Let Your Eye Be On Me

Lord, through this day,
my hands will be on the wheel,
but let your eye be one me.
Let your angels surround, guide,
and protect me,
and see me safely
to my various destinations,
and finally to my lodging tonight,
that I may serve you
from a tranquil heart
and sharp mind tomorrow,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Keyboard Prayer

Lord God, my Father, my King,
my Sovereign, my All,
I RETURN to you with all my heart,
I ENTER your presence with gratitude and joy,
I ESCAPE into your arms and nestle in the shadow of your wing.

DELETE the stain of worldly strife and wicked desires.
SHIFT my attention and priorities to reflect your wishes.
COMMAND me and bend me to your will.
CONTROL my impulse, intellect, and intentions
until I see no OPTION
and pursue no FUNCTION
but that which is utterly and constantly
pleasing to you,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Now and Then

Almighty God, thank you
that you not only loved me,
but you love me right now.
Thank you that you saved me
and are saving me.
Thank you that you spoke,
and that you speak.
Thank you that you gave yourself for me
and that you give yourself to me.
Thank you that you thought of me eons ago
and think of me still,
that you made a way for me
and make a way for me still,
that you answered my prayers
and answer them still.
Thank you, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
that you are the God of the living THEN
and of my life NOW,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Give Yourself to Me

Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself back to me. Lo, I love you, but if my love is too mean, let me love more passionately. I cannot gauge my love, nor know how far it fails, how much more love I need for my life to set its course straight into your arms, never swerving until hidden in the covert of your face. This alone I know, that without you all to me is misery, woe outside myself and woe within, and all wealth but penury, if it is not my God.

(a prayer from The Confessions of St. Augustine)

Possession

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Of My Bursting Heart

Gracious Sovereign Lord, you know this day is likely to be filled with a million emotions for me. This day--my son's last as worship leader at Cobblestone Community Church--will fill my heart with joy and sorrow, grief and gratitude, blessing and beauty, love and pride and wonder, and a million other emotions I couldn't even begin to label.

You have been good, Lord. You have let me be blessed over and over again by Aaron and Nina's worship leading, and that of their friends and fellow worshipers. You have let me wrestle with pride. You have filled my eyes with tears at Aaron and Nina's growth and depth and passion and ability. You have rebuked and encouraged, broken and blessed me through them.

But today it may be hard to focus my heart and mind as I should. It may be hard to worship truly and fully while such emotions wash over me. I promise to try, Lord, because you are always and completely worthy of my unflagging attention and my unmixed, undiluted worship. Just be pleased, Lord, to take the joy and sorrow, grief and gratitude, blessing and beauty, love and pride and wonder of my heart as the meager offering of my bursting heart, in Jesus' name, amen.

Remove

My Lord and my God,
remove far from me
whatever keeps me
from You.

My Lord and my God,
confer upon me
whatever enables me
to reach You.

My Lord and my God,
free me from self
and make me
wholly Yours.

(a prayer of Nicholas of Flue)

Dispose the Day

How Thou pleasest, God,
Dispose the day.

(William Shakespeare, Henry V, Act IV, Scene III)

Thanks for a Spiritual Mentor

You put me under the wing of a saint, and I have stayed there. You used his hands to bear me up, and the result has been grace upon grace. I asked for instruction in religion: he made me get down on my knees and make my confession and sent me straight away to Holy Communion. When I think of it, I cannot stop myself from crying: and I do not want to stop the tears running down for, O God, they are so justified. What streams of tears should flow from my eyes at the remembrance of so many mercies! How good you have been--how happy I am! What have I done to deserve it?

(a prayer of Charles de Foucauld, from The Spiritual Autobiography of Charles de Foucauld)

Save Me From Gluttony

Abba,
please save me from gluttony.
Let me say with my actions
that my belly is not my god.
Teach me to eat for nourishment and enjoyment,
but not in a futile attempt
to fulfill spiritual or emotional needs.

Control my eating today, Lord;
transform me physically by renewing me mentally and spiritually,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Spirit Wind

Lord God Adonai,
teach me please not to be blown around
on the waves of circumstances,
but to sail solely
by the wind
of the Spirit,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(photo courtesy of my friend Willa Patterson)

Prayer After a Day of Air Travel

God of sky and air,
God of heaven and earth,
thank you for our safe travel yesterday.
Thank you for the shuttle drivers who got us to the airport from the hotel
and to our car from the airport.
Thank you for the security staff that treated us kindly.
Thank you for the pilots, flight attendants, and ground crew
whose work served us well.
Thank you for the gate agent that kept the door open for us.
Thank you that we made our connection, if barely.
Thank you that our luggage made it, too.
Thank you that our car started.
Thank you that we had enough gas in the tank to make it to the gas station.
Thank you for keeping us safe in the sky and on the roads,
and returning us safely to our sweet, sweet home,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Prayer for a Day of Air Travel

Sunday Prayer

Good morning, Abba!

Thank you for another day,
another Sunday,
another resurrection morning,
another day of worship.

Please, make this a sacred day,
a day in which your Name is magnified,
your praise multiplied,
your glory manifested,
your heart made glad.

Meet your gathering servants.
Condescend to every waiting heart.
Make every heart beat with devotion
that all may worship You in spirit and in truth.

Unite your people in heart and soul,
that every one may receive the blessing
promised to all who sincerely pray to You
and faithfully hear Your Word,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

Compline

Before the ending of the day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That you, with steadfast love, would keep
Your watch around us while we sleep.

From evil dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Tread underfoot our deadly foe
That we no sinful thought may know.

O Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, your only Son;
And Holy Spirit, by whose breath
Our souls are raised to life from death.

