Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.Mark 10: 43-45 (The Message)Lord my ego wants to be first.I want to be number one, the winner, the one everyone looks up to and cheers for.My sin drags me into the spotlight, seeking the accolades of the world.Yet You call me to be servant. A slave. A common laborer with no rights.My hearts wants to obey, but my will tugs me into the glitz and glamour of how others define success.I feel torn in two like I don’t belong either place.I ask for Your help restoring me to mirror Christ in the world.Clothe me with Your spirit; I can’t do this by myself. I need You.Help me to be a servant, Your servant.May all of my actions for others also be attentive to You.Let me walk in Your footsteps.May I be centered on You and on others, not … [Read more...]
Prayer is the Key – Lectio Divina
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.James 5: 13-16PrayHere You go again, Lord. Reminding me in Your simple, pure, and unconditionally uncomplicated way.Prayer is the key.If I am upset. Troubled. Struggling. Failing, Stressed and up the creek without a paddle - PrayWhen all is wonderful. Joy abounds. I move freely without the weight of the world - PrayCranky with cold, cancer or other conditions - Pray.Darkened by sin, fearful by the menacing world events, shamed with my own failings - Pray.Just come to You open and … [Read more...]
Tame my Tongue, Lord – Lectio Divina
We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and … [Read more...]
The Grace of Wonder – Quote of the Week
Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe. Delight me to see how your Christ plays in ten thousand places. . .to the Father through the features of men's faces. Each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.Joshua Abraham Heschel … [Read more...]
Singing to the Lord from my Heart – Lectio Divina
Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Ephesians 5: 18b-20 NIVSing and make music from your heart to the LordTo the Conductor of my life:With my eyes focused only on You, I lift my instrument, my heart, ready to sing Your music.I know I am far from the top soprano in Your chorus. I am not in the run for the prime solo part of the concert. I stand towards the back of the choir peering around heads ahead of me, watching You raise Your baton to lead us.But I come as I am. I bring my heart and my voice. I sing and make music from me to … [Read more...]
What Am I Afraid to Give to God?
What are you afraid to give to Me?I was surprised to hear this question today. Quieting myself following my morning devotions, I spent the next few minutes rambling on and on with my litany of supposedly important wants and needs, my prayers for others, my ever-present complaints, and a dash of praise and thankfulness for good measure. Finally like a spent two year old, I rested on God’s lap of love, leaning on His chest and listened to His heartbeat. That is when I heard Him whisper.What are you afraid to give to Me?What am I clinging to with clenched fists, hiding behind my back, leaving hidden in dark corners? Why is fear my reaction to giving God everything? “Shouldn’t” I trust Him with my all?St. Ignatius called anything that hinders us from growing closer to God or doing His will a “disordered attachment.” These could be good things, just not in the right priority. What fills my hearts first instead of God? The list is endless. Physical things - like loving my house or brand … [Read more...]
Psalm 100 – Lectio Divina
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.Lord You amaze me.Why am I surprised when you answer prayer? I asked You to teach me how to worship You better and found the answer today in this well known psalm.I am to come to You with gladness and joy-filled songs.I am to acknowledge with my heart, my mind and my spirit that You are Lord, the creator of all.I am to confess I am only one tiny lamb in your flock, but one loved and protected by a great Shepherd.Thankfulness and praise pull me into Your arms like magnets.You are good, oh so good.You love us unconditionally and unceasingly.Your faithfulness links all of us … [Read more...]
Pondering Prayer – Five Interesting Quotes about Prayer
I love quotes. Quotes make me think. They summarize and clarify. They help me see things in new perspective. Though I may not always agree with everything that is written, it is mind stretching to muse over the words. I like quotes that feed my spirit and bring new language to my conversations with God.Here are five quotes I have read recently about prayer:“Prayer is what you do to bring yourself to attend to God and to pay attention to others.” Leonard Sweet.Attending to God is a different way to think about prayer, don’t you think? “May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.”― Mother TeresaSaying this prayer takes lots of courage. “Prayer is to be in God’s presence with open hands and an open heart. There are many things in my life to which I cling as with a clinched fist – my possessions for sure but the immaterial things as well–the work I do, the position I hold, the friends I have, my ideas, my principles, my image. If I should open my fist, they … [Read more...]