an alphabet of blessings

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Blessings, Christianity, Compliments, God, Jesus, Kindness, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Over the past few nights there has been a trailer for an episode of a  former show starring Charlie Sheen in which the brother exchange insults alphabetically.  The sheer sadness of that relationship is beyond comprehension.  What an unhappy life those characters must have.

But what really struck me was that this alphabetical exchange could be used in a wholesome, positive and affirming way.  It made me think of an encounter I had last Sunday where in the few moments of an exchange of a greeting I was complimented four times by the same person.  (There was a part of me that wanted to ask her to just follow me around for the day–but only the neurotic part of me.)  

So when I saw that same trailer again last night it reminded me about Sunday morning and how the layering on of positive and affirmative statements are good for building up a person’s spirits.  It would also be good for building up their leadership skills, their courage in difficult situations, their gifts for ministry, their desire to do the right thing….and so on and so on and so on.  

Giving compliments and affirming people takes so little effort on our part, but it can literally change a person’s day, and it is something that I think we need to do more of.  So I started thinking, what if, we all took a day and did the alphabet of compliments.  What would that mean to us, and to others.

so here is a list of alphabetical compliments which I am sure have been true of you at some time.

Your AFFIRMING nature encourages those who know you.

Your BOLDNESS in many situations show signs of COMMITMENT and DETERMINATION.

Your ENCOURAGING hearts lift spirits wherever you go.

Your FAITH is a source of inspiration for others.

Your GENEROSITY changes lives

Your HELPFULNESS makes lives better for others.

Your INSPIRING MESSAGES fill others with hope.

Your willingness to JOURNEY  with people in difficult times is a source of great comfort.

Your KINDNESS makes a great difference to those with empty hearts.

Your LOVING NATURE brings joy.

Your MATURE insights show solutions to many problems.

Your NURTURING  instincts make people feel safe around you.

Your OPEN HEART shows people the love of God.

Your PATIENCE shows that you have an understanding nature.

Your QUIETNESS, shares the peace of the Spirit.

Your RETICENCE means that you can be trusted to keep a confidence.

The goodness that you SHARE brings joy to the hearts of people.

You THINK about God in ways that make him seem more reachable to others.

Your UNLIMITED ENTHUSIASM makes tackling even the toughest problems manageable.

Your VALIANT EFFORTS make a big difference on the committees that you work with.

Your WILLING SPIRIT inspires confidence.

You are eXACTLY  the person for the job

Your YEARNING for God will be rewarded.

Your ZEAL for the gospel fills you with God-like graces.

Phew.  That was far more difficult than I anticipated.  But I am glad I tried this.  It will be a good reminder to me to take a more positive and affirming outlook on life and the good people that touch my life in so many ways.

To those of you whom I know personally thank you for being in my life.  You mean a lot to me.

To those of you whom I know only through this blog, the comments you have made on my thoughts have encouraged me and uplifted me, and the insights in your own writing have inspired me, made me laugh, and given me much to think about.

May an alphabet full of blessings come to you this day.

 

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promises–blessing without end

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blessing, Christianity, God, hope, Jesus, prayer, Religion, spirituality

One of the things that I know, and often fail to remember is that God is with me in all circumstances.  When things get tough I forget that and feel abandoned.  When things get really good, I forget that as I take the blessings for granted.

It is good to be reminded, that our God is always with us.  It is even better to be reminded that our blessings are a gift from God.

You have witnessed my struggle in difficult days, aching to hang on to faith in God, searching for an answer to the loss of job and home that was coming.  It was hard to believe that God was with me….

Since I have entered unemployment, I have also entered a new blessedness.  The friend with whom I am staying and a mutual friend of both of us, have been so warm, welcoming, supportive, kind, and gracious that I actually feel spoiled.  More than that every where I have gone to preach as I have covered vacations the people have affirmed my gifts and that I am doing what I am called to do.  The blessings go on.  

