prayer.. (Photo credit: aronki)“Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will. Let be employed by You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low by You. Let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. Amen.” John Wesley … [Read more...]
Giving Thanks – Quote of the Week – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Only he who gives thanks for little things receives the big things.We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts.We think we dare not be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty, the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others, and we consider this lament to be pious.We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?”~Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community … [Read more...]
The Knot Prayer – Quote of the Week
Dear God,Please untie the knotsthat are in my mind,my heart and my life.Remove the have nots,the can nots and the do notsthat I have in my mind.Erase the will nots,may nots, andmight nots that finda home in my heart.Release me from the could nots,would nots andshould nots that obstruct my life.And most of all, dear God,I ask that you remove from my mindmy heart and my life all of the am notsthat I have allowed to hold me back,especially the thoughtthat I am not good enough.Amen(author unknown) … [Read more...]
A Prayer – Martin Luther – Quote of the Week
FAITH (Photo credit: cacigar)Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it.I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.I am a sinner; you are upright.With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.Therefore I will will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.Amen.Martin Luther … [Read more...]
A Relationship with Abba – Quote of the Week
"I want neither a terrorist spirituality that keeps me in a perpetual state of fright about being in right relationship with my heavenly Father nor a sappy spirituality that portrays God as such a benign teddy bear that there is no aberrant behavior or desire of mine that he will not condone. I want a relationship with the Abba of Jesus, who is infinitely compassionate with my brokenness and at the same time an awesome, incomprehensible, and unwieldy Mystery. " — Brennan Manning … [Read more...]
The Self-Rejection Trap – Henri Nouwen Quote
“Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." ... [My dark side says,] I am no good... I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.”― … [Read more...]
God’s Delight – Quote of the Week
God made the world for the delight of human beings-- if we could see His goodness everywhere, His concern for us, His awareness of our needs: the phone call we've waited for, the ride we are offered, the letter in the mail, just the little things He does for us throughout the day. As we remember and notice His love for us, we just begin to fall in love with Him because He is so busy with us -- you just can't resist Him. I believe there's no such thing as luck in life, it's God's love, it's His." — Mother Teresa (A Simple Path: Mother Teresa) … [Read more...]
Patience – Quote of the Week
"Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something.Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are.When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else.Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."- Henri Nouwen … [Read more...]