One more morning

Thank you Father for one more morning.  For sight of the dawn coming earlier and buds on the trees.  For the sound of birds chirping.  For the smell of coffee and the taste of honey.  For the feeling of slow stretches.  For belief.

One more time

Lift up your hands

Lift up your spirit.  Twice.

Anytime

Spend some time listening to a choir praise and thank God... at your leisure.  Thanks to modern technology you can be standing in a small church, swaying and clapping your hands with the congregation.

Every day and on weekends

Praise and thanks are given in dark rooms, at the movies and on stage.  Over 2 and 1/2 million viewers clicked on this video:

Looking for inspiration?

Looking for inspiration?

Searching for answers?  Looking for performances or creative works by those proclaiming their faith?  Trying to find fresh or penetrating insight on Christianity?

One may try Google, Bing or YouTube; I did this morning and found this:

Christians

www.Pronto.com·Find Christians at Great Prices.

(perhaps the savvy SEO folks will give a cash discount)

As winter turns into Spring

Please Lord

may the Spirit flow within and through me,

circle around me, stand beneath me

and float above me.

Please Lord

may I have the wisdom to understand

the nudges and guidance of the Spirit.

And may I have wherewithal –

the strength and stamina,

the focus and the discipline

to do as Thy will.

All kinds of ways

Sitting still on a sunny afternoon, lying down half asleep, kneeling in a darkened room and walking as the night sky changes into shades of purple, gray and blue… there is an infinite amount of time, positions and places to pray.

Look around

Sometimes we see a sign of belief, or receive affirmation, in a chance encounter or while taking an unexpected detour.  Messages and reminders of faith, inspiration and encouragement are everywhere, some of them unknown and unseen until God lights them up with a neon rainbow of colors.

Often we need only look and listen.

And remember we are not alone.

Fix me Jesus

Just before setting forth how we should pray [reciting the ‘Lord’s Prayer’] Jesus said, “… for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  Matthew 5:8.

God is taking care of me in remarkable ways; still, there are some needs with which I think that I must play a part in addressing.  The manner and method of doing so isn’t clear.   I continue to struggle with a lifetime of lessons that have not yet been learned; the enormity of my own deficiencies can be overwhelming.  So… I pray:  Fix me Jesus.

.

Thank you Father, thank you for what your Son has done... and can do.

Fix me Jesus.  Please.

Let go, let God

There are shorthand expressions that Christians commonly use; one example is ‘let go, let God’.

Let go, let God:  it’s a concept that one can welcome, even cause a sigh of relief.  Plus, it seems simple enough to put into practice… initially.  It’s more difficult to apply when facing daily, monthly and eternal reality.  What, when and how much of a part must we play?

Here’s a common dilemma when facing an obstacle:  how long should we try to chip away at it, climb over it or find a way around it?  Or is it infinitely thick, high and wide.... a barrier, a sign that we’re heading in the wrong direction?

What exactly is God’s message?  How do we discern our part?  What signs may be taken as affirmation?  Scholars could write books about it; pastors can point out endless variations; fellow Christians will tell you to pray.  Myself?  I muddle along. Perhaps you have answers or suggestions.  If so… 

In his care

Thank you Lord.

Thank you for healing.

Thank you for carrying my yoke.

Thank you for your intercession

with our Father.

Thank you for enabling me to be more

receptive to the Spirit.

Thank you for nurturing my faith.

Thank you for helping with my unbelief.

Thank you Jesus.

TV, naps and sleeping in

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

The Bible contains essential admonitions and lessons about ordinary living.  There are principles that aren’t exclusively or necessarily religious, but are invaluable tenets.

Sadly for me, and many others who attended church and Sunday school in our youth only to leave it when entering adulthood, I missed any emphasis on some truly critical instructions.  One of the top ten I missed has to do with time… and time off. 

This is a passage that should have been written on my palm in indelible red ink:

Proverbs 6:9-11

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

                        When will you get up from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,

                        a little folding of the hands to rest –

and poverty will come on you like a bandit

and scarcity like an armed man.

Rest and recreation in hindsight:  Beach, bar and nap time needn’t preclude maintaining, honing, exploring, developing and applying skills

Joy, comfort and triumph

The joy and comfort of belief in Jesus sometimes goes on the backburner while in the crunch of an ongoing crisis or troubling periods.  A reminder of what we have: