Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Praying for peace...

Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Prince of Peace,
come and break into our warring world.
Violence is in the streets -- and not just in far away lands.
Violence is in our hearts, our homes, our world...

Lord,
just this week I realized
the middle schoolers that I spent last week with
they were all born after September 11, 2001
and therefore have lived
in the shadow of the threat of terrorism.

Come, Lord Jesus,
and bring your peace
in Israel and Palestine,
in Ukraine,
in Libya,
in Syria,
in families separated and estranged,
in our streets,
in our homes.

Come and surprise us with YOUR peace.
Amen.


------
The Rev will be on the radio Thursday, July 31 @ 5pm.
Tune in 105.3FM or http://www.coolbeach1053.com/listen.html

I am grateful to my friend Don Arnsan
who periodically invites me to be a co-host during the drive at 5!
It's a childhood dream! My brother and I used to pretend to be DJs.
It also makes me laugh because my college classmates voted me "most likely to be a televangelist"!
So far I've made it on the web and on the radio... not yet on TV, but who knows!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Called by God...

Jeremiah 1:4-8 
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said,
“Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.”
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.”


From the first day, Lord,
I have depended on your grace.
You've given me a passion
to share your love with others,
to tell the stories of your faithfulness,
to shape the lives of others for your sake.

Today, like all the days before,
I will need your help.
I will need your words.
I will need your strength, your courage.
Most of all, I will need your presence.

My heartfelt desire is to be
a tangible embodiment
of your grace
to the world.

Lord God,
you have called us
to ventures of which we cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden,
through perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with good courage,
not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us
and your love supporting us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




------
Today, July 28, 2014,
marks the 12th anniversary of my ordination
as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church USA.
I am grateful for the people who have shaped my life,
the opportunities I've had, and
the future unfolding in God's hands!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

This week our high school and middle school students are away at the Montreat Youth Conference, a powerful retreat setting for Spiritual growth! (two separate retreat at two separate places)

I ask for your prayers for the students and leaders while they discover anew the power of God's transforming love. These thoughts are from the Middle School conference today...


Verse:
Revelation 3:20
“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”

Reflect:
Notice the verbs in the verse that describe part of the faithful response to Jesus’ knocking: 
listen, 
hear, 
open, 
eat. 

Besides these actions, what other things do we do that demonstrate our faith?



This verse emphasizes Jesus with us and us with Jesus, i.e., our relationship with God through Christ.
How has your relationship with God—your faith—been strengthened this week?


Pray:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

Friday, July 25, 2014

What keeps us from hearing Jesus' voice?

This week our high school and middle school students are away at the Montreat Youth Conference, a powerful retreat setting for Spiritual growth! (two separate retreat at two separate places)

I ask for your prayers for the students and leaders while they discover anew the power of God's transforming love. These thoughts are from the Middle School conference today...

Verse:
Revelation 3:20
“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”

Reflect:
Jesus doesn't say, “Open the door, I’m coming in!” He says, essentially, “If you hear my voice, if you open the door, then I will come in.” 
Jesus is always right here, still speaking to us, but sometimes we have a hard time noticing. What are the things that keep you from hearing Jesus’ voice?

What are the things that, even if you hear his voice, keep you from opening the door? 
Even though Jesus still remains with us, is it easier to talk/listen with the door wide open?


Pray: (from Psalm 51)

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.


Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Knock, Knock...

This week our high school and middle school students are away at the Montreat Youth Conference, a powerful retreat setting for Spiritual growth! (two separate retreat at two separate places)

I ask for your prayers for the students and leaders while they discover anew the power of God's transforming love. These thoughts are from the Middle School conference today...

Scripture:
Revelation 3:20
“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”


Reflect:
Why might Jesus be knocking on your door? 


If you heard a knock at the door and you realized it was Jesus, what would you do? Why?

Prayer (from Psalm 139)
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it...

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
Amen.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

We belong to God... no matter what!

This week our high school students are away at the Montreat Youth Conference, a powerful retreat setting for Spiritual growth!

Today (Wednesday) our Middle School students travel to Maryville College in Tennessee to participate in their own retreat for Spiritual growth. (I am among them as a leader!)


I ask for your prayers for the students and leaders while they discover anew the power of God's transforming love. The below prayers follow their study this week.

Theme of the day: God is with us and we belong to God.
Scripture of the day:
John 13:1-17
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Reflect:

• Why do you think Jesus was so insistent about washing the feet of his friends, especially since he knew what they were getting ready to betray him, deny him, forsake him?

• What does this passage say about who Jesus is and how he treats both his friends and his betrayers?

