Live for Christ Today

Live for Christ for today.

Live in his grace, that we might be gracious.
Live in his love, that we might be loving.
Live in his forgiveness, that we might be forgiving.
Live in his peace, that we might seek peace in our time.
Live in his awareness, that we might truly notice others around us.
Live in his compassion, that we might seek the welfare of our neighbor.
Live in his sorrow, that we might feel the pain of the world.
Live in his cross, that we might not be afraid of spiritual burdens.
Live in his death and resurrection, that we might face the end of our life with hope.

Live for Christ today!

A Prayer

I'm chuckling as I read a poem by early 16th Century poet, Sir Edward Dyer:

My mind to me a kingdom is,
Such perfect joy therein I finde
As farre exceeds all earthly blisse
That God or nature hath assignde.

Yes, all the spellings are correct, for the 16th century.

Might have been written by most anyone of recent times - Ha!

How different the Kingdom of God - thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Let our prayer be:

O Christ my Lord,
Help me to live within your world,
That I might be a light to my world.

While others try so hard to love themselves,
Help me to love you all the more.

Remind me daily that I am yours,
And none other can suffice for the needs of my soul.

Help me to see that my hunger is nothing less than a hunger for you.
That my thirst is assuaged by the Living Water you gave to the woman at the well.
That my life makes sense only in your grace and love.
That life consists of all the duties of equity - to love the neighbor as I love myself.
And that such love is You ...

For love is God, and God is love ... and to abide in you is to live the grace of daily love.

Help me be this, O Christ.
Help me do this, O Christ.

Help me, I pray, O Christ.

Amen

Ten Thousand Graves

Ten thousand graves ...
Tended with care ... lush grass precisely trimmed.
Crosses mostly ... and Stars of David ...
Young men and women cut down in the prime of life.
They were brave and they were afraid ...
Their pictures reveal that haunted look ...
Of soldiers too tired to be afraid,
And too frightened to find sleep.

Seasick and wet,
They hit the beach …
Under the cover of …
Steel and smoke.
Death and tears abound …
Ahead, my friends, ahead.
There’s no going back now.
No stopping for any of us.

A continent enslaved awaits the charge.
Nations, yes, and then some, to be unshackled …

And the years pass us by quickly …
Memories roll beyond the reach of words …
Silent tears still shed …
By those who made it home.

Slowly, now, they join their comrades,
As we all do … with the passage of time.
Hand-in-hand; arm-in-arm … a band of brothers …
A chorus of sisters …

Smoke and steel …
And a victory in hand.
And may those
Ten thousand graves remain ever well-tended!

Copywrite: Thomas P. Eggebeen, 2009

Sense, Sight and Spirit

I took a shower this morning and thought, “Wow, this is amazing.”

Drove around the city yesterday with some errands and thought, “What an incredible city – life, culture, buildings, song and dance – the whole nine yards.”

Moderated Session last night and thought, “So many good and decent folk, servants of the most high God, working hard to be faithful.”

And, then I thought about my thoughts – and what it is to have eyes that see, senses that feel, and a heart for the things of God.

Pray that my eyes remain good, my senses appreciative and my heart devoted to the things of God.

I’ll pray that for you, too.

Count Your Blessings ...

As the hymn puts it:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Ordinarily, we “count our blessings” by noting what God has done for us … and they are many, of course: from the breath of life to the hope of eternity, from the smell of freshly brewed coffee to the delight of a pepperoni pizza – and the gift of the church of Jesus Christ, the Bible, pastors and missionaries; sun rise over the mountains, the crash of ocean waves; the arc of gull’s wing, the buzz of a bee, and a couple of billion other things, great and small.

But I’d like to take this notion of counting on a slightly different tact.

Count the good and decent things YOU’VE DONE over the years, and will likely do today: kindly words spoken to a friend in need; a more than generous check given to the LORD's work; every prayer you’ve said for family and friends; a smile given to the young lady behind the counter; a dollar bill given to a homeless man on the street; the mission trip you went on; a time when your shared your faith with a friend; all those times when you walk humbly with God, when you do just things for the folks on the other end of the stick, when you stand tall for Christ and let his light shine through your life; when mercy and love and tenderness pour out of your heart – these and a couple of million other things, great and small.

So, count your blessings today, name them one by one, and it will surprise what the LORD hath done THROUGH YOU!

Praying for One Another

The Acts 16:5 Initiative offers a prayer that we can use for one another.

For some months now, Session members have been doing this. At the end of every Session Meeting, we pair-up and promise to pray for our prayer-partner until the next Session Meeting, when the pairs are rearranged.

This morning, I prayed for my prayer partner and he prayed for me.

But whether said in partnership with someone, or simply prayed for another, the Acts 16:5 Initiative Prayer reflects the heart of our faith.

So, if you’d like to say a prayer for a friend or family member, here it is:

LORD, grant (name) and me
The grace today to commit
Our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
Without our reservation, and grant
(name) and me further the grace
To know your strength and your
Guidance this day. Amen!

You can cut this out and put a copy in your purse or billfold. You can tape it on to your computer or put it in your Prayer Journal as I have done.

If your friend is Buddhist or Moslem, or of some other faith, you might want to offer this version of the prayer:

LORD, grant (name) and me
The grace today to commit
Our lives to the faith we hold and
The love we seek
Without reservation, and grant
(name) and me further the grace
To know your strength and your
Guidance this day. Amen!

If in your spirit is seems right and good to pray for a friend to come to faith in Jesus Christ, you might want to use the following:

LORD, grant (name) the grace today
To commit his/her life to the Lordship
Of Jesus Christ without reservation,
And use me as a channel of your grace,
And grant (name) and me further
The grace to know your strength and your
Guidance this day. Amen!

It is a good thing to pray spiritually for one another.

Her Nose Is Working

I am amazed at Connie Culp, the lady with the face transplant … there’s something incredibly beautiful in her spirit, and how she can laugh – there’s delight in her soul.

In an interview this morning, she said, “I could smell my face soup” – for the first time in five years, she could smell – her nose was working!

I don’t know her at all, but what shows through in these interviews is something profound … what would you call it?

She forgives her husband who shot her. 

I wonder … am I capable of such grace?

Maybe we all are! 

I think there is something incredible in us … call it the image of God … call it what you will, but it’s there, in all of us.

I think I’ll be very careful today to try to find that grace in my life.

How about you?