Nadia, in the Episcopal tradition, we would have gathered around you today and given thanks for you, your life and your continuing years with this prayer. “O God, our times are in your hands. Look with favor, we pray, on your daughter, Nadia, as she begins another year. Grant that she may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen her trust in your goodness all the days of her life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”
So, I pray that, for you and for anybody else who celebrated a birthday in the past bit.
I also pray, mothering God, that you hold my kiddo in the shelter of you. He is so far from home and struggling so hard. Please make yourself known to him in tangible ways. And, for my wife and me, his mothers, that we may trust you and staff to wholly care for and heal this dear child of ours.
Creator God, thank you for mornings like this one. The sky is blue for miles and the sun high in the east side of our valley kisses the mountains high on the west side of our valley. Thank you for fresh cold spring air coming in my window and for fuzzy warm blankets on my bed, and for the big floofy white cat who snuggles with me there. Thank you for coffee and that we have enough food. Thank you for the folks at our local school who know our family is struggling, who send gifts and trinkets on the bus for me to send to my son, who deliver a grocery card for the local grocery store, who sometimes place bagged meals outside for us, even though they know our child is not here and supposedly the food is only for children, for those few minutes on week days when the bus slows down to wave or even stops to check in and I get to see kind eyes smiling at me above the mask.
For these things, and so much more, I pray, hoping I remember to trust you. Thank you for not abandoning us during this difficult time. Amen.
Holy God, hear my praise for my best friend's long awaited and successful heart surgery that has saved her life, for having enough toilet paper to share, for the presence of the Eurasian collared doves outside my window that sound like pterodactyls, for Hubby who faithfully drives city buses and is kind to his passengers, for my garden that offers up food and beauty, for my kid who is 58 years younger than me but has an unmatched bounty of love and wisdom, for chocolate and homemade cookies, for Your constant presence in this grim and soul crushing time. Amen.
Asking prayers for my dear friend who is struggling to remain sober and grounded . her only child is in a hospital a long distance from herand, because of developmental disability is unable to advocate for himself or to communicate clearly with her about his care. Her heart is shattered.
Thank God for my life,children and grandchildren.Thank God for the friends who sustain me in this desperately hard time.Thank God for the life of my much much loved husband Tommy who is a week off a ventilator and recovering from Covid 19,while recovering from a quadruple bypass and two valve replacements.Please be with him in his confusion and depression and lift him up from feeling abandoned and alone.I want so much for the Lord to walk with me today as he did with his friends on the road to Emmaus. Today,I feel like giving up but I won't. My husband has been in hospital since 13th February and I haven't seen him since lockdown began here in Ireland 6 weeks ago.My heart breaks when he rings from hospital,confused and upset.I know his recovery from such life changing surgery ,ventilations and Covid 19.will be long.I miss him so much and I feel so alone today.So I pray God today to give me a sign,a break,something to hang onto.I miss my funny lovely man.We have come through so much..alcoholism,his and mental illness,mine.My tears flow Lord because I cannot comfort him in person and I am terrified of the future.I am praying for that break,that comfort,the patience to get through this .Amen
Lord, hear our prayers. In your boundless love and comforting presence, be with Marie and her husband. In your abundance, provide them with what they need for the journey ahead.
Marie, I am sorry for the many, serious burdens of you and you "funny, lovely man" (that says so much, the way you describe him!). God, I pray you will heal Tommy of Covid-19, entirely, and of his heart surgery. Please restore him to sound mind. Help Marie with her illness, as well, and help her, through those gathered here, not to feel so alone.
For my daughter who begins her social work in hospice with those who have Covid, that she may abound in imagination to bring understanding and comfort without being physically present. I praise you that I continue to find your hope abound in the most unexpected places and people.
What a weighty journey your daughter is starting. Guide her, God, into the hard and dark places she will go. And stay with her and bring her out again. Allow her to tend to her own needs without shame or guilt and buffer her from the deep grief and the virus. Thank you that you do this for her and for others who work to care for the sick. Yes.
Prayers for those who don't think they deserve them, for those who think they're not worthy of love, for those who have been told they're not good enough.
thank you. asked my 92 year old mom's pastor about church membership several times and he replied with a message "praying for you both", ignored my request for a pastoral call (3 times) not feeling very wanted by First Methodist in Springfield, TN,today!
