A Prayer in Remembrance of
September 11, 2001
May all of us remember with love and compassion this day.
May we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget.
May we draw strength from those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others.
May we stand with strangers who became neighbours that day,
And remember their generosity and hospitality.
Above all, God, may we remember your faithfulness
And learn to trust in your unfailing love. Amen
Prayer by Christine Sine
Add Prayer to Your Everyday Routine
by Norman Vincent Peale
“Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17) doesn’t literally mean to pray constantly, but rather to be in a continuous attitude of prayer. By investing even the smallest and most routine details with spiritual meaning you will profoundly increase your spiritual development. How do you do this? Try the following suggestions to bring faith to your everyday routines.
1. Be a Channel of God's Grace.
When you learn about an account of sorrow and tragedy in
someone’s life, in a newspaper, through a co-worker or friend, pause and
pray for that person. In this way, you compassionately identify
yourself with the human sorrow and become a channel through which God’s
grace may be extended.
2. Be an Instrument of God's Will.
When you read or hear of critical conditions in national or
international affairs, especially those emphasizing potential negatives,
counter those projections with the affirmation of a positive attitude.
Ask that God’s will be done in all human affairs. And offer a prayer
that God may use you as an instrument of His will.
3. Employ Spiritual Strategy.
Before writing a letter or email say a prayer, “Lord, help me to say
what You want me to say.” As you stamp and seal or hit send, bless your
message in Christ’s name, and bless the person to whom it is addressed.
When you pay a bill, thank God for material blessings, and bless the
store owner and the clerks, too.
4. Send Up Sincere Prayer.
While driving your car, if you become annoyed by impolite and careless
actions on the part of another driver, instead of reacting in kind,
remain affable and send up a sincere prayer for that driver. You can
never know what pressures motivate his actions. Perhaps your prayer will
reach his problem. One thing is certain, it will reach you.
When working around the house, “sprinkle” some love and faith on the clothes you are laundering. Put a dash of both into the meals you cook. And as you go through your daily chores, bless every room with the peace of God. This is a most effective way to improve the atmosphere of the home.
Twinkies and Root Beer
A little boy wanted to meet God. He
knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with
Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.
When he
had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the
park just feeding some pigeons.
The boy sat down next to him and opened
his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed
that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.
The man
gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy
wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
Again, the man
smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and
smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized
how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few
steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave
him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house
a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She
asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?
"He replied, "I
had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know
what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy,
returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and
he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
He
replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son
responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."
Too
often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening
ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a
season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!
Though the "Twinkies & Root Beer" piece is normally attributed "Author Unknown," it seems very similar to stories from the late Dr. Leo Buscaglia, professor at the University of Southern California, known to many as "A Cheerleader for Life."
Last Week I threw out worrying, it was getting old and in the way.
It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way.
I threw out a book on MY PAST
(Didn't have time to read it anyway).
Replaced it with NEW GOALS, started reading it today.
I threw out hate and bad memories,
(Remember how I treasured them so)?
Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago.
Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL, and I MUST.
Threw out I might, I think and I ought.
WOW, you should've seen the dust.
I ran across an OLD FRIEND, I hadn't talked to in a while.
His name is GOD the Father, and I really like His style.
He helped me to do some cleaning and added some things Himself.
Like PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE,
Yes... I placed them right on the shelf.
I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door.
I FOUND IT- it's called PEACE.. Nothing gets me down anymore.
Yes, I've got my house looking nice.
Looks good around the place.
For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space.
It's good to do a little house cleaning,
Get rid of the things on the shelf.
It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.
BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!
May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
You will not have room enough to receive it all.
May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever
Hope for.
Take 60 seconds & Bless someone!
Keep the Faith!!!
Practice the Presence of God
By Doug Hill
Hearing yourself think in a world full of distractions is a problem. Hearing what God would have us think is even harder. How can we create some quiet around and within ourselves in case the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something?