Today I was reminded, in the most beautiful way that these blessings that overcome my circumstances come from God.  I opened a Bible program to look at the Scriptures for Sunday, and the verse of the day was from Psalm 42….. this is what it said….

Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer. MSG

my life is God’s prayer.  I am filled with God’s love.  I am comforted by the music of heaven and I am held in God’s prayer.  Maybe that’s why Scripture tells us that God knows our prayers before we utter them.  He is already holding those prayer needs for me.  THIS IS TRULY BLESSING WITHOUT END.

unfinished

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Christianity, God, growth, Jesus, prayer, Religion, Spirit, spirituality

This morning I lay in bed, trying to go back to sleep and finish a dream.  It just wan’t working however, and I felt a little frustrated, because I hate unfinished dreams.  I always want to know how things turned out.  When they are unfinished they feel unresolved.

Yet, unfinished is what life is all about.  I recently read the novel “the unfinished garden”.  Gardens, of course, are never finished, they constantly require weeding, overgrown plants need to be removed and new ones put in their place.  And so it goes year after year.

In the novel the garden was a metaphor for relationships, which are also unfinished.  We never know everything about another person and we are never finished working on our relationships, confessing and forgiving wrongs, healing hurts, discovering new joys.  Relationships worth having, also have that component of growth and change as we come to know one another more deeply and intimately.

That in itself is a good description of the life we have in God.  Day by day we come to know him more deeply.  We confess our sins.  We receive forgiveness.  We know his healing touch.  We discover new joys in our relationship.  

Because we value our relationship with God, we are willing to spend time getting to know his Word, telling him about our hopes and dreams, and seeking the treasures that he is laying at our feet.  At times it may be frustrating as we want more to be revealed.  At times it is difficult as the lessons of faith cause deep introspection.  Sometimes it is sheer joy as we learn to soar on the wings of the Spirit.  But whatever the state of our spiritual life, it is always unfinished.  We have not yet grown into the people that God knows we can be.

We are, all of us, a work in progress.  I like that.  I like knowing that there is more faith, more joy, more goodness, more service, more hope and more love that is yet to grow in me.  Who I will be waits to be revealed, and for now, the glimpses of that in my life point to a bright future that is safely held in God’s keeping.

The unfinished relationship…. the best of life and living.  

HAPPY

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faith, God, Happiness, joy, love, prayer

Last night I read a short story by one of my favorite authors, Carole Shields.  The story was set in post 9/11 New York and dwelt on the daily details of the woman’s life.   Day by day, week by week, the routine never varied.  She went through the same inevitable round of lunches, meetings, and household duties, without any change.  On the one day she changed things up and walked home by another route she got lost.  “Imagine getting lost in your own neighborhood” she thought.

But I am used to people who have a never varying life and I am never sure if I want a similar life or if it would be boring and lifeless.  It all depends on the stress levels of my own life at the time.  But then I read the last line of the story, “I’d be happy except for my life.”

“I’d be happy except for my life.”

Not only was this character lost in her own neighborhood, she was lost in the mundane details of her life.  Certainly her life was without stress, she had no great problems and no complaints to speak of.  But underneath the surface all was not as it seemed.  The relentless sameness was robbing her of pleasure, joy, anticipation.    There was no pain, but also no peace.  There was no sorrow, but also no joy.

I’d be happy except for my life….what a sad, even tragic, situation to be in.

It made me realize that I am happy in spite of my life.  

These past few years have been to say the least rocky.  Surgery on my knee, the death of my sister, the death of one of my best friends, the death of my cat.  A year spent chasing an answer to chronic anemia.  The closure of two congregations and the loss of the relationship with people I truly like and enjoy.  I am currently unemployed and waiting for a new call,despite my best efforts to make that happen quickly.  I have known stress and grief.  A lot of stress and grief…… 

But through it all I have also known God and his incredible care.  I have known the fulfillment of worship, preaching, writing and praying.  And I have known that in it all God has been present.  Most of all I have known that God is wise.