Thanks, Jeremy, very kind of you, and I probably should apologize for trying to turn this into a therapy session :) ! But I belonged to that church for all my teenage years, then attended every time (about every 2 weeks) when I visited with my folks. Now my mom is 92 and I live with her and take her every couple of weeks when she feels well enough. He did visit her here at home twice when she was ill for which I was quite grateful, told him so, and sent him a FB message, as well. I filled out the paper the ushers pass around on Sundays, with my cell number, indicating my interest in church membership, also mentioned it in a FB message, all I got was "we're praying for you both." When I first met him I complimented him on his message and mentioned that I am "sort of a doubting Thomas sometimes, hope that's Ok" he sort of smiled and murmured something.. but I feel I shouldn't have done that. I feel it's made me look weird and unstable in his eyes, but I thought the church was for semi believers and strugglers, too. I feel so sad about this. Thanks for listening.
Hey, no need to apologize for speaking your feelings and your heart. And certainly this situation justifies it, if anything does. I'm no expert on churchgoing, but it seems to me your pastor's church is not the welcoming community you need right now. (Or at least, HE isn't stepping up to fulfill his obligations.) You deserve, as does everyone else who seeks one, a community of faith that meets the needs of your heart and your spirit. I hope you can find one that endeavors to deserve you.
Lynn- I am a pastor. Your honesty would have pleased me to tears, and I would have welcomed you with open arms! It upsets me terribly to hear of pastors like this one you mentioned. Believe me- there are plenty of us who would love just as you are!!!
First, you shouldn't feel weird about speaking the truth of who you are and what you are struggling with no matter what that is. Church should be a refuge & we should all see each other as sacred and know that we all belong to each other. I am sorry this happened. Maybe the pastor is struggling in his own rite, but I would reconsider whether seeking to be a member of a church where you don't feel wanted is best for you. There are numerous paths to spiritual growth, (and I hope church attendance is one of them) but you should feel like a part of the community where you worship. I, too, was a part of many "churches" where I know would not be a safe space to worship. Love and grace to you. I hope you feel the presence of Christ and the peace and love from the community on this forum. We see you.
Beth, how kind your words are and how I need them right now, thank you so very much. Even my 92 year old mama (still sharp as a tack!) says, "That church has sort of a clique, just like when I taught junior high!" :) made me laugh right out loud! She is right, though, and the pastor there seems very happy and friendly and comfortable with folks like him who are very enthusiastic and smiling a lot and who are very firm in their beliefs and say so often. I guess he's not comfortable with someone who's insecure and a self professed doubt Thomas, and that should be OK with me, he is human just as I am. But I really liked him when I met him and felt the need to ask questions and talk earnestly about faith with someone who would be qualified to do that ( I am a semi retired nurse, and it's sort of like someone came to me and said,"I'm scared of taking shots, I know they hurt and I need one but I;m still scared..." and I would reply "Good luck with that!" or smile vaguely, move on to another patient, and never would give you the shot you needed, LOL But I am glad to be hear and I apologize for taking up so much time and space and for being self pitying (But damn it, I DO feel sorry for myself, I admit it!). I am so, so very glad to be here and I thank all of you who have already extended such kindness to me.
For my 21 year old daughter who is on Day 32 of Covid19. She should find out today if she’s passing her classes. For grace and mercy from her professors. For a new path if she does not pass and has to withdraw from her university. For an amazing job for my husband who has been out of the workforce for a year due to significant health issues. For a job for my son who wants so badly to serve in the area of medical research. For direction for me as I can either return to my profession or protect my medically fragile husband, but not both. For all of us to live with kindness and generosity, that we would live with light and love and reflect the character of Jesus in what feels like the worst movie ever.
Thank you for keeping peace in my home between my husband and I as we spend a lot of time together. Please give us patience and strength to endure whatever we may face in this uncertain times. Protect and give strength to any who are working the frontlines.
Prayers for the people boxed in by growing and multiplying uncertainties. Prayers for the people who can't cry. Prayers for the ability to love--God, others, ourselves--when we want to shrink and cocoon. And, Christ. A prayer for my bipolar brain. My mental stability is coming undone. Christ, have mercy.
I can relate please take your meds. We are all in this together... with our Lord. I need to cry but can't. Sometime it is hard to feel God's arms around us. He is with us his love surrounds us. Look at the sky, the world, a butterfly. He is with you. I didn't want to even get out of bed but I did. I will pray for us all.
Thank you for the discovery of self growth and understanding. For bringing me home to my parents house. For showing me that though we may disagree, the rose of love can still be found through the thorns of fear and anxiety. For the courage to continue being myself in a home that doesn't fully embrace that self. For the little laughs scattered all throughout that same home. For awkward and long conversations that sometimes make sense and other times don't. For friends who treat me like family even while we're miles apart.
