Loving God, In a world where people so many cannot escape the violence, help those of us who are not under constant threat be radically committed to non-violence. May we never glorify our friends, our family or our elected officials threatening others with harm. May we never remain silent when others use language of hate when speaking of or to any of Your beloved children. Help us to measure our ...
Read More
God of Peace, On Veteran’s Day, we pray for all who have served our country on land or sea or air, at home or in far away lands. We pray for the safety of future veterans in active combat zones, and for those in places where violence could rear its ugly head at any time. We pray for those who made it home alive, but for whom life has never been the ...
Read More
Note: I've been writing a version of this prayer for several years now. Here is the 2023 version. Maker of all things, We pray for those who are overworked and overwrought. For those who are overwhelmed and just plain over it. For those who feel like there are not enough hours in the day and for those who fill their hours with that which does not feel like enough. For those who have lost ...
Read More
(as Idalia makes landfall) Creating God, It’s hard when Your good creation is trying to kill us. It’s hard to reconcile a loving creator with a creation that can, at times, be devastatingly beautiful and then be just plain devastating. We know we are complicit We know we haven’t cared for Your Earth the way You told us to But, to be fair, these natural born killers existed way before any coal engines or smoke stacks ...
Read MoreThere are far too many Pinterest and Instagram stories out there from people who get up at five in the morning, fix themselves a cup of coffee or a very specific kind of tea and then spend an hour with their Bible and notebook in prayer and study. So, that is fantastic...if it works for you. But most of us are NOT going to be able to pull that off in ...
Read More
Hey friends, I spent last week with a bunch of people engaged in Christian camping ministry. If you know me, you know that I LOVE camp. We had one session where we broke up into small groups and talked about ways we experience God's abiding presence in our lives. I got some really good feedback on the exercise, so I thought I'd share it with you. Disclaimer: time in nature is ...
Read More
Jesus, Gentle Healer, our pain is piled on top of pain We've just about done all we can do. We've worn our masks. We got our vaccines. We've kept our distance. We've missed out on so much. We thought we were done. But it keeps coming back. Another cancelled trip. Another missed event. Another season of missed revenue. Another distance learning day. Another friend who is no longer with us. The pile of grief and pain and ...
Read More
Note: this prayer is not meant to exclude the unvaccinated. It is to give voice and vocabulary to the frustrations and struggles I am hearing from those who are vaccinated (and am experiencing myself). I believe our prayers are most effective when we can be honest with God and ourselves about what we are thinking and how we are feeling--especially when we wish weren't feeling and thinking those things. God, ...
Read More
On this day when the first vaccines are being administered to first responders, we pray: For healthcare workers on the frontlines who are physically and mentally exhausted. For those who continue to battle the virus in hospitals and in homes. For the long-haulers who have been dealing with the effects of this virus for months. For the custodians and janitors and all the unseen heroes who tirelessly clean and sanitize to keep ...
Read More
God of love and God of all, We enter into this election with an anxiety unmatched by any election day that has come before. Instead of a nation coming together to elect a common leader, we are a nation coming apart at the seams. We are battling for the soul of America, but we have very different ideas of how that soul should look, feel and behave. We fear for the safety and peace ...
Read More
Creator of all things, We pray for those who are overworked and overwrought. For those who feel like there are not enough hours in the day and for those who fill their hours with that which does not feel like enough. For those who have lost work, those who fear going to work and those who are desperately seeking work. For those who work in spaces and places where their own health and ...
Read More
At a time when (for many) work, school and home life all take place in one space, it can be hard to separate one from another. Everything morphs together, and it can feel like school or work never really ends. The feeling of "home" has been taken away. There's no magic wand to wave to fix the stress and strain we're all under right now, but an establishment of simple rituals ...
Read More
I've been using the same Mother's Day prayer for years now. I've adjusted it this year to reflect our realities. May we mindful of the myriad of emotions Mother's Day stirs up for people we love--especially this year. Today we pray for moms. We pray for the moms who bake cupcakes, wait in car lines, pack lunches, juggle sports schedules and preside over petty playground squabbles. We pray for moms who are ...
Read More
About 10 days ago, we talked about Psalms of Communal Lament in our weekly Zoom Bible study. Lament (crying out to God) is expressed throughout our scriptures. It is a form of prayer that is cathartic and reassuring at the same time. I encourage you to write your own Psalm of Communal Lament, but for now, here is mine: Almighty God, Creator of all, things are getting really ...
Read More
There are seasons in life when the pain just seems to pile on. Those times when we don't dare say, "at least it can't get any worse," because we know that it can and probably will. These seasons are difficult enough when they are our own, but perhaps even more difficult when they are happening to people we love, and we feel helpless in our efforts to alleviate ...
Read More
Creator of all things, We pray for those who are overworked and overwrought For those who feel like there are not enough hours in the day and for those who fill their hours with that which does not feel like enough For those who are facing layoffs and those who are looking for help to bear the load For those who find it easier to be at work than to be at home For those ...
Read More
Gracious God, This United States is so very divided. We desperately need uniters. Send us leaders who recognize the plight of the white, rural family farmer and of the brown, urban small business owner...and seek to help both. Raise up leaders who value the work of the bus driver as much as that of the board member. Give us leaders who will be truly pro-life, making sure all of our children have healthcare, ...
Read More
May those who have waited until the last minute be swift and safe on their way to the post box (or be fleet of finger on their keyboards). May those who turned in their forms weeks ago resist the urge to be smug. May those who feel taxed by the work that comes their way during this season find some relief. May those who receive a refund spend it wisely. May those counting on ...
