Prayer

Here I Am to Worship You

/ The Pastor / 2 Comments

Father God, Creator and Redeemer,
I know not how to praise You as You deserve;
for there is much in my heart that leads me
astray.
You deserve so much more that I can give, for…
You loved me even before I was born.
You breathed the breath of life into my being.
You have redeemed my sin-fallen life through Jesus Christ.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Oh God,
fill me with Your Spirit that I may see You.
Fill me with Your Spirit that I may know You better.
Fill me with Your Spirit that I may praise and worship You
as You deserve.
Here I am to worship You.
Receive my song, my praise, my thanks.
Oh God, receive me.
Here I am to worship You.
Here I am to worship You.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Rejoicing in Victory

/ The Pastor

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What a powerful and reassuring couple verses. I wish more people would take this to heart and cling to this promise. There’s a lot of crap happening in our nation and our world today but our Lord and Savior and King reigns supreme. His victory did not happen through an election but rather through the cross. Seek JESUS and you will be found safe and secure. Seek JESUS and rest in him.

Holy Father,
words don’t and can’t adequately express my thankfulness,
as I gaze upon the cross and see
VICTORY.
I see my Lord suffering and dying there,
FOR ME.
I see my King reigning supreme,
OVER ALL.
I see my Savior with my life in 
HIS HANDS.
How can possibly express my thanks with mere words.
And so I worship
YOU.
I praise Your holy
NAME.
I rest in Your mighty
ARMS.
Holy Father,
may I not fear this world,
but rather,
rejoice the victory through
JESUS CHRIST.
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Feed Me

/ The Pastor

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If your spiritual nourishment is coming from any other source than the Word of God you are starving yourself to death.

Oh God,
feed me.
Nourish me with Your Word.
Hold me with Your Love.
Strengthen me with the hope of the resurrection.

May I cling to You as a newborn infant.
May I long for you as a child needing a parent’s embrace.
May I dwell in You.

Oh God,
may I grow up in Your salvation,
as I learn more and more
the joys of Your S0n,
Jesus Christ.
May I have a strong desire for Your Word,
and feast on Your promises.
Oh God,
I have tasted
and You are good.
May the aroma of this world
not lure me away.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Please Send

/ The Pastor

Holy Father, loving God,
please send Your Holy Spirit.

Send Your Holy Spirit to reorient my heart.
Send Your Holy Spirit to inflame my passion for You.
Send Your Holy Spirit to renew my soul.
Oh God, send Your Holy Spirit.

Send Your Holy Spirit to embolden your Church.
Send Your Holy Spirit to give courage to Your children.
Send Your Holy Spirit to help us stand firm.
Oh God, send Your Holy Spirit.

Send Your Holy Spirit to still the fears running wild in this world.
Send Your Holy Spirit to open hearts to listen.
Send Your Holy Spirit to douse the hatred taking to the streets.
Oh God, send Your Holy Spirit.

Holy Father, loving God,
We can’t do this life alone.
We can’t seek Your will with our own ears.
We can’t stand strong without Your strength.
Oh God,
please, oh please,
send Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

People of Prayer

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

 

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This picture says it all for me this election season. Those who know me well, know that I have been bringing this theme up over and over again, but I don’t think you can bring it up enough. We need to be people of prayer. November 8 is fast approaching and as Christians, we cannot lose hope over who is going to be elected president or be dispassionate. We MUST be involved.
Voting? YES.
Praying? ABSOLUTELY!!!
And then we must keep at it; remembering that no matter what, Jesus still reigns. No worldly president or ruler can or will be our savior. God has set up all leaders and will bring about his glory through them. They are nothing but pawns in God’s grand design and plan. So don’t fret and don’t fear. God is sovereign. He’s got this.

