Naptime Prayer

After reading Yertle the Turtle it is hard to say a prayer for my son in an un-Dr. Seuss way. So without further ado let us not be delayed: this is the prayer we prayerfully prayed.
Based on a true prayer, edited for length.

Dear God, we pray for Isaac as he lays down for a nap.
He's had trouble sleeping at night, and we're worried about that.
So now with a tummy full of vegetables, milk, and meat,
we pray that he might finally be able to sleep.
Daddy is going back to work
right next door--what a perk!
Mommy is doing what she does best--
being awesome as he rests.
And God, you are right here with our son--
weave his dreams from the sleep we've spun.
AMEN.

Sermon Illustration: John 17:20-26

I made this video from the slide show I gave during my sermon Sunday May 16th.



And this is the version I did for the smaller group at Thursday night worship May 13.

National Day of Prayer

My prayer for world peace, the final prayer at our National Day of Prayer breakfast today.

God, is peace possible
between individuals, nations,
ideologies, or ethnicities?
We ask that it is.
When we hear of wars,
invasions, or conflicts,
another bit of hope within us
dims.
Reignite the hope of peace
between nations and within nations.
But Lord, we ask for peace
that doesn't depend on
the death or suppression of others,
but a peace that brings,
honors, and supports life.
We pray that peace may be fostered
by the equal sharing of wealth
and resources, not
the selfish hording by nations or
the leaders of nations.
For us and for all people, Lord,
we pray for the power to be gentle,
the strength to be forgiving,
the patience to be understanding,
and the endurance to run this race.
Only you can truly bring peace:
We pray for peace from fear,
peace from hate, jealousy, and pride,
peace between individuals, nations,
ideologies and ethnicities.
We pray for peace for our entire world.
You alone are God,
and to you alone we pray.

The "Amen" is yours to say.

I wrote this prayer for the mother-daughter banquet at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rock Falls IL on May 4, 2010.

Mighty, and loving God, you have blessed us so much, often in ways we don't even realize. There is nothing like a mother, as you know from Jesus' mother Mary. We lift up our thanks for daughters and mothers, grand and great-grandmothers; thank you for the love they show us! Bless them as they play pivotal roles in our lives. Give them your grace, and help them with peace, patience, strength, and love.

Lord, you gather us under your wing like a mother hen gathers her chicks. Wrap your loving Spirit around us in this room. For those without a loving mother, we ask that they know your loving and nurturing care; grant them knowing you. We ask all this in the name of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almost Big News!

I almost got really excited there!

Formerly Forsaken

Forsaken,
marry me, your builder,
no longer Desolate
in a renamed land.

I'll never stop,
never stop listening,
working, loving, illumining
until eyes far and wide
see your beauty,
alluring and holy.
A beacon for all to see;
flip the switch on the marquee.

Delight,
formerly Forsaken,
the path is cleared to Sought Out.
Salvation comes with
recompense preceding,
and Daughter's reward
in my right hand.

Formerly Forsaken,
you are a crown of beauty,
in my hand and red
on my head.

(inspired by Isaiah 62:1-9)

For the first post, I'd like to share a poem-- "Unlimited Grasp"

I could die and
go straight to heaven
or
I could die and
be taken to a funeral home
pumped full of chemicals
mourned over in a church
put in the ground
sit in my casket, rotting
decompose until there was nothing left to decompose
lie there for many many years
be rumbled around by earthquakes
not feel the shockwaves of dropped bombs
have my bones cooked by rising temperatures
freeze at a coming ice age
burn up when the sun swallows the earth
and I would still be alive in Christ