is rising to start a new day.
And I am still blessed.
Thank you.
Amen

Still pondering

I have a prayer group in a few minutes but have a headache and feel pretty bad.  

So do I go?

I think the quiet will do me good and give da wif space to work on homework.

A leaf

A leaf does not fall off, it just lets go.  (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

 

God,

What is it that I am not willing to let go of?

What keeps me connected to what was?

Not willing to see what is.

I pray that I can let go and enjoy the weightlessness of the air as I float from what is to what is.

I may not understand the tree but know I was a part of it.

I now I need to let go of so much but fear is what keeps me hanging on.

 

Lord,

Release me from my fear of the unknown and let me grow and change.

From what is to what will be.

I have it in me.  I just need to allow it to happen.

I give it all to you.

Because it is too big for me.

In the name of Jesus I pray.

Amen

A Spark

God of the seeker,

You gave me a promise.

A promise is a bright spark that has not been born.

It is a longing to hope that we all have.

It is that one most desired warmth we seek.

A promise of always being with me.

Even in the valley of darkness.

I find the spark.

 

When nothing seems to be going right

There is a spark of inspiration.

 

When my way has never seemed clearer.

A spark is with me.

I thank you for always being with me.

Pushing, pulling, rolling, carrying, nudging getting me going again

Because I am always your child.

Amen

Vacare Deo

I read these words yesterday morning.  Then I heard them again.
Someone talking to me??

Vacare Deo.   ---   Making space for God.

Lord,
In these days filled with too much stuff,

Bring me back to center.

The promise that is filled with hope.

The quiet of the morning at dawn.(Sorry for you non-morning people)

Where the world starts again.

The evening where we find rest.

A room where we can be alone.

All of these spaces are big enough for one

but are calling us to make more space.

Space inside ourselves where we can be honest.

Where we can laugh, cry, ponder.

Where we can be honest and say what we feel.

God is waiting for us there.

I need to make room.

I need to make time.

I need to make space

God does.

Amen

Unmovable object

God,

What is unmovable in your eyes?

Can the earth stand against you?

Or is it set in motion like the sun, moon, stars and tides are?

Does everything not move or move?

What comes in the way to put things in motion?

 

I see it as love.

Love is what moves all.

Love is the reason for so much.

Love moves the sun, the stars. 

It set the tides in motion.

It wears down mountains.

It is born in small places.

It grows to be as big as the redwoods.

It is like the wind blowing on the sea.

It is what awakens me to the new day.

With the light and love that is given for me.

It is enough for me.

 

Thanks be to you, Holy One.

Amen

Understand

Lord,

How come I can understand how magnetic lines of flux travel in open air,

yet I can look at a person and not understand what motivates them?

How can I sit and watch snow fall, knowing all the flakes are different

But curse the effects of the slippery road I am traveling?

Lord

I think I understand so much but really understand so little.

The world is so big and I am so small but want and wish for more understanding of things.

I pray for acceptance I what I have learned and seek to understand what my wanderings teach me.

I wish for it to be easy but know it will never be easy.

Life is not easy.

Life happens.

I deal with it.

I thank you for what I have learned and how I learned to deal with life.

I think I understand some of you.

I will never know the answers until one day.

But that one day will be filled with no more questions.

But awe.

Thanks be!

Amen

Life on the 20th

This happened yesterday.
I went to the bus stop expecting to catch a bus then take a train to downtown to watch the inauguration. I had just missed one bus when another one pulled up. It said “Special” on the side and the bus driver yelled out “Hop on, free ride” So I got on and so did everyone else. The bus was full yet I had no idea where I was going. The bus pulled away and stopped at a light and allowed a family to cross the street and get on too.
The bus then gets on the highway which was empty of cars and drives us straight into the city and drops us all off 1 block from where I wanted to be.
What a wonderful start to the day. It was something that the day gifted me.

God of gifts.
Would I know that I need to get on the bus when it comes by?
Would I see the joy and excitement on the faces of your children?
Would I have faith to go where it takes me?
Lord I pray that I can always trust so much.
For you lead me to places that are wonderful.
Your grace keeps me warm.
Your children surround me with excitement.
I just need to be willing to get on.
Amen

A prayer for prayer 2 January 2009

Gifts: Prayer

Prayer and love are learned in the hour when prayer becomes impossible and the heart has turned to stone.

   - Thomas Merton

 

Lord God,

I thank you for the gift of prayer,

The gift of conversation with you.

The gift of you answering in ways I understand

In ways I seek to understand.

And to be understood.

I pray that my words are  enough

My actions are with my prayer,

My love, grace and peace, fitted to service in you.

Today and tomorrow.

May it be so.

Amen

 

 

 

I am on hiatus for a few days.  I will be in Israel.  If I am able, I will send out a prayer.

A Prayer for the New Year

Gifts: Wonder

Mark 9:15  As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

Holy and Loving God,
I thank you for the wonder given to us, for us.
As I
Wonder about your love,
Wonder about your grace,
Wonder about why you love even me.
I wonder about what keeps drawing me to you.
And I know it is irristable grace.
A reason for wonder.
As I start this new year I am full of wonder.
Wonder for peace.
Wonder for love
Wonder for joy.
And I am thankful I have this wonder
Amen

New Year's Eve 2008 Prayer

Gifts: Peace

 

I choose to end this year wishing you peace.

Thanking God for the peace that is here.

Praying for peace.

May we all wage peace this upcoming year.

May peace be with you.

So be it today.

So be it tomorrow.

Amen