Prayer

Reveal

/ The Pastor

Father God,
I remember at Christmas how
the shepherds hurried from the manger
glorifying and praising You;
revealing Jesus birth to the world.
The wise men revealed Jesus
through their gifts of three.
During this season of Epiphany
may you reveal yourself to me,
through Jesus,
each and everyday
and beyond.
May I see Christ in others.
May I see you in all of creation.
May your light shine through my life.
And as I read your holy Word,
may your promises fly off the page
and into my heart;
revealing over and over again
the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Oh God,
I need constant remembers of your
love.
Continue to reveal Jesus to me.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Much To Do

/ The Pastor

Father God, there’s so much to do;
more presents to buy,
traveling arrangements to make,
sermons to write,
details to nail down,
packing to do,
loose ends to tie up.
and other things that I haven’t thought of yet.
Father God, there’s so much to do.

And in the midst of this “much to do”
I often find myself to focused on the “much to do”.
Help me to take a step back
and gaze into the manger,
to look upon Jesus,
and remember the gift that he is.
May the “much to do” not become my Christmas.
Jesus is the reason.
Jesus is the season,
ALWAYS.

Father God, there’s so much to do,
to make me more like Jesus.
Take me.
Form me.
Mold me.
Shape me.
Transform me.
Make me more like Jesus.

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Promise of Christmas

/ The Pastor

Holy Father,
You came bursting onto scene in holy Love
and You paved a way through the wilderness;
straight into Your holy courts
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Your power has defeated
Satan,
sin
and death
and Your love has redeemed your lost children.
May we cling to the promise of Christmas
as we bask in Your glory.
Through Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Reverberate

/ The Pastor

Father God,
may the song of my praise
reverberate throughout my being
and into all those around me.
May my words about You
reveal my deep love for You.
May my actions
reflect a faith that points to You.
May people know the joy of Your
love
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
And as people receive the Good News of
Jesus,
may the cares of this world
melt into oblivion
as we bask in the hope of the resurrection.
This is my prayer and hope as I being a new day.
All praise and glory and worship and honor
be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
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 -|—

Silence!

/ The Pastor / 4 Comments

I have not been silent about the events of the past few days. I have not turned a blind eye or a deaf ear. True, I haven’t written anything here but I have not been silent.
I have not been silent on the street.
I have not been silent in my office.
I have not been silent in my home.
I have not been silent at the coffee shop.
No, I have not been boisterous and in people’s faces about my concerns and fears over this election. I have not been outspoken about anyone who was elected or not elected. I have not taken to the streets in protest. I have not been feisty on social media (at least I hope I haven’t been). I am just saying,

I have not been silent.

Instead, I have been crying out. I have been crying out to God. I have been pouring out my heart to Him. I have been outspoken in my concerns for this nation; for this world. I have been “up in God’s face”; making sure He has heard me.

I have not been silent.

And we can’t be silent at least we can’t be silent with God. And with that said, we need to be silent in this world for a time. I am not saying that we ignore the problems that we have as a nation, but we need to be silent in this world, now, and focus on crying out to God. For how can we expect to change the world if we are too busy talking and not listening to God. How can we change the world if we are taking to the streets and not on our knees, listening to our Father. How can we make a difference if we aren’t listening to one another. We need to be silent, now, so we can cry out to God. We need to be silent so we can listen. We need to be silent.

There is too much noise.
There is too much fear.
There is too much hate.

Silence and Listen. God wants to say something…

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 -|—