It was wise for me to not find the next place I am going until I was no longer sick.  It was wise for me to be unemployed for a while and take some time off and rest and recover from the stress.  It was wise for me to “become homeless” because I have found such a safe haven here.  

Truly the definitive statement about my life is “I am happy, in spite of my life”, and perhaps more than that what I should be saying is, “I am blessed by God, who watches over me day and night and guides my footsteps even in the valley of the shadow…”

I am happy.  I am blessed.  I am loved.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  

condemnation or forgiveness

I have been reading a novel about the Salem witch trials.  I am struck with the ways in which a sense of judgement arises from fear, anger and hatred, all of which is fueled by an unforgiving heart.  There is one scene in which those convicted are being taken to the hanging tree and one of the “judges” gathers them at the cell door and prays for their souls.  But one of the convicts, a minister, stops and quietly powerfully prays the Lord’s Prayer.  The sense among the other prisoners is that this prayer, moved among them with power.

The real power of the Lord’s Prayer, as I’ve written recently, is that we name God as God, praise his greatness, submit to his will, seek his guidance and seek his forgiveness, even as we ourselves forgive others.  That one man, praying for the forgiveness of those who lied about him, and those who falsely condemned him and those who were taking him away to be hung, reminds me of another prayer, spoken from a cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Being forgiving is a powerful force, setting free those who have harmed us.  Being forgiving also recognizes that sometimes people don’t really know what it is they have done.  There is a saying, that hurting people, hurt people.  When we live out of our own pain, our own fear, our own anger, then it is inevitable that we will live with unforgiving hearts and cause pain for others.

It struck me often as I read this novel that these communities needed to hear the story of grace.  The story of love come down to earth to set us free.  Instead they heard only the word of condemnation, judgement  and anger.  It is no wonder the people were unable to forgive, and eager to condemn, lest they be condemned.   The force of condemnation can appear to be as powerful as the force of forgiveness.

But we know that forgiveness is a powerful force.  It sets the prisoners free.  It sets us free.  And most gloriously of all, it brings the power of God’s grace and love into the world.

Today a friend posted the following prayer on Facebook.  With my heart full of the lessons that I am pondering from this novel, it is my prayer this day.  May it’s grace fill your lives as well.

God, grant that we may each of us cast off our own works of darkness, whatever they are, however we can, and put upon ourselves the armor of something at least a little like light as we wait for the truth of Christ to come finally and fully true at last.

~a prayer of Frederick Buechner in Secrets in the Dark, based on an ancient Advent prayer

Much peace be with all of you.

growing our relationship with God

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Acrostic, Christianity, God, holy spirit, Jesus, prayer, Religion, spirituality

I confess that I haven’t been doing such a good job of keeping up with the Sunday acrostic prayers.  But it is good to see a rhythm developing in my new life situation and the practices from before the move are starting to come together again.

That being said, life is considerable altered.  Everything is more relaxed, I have time to do things that I haven’t done in a long time, and it feels very much like Elijah’s desert time, where spending time eating, sleeping, reading and praying are a part of the preparation for the journey that is ahead.

The whole point of desert time is, of course, to be gaining strength from God.  And I hope that is what I am doing.  I am enjoying what I am reading (both theologically and for pure pleasure).  Even better I am starting to recognize a sense of excitement and an abundance of ideas.  The past two sermons that I have written have spawned so many ideas for things that I want to write about that I am beginning to see in me that very growth that I preached about yesterday…. growth in my relationship with God.  That is cause for joy and gratitude.  

What has been a real pattern in my life is that ebb and flow in the growth I have known in the Lord.  None of us continues at a high level all the time.  Sometimes we get distracted by work, or worries, or other pursuits.  Sometimes we just get worn down.  But for me, at least, those times fall away and I again get a glimpse of who I am called to be in God.  And that gives me energy, and hope, and purpose, and joy…. and a whole host of other good things.  

