Category: learn

Let go!

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Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

It is so easy to take worries on ourselves. We forget to turn it over to God and let it go. Or we may turn it over and keep picking it back up. Maybe, we think, we can handle it ourselves. Maybe we know better.

The truth is we are sometimes arrogant enough to want to hold on to the worry and not let it loose. God will take over if we let him.

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Gracious God, you must wonder why we insist in holding on to things that you can take and carry for us. Help us to turn lose and let God.

The Lord’s Prayer

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The following is a version of the Lord’s Prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book. There are so many reasons why I love this form. It’s description of God moves me to tears. “Loving God, in whom is heaven:” makes me sit and ponder on its vision. “In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.” We are hurt and we hurt others. It is so easy to see it in this version. I encourage you to read and think about the prayer. You may love it or you may hate it but it will help you think.

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and for ever. Amen.

just listen

God with us

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scar

God never promised that life would be free of problems. There is no magic wand that can be waved to banish our troubles. Our strength to survive each day comes from God’s promise to be with us. Each struggle that we get through gives us the wisdom to survive the next. God helps us to learn and gain the strength to fight the next battle.

Intimate God, we give you thanks for your love for us and your healing presence in our struggles. AMEN

Lift us

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Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
I often feel like I’m getting caught in a flood. Things become overwhelming and I’m sinking. We are so busy in today’s society that we take on more than we can manage. Then we can feel ourselves being buried.
When we feel this way we need to call on God to help us slow down. He is the only one who can lift us out of the mire onto the rock that is higher.
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Faithful God, we take on more than we should. Help to make us wiser about our limits and when we fail and are sinking lift us to the rock that is higher. AMEN

Curiosity is a gift from God

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I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. —–Galileo Galilei

Young Child looking through Magnifying Glass

For a long time religion and science were at odds. Sometimes they still are. Some people find the theory of evolution and god’s creating everything to be in conflict. There is the fear that we will uncover some fact that makes God irrelevant. But I think God gave us not only our brains but also our curiosity about the world around us. I don’t think he is concerned about what we will discover.

Amazing God, help us to use our minds and our curiosity to bring about your kingdom on earth. AMEN

See the truth

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Parables are stories that get you crucified.   Michael Williams

This is a powerful statement but what does it mean? It means that we find ourselves in the parables of Jesus but we are not always the good guy. Too often we are the one who does the wrong thing…..makes the mistakes….turns away. We learn from parables. Pay attention.

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Follow Jesus

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The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.                  Nelson Henderson

God does not just expect us to do things that help right now but also things that will help those to come. The most important of these is to live as he lived. In this way we will draw people to him. To preach is good, to talk about Christ is good and those things help ……but if we live like him no explanations are necessary. Our actions will show his love.

follow jesus

 

Jesus you call us to follow you in all that we do. Help us to do this so that others will also follow you. AMEN

Learn and grow

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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.       Proverbs 1:7

We can’t ever stop learning. God gave us our brains for a reason. By learning we grow. Don’t be afraid to study and learn new ideas and new thoughts. There is so much that we can learn and never grow close to knowing all about God. His wisdom is so far above ours.

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Jesus, we learn so much from your teaching. Help us to continue to seek knowledge and growth that we may draw closer to you. AMEN

Expectations?

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Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Tom Hanks in “Forest Gump”

expectationsBoy! is that the truth! We never know what is coming from day to day. Many times it is not at all what we expected or wanted. Something that really looked yummy to us can turn out to taste really bad. We have to learn to spit it out, learn from it and move on.

Lord of Wisdom, we need to learn from our mistakes. We need your help to put them behind us and move forward….seeking ever to be nearer to you. Help us Lord. AMEN

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learningDon’t be afraid to learn something new. God gave us the ability to seek wisdom. We are supposed to keep leaning and growing striving to be all God wants us to be. you don’t have to agree with everything you learn. God gives us the ability to discern what is right. Don/t be afraid to test and taste new things.

Omnipotent God, you made the world and everything in it. Help us to seek wisdom and continue to learn. AMEN