Read More
When you're getting ready to move, you find all sorts of treasures--photos, forgotten clothing, misplaced jewelry. I've been finding prayers--tucked into books, scrawled in notebooks, drafted into liturgies. I found this one that I once used for a children's message, but (like all good children's messages), I think it's a good prayer for any age. I'm pretty sure I didn't write it, so if anyone knows who did, I'd love to ...
Read More
I have a book of liturgical prayers written by Beverly Sawyer, who served as an associate pastor at Pulaski Heights Methodist Church in Little Rock in the late 1970s and early 80s. I really appreciate her prayers, for while she used beautiful language, she could be brutally honest about our own feelings, shortcomings and missteps. I found a prayer she wrote during the Cuban refugee crisis, when about 125,000 Cubans ...
Read More
Over Christmas, my husband and I got both sets of parents (and ourselves) the new Facebook Portal so that we could video chat with them. My father-in-law has had some health issues, and it's been a real blessing to not only talk but to see him and my mother-in-law on a video chat format that's easy for everyone to use. But the portal comes with something I said I'd ...
Read More
Gracious God, You must get so weary with all our thoughts and prayers. You must wonder why there's been another shooting and still no one is going to do a damn thing to stop the next one. You tell us over and over again to "be not afraid"...and yet we persist in our fear. You must be grieved that we put much more time and energy trying to keep people out than we put ...
Read More
Gracious and loving God, Today, we give thanks that we live in the United States and for the freedoms and rights we often take for granted. We are grateful for the right to vote, and we honor those who sacrificed so that we might each have a voice. May we never take the privilege for granted. We ask that You would help heal the deep divisions that exist in our country. Help us ...
Read More
We're all still trying go process the horrific acts of violence from this past week--bombs and synagogue shootings and remember the Kentucky grocery store shooting? Yeah, that happened this week, too. As we struggle with what our response as people of faith should be, I thought I'd share several articles, prayers and ideas that from other people of faith that I have found helpful. Hope you do to. Saturday Prayer--Don't Be ...
Read More
I recently ran across a Prayer for Decision Making. I took a look at it and decided pretty quickly it was not a prayer that I could pray authentically. So I wrote my own Prayer for Decision Making: Ok, God, I've got this HUGE decision to make. I know You realize it's not nearly the big deal I have made it out to be in my head, because You know the big ...
Read More
Often, we think we are just too busy to pray, and when we do pause to think about prayer, we don't know what to say. Don't fret. Start your week off right with these prayers in your metaphorical back pocket and pull them out when you need them. (They can be used independently, together or in connection with other prayers of your choosing.) Prince of peace, please help me cling to ...
Read More
In my neck of the woods, most schools kick off classes tomorrow. Whether or not we have kids of our own, we all benefit when the children in our community have positive experiences in school and receive a solid education. Here's a prayer we can pray today and throughout the year for the kids, teachers and parents in our midst. Thank you, God for children whose excitement and energy and creativity ...
Read More
May those who have waited until the last minute be swift and safe on their way to the post box (or at least be fleet of finger on their keyboards) May those who turned in their forms weeks ago resist the urge to be smug May those who feel taxed by the work that comes their way during this season find some relief May those who receive a refund spend it wisely May those ...
Read More
This is what we've come to: Thank you God. Only two this time. Only two children died in the latest school shooting. (I mean, at the time of this writing it is the latest school shooting...at least as far as I know...there's probably another one happening by now.) Thank you, God, that it was high school kids. Kids who have grown up in the school shooting culture and have been trained in how to ...
Read More
In our 22 plus 44 days to a Personal Practice, we've talked about how technology can be a great aid to prayer and devotional disciplines. If you haven't checked out these apps, take a look. The Ceaseless app is designed to pull from your contacts and remind you daily to pray for three or more of them (picked at random) from your contact list. The beauty of this app is that ...
Read MoreThis is one of the prayers we're doing in our 22 plus 44 Days to a Personal Prayer Practice. In the midst of hectic days and troubled times, I've found this one particularly helpful, so I thought I'd share with everyone. Breath Prayer There are several ways to do breath prayer, and we'll go through several types over the next few days. The goal of this prayer is simply to experience God. ...
Read MoreIn my neck of the woods, we are about two weeks away from the start of the school year (except for the kids who have already started at year-round charter schools), so all of the articles about the importance of preparing the night before--backpacks, homework, breakfast, lunches, etc--are starting to appear. We all know mornings go more smoothly when we've taken the time to prep the night before. We don't always ...
Read More
I've was never a huge Kei$ha fan when she was at her peak. First of all, there's that dollar sign in her name (how substantive can you be when money is literally part of your name?). Then, there are the songs that made her famous, which celebrate and champion drunken debauchery. One night of drinking too much and dancing too hard and staying out too late can be celebratory and ...
Read MoreActs 2:42-47 Chapter two is kind of the rah, rah, "yay, church!" chapter of the Book of Acts. The first part of Acts 2 is the story of Pentecost, which we celebrate every year in May or June. It’s the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. It's wild and colorful and exciting and inspiring. The latter part of the chapter gives us a glimpse into the early church. The ...
Read MoreIt has occurred to me that, because I'm a "trained professional," that people may have some pre-conceived notions about how I'm praying when I tell them I'm praying for them or their loved ones. Spoiler alert: I am not an eloquent pray-er. Here are just some of the prayers I've prayed today. Feel free to be completely appalled or to adapt any and all for your personal use. Dear God, I know that ____________ is a ...
Read More