Category: Uncategorized

In today’s society I see so many angry people. It seems that everyone is upset about something. The football players who are choosing to confront people with their opinions seem angry. Some of them have held up clenched fists. I don’t think that anger changes anything. It just seems to set off more anger. Christ calls us to be the first to let go of anger and offer our open hand.

God of all, let us encourage open handedness and love instead of anger. AMEN

It is so easy to be compassionate to those people that we like. But what about the people who have hurt us in some way? That is not so easy. Too often we hold a grudge and always look at that person differently. Recently someone who is not my favorite person came down with cancer. The diagnosis made me think about my own feelings and that my petty complaints were of no consequence. I have been moved to compassion but I should have been there from the beginning. We never know what is going on is someone else’s life. We must learn compassion for all mankind.

Forgiving Lord, remind us that we may not know all that is going on in the life of someone else. Help us to stay away from judgement and instead practice compassion. AMEN

Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.                                                                                                Joseph Roux

There is a difference between seeking solitude and seeking isolation. The first leads to thoughtfulness and dreaming. The second to disconnection from others. We are not Christians in isolation. Being a Christian is being part of a community. Other Christians hold us up when we are in need and we do the same for them. The stories of others enhances our own faith. Take time to be with other Christians. It enriches your faith.

Beloved God, you did not create us to be isolated but to be with others. Help us to take the time to be amongst other Christians. AMEN

Every day we have choices to make. The choices determine our path. Today opportunities to choose hatred, violence, dissension, and other negative ideas is in our face every day. Our world is in crisis. Maybe it has always been but due to our methods of communication we see and hear it every day. We can’t fix everything. We can fix something…..especially ourselves. We must choose love. In every situation every day. We must do this. It is imperative. Choose love.

Most loving God, help us to see you in every face we see. Teach us to see beyond the surface and love the soul within. AMEN

The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed.   Bennett Cerf

Laughter is a gift from God. God planned for us to laugh. He gave us the ability to find things funny. God wants cheerful Christians. One of our concerns as Christians is the ability to laugh at ourselves. We can take ourselves so seriously that we can’t see the humor. We often think we know all about God. How arrogant. God’s thinking is so far from ours that I’m sure he is amazed at some of our ideas. When we overstep our bounds we have to have the ability to laugh with God at our naivety. Don’t forget to laugh….especially at yourself.

Forgiving God, I am sure that you find us amusing. Help us to see the humor in ourselves and to laugh a lot. AMEN

Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.

David Wilkerson

I have often talked about faith being a a verb and not a noun. Love is the same way. Love is an actin word. It is not static. One of the things I learned in Marriage Encounter is that love is a decision. We decide each moment if we will love or not. We tend to depend on feelings instead of decisions. God calls each of us to love one another. It is a choice. It is a decision. Decide to love!

God of Love, remind us each day that love is not a feeling but a decision. Help us to choose to love as you have called us to do.

Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.

Rabindranath Tagore

Have you ever sat in a forest and listened to the wind through the trees? The sound is like angels whispering. I love this sound. How horrible it would be if there were no longer any trees…no longer any forests. We humans were given dominion over all the earth. What have we done with it? We a are growing close to extinguishing ourselves. How can we be so selfish? The suffering will be in the generations to come. Think about that.

Glorious God, you created the world and chose us to care for it. Help us to see what we are doing before it is too late.

Luke 6:42

 how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

“The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you’ll never have.

 Soren Kierkegaard

We spend so much time thinking about the future. We make numerous plans and live in them. If only we could learn to live each day and have an awareness of it. So much slips by us. The joys of each day are not noticed. God gives us each day. If only we could pay attention and be grateful.

Compassionate God, forgive us for our failure to give thanks for what we have and help us to  be more aware each day of the gifts we have. AMEN