The Pastor -|—

Priceless

/ The Pastor / 8 Comments

About a half a block from the church office is a drive through coffee stand. It’s name? Hot Chick A Latte and it’s not named that because the lattes are hot. Rare does a day go by that I don’t see a line of cars at that stand to “get coffee”. As I drive by I am saddened that someone decided to use sexuality to sell coffee. I am even more saddened, though, that there are young women willing to dress in such skimpy outfits in order to please the eyes of their customers. I made the mistake, early on, of stopping there for coffee (before I knew their “secret”). Call me a naive Midwest kid, but I thought it was just a clever name. Now, when I drive by, I say a prayer for whoever is working in that stand. Below is the spirit of that prayer, but I also submit it to you to be prayed over all women; that they may see their worth in God and not in their bodies. Let us pray…

Creator God,
I commend this woman to you,
that she may see that she is,
beautiful not because of how she looks,
but because of who she is;
that she is beautiful not because someone’s eyes claim she is,
but because she is beautiful through Your eyes;
that she is special not because people clamor over her,
but because You wonderfully created her.

May people’s attention not be her god.
May her worth not come from others.
May her self-esteem be rooted in Christ.

Holy God,
wrap her in your love so that she doesn’t feel the need
to unwrap herself.

In Jesus name,
Amen

The Pastor -|—

Awesome wonder

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
as I prepare for worship this morning,
I am reminded of these beautiful words:

O Lord, my God,
when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout
the universe displayed

And it is in awesome wonder
that I enter Your courts with praise.
It is in awesome wonder
that I lift my song to you.
It is in awesome wonder
that I offer my petitions, offerings and my very self
to You.

Oh Lord, my God,
You are my Truth,
my Life,
my Salvation,
my Hope.
And being such to me, may I go forth in
Your power
to be a beacon of Light;
standing firm on Your promises,
and not giving in to cultural demands.
May I always live in awesome wonder;
abiding in Your Word;
and being a reforming voice
in this world,
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

To Think of You

/ The Pastor

To think of You,
oh God,
is to be reminded of my sinful estate;
my fallen nature;
and my constant disobedience.

To think of You,
oh God,
is to run to You in confession;
to seek Your mercy;
and to fall at Your feet.

[Enter Jesus]

To think of You,
oh God,
is to hear forgiveness;
to know grace;
and to feel Your love.

To think of You,
oh God,
is to know peace in chaos;
hope in despair;
and tranquility in upheaval.

To think of You,
oh God,
is to know everything will be alright;
to be reminded that You are in control;
and to be filled with joy.

To think of You,
oh God,
is to know that I am Your child,
wrapped in Your arms,
and keep safe for all eternity.

To think of You…
🙂

The Pastor -|—

Through YOU, oh God

/ The Pastor

As I think about this world,
oh God,
I shake my head in frustration;
not because You have fallen short,
but because we have.
Politicians make empty promises;
people spew words of hate,
racism runs unchecked,
people listen in order to respond not to understand,
we speak about people not with them,
the homeless have become a political issue not people to love.

How have we gotten here?
Why have we gotten here?

Oh God, it is too much to think about.

But all praise be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus my Lord;
for You continue to reign.

May my thoughts not leave this world,
but may my thoughts be filtered through You;
through Your love for us.

May my promises to others NOT be empty.
May I speak words of LOVE.
May I accept ALL Your children.
May I REALLY listen.
May I speak WITH people.
May the homeless be HUMANIZED.

This is YOUR world,
oh God,
and therefore may I live in it for Your GLORY.
May people see and hear CHRIST in me.
May I be a witness unto others of Your LOVE.
May I not grow frustrated but rather remain HOPEFUL.

All praise be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus my Lord;
for you continue, and will ALWAYS, reign.

Amen!

The Pastor -|—

My Abba

/ The Pastor

Holy Father,
Jesus said, “let the little children
come to me and do not hinder them,
for to such as these belongs the
Kingdom.”
Oh God,
may I have the child-like faith
to run into Your holy arms.
May I receive Your Gospel as a baby excitedly receives their milk.
May I cling to Jesus as tightly as my children do to me as I try to leave for work.
May I gaze upon You as a newborn does unto their parents.
Holy Father,
I thank You that You do not hinder me coming to You.
I may stumble and fall along the way,
but You are quick to scoop me up.
Loving Father,
here I am; hold me.
My Abba. My God.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—