Tag: Prayer

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Life(style)

#AdventBookClub: Day 4

How do you pray? (from an interview in Liguorian Magazine, October 1992)

http://www.seedresources.com/view/images/always-pray-and-never-give-up-mallard-with-three-ducklings

Nouwen encourages us to spend 10 minutes each day with the gospel of the day, and read again and again (part of why we have the lectionary – though that’s weekly – here’s this coming Sunday’s on Seed Resources!). “You have chances every second to live this Word, but it has to be in you. It can’t be just an idea, it has to sink from the mind into the heart.”

We were discussing this at housegroup last night as we sought to understand how we can be confident that we hearing/acting on God’s word – as it asked what Bible verses tend to come to mind when we’re trying to make decisions … and the general consensus was that if we KNEW more Bible verses this might help inform our choices… A challenge (and one that I got involved in Big Bible for … I’m no theologian, and I come at it as someone who’s seeking to understand more … as will anyone at any stage on the journey!)

First Things First: Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:32-33

Well, that’s an interesting one, considering this debate on Twitter today, with the Daily Mail saying that Sally Hitchiner “shouldn’t” be interested in fashion, and a large group of us saying, she’s who she is, and God called her to the work that she’s doing – she is who she is. Also brings to mind my image ‘de-cluttering’ I did earlier this year…

We are fortunate to live in a culture where for many of us we do have a choice in what we wear, and can express our personality – and I love this kind of idea of a charity gift list on John Lewis to share the joy with others! I would see the emphasis, especially drawing on first section of this reflection, on the section “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” – then everything else falls into place.

Prayer: Seeking to ensure that our ‘inner life’ is the ‘greatest reality’, and that this flows into our ‘outer life’. (This is a lot of what drives my thinking on the kind of posts I write for Big Bible – we need to be authentic, whole-life beings – accepting that what we are sharing is in a public space, but not constantly re-editing ourselves to present a view that we think others will accept? #thinkingaloud.

Advent Action: Find a scriptural motto to add to your Advent preparation calendar to remember daily. Romans 12:2 coming to mind here..

Now off to read Pam’s thoughts.

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Digital Life(style)

Beautiful Digital Commissioning Prayer by @DigitalNun #CNMAC12

Read the full prayer here on the iBenedictines site.

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Life(style)

The Simplicity of Prayer

Check out KoreUK for this video – prayer can be so simple, simply a conversation!

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Event Life(style)

Prayer Session #medialit

The groups divided into 3 tables, with around 4-5 papers per table. The prompts below were divided amongst the tables. Delegates were asked to return to the newspaper(s) and look for a story which fits the prompt: interpretation of the prompt is up to you; feel free to discuss; decide how you pray about it. After praying stories are posted on the wall for all groups to see.

  • “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small. (Psalm 104:24-25)
  • John 17:15: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one
  • A story to do with “Social Media” (positive or negative)
  • A story that relates to Social Activism (positive or negative)
  • A positive message to take from a story that is presented negatively
  • An “ending”
  • A “beginning”
  • A ‘global’ story
  • Mark 14:38: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
  • A ‘local’ story
  • For a story of ‘hope’
  • Evidence of God’s blessing
  • A situation that looks as though it is ‘beyond hope’
  • Matthew 5:44: But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
  • Find an image that really ‘speaks’
  • A story that relates to a friend
  • Numbers 25:12: Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him.
  • A date in history that has modern day resonance
  • A story related to “being creative”
  • Genesis 4:9: Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
  • A story of community
  • A story of healing
  • A story of inclusion
  • A story of exclusion
  • A story of “religion”
  • An image of “hope”
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Life(style)

Just Checking In

A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn’t shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister’s suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
So he decided to stop the man and ask him,
“What are you doing here?”

The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.

“I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I’VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER’S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM
CHECKING IN TODAY.”

The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime..

Time to go, Jim smiled, said “Thanks.”
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he’d never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim’s prayer:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I’VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER’S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON’T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I
THINK ABOUT YOU
EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY.”

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he’d given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward .

The head nurse couldn’t understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse’s concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised,
old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile;
“the nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know, that in here all the while
everyday at noon He’s here, a dear friend of mine, you see,

He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

“I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS
CHECKING IN TODAY.”

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Angels watch over you.

But for those of us who are already His, He not only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has engraved our names there, and we are continual ly in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)

If you aren’t ashamed to do this, please follow the directions. Jesus said, ” If you are ashamed of me,” I will be ashamed of you before my Father.” If you are not ashamed Pass this on . .. .only if you mean it. Yes, I do love God. He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and everyday. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without him, I am nothing but with Him

“I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” Phil 4:13

THIS IS THE BIT OF THIS I DON’T LIKE… CHAIN LETTERS OF ANY SORT…

This is the simplest test . . . if you Love God, and are not ashamed of all the marvelous things he has done for you, think about passing this on!