So today, I want to celebrate the growth that has happened and seek the growth that God still plans for me, as I pray:  GROWING IN GOD

Great and Holy God, your love and kindness is a joy and a marvel to me
Raining upon me with blessings and renewing a sense of pupose
Opening my heart, freeing my spirit
Wending its way into my very soul
In you I know peace and comfort, joy and purpose
Nothing is hidden from you, and none of your goodness is denied to me
Great is your mercy, unlimited is your love.

Incarnate one, who bleed to make me whole
Nurture in me a desire to love as you love, and to serve as you serve.

Gladly do I lay my life before you
Only your way before my feet
Dancing for joy to be your child and your servant.

Amen.

 

 

More Lord’s Prayer

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Christianity, God, holy spirit, intercessory prayer, Jesus, prayer, prayer outline, Religion, spirituality

I really love it when what I write causes someone to share things with me that take what I have written and expands it.  That happened to me recently with the musings that I posted on the Lord’s Prayer and how it influences not only our prayer life but also grows our relationship with God. 

Today I found an email from my friend Laura, who sent me a workshop she had prepared on prayer.  What really excited me in this workshop is the prayer outline based on the Lord’s Prayer that Laura compiled and adapted from the autobiography of Frances Ridley Havergal, “’Memorials of Frances Ridley Havergal”. 

This is what Laura wrote:  Havergal who wrote some of the hymns in our hymn book had a careful plan of prayer recorded in her Bible as follows: “I have greatly enjoyed the regular praying of the Lord’s Prayer and take a petition each morning in the week.  Intercession for others I generally make at evening.  I take the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the same way and find this helpful…”   

This is the prayer outline  Havergal kept in her Bible….

Morning

•             For the Holy Spirit

•             Perfect trust all day

•             Watchfulness

•             To be kept from sin

•             That I may please Him

•             Guidance, growth in grace

•             That He would use my mind, lips, pen, all

•             Blessing and guidance in each engagement and interview of the day

 

Evening

•             For forgiveness and cleansing

•             Mistakes overruled

•             Blessing on all said, written and done

•             For conformity to His will and Christ’s likeness

•             That His will may be done in me

•             For a holy night

•             Confession

•             For every one for whom I have been asked specially to pray

 

 

Sunday

•             “Hallowed be Thy name.”

•             That I may make the most of Sabbath hours and gain much from the word.

•             Deliverance from wandering thoughts

•             Pure praise.

•             Blessing on services, preacher, musicians and choir.

•             Intercessions (initials of many clergymen, of her brother, her godchildren and “our servants”)

 

Monday (for joy and peace)

•             “Thy kingdom come”

•             That the life of Jesus may be manifest in me.

•             Intercession for the Church Missionary Society and Irish Society.

•             initials of her eldest sister, all her family and “Oakhampton servants”

 

Tuesday (for longsuffering)

•             Thy will be done”

•             That my unconscious influence may be all for Him.

•             Intercession for Mildmay

•             initials of her brother Henry’s children and many Leamington friends

 

Wednesday (gentleness)

•             For spirit of prayer and shadowless communion.

•             “Give us this day our daily bread”

•             Intercession for the universities and public schools, for many friends

•             initials of her sister and close friend

 

Thursday (goodness)

•             “Forgive us our trespasses”

•             For much fruit to His praise.

•             Soul winning.

•             Spirit of praise.

•             local work

•             Swansea and Mrs. M,

•             for my sister Ellen, for all at Winterdyne, and “the servants”

 

Friday (faith)

•             “lead us not into temptation.”

•             Wisdom to be shown more of His will and commands.

•             For my brother and all at U.B.

 

Saturday (meekness and temperance)

•             “deliver us from evil”

•             That the word of Christ may dwell in me richly

•             Open treasures of Thy word to me; fill my seed basket.

•             for the church of England and the Queen

•             (initials of many friends)

 

Laura also included her own intercessory outline.  I have removed the intercessions in each section that are specific to her current location and the congregation that she serves, and leave it to you to make this outline specific to your location and your life.

 

Those in authority

this list includes:  national government, provincial (state) and local governments and elected representatives

Schools, principals, teachers, PAC and students

This list includes all local schools, and community colleges and universities 

 Local Agencies and organizations helping people in need

This includes self help programmes, and agencies such as foodbanks, hospices etc.

Those who care for others

•             family doctors

•             medical specialists

•             nurses

•             care givers

•             physiotherapists

•             occupational therapists

•             pharmacists

•             dieticians

•             counsellors

•             home care attendants

•             police and victim services

•             firefighters

•             emergency response personnel

•             Search and Rescue

Hospitals and Long Term Care Homes (staff, patients and residents)

Local Churches

Local Christian Outreach Ministries

This list includes foodbanks, clothing banks, and other means of assistance

I plan to take this outline and adapt it for my own use.  I hope that it also inspires you to formulate a prayer outline that will assist you in growing your own prayer life. 

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer Acrostic

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Acrostic, Christianity, Devotion, God, holy spirit, Jesus, Lord's Prayer, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Last Sunday I preached on the Lord’s prayer as an outline for prayer that is meant to teach us how to pray.  We begin by coming into God’s presence, move to praising him for his work among us, and then to giving him our allegience.  We ask to be filled with his word.  Once we have proclaimed that his will be done in us, we then ask forgiveness for when it has not been so and seek the grace to forgive others for when they haven’t treated us well.  More allegience, more praise, and more glory.

Doesn’t sound quite the same way in those words does it?  But that is the outline that the words of that prayer teach us.  I have found in my life that I am prone to the stealth bomber type of prayer.  I come.  State what I want and go.  It reminds me of a conversation with my four year old grandson…. which is really a monologue.  He says hello. Tells me about his day.  Says, goodbye I love you and throws an air-kiss and is gone.  

That’s okay in a four year old’s call to Grammie, but not okay for developing out relationship with God.  We need to spend time with God and acknowledge him as God.  We need to immerse ourselves in the great things he has done for us.  We need to vow to love and serve him.  We need to seek the infilling of his word. This is the only way that we can get to know him.

Next Sunday I am preaching on growing our relationship with God.  As I have been thinking about this, it seems to me that the answer lies in the Lord’s Prayer.  God.  Time with God.  Looking at God’s blessings.  Seeking God’s word.  Seeking to serve him.  Seeking forgiveness.  Sharing in the ministry of forgiveness.  Giving God glory.

This is more than just a prayer.  This is more than a tool that teaches us to pray.  This is about a way to live life in the presence of the Holy God.  

I hope that living my life in that way becomes so much a part of me that it is as automatic as breathing, although admittedly, I still have a long way to go.  But I do vow to keep at it.

Please join me in prayer as we seek to live in relationship with God.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Theos, Lord of Heaven, creator of the universe
Heaven cannot contain your glory, it spills over into the earth, and blesses your creation
Every knee shall bow and every voice proclaim that you are Lord

Loving Father, forgivins Son, empowering Spirit
Open my heart to do your will, to seek your word, and to live in your way
Recieve my praise and accept my outpouring of love
Delight me in your word.  Direct my thought.  Deliver me from the mistakes I make
Send me forth as your agent of mercy and grace.

Patient God, walk with me as I stumble.  Honour my attempts to serve  you and direct me into ever more faithful service
Regent of Heaven, your mercy floods my soul, and your love fills my heart
Again I vow to serve you, sharing your love with those whom I meet
Your goodness, your love, your peace and your strength are the gifts that in which the world rejoices
Everlasting is your kingdom
Revealing your goodness for evermore.  Amen