One expert on that subject is a humble monk who worked in the kitchen of a Parisian monastery in seventeenth-century Paris. His name was Brother Lawrence, and the account of his method (told to another monk, for Brother Lawrence was illiterate) are collected in a book called The Practice of the Presence of God.
As befits a simple man, Brother Lawrence’s technique was simple: He worked to keep his mind focused on God regardless of what he was doing. He talked to God while he did the dishes and praised God when he cleaned the floor. He worshiped God while he was setting the table for dinner and asked God’s blessing while he cleared it. Over time he got to the point where he was constantly aware of God and constantly in communion with Him. “In the noise and clatter of my kitchen,” he said “while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Sacrament.”
Most of us aren’t as dedicated as Brother Lawrence, but there are easy steps that an move us in his direction. Try taking “minute retreats” whenever a few moments of downtime present themselves during the day. Think of God when you’re stopped at a traffic light, standing in line at the supermarket, or waiting on hold on the telephone. It may be helpful at such moments to say a simple, repetitive prayer. Christians have recited the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”) for centuries. A shorter alternative is to repeat “Abba,” the word Jesus used for Father.
The key to practicing the presence of God is directed attention. The more we focus our thoughts on God, the better we will hear Him.
Ways to a Joyous Day
by Max Lucado, San Antonio, Texas
Ever have one of those bad days? You know—not kind of bad, but bad. You
mess up at work. You have a terrible fight with your spouse. Your doctor calls
you in for some tests that sound pretty scary. A day seemingly beyond all
redemption. When you have a day like that (and let’s face it, we all do
sometimes), you have several choices. You can retreat into paralyzing fear, act
out inappropriately or just go into complete denial.
But there’s actually
another choice: You can rejoice.
Rejoice? Why? you ask.
Because
it’s the only real way out. “This is the day the Lord has made,” the psalmist
tells us. “We will rejoice and be glad in it.” This day? This messy, painful,
frustrating day deserves a chance? Yes. Every day, whether it includes a lost
wallet, a dented bumper or the funeral of a loved one, deserves our full
presence. They all come from God’s drawing room.
Still not convinced? Try
these seven strategies the next time you find yourself trapped in a day that
holds more than you think you can bear. You’ll be surprised at how freeing they
are.
Fret Not
Anxiety will ruin your day. And it can be a real
confidence-killer. I know. I get plenty of opportunities to fret: Was I too
long-winded in my talk? Is my latest book any good? Do I have any business
telling people how to live? The drumbeat of worry can be deafening.
I
like the approach of a friend who once told me, “Well, Max, I always assume
everyone likes me.”
What a crazy idea, I thought. But I decided to give
it a try—not just once, but to make it a regular thought habit. I started by
giving myself and my audience the benefit of the doubt: We’re all here because
we’re comfortable with one another.
That habit has changed how I view the
world. It’s not such a menacing place anymore.
You can’t add one more day
to your life or more life to your day by fretting. Worry doesn’t take away
tomorrow’s troubles; it only rids today of its strength.
And why should
you worry when you are surrounded by friends wherever you go?
Forgive
Freely
I forgive easily. Or so I like to think. But some years ago a
Christian leader publicly criticized me without giving me a chance to defend
myself. This leader was offended by something I’d said on my radio show,
misinterpreting my words, I thought. He wrote an article about me, inferring
untrue things. I was angry and hurt. Really hurt.
I moped for a few
weeks, until I realized I was letting this man’s accusations rob me of joy. So I
wrote him a letter, telling him how I felt. He never wrote back. Maybe he never
got my letter. I don’t know. But what I realized was that by writing that
letter, I forgave him. Forgiveness is not about saying that what a person did is
okay or that they’re right. It’s about making a decision, a choice to let the
hurt and anger go. It frees you up to move on. Forgive someone and you’ll
discover that that person has virtually no power to hurt you anymore. Then
you’ll be able to focus on what you really care about: the joy of
life.
