A prayer for those who we come into contact with today

 Dear Jesus 

We pray for those to whom we speak, touch,and sense  see your light in us

We pray that your spirit guides us

That through touch of hand, speech or heart you connect us to you father. 

Help us be aware of the broken and battered 

Help us speak truth to others

Help us be patient and kind 

Thank you for relationships 

Thank you for giving us each other and what we learn from each person we see today

They are yours father

Amen 

A prayer of intention

DAY 4 a prayer for intention. May we not waste any moments today. A smile or hug or kind word is all it takes.  I invite you to pray with me. May our hearts and words focus on uplifting each other. May our minds focus on Him. May we be open to what He  has to show us. 

Emmanuel,

We pray for your guidance

We thank you for the opportunities you will give us today to show your love

Help us to realize your presence 

Help us to be aware of those around us who are broken and in need of a kind word

Show us ways to uplift others 

Give us words to encourage the body 

Help us to stop and recognize your spirit within us 

Thank you for being close to us 

Thank you for not staying away 

Give us the discernment to make the most of each moment today 

Amen  

A prayer for those who are living with fear

DAY 3  a prayer for those who are experiencing fear. I've decided over the next 7 days to focus and pray for specific things. I invite you to pray with me. May our hearts and words focus on uplifting each other. May our minds focus on Him. May we be open to what He  has to show us. 

A prayer for those who are fearful

Dear God,

We feel like we are in a battle

Our bodies and minds are tried

This fear brings unwanted sadness and doubt 

We feel like waves are crashing down and our sand castle is crumbling 

We feel the darkness trying to close in 

We don't know the next move, there is a lot of doubt dwelling in us

Please re call to us your promises and your word 

Overtake our fear and show us your peace 

Help us to breathe 

Help us to take a moment to remember your truth 

Thank you for never leaving, help us reach for you 

Thank you for helping us trust you

Thank you for helping us overcome

Amen 

A prayer of reflection

A prayer of reflection 

God you are awesome

You have given us many blessings

Amazing family and friends

A church body who is committed to your purpose 

Thank you for the many ways to show your love to others

You have given us a life full of abundance

You have shown us your beautiful idea of humanity living life to the fullest 

Praise be to you the giver of life

Thank you for giving us moments of peace, moments of joy, moments of bliss 

Praise be to you for blessing my mind and my soul 

Amen 

A prayer for those who are dealing with loss

So, I've been intrigued by prayer over the last few months. On continuing my journery to invest in prayer, I've decided over the next 7 days to focus and pray for specific things. I'll be posting them on here.  I invite you to pray with me as your heart leads you. If you want to text, call, message or even meet me on any of the days (as schedules see fit) I'm more than happy to do so.  May our hearts and words focus on uplifting each other. May our minds focus on Him. May we be open to what He  has to show us. 

A prayer for those who are dealing with loss

Father,

This void hurts

This is hard 

We don't understand and we are not ok

We are grieving, hurting, and crying 

We can't bear the pain 

Help us to remember the hope you bring us

The love you embrace us with while we process this loss

Hold our hearts, wipe away our tears 

Thank you for moments of healing through our loved ones around us, your word, and your spirit 

Amen 

Tuna on flight 1680

Boarding the plane from a wonderful time in paradise back home.

Back to funerals, business trips, and daily traffic commutes with spilled coffee and mild cursing  during merging. Daily routine slips back into the drivers seat. Sniff sniff. Is that...tuna? It's annoying enough to hear crying babies or to sit in a cramped seat...but tuna...come on.

The flight attendant flutters by "alrighty folks you're setting in an exit row. Are you able and willing to assist in the case of an emergency?" I answered "sure" as if I had a choice.  I was apathetic but the lady next to me accepted her honor a little more seriously than I.  As if sitting in the exit row gave her this power and prestige over the other patrons. Her gain of control over the task of potentially saving lives was odd...odd like that smell of tuna. 

I would say i don't like to be in control, but i would be lying. I like knowing. I like having direction. I liked controlled chaos. I'd like to snatch that tuna sand which and throw it out the window and watch it fall through the clouds. But I couldn't just get up from my exit row throne and lunge over the seats now could I? I had no control. I could only accept.

But that's life. The more control I thought I had the less I actually had. As I reflected on how little control I had over my life I began to feel myself aging. A little wisdom, with a new epiphany came a wrinkle. I felt small, like a slowing fading shadow. To sit in an upright seat, fasten seatbelt and be forced to reflect was painful. To realize the two drastic sides of life was gut churning . Time slid its crusty feeble hand into mine and it took me to this place.

This place where life  is kind until it morphs into death. Desperately grasping my faith like a bar of slippery soap. Where my memories aren't even real just mere perspectives of bits and pieces of broken reality. What was even real? The tuna. The tuna was real. My emotions. My emotions were real. My pain. My pain was real. Real but fading. My emotions, my pain, the tuna smell. Inhale....exhale...inhale...oh nope tuna smell still there.

Sitting upright, seatbelt fasten, tuna fading ......release 

Soul repair

Soul repair 

At my souls birth it was fresh and clean and whole

As time wears on my soul begins to fade

A fear

A slur 

A hurt

A hangup

The tiny flaws grow as vines and wraps tightly around my soul 

Suffering, anguish, and death infests the souls walls 

Then one day the spirt spoke and breathed life into me 

The vines began to shrivel and die 

And my soul was released from the chains that it weighed down 

Now I can breathe 

Not as before 

But alive with the ability to exhale 

I began to gather scraps 

A love

A song

A kiss

A kind word

The tiny experiences are as patches holding my soul together

Waiting for full restoration 

Love, hope, and light want to flood my soul 

Until then my patches and scraps will hold my soul together for now