Prayer:
We know that you are here with us, God, 
in this beautiful, supportive and loving place, 
but we also know that there are many 
who need to experience the grace, love, healing and joy 
that only You can bring. 
Be with .................... (pray for those who come to mind)

Comfort those who are grieving.
Embrace those who are dying.
Keep safe those who are traveling,
especially today middle school students and leaders.
Bring peace not only our hearts, but to our world!

We lift these, and all our prayers to You, 
knowing that you love and care 
for ALL your children and 
that we ALL belong to You.
Amen.

Monday, July 21, 2014

We belong to each other... part of God's family...


This week our high school students are away (and soon our middle school students will also go) at the Montreat Youth Conference, a powerful retreat setting for Spiritual growth!
I ask for your prayers for the students and leaders while they discover anew the power of God's transforming love.  The below prayers follow their study this week.



Theme of the day: 
We belong to each other because we are a part of God’s family of faith.


Scripture:
John 1:1-13

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life,and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

Today we’ve spent a lot of time talking about being members of the family of God...”

Reflect:
• What feels comforting, exciting or special about being a member of one, huge, world-wide, intergenerational family of God?


• What feels weird about it and why is being a part of God’s family sometimes hard?



Prayer:

Today, 
we are so thankful, Lord,
that you chose to love us so much
that you created us to be your sons and daughters. 

Even when we mess up and disappoint you, 
we know that you are the ever-loving parent 
who never stops loving us, no matter what, 
and always welcomes us back home. 

Be with all your children this night, 
especially those who are facing hard times

Help us to be the sons and daughters 
you created us to be - 
children who are rooted in your love 
and have been called to reach out to the world. 
Amen.


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Lamp to my feet

PSALM 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to observe your righteous ordinances.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word.
Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your ordinances.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your decrees are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.

O God of light,
in whom there is no darkness at all,
shine your lamp on the path before me.
Light my way that I may not stumble.
Show me the pitfalls, the traps, the snares before me
and give me the strength to step confidently.

Through the day and into the night,
I meditate on your life giving Word.
In the sacred stories,
I find hope, courage, and strength.

Illumine my mind, my heart, and my soul
that I will be singular in my devotion to my faithful savior, Jesus Christ,
"whom to know is life,
whom to serve is freedom,
whom to love is joy!"  **
Amen.






** This part of the prayer I learned from Dr. Howard Hansen serving at First Presbyterian Church, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  He remembered it from the 1946 Book of Common Worship from a prayer for Candidates for Ministry, p. 218. Thank you, Howard, for teaching me to pray this phrase!

Monday, July 14, 2014

The good and the weeds.

MATTHEW 13:24-30
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”


The good and the weeds.


Lord Jesus,
I remember hearing once
a weed is just a flower
planted in the wrong place.

In me, I find growing
both the good and the weeds.
Oh, how I wish it were not so.
But you are gracious nurturing the good, despite the weeds.

As Martin Luther once said,
we are simultaneously forgiven sinners.
Sin is always at work in our lives.
So too your grace always at work
forgiving, amending, redeeming even our worst.

At harvest time,
may you pick the good and
burn the weeds in me.
Amen.

A sower went out to sow.

MATTHEW 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears listen!”

the below is not written by me... but it is a helpful prayer for today...


A sower went out to sow.

Father, every time
I hear this parable,
I am struck by how
unbelievably generous you are,
and how full of optimism and hope.

You don't hoard seed and drop it
only in the warmest, richest soil.
No, you toss the seeds of the kingdom
everywhere, equally,
with no fear of running short.
No matter how poor the conditions,
you give every one of us,
every part of us,
a chance to germinate and grow.

And, Father, every time
I hear this parable,
I am struck by how
unbelievably patient you are.
I know that it can take
150,000 years or more
for rock to pulverize,
mix with organic compounds,
and become top soil just a foot deep.
And just as you wait patiently
for rock to become soil,
so you wait patiently
for my stony heart
to become fertile ground
for your kingdom.

Father, no matter how stony
my heart might be,
thank you for never holding back
the seeds of your life and love.
Thank you for giving me so many
chances to share in your divine life--
in each Sunday's worship,
in prayer, in Scripture,
and in every opportunity
life gives me to be
your Son's disciple.

And just as that the seed
falling on rocky ground
is part of the process--
sprouting in the cracks
to help break open the rock
and leaving organic compounds behind
(rock can't become soil without them)--
so help me to realize, Father,
that each time your life
sprouts in me,
even if it fades,
it is part of your process
of slowly transforming me
into the image of your Son.

Thank you, Father,
for your generosity,
for your patience
for your hope in me,
for your love,
for your life.

Amen.