Dear Lord, I a pray for those who are quarantining in a home that sometimes doesn't feel like home. I pray for their comfort. For visibility and friendship. For love. I pray that they find compassion and understanding even if it only comes from within.
I was just thanking God for the very same thing. I have been at home with my parents for an extended period of time and it has been such an unexpected time to confront rough edges and finding a way to make space for all of our stories, a time to pour grace over all of us as we stay committed to one another in love while maintaining our differences that sometimes feel worlds apart. May you continue to find that home in yourself, Elijah. May that rose continue to grow and find its way through the thorns.
And (echoing you), may others who are experiencing disorientation of self at home during this quarantine find comfort in the smallest things. May they find relationships to be seen and affirmed fully, may they see themselves no less than the very best idea God had.
For my two dear friends, C and J, who are receiving breast cancer treatments, from compassionate medical teams. For peace and calm between treatments. Lord, in your mercy.
For Zoom, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube technology which has enabled us to reach our virtually and stay connected throughout this seemingly endless period of isolation from our community at large, we give you praise and thanks.
My prayers go out to all of those incarcerated and afraid. Especially that blessings reach Leonard Peltier 75 , incarcerated in Coleman, Florida. That he may not be forgotten and may he be released
What that means to me is this: remember who you really are. It’s not about the title that goes past your name. It isn’t about how much money you have or recognition you get. It’s not about fame or being credited with something big. It isn't about the suffering of today or the success of tomorrow. To me, it’s standing in the uniqueness of your spirit. I have a visual image of a heart with a thousand threads of different colors coming off of it, like a tornado. We are at our core energy, and a unique mix of compassion and creativity. All the things that make our heart unique are an expression of God in us. We need to stand in that. THAT is the ground of our being. It will help remind you... we will be OK.
Nadia, in the Episcopal tradition, we would have gathered around you today and given thanks for you, your life and your continuing years with this prayer. “O God, our times are in your hands. Look with favor, we pray, on your daughter, Nadia, as she begins another year. Grant that she may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen her trust in your goodness all the days of her life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”
So, I pray that, for you and for anybody else who celebrated a birthday in the past bit.
I also pray, mothering God, that you hold my kiddo in the shelter of you. He is so far from home and struggling so hard. Please make yourself known to him in tangible ways. And, for my wife and me, his mothers, that we may trust you and staff to wholly care for and heal this dear child of ours.
Creator God, thank you for mornings like this one. The sky is blue for miles and the sun high in the east side of our valley kisses the mountains high on the west side of our valley. Thank you for fresh cold spring air coming in my window and for fuzzy warm blankets on my bed, and for the big floofy white cat who snuggles with me there. Thank you for coffee and that we have enough food. Thank you for the folks at our local school who know our family is struggling, who send gifts and trinkets on the bus for me to send to my son, who deliver a grocery card for the local grocery store, who sometimes place bagged meals outside for us, even though they know our child is not here and supposedly the food is only for children, for those few minutes on week days when the bus slows down to wave or even stops to check in and I get to see kind eyes smiling at me above the mask.
For these things, and so much more, I pray, hoping I remember to trust you. Thank you for not abandoning us during this difficult time. Amen.
Lord hear our prayer
Holy God, hear my praise for my best friend's long awaited and successful heart surgery that has saved her life, for having enough toilet paper to share, for the presence of the Eurasian collared doves outside my window that sound like pterodactyls, for Hubby who faithfully drives city buses and is kind to his passengers, for my garden that offers up food and beauty, for my kid who is 58 years younger than me but has an unmatched bounty of love and wisdom, for chocolate and homemade cookies, for Your constant presence in this grim and soul crushing time. Amen.
Asking prayers for my dear friend who is struggling to remain sober and grounded . her only child is in a hospital a long distance from herand, because of developmental disability is unable to advocate for himself or to communicate clearly with her about his care. Her heart is shattered.
Thank God for my life,children and grandchildren.Thank God for the friends who sustain me in this desperately hard time.Thank God for the life of my much much loved husband Tommy who is a week off a ventilator and recovering from Covid 19,while recovering from a quadruple bypass and two valve replacements.Please be with him in his confusion and depression and lift him up from feeling abandoned and alone.I want so much for the Lord to walk with me today as he did with his friends on the road to Emmaus. Today,I feel like giving up but I won't. My husband has been in hospital since 13th February and I haven't seen him since lockdown began here in Ireland 6 weeks ago.My heart breaks when he rings from hospital,confused and upset.I know his recovery from such life changing surgery ,ventilations and Covid 19.will be long.I miss him so much and I feel so alone today.So I pray God today to give me a sign,a break,something to hang onto.I miss my funny lovely man.We have come through so much..alcoholism,his and mental illness,mine.My tears flow Lord because I cannot comfort him in person and I am terrified of the future.I am praying for that break,that comfort,the patience to get through this .Amen
I can’t imagine. May the peace of Christ enfold you both.
Lord, hear our prayers. In your boundless love and comforting presence, be with Marie and her husband. In your abundance, provide them with what they need for the journey ahead.
I am so glad he's recovering. Asking for health, comfort and hope for both of you 🙏. God bless.
Marie, I am sorry for the many, serious burdens of you and you "funny, lovely man" (that says so much, the way you describe him!). God, I pray you will heal Tommy of Covid-19, entirely, and of his heart surgery. Please restore him to sound mind. Help Marie with her illness, as well, and help her, through those gathered here, not to feel so alone.
For my daughter who begins her social work in hospice with those who have Covid, that she may abound in imagination to bring understanding and comfort without being physically present. I praise you that I continue to find your hope abound in the most unexpected places and people.
What a weighty journey your daughter is starting. Guide her, God, into the hard and dark places she will go. And stay with her and bring her out again. Allow her to tend to her own needs without shame or guilt and buffer her from the deep grief and the virus. Thank you that you do this for her and for others who work to care for the sick. Yes.
Thank you for your prayers
Prayers for those who don't think they deserve them, for those who think they're not worthy of love, for those who have been told they're not good enough.
thank you. asked my 92 year old mom's pastor about church membership several times and he replied with a message "praying for you both", ignored my request for a pastoral call (3 times) not feeling very wanted by First Methodist in Springfield, TN,today!
I'm sorry, that sucks.
Thanks, Jeremy, very kind of you, and I probably should apologize for trying to turn this into a therapy session :) ! But I belonged to that church for all my teenage years, then attended every time (about every 2 weeks) when I visited with my folks. Now my mom is 92 and I live with her and take her every couple of weeks when she feels well enough. He did visit her here at home twice when she was ill for which I was quite grateful, told him so, and sent him a FB message, as well. I filled out the paper the ushers pass around on Sundays, with my cell number, indicating my interest in church membership, also mentioned it in a FB message, all I got was "we're praying for you both." When I first met him I complimented him on his message and mentioned that I am "sort of a doubting Thomas sometimes, hope that's Ok" he sort of smiled and murmured something.. but I feel I shouldn't have done that. I feel it's made me look weird and unstable in his eyes, but I thought the church was for semi believers and strugglers, too. I feel so sad about this. Thanks for listening.
Hey, no need to apologize for speaking your feelings and your heart. And certainly this situation justifies it, if anything does. I'm no expert on churchgoing, but it seems to me your pastor's church is not the welcoming community you need right now. (Or at least, HE isn't stepping up to fulfill his obligations.) You deserve, as does everyone else who seeks one, a community of faith that meets the needs of your heart and your spirit. I hope you can find one that endeavors to deserve you.
Lynn- I am a pastor. Your honesty would have pleased me to tears, and I would have welcomed you with open arms! It upsets me terribly to hear of pastors like this one you mentioned. Believe me- there are plenty of us who would love just as you are!!!
First, you shouldn't feel weird about speaking the truth of who you are and what you are struggling with no matter what that is. Church should be a refuge & we should all see each other as sacred and know that we all belong to each other. I am sorry this happened. Maybe the pastor is struggling in his own rite, but I would reconsider whether seeking to be a member of a church where you don't feel wanted is best for you. There are numerous paths to spiritual growth, (and I hope church attendance is one of them) but you should feel like a part of the community where you worship. I, too, was a part of many "churches" where I know would not be a safe space to worship. Love and grace to you. I hope you feel the presence of Christ and the peace and love from the community on this forum. We see you.
