Watch the Throne

I know politics, and therefor life, is a tumultuous sea

But Watch the Throne

I know fear and darkness threaten to overtake you

But Watch the Throne

Do you believe God doeth all things well?

Do you believe the arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice? 

Do you depend on the world for your peace, or do you believe in God there is a peace that surpasses all understanding? 

Christ said in this world we will have many troubles, but not to worry because He has overcome the world? 

"Love your enemies, pray for those who disputefully use you."

Do you believe it? 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 

Do you believe it? 

Your mission is the same; "love God with all your mind, your heart and your understanding. And to love your neighbor as yourself." 

Stay focused on working tirelessly to building the Kingdom of God

I know worldly fears, uncertainty and anger fixate us on the White House

But Watch the Throne

Traveling Mercies (a road prayer)

Lord, keep me awake, alert and accident-free as I travel up and down the highways and bywaysI want to please You and be like Your son But it is so easy to get mad at these other drivers And all the insane things I encounter on the road threaten to steal my peace Help me stay centered, focused and happy Let me enjoy my trip and the quiet communion with You Help me to be a good citizen of the road I pray I make my destination safely and on-time Keep me out of the maddening traffic! Thank You for blessing me with the wheels to travel, the means to fill my tank, and people I want to see who want to see me worth visiting I know it is all because of You Thank You in advance for Your traveling mercies

Amen

Keep My Hand On the Plow (A Morning Prayer)

Dear Godyou know I got started late today sometimes it's so hard to work up my momentum I pray you energize me and allow me to be a productive member of society that the good I would do I actually do let me work hard at the tasks you have set before me so that at the end of the day I am tired and happy with the work I have done I know only what I do for you Lord will last but there are many others who want, need, or expect things from me help me to be a person of my word trustworthy dependable a person of my word

thank you in advance for these and all other blessings, grace and mercy given this day

Amen

I Will Lie Down in Peace (an evening prayer)

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalms 4:8 (NRSV)

On this evening o Lord, I ask You for...everything Breath Life Health Strength Good dreams Awakening to a morning of new mercies Because of You I can lie down and sleep in peace The day has carried its troubles And my own failures on top of them But You have carried me Or at least you were with me I know I can't get bailed out of every situation Some lessons are difficult But at least You have been with me And now As I lay me down to sleep I can close my eyes with confidence Joy Peace like a river All the worries on my mind can be eased away The days evils are sufficient to themselves I don't have to add to them Or carry them over into the next day You bless me with a good night's sleep In the valley of shadows I will sleep like a baby

Amen

Being Sick Will Teach You..

I've been in bed, either in a hospital or at home, for an entire week now. Finally I am felling better and more like my "normal" self. But severe illness was wholly alienating to me as a young(-ish?) adult. I had to gather up my strength and focus if I wanted to turn from one side to the other in bed. I pressed a call button and waited for a nurse to come and help me to the bathroom or to refresh my medications. Once home, a big day consisted of getting the energy up to sit in a chair for a few hours instead of my bed. I found I didn't know how to be "sick." Despite my certainty that I had left the impossible folly of my teenage youth behind, I found myself confounded by a circumstance that assured me I was not invincible or immortal. Apparently I still thought I was untouchable, and this episode had come to teach me otherwise.

"I need Thee, oh I need Thee. Every hour I need Thee," says the famous hymn. I thought I had as deep an understanding of that sentiment as possible. But there was, and ever remains, more room to grow in understanding that of myself I can do nothing, it is the Christ within me. I became dependent on God for life, comfort, movement and healing with a new and urgent kind of intimacy.

My faith has grown in this last week because I could no longer lay any claim, however subconscious, to the egotistical thought that I was the source of my own power and life. Being sick will teach you that every moment and movement is a gift from God.

Some, like myself on this occasion, get out of their sickbeds while others breath their last in them. I pray we all, whatever the outcome, feel the kind of closeness and dependence on a loving and giving Source that I have this week. Being sick has taught me the calm assurance that I am not alone and that it is not all up to me. Thank God!