DAY THIRTY

Dear Lord,

All that has offended me, I forgive.  What ever has made me bitter, resentful and unhappy, I forgive.  I forgive within and without, I forgive.  Things past, things present, things future, I FORGIVE.

Adapted from the works of Catherine Ponder

DAY TWENTY NINE

Dear Lord,

   Use me today to do Your work.  Let me help someone in need.  Let me bestow Your love today and let me show kindness to all I encounter.  Amen

DAY TWENTY EIGHT

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus?

You've got to help me make a stand.

You've got to see me through another day'

My body's aching and my times is at hand

And I won't make it any other way.

 Lyrics from FIRE AND RAIN by James Taylor

DAY TWENTY SEVEN

JUST FOR TODAY, LORD

  I will live through the next twelve hours and not try to tackle all of life's problems at once.  

  I will improve my mind.  I will learn something useful.  I will learn something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

  I will be agreeable.  I will look my best, speak in a well-modulated voice, be courteous and considerate.  I will not find fault with my friend, relative or colleague,  I will try not to change or improve anyone but myself.

  I will have a program.  I might not follow it exactly, but I will have it.  I will save myself from two enemies - hurry and indecision.

  I will do a good turn and keep it a secret.  If anyone finds out, it won't count.  I will do two things I don't want to do, just for the exercise.

 I will believe in myself.  I will give my best to the world and feel confident that the world will give its best to me.

                                                                         Author Unknown

DAY TWENTY SIX

I CORINTHIANS 13

Sandy's Paraphrase

 September 1984

If I could speak languages of earthlings and E.T., but not in a loving way, I'd only be a noisy Ms. Pac-Man or a loud oven timer.  If I could tell the future and read minds and know it all, and if my faith could make cockroaches disappear but I have no love, I'd be a big zero.  If I stood in the Public Square and gave away all my butterflies and books and photo albums to the street people and bag ladies and if I set myself on fire with someone's cigarette lighter just to prove a point but I didn't love, it wouldn't benefit me a stitch.  Love waits indefinitely and in a calm, soft voice and doesn't turn green with envy.  It never spews self-praise or gets a swelled head.  It doesn't act like a jerk or demand its own way.  It doesn't cheer when someone does a no-no but is always delighted when someone gets it right.  It can handle whatever is dished out; it keeps faith, baby; it never feels hopeless and it carries us through in spite of Murphy's Law.  Love never cops out.  Fortunetellers will be palmed off; back masking will be unmasked and PhD.'s will be piled higher and deeper because we don't know the half of it and we can't tell a tenth of it.  But when the whole thing comes together, the phony magic will disappear.  When I was a kid, I chattered like a kid, I thought kid thoughts and I had kid logic.  When I became a grown-up person, I left the kid stuff behind.  For now our looking glass is like Alice's but later it will be a two way mirror.  Then we'll see eye to eye.  Now what I know is like jigsaw pieces but then I'll find the box with the picture on it which God had all along.  So this trio - faith, hope and love - lives on.  But the awesome-to-the-max one is love.

Happy birthday, Sandy Krieger

DAY TWENTY FIVE

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

The light of God surrounds me,

The love of God enfolds me,

The power of God protects me,

The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is!

James Dillet Freeman

DAY TWENTY FOUR

Lord,

Help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I can't handle.

DAY TWENTY THREE

WATCHERS IN THE NIGHT

There is rest in God's promise to protect you.

He makes this promise out of his perfect love and endless mercy toward you.

He's ever-present, always caring and constantly watching over your life.

May He keep you safe in the arms of His love today.

"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."   Psalm 91:11

DAY TWENTY TWO

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rain falls soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

DAY TWENTY ONE

Angel of God,

my guardian dear,

To whom his love

commits me here;

Ever this day

be at my side,

To light and guard,

to rule and guide.

DAY TWENTY

                                                           FORGIVENESS

I forgive everything, everyone, every experience, every memory of the past and present that needs forgiveness.  I forgive positively everyone.  God is love and I am forgiven and governed by God's love alone.  God's love is now adjusting my life and problems.  I now abide in peace.

ADAPTED FROM THE WORKS OF CATHERINE PONDER

DAY NINETEEN

       I LIFT THESE HANDS

I lift these hands, dear God, to You,

in praise and thanks for all You do.

You light the path through all my days

and bless me with Your loving ways.

I lift these hands, dear God, to You,

in troubled hours when joys seems few,

You bear me up on eagles' wings

and see me through each test life brings.

I lift these hands, dear God, to You,

please grant me wisdom -  patience, too.

Then fill my heart with love and caring,

precious gifts You've made for sharing.

                       Amen.

EMILY MATTHEWS

DAY EIGHTEEEN

CHASING THE WIND

O Lord, yes, I, too, feel as if I'm chasing the wind. 

Lord, I know not what You desire of me, how You want me to work for you. 

I have so many flaws. 

I'm so imperfect that, at times, I feel You'll never be finished with me.

You are the Potter and I am the clay - beat out my imperfections and show me Your way, God.

  

Chasing the wind is fine for a few minutes, for a lark, running with it, laughing, being pushed by it, feeling its force pushing and rooting you to the earth. 

But then, Lord, reality makes you aware of how fleeting it is, this chasing the wind.

It's invisible but always there, like You, God.

It can't be seen but can be felt, like You, God.

Some days its so calm as to not appear yet other days its so forceful as not to be denied.

Yes, Lord, let me be a chaser of the wind, a seeker of YOU.

Ecclesiastes 1:17, 2:26, 4:16, 6:9

DAY SEVENTEEN

Bless us, o' Lord,

And these, Thy gifts,

Which we are about to receive

From Thy bounty

Through Christ, Our Lord.

Amen

DAY SIXTEEN

Lord, look down from heaven and see us from you holy, glorious home.  Where is the passion and might You used to show on our behalf?  Where are Your mercy and compassion now?  Surely You are still our Father!  Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, Lord, You would still be our Father.  You are our Redeemer from ages past.  Lord, why have You allowed us to turn from Your path?  Why have You given us stubborn hearts so we no longer fear You?  Return and help us, for we are Your servants and your special possession. 

Isaiah 63: 15-17

DAY FIFTEEN

A CHILD'S PRAYER

Thank you, God.

Thank you, God.

Thank YOU, God.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, God.

Thank YOU, GOD, for keeping me safe and not falling through the trap door of the hay loft and into the bull pen!  Thank you, God for keeping me safe and letting my older sister fall down into the bull pen instead of me!! 

THANK YOU, GOD!

This was my very first sincere and contrite prayer of thanksgiving that I ever offered up to God.  I was only five.  Over half a century later I can still recall the joy of this thanksgiving prayer.  I remember sinking to my knees on the bed of hay up in the barn's loft and mentally shouting this prayer to God.  Ruth

DAY FOURTEEN

  And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord, "O Lord God of Israel, You are enthroned between the mighty cherubim!  You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth.  You alone created the heavens and the earth.  Listen to me O Lord, and hear!  Open your eyes, O Lord, and see!  Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God.  

  It is true Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations, just as the message says.  They have thrown the gods into the fire and burned them.  But of course the Assyrians could destroy them!  They were not gods at all - only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.  Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You alone, O Lord, are God."

2 Kings 19:15-19

DAY THIRTEEN

O God,

  Give us a heart for simple things: love, laughter, bread, wine, dreams and fairy tales.

  Fill our lives with green growing hope, and make us a people whose song is ALLELUIA,

  whose sign is peace and whose name breathes love.

DAY TWELVE

O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds,

And whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me!

I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purpke sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons that you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than  my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy -  myself.

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

DAY ELEVEN

HOUSE BLESSING

May this home be a beautiful place,

a dwelling place for peace

in which tranquility rests.

May brotherhood abound in this home,

and may it be a place where joy and

contentment meet with blessing and success.

May the word of God always be lifted up here,

and may the Glory of God be ever present.

DAY TEN

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

As we also forgive those who have sinned against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for ever and ever.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew: 9-15

DAY NINE

A PRAYER FOR HEALING OF MEMORIES

Lord Jesus, I ask you to enter this person who has need of Your healing.  I rejoice that as the light of Your love now fills this mansion of the soul, all darkness shall flee.  Look and see, O Lord, whether there are any ugly pictures on the wall, pictures of old distress and horrifying wounds of the past.  If there are such pictures, take them down and give to this memory-house pictures of beauty and joy.

Go back, Lord, through all the rooms of this memory-house.  Open every closed door and see if there is any dirty and broken thing that is no longer needed.  If so, Lord, take it away completely.  Go back even to the years of childhood.  Open windows long sealed and let in the gentle sunlight of Your love.  Take a broom of mercy and seep away the shame of ancient memories.

Follow the soul of this Your child all the way back to the hour of birth and heal even the pain and fear of being born.  I pray that You will restore this soul as you made it and will quicken it in all those creative impulses that You have placed therein, so that Your purpose may be fulfilled.

I give thanks, O Lord, knowing that this healing of the soul is Your will and is the very purpose for the giving of Your life for us . . . and therefore it is even now being accomplished.

DAY EIGHT

O God,

Early in the morning

I cry to You.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on You:

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness, 

But with You there is light;

I am lonely,

But You do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart,

But with You there is help;

I am restless,

But with You there is peace.

In me there is bitterness,

But with you there is patience;

I do not understand Your ways,

But You know the way for me.

   Dietrich Bonhoeffer ( 1906-1945)

DAY SEVEN

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.

Thy rod and staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil:

My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord  forever.

23rd Psalm

DAY SIX

Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.
For for the struggles of this life, make us strong and worthy.
And for the beauty of this world, make us humble and grateful.

Gap Creek- The Story of a Marriage by Robert Morgan

DAY FIVE

I asked the Lord for strength, that I may achieve,

I was made weak, that I may learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things,

I was given infirmity, that I do better things.

I asked for riches that I may be happy,

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life,

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for but everything I had hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered,

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

anonymous Confederate soldier

DAY FOUR

Lord, let me do the little things

Which may fall to my lot;

Those little inconspicuous ones

By others oft forgot.

If like My Master I can give

Myself for those God loves,

Rich joy and peace shall come to me

And sweet rest in heaven above.

I know nor when the day shall close.

But when life's curfew rings,

I want my Lord to find me then

Still doing little things.

This prayer was found in 1996 in the Lake Placid Florida Hospital Auxiliary newsletter.

DAY THREE

Dear Saint Anthony, please come round,

something's lost and can't be found.

Help me find _________.

This a one of the first prayers I was taught as a child and I have used it often over the years.  Whenever I lose something I recite this prayer and the lost item is found within 24 hours.

DAY TWO

   Lord, help me.  The tears keep on falling.  I tell myself not to cry but, Lord, the tears keep falling down my cheek.  Help me to accept this pain.  I feel alone and abandoned, forgotten by all my family and friends.  Lord, only you can dry my tears, so I implore you, Lord, to heal my broken spirit.

DAY ONE

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 
St. Francis of Assisi