Beth, how kind your words are and how I need them right now, thank you so very much. Even my 92 year old mama (still sharp as a tack!) says, "That church has sort of a clique, just like when I taught junior high!" :) made me laugh right out loud! She is right, though, and the pastor there seems very happy and friendly and comfortable with folks like him who are very enthusiastic and smiling a lot and who are very firm in their beliefs and say so often. I guess he's not comfortable with someone who's insecure and a self professed doubt Thomas, and that should be OK with me, he is human just as I am. But I really liked him when I met him and felt the need to ask questions and talk earnestly about faith with someone who would be qualified to do that ( I am a semi retired nurse, and it's sort of like someone came to me and said,"I'm scared of taking shots, I know they hurt and I need one but I;m still scared..." and I would reply "Good luck with that!" or smile vaguely, move on to another patient, and never would give you the shot you needed, LOL But I am glad to be hear and I apologize for taking up so much time and space and for being self pitying (But damn it, I DO feel sorry for myself, I admit it!). I am so, so very glad to be here and I thank all of you who have already extended such kindness to me.
Hope you will stay engaged with this community!
For my 21 year old daughter who is on Day 32 of Covid19. She should find out today if she’s passing her classes. For grace and mercy from her professors. For a new path if she does not pass and has to withdraw from her university. For an amazing job for my husband who has been out of the workforce for a year due to significant health issues. For a job for my son who wants so badly to serve in the area of medical research. For direction for me as I can either return to my profession or protect my medically fragile husband, but not both. For all of us to live with kindness and generosity, that we would live with light and love and reflect the character of Jesus in what feels like the worst movie ever.
God's blessings on all of you 🙏. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy God,
Thank you for keeping peace in my home between my husband and I as we spend a lot of time together. Please give us patience and strength to endure whatever we may face in this uncertain times. Protect and give strength to any who are working the frontlines.
Prayers for the people boxed in by growing and multiplying uncertainties. Prayers for the people who can't cry. Prayers for the ability to love--God, others, ourselves--when we want to shrink and cocoon. And, Christ. A prayer for my bipolar brain. My mental stability is coming undone. Christ, have mercy.
I can relate please take your meds. We are all in this together... with our Lord. I need to cry but can't. Sometime it is hard to feel God's arms around us. He is with us his love surrounds us. Look at the sky, the world, a butterfly. He is with you. I didn't want to even get out of bed but I did. I will pray for us all.
Dear God,
Thank you for the discovery of self growth and understanding. For bringing me home to my parents house. For showing me that though we may disagree, the rose of love can still be found through the thorns of fear and anxiety. For the courage to continue being myself in a home that doesn't fully embrace that self. For the little laughs scattered all throughout that same home. For awkward and long conversations that sometimes make sense and other times don't. For friends who treat me like family even while we're miles apart.
Dear Lord, I a pray for those who are quarantining in a home that sometimes doesn't feel like home. I pray for their comfort. For visibility and friendship. For love. I pray that they find compassion and understanding even if it only comes from within.
That is beautiful And a great comfort to those of us who never "belonged" at home.
I was just thanking God for the very same thing. I have been at home with my parents for an extended period of time and it has been such an unexpected time to confront rough edges and finding a way to make space for all of our stories, a time to pour grace over all of us as we stay committed to one another in love while maintaining our differences that sometimes feel worlds apart. May you continue to find that home in yourself, Elijah. May that rose continue to grow and find its way through the thorns.
And (echoing you), may others who are experiencing disorientation of self at home during this quarantine find comfort in the smallest things. May they find relationships to be seen and affirmed fully, may they see themselves no less than the very best idea God had.
For my two dear friends, C and J, who are receiving breast cancer treatments, from compassionate medical teams. For peace and calm between treatments. Lord, in your mercy.
For Zoom, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube technology which has enabled us to reach our virtually and stay connected throughout this seemingly endless period of isolation from our community at large, we give you praise and thanks.
My prayers go out to all of those incarcerated and afraid. Especially that blessings reach Leonard Peltier 75 , incarcerated in Coleman, Florida. That he may not be forgotten and may he be released
For the new knowledge I have been able to attain to further my life’s passion. The ability to remain teachable.
For these intercessions and prayers which remind us of our humanity and call us to action.
In these times of uncertainty...
Stand in the ground of your being.
What that means to me is this: remember who you really are. It’s not about the title that goes past your name. It isn’t about how much money you have or recognition you get. It’s not about fame or being credited with something big. It isn't about the suffering of today or the success of tomorrow. To me, it’s standing in the uniqueness of your spirit. I have a visual image of a heart with a thousand threads of different colors coming off of it, like a tornado. We are at our core energy, and a unique mix of compassion and creativity. All the things that make our heart unique are an expression of God in us. We need to stand in that. THAT is the ground of our being. It will help remind you... we will be OK.
Be well!
Holy God, shine in and through us all!!