Fear Not
Heart trouble runs in my family. Mom, Dad and my
older brother have all had heart problems. I was so scared about having a heart
attack, I became an exercise fanatic. I’m taking care of my health, I told
myself, gritting my teeth. I even trained for the grueling half-Ironman
triathlon. That should fix things.
Then about a year ago my cardiologist
told me that I would probably still need to have heart surgery. All those miles
of jogging and skipping desserts and stressing about my health, and my heart was
no better off than it was before!
I’m not saying that exercise is bad. In
fact, it’s very good for you. I still run. My mistake was to think that I could
run from my fears.
Fear is a joy-killer. It can make me stressed out,
short-tempered, unhappy.
What’s the opposite of fear? Trust. I do better
when I trust in God—and go for a short jog. He’s in control of my
life.
Place your fear in God’s hands and you’ll find that you have
greater peace each day.
Live Passionately
I was a senior in high
school when I made one of the most important discoveries of my life—I loved to
write. My English teacher assigned us to write a short story. The whole class
groaned, but inwardly I thought, Yes! I wrote that first story through the
night. It wasn’t very good. But it was a great effort.
And from then on
in my career and in my life I’ve always looked for opportunities to write.
Writing is something I do from the soul.
Discover your passions by
looking back over your life for those sweet-spot moments where you’ve had ‘Yes!
experiences. String those together, and you’ll begin to see new possibilities
for your life.
Nothing gives the day greater joy than a good wallop of
passion that comes from doing something from the soul.
Get Over
It!
Sometimes I’ll have a bad day just by waking up on the proverbial
wrong side of the bed. I don’t know why I’m grouchy, but I stay that way for the
rest of the day.
If you look long enough and hard enough, you’ll find
something to bellyache about. So quit looking!
If you have health
problems like I do, you probably feel justified in complaining. Being in pain is
no fun. But try this instead of griping: Take a break from your problems. Face
each day determined to dwell on the positives. Think about what you have to look
forward to. Write a list and put it where you can see it. Try lending an ear to
someone in need. Be especially kind to people with whom you have only one
encounter—a waiter, a taxi driver, a store clerk. You may have only one chance
to be kind.
When you start living for others, it’s pretty hard not to get
over whatever’s bothering you.
Collect Your Blessings
Recognize
all that you have, and finding blessings to collect will become easy. The key to
a joyous day? Make gratitude your default emotion. Say, “I can find things to be
grateful for in this day.” Let your thoughts be positive. Expect good things to
happen. Seek out people who can encourage you. Over time, you’ll find that God’s
list of blessings is longer than your list of burdens.
Once in a race, I
was running next to a 66-year-old grandma. I was about to give up, but she urged
me on. “Just hang in there, you’re doing really well. Look how far you’ve come.”
I ran next to her and started congratulating myself for all the miles I’d run,
not the ones that were still ahead. It worked and I finished the race
strong.
Color Your World
One day I was at the beach, enjoying the
balmy day I had so looked forward to. The sand was soft and cool. Tufts of
clouds drifted across a deep blue sky. I leaned back in my beach chair and
closed my eyes. That’s when a seagull decided to use my chest as target
practice. Yuck! I poured water on my shirt, trying desperately to get the stain
out. And just like that, I’d lost the color of the day. Almost.
Maybe you
were caught in bad traffic or your flight was cancelled or you haven’t gotten
over that nagging cold. How can you see the world in vibrant color on a day like
that? Many of us can’t. There I was on the beach…about to allow one errant
seagull ruin my day. I moved my chair, trying to regain the magic of the
morning. And then I practiced all these steps I’ve been writing (passionately)
about: forgiving the bird (after all, it was only doing what came naturally),
not fretting or fearing, counting my blessings (what a beautiful beach) and
mostly, getting over it! No, it wasn’t too late for my day to be a joyous
one.
The world is full of vibrant color. Don’t let it lose an ounce of
its luster. Assume this day is going to be good, and it will. God made it
so.