Valentine

Like summer snow
floating from a sun-filled sky,
draping airy-white on flowered fields,
Your love astonished me.

No frilly show,
no assorted-chocolate pledge,
no candy hearts or silver kisses
disclosed your care for me;

But unsparing,
thorn-wearing
cross-bearing love,
that opened hands and feet and side
to spill your heart for me,

To recreate,
inundate my longing soul
with giving, holding, accepting,
enfolding love for me.

The Grandparents They Need

Abba, Father, by your great mercy, grace, and power, make us exactly and always the kind of grandparents our grandchildren need.

Whether they are near or far, make us worthy of their love and trust. Let them always feel safe with us. Make us wise in word and deed toward them. Help us to be firm when they need it, playful when they need that, and understanding at all times.

Help us to teach them your ways. Help us to prioritize time with them. Help us to make the most of every moment we have with them.

May we always be a refuge for them. An encouragement to them. A blessing. A resource. An example. A help. And a channel of your will and work in them, in Jesus' name, amen.

Always Welcome

Bob Bennett / You're Welcome Here from Calvary Chapel Life on Vimeo.

A Writer’s Confession

Most holy and merciful Father:
I confess that I have sinned by my own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what I have done, and by what I have left undone.

I have not loved you with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. I have let the idea of being a writer distract me from devotion to you. I have made myself busier with words than with your Word. I have been consumed by my writing plans and dreams rather than your good, perfect, and pleasing will for me. I have been impatient with you, instead of trusting your love, wisdom, and timing.

Nor have I loved my neighbor as myself. I have been envious of others. I have sought advancement over others. I have made uncharitable judgments toward others.

Have mercy on me, Lord.

I have relied on my own strength.

Have mercy on me, Lord.

I have prioritized approval and affirmation from others instead of seeking your smile first and always.

I confess to you, Lord.

I have been discouraged by disappointing sales and lagging income instead of trusting you for my reputation and daily bread.

I confess to you, Lord.

I have been been physically and intellectually lazy.

I confess to you, Lord.

I have worried more than prayed.

I confess to you, Lord.

I have written pablum when you deserved poetry. I have hurried when you urged patience. I have settled for my thoughts instead of plumbing your depths.

I confess to you, Lord.

Accept my repentance, Lord, for the wrongs I have done.

Forgive me, and try me again.

Hear me, that I may hear you,

And write your thoughts on my heart that I may write what will reach the hearts of others, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(photo by danilo.mistroni, via everystockphoto.com)

On Tiptoe

Esperar En Ti

Speed the Day

Lord,
please speed the day
when his vest--
and his sister's--
will be unnecessary,
when nebulizers and inhalers are put away,
when they can eat without taking enzymes,
when their pancreases function properly,
when their lungs are clear,
when their life expectancy is lengthened,
when their prospects are unlimited,
when their struggles and pains
have nothing to do with cystic fibrosis,
because a cure has been found
or a miraculous healing has taken place,
in Jesus' name, amen.

(visit here to learn more)

Without Veneer

Lord God,
please let me be
graced with the opportunity
to live without veneer.

(from a line by M. Craig Barnes in his book, The Pastor as Minor Poet, p. 38).

For Your Word

Lord God, I praise you for your Word and its words.
I praise you for every syllable and every stroke in its pages.
I praise you for the sanctified thoughts of every biblical author,
and the painstaking care of every scribe;
for its miraculous preservation and propagation over millennia;
for the translators who studied and worked
to make the message plain.

I praise you for its availability in my lifetime.
I praise you for the times—few though they are—I have heard and heeded it.
I praise you for its immeasurable influence on my life,
my home,
my family,
my culture,
my country,
my world,
my age,
in Jesus’ name, amen.

(photo by Plusverde, via stock.xchng)

I Run To You

Jesus,
Lover of my soul,
Source of all good,
I flee to you,
I run into your arms,
my Friend,
my Brother,
my Lord and my God,
my Savior,
my Stronghold.
Amen.

In the Shadow

It's good here, Lord.
Safe,
Dry,
Sheltered,
Protected,
Calm,
Peaceful,
Quiet.
Under the shadow of your wings.

(Photo credit: Brad Harrison, Beaver River Media, via stock.xchng)

I Pretend to Nothing

My God, I pretend to nothing upon this earth,
except to be so firmly united to you by prayer
that to be separated from you may be impossible;
let others desire riches and glory;
for my part, I desire but one thing,
and that is to be inseparably united to you,
and to place in you alone
all my hopes of happiness
and repose.

(a prayer of St. John Scholasticus)

Ven, Espiritu, Ven

//Ven, Espiritu, ven,
//Come Spirit, come
Y llename Señor
And fill me Lord (God)
Con tu preciosa uncion.//
With Your precious anointing oil


Purificame y lavame,
Purify me and wash me clean
Renuevame, restaurame, Señor,
Renew me and restore me, Lord
Con tu poder.
With Your power.


Purificame y lavame,
Purify me and wash me clean
Renuevame, restaurame, Señor,
Renew me and restore me, Lord
Te quiero conocer.
I want to know You.

A Writer's Hymn

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my laughter and my tears, all my insecurities and fears.
Take my desk and office chair, take my flittings here and there.
Take my keyboard, and my screen. Take my pages, plans, and schemes.
Take my grins, my groans, my frowns. Take my pacings up and down.

Let every bit be used by you, the good, the bad, and ugly too.
Make me better than I know to be, by being yours while being me,
Let every word I type be true by coming first and most from you.
Suggest, revise, inform, inspire, and take my writing higher and higher.

Take my fingertips, let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.

(based on and drawing from a hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal)