Day 39: 30/04/2013

Holy God,

You who are above all chaos and confusion
You who know my heart and mind
You who made me strong willed and opinionated
Fill me.
Fill me with your grace.
Fill me with your peace.
Fill me with your unceasing, always and forever kind of love.

Let our hearts rest in your goodness.
Let our minds rest in your truth.

And may the peace of all peace be ours this night.

Day 38: 29/04/2013

Let the glory of the Lord be upon us, even as we wait upon you.

We bring our clenched fists before you....open them.
We bring our cluttered minds in front of you...re order them.
We bring our weary tired limbs....comfort them.
We bring our distracted souls...settle them.

We bring our whole selves to you, we hold nothing back, every last particle is yours...
because the answer is "yes", "yes" we want to be healed!

And you, you are the only one who can open the tightest fists.
And you, you are the only one who can re order a scattered mind and put it at peace.
And you, you are the only one who made our bodies, who breathed his own life into our nostrils.
And you, you are the only one who can take the most ADD soul and calm it, calm it into clear focus.

And that's why we wait on you.
Because you're the one who can do above and beyond what you even claim to do.
Not only that, but you're good and you're loving, and this whole earth is filled up with your steadfast love, and you don't withhold good things from your babies...so we wait on you.

Help us reflect your love and goodness back to you.
We wait on you, today. We wait with expectancy.

Day 37:28/04/2013

Jesus,
Your love sticks to me like glue on the face.
Your truth is written on my heart, like the table in nail polish.
You fill my day with laughter, and I keel over in wonder.
You teach me how to trail blaze through life, like a hike on uncharted paths.
Unlock the lock and let me fly across the abyss.
You lavish upon me and my heart explodes, like the button off my pants.
All I can do is say thanks....

Day 36: 27/04/2013

Holy God, Father,

Today is the day that stretches on and on with an unknown end insight.
I look to you for strength and stamina. I look to you for my manna. 

And I give you thanks, for though it's been long, it's been good, and your faithfulness is astounding.
Your love was so tangible, so concrete today.
I am assured that I am yours and you are mine.
And I rest in that.  Tonight I rest in that.
I rest in that, as I keep working this night.
I rest in you, and your abiding, steadfast, sure love.

Day 35: 26/04/2013

Responsive prayer time again :)

In the name of the Father,
the son and the Holy Spirit.

Your steadfast love surprises and advances us.
It pushes us deeper into unknown adventures.
It calls us to settle for nothing less than the best.

I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
In this land of the living.

You call us to each other.
you call us to healing and reconciliation.
You call us to "togetherness".

I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
In this land of the living.

You are faithful to lead us by still waters.
You are faithful to lead us through deep waters.
You are faithful, even when we feel like we are drowning.

I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
In this land of the living.

Refresh our minds this morning.
Sprinkle our eyes clean
Adjust our aperture to see you more clearly.

We believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.

Day 34: 25/04/2013

I watched your beautiful world wake up today.  I watched it unfold in all its splendour.  And it might just be one of my favorite things: sitting on the deck in the fresh sun just making its first appearance, drinking in the early morning rays, soaking up my latte. The stillness stirs with the alive movement of anticipation.  The day is about to begin, possibilities are about to unfold that have never been thought of, the world is waking up, a new gift of a day is here to enjoy.  And I think about how you did a really good job when you made this earth.

And the middle of my day is crazy and I'm so quick to forget about you, to slow it down and live in the moments not in the minutes.

But here I am tonight.  And that moon of yours, that moon that shines so bright in the deepest darkest night is full and round, exerting its self loud in the clear night sky.  I drink in its mystery rays.  I reflect over my full day and the gifts you gave me and I give you my thanks.  Because you are the one that moves my minutes into moments.  Moments of dinner on the deck with free crab legs, moments of silly surprise games at a new friend's house, moments of finally cleaning up the house, moments of freshly painted toe nails on the deck, and muffins with breakfast.  You filled my day with minor moments and moving moments and I give you thanks. 

And may the peace of all peace be mine this night.

Day 33: 24/04/2013

Father,

The thing we want is to seek you, to seek your face.
This is the thing we want more than any other thing.
We delight in you, we cherish you, you are our soul desire.

And we wait on you.
We sit and bask in your sunlight, in your presence.
You heal us, you redeem us, you fill us with courage.

You amaze me, yes you continuously amaze me.
I sit in awe of you this morning. In awe and delight.
I wait on you, I wait with you, King, my strong deliverer.

Day 32: 23/04/2013

I choose to see your goodness in this land of the living.
I choose your healing peace and life.
And I know that you do not withhold good things from your babies.
Take out my self-pity contacts and let me see clearly.
You are good and your ways are good.
We seek your face in this land of the living.

Day 31: 22/04/2013

Father God, Holy God, the one who is above everything created...

Today we declare our allegiance to you.
We declare your victory over death, brokenness and defeat.
Today we choose to walk in the way you have for us.
We choose to take the risks you invite us into, and we will not let fear hinder us.
We will walk with boldness knowing we are wearing your cloak of forgiveness, which frees us.

We will announce and proclaim your goodness throughout this earth of yours.
We will celebrate and shout that death has been defeated, that you offer life, and life abundant.
Today we will be brave, we will look our demons in the face and we won't tremble, because you are holding our hand, and whispering assurances in our ear. 

And when we get tired, we choose to remind each other that You are faithful, yes always faithful.
We choose to lift our friend's hands up, because we know that some days they hold our hands up, and that ultimately it's you who holds both our hands up. 

And so today, today, we choose to hear your voice and live.

Day 30: 21/04/2013

What I hear Christ say today:

I know I ask heavy things of you.  But sometimes, baby girl, you carry more than you are suppose to.  Let it go, put it down, because the burden that I give you is light.  So open your hands.  Let me lift the heaviness, let me fill them with light, life and truth.  And I know that you feel like you're in a storm.  Look up! Look into my eyes.  Am I not the one controlling the storm?  Can I not stop it as easily as I started it? So look in my eyes.  Be filled with the assurance that I know what I'm doing.  That I don't just do things haphazard or on a whim.  Your life is well thought out. Rest assured.  Don't be afraid...look into my eyes, little one.

Day 29: 20/04/2013

A lament:

God,
Today I feel like all the people who don't even love you get everything they want.  It kind of seems like they have favour from your hand. And I do my best to love you and put you first and all the things of you first and often I feel like I just end up sacrificing more, letting go of more, giving up more. And to be honest today I'm tired of it. I'm tired of emptying my hands only to have them filled with sleepless nights and eyes full of tears.  I love you and I want to trust you, but today I'm tired and my unbelief far out weighs my belief. Reorder my thinking, show me your goodness. For truly you are who you say you are. Come Lord Jesus, come.

Day 28: 19/04/2013

Here's a Jenny-style of Psalm 33

Give shouts of joy, sprinkle it like confetti, those who love God.
Thanksgiving and praise suit you when you put the kingdom of God first.
So give thanks with your guitar, paint brush, pen, tools.
Don't be shy in your thanks, lavishly pour it out on him.

For God's word is straight and sure.
And everything he does is done in faithfulness.
He is all about justice and seeking first the kingdom of God.
And the earth is just filled up full with God's unquenchable, unending, extravagant, concrete love.

God just spoke and the heavens appeared.
All he does is breathe and the angels are made.
He takes the oceans in his hands, the whole breadth of them are minuscule in comparison.

We should all stand in awe of Him.
For all he does is speak and it comes into existence;
he commands and everything stands up straight and obeys.

The most powerful and wealthy people in the world's plans don't stand a chance next to God's.
And often God "messes up" our human plans.
But what God plans is sure and good and it stands up forever against anything.
We should trust them.

God is aware of what's going on in our lives.
Even though, he is above all, set apart and holy, he still concerns himself with our lives.
He treasures us: the work of his hands.

We are not saved by our social status,
or by how much money we have,
or by how good we are.
We are not rescued by our own ideas or will power.
We are not delivered by anything man made.

God is the one who watches out for us. 
He watches out for all who seek him first-- the ones who are sure his good promises are true.
He will deliver them and rescue them in their time of need.

So we wait on God with our hands stretched out.
Because he is the one who protects us and frees us.
He is the one who makes us whole.
And so we continually and perpetually trust in his ways and his name.

And may his crazy love, that cannot be squandered, that never runs out, that is extravagant, gentle and strong, be on us, around us and in us...

this is our way of saying we put all of our eggs in one basket...all of our hope is in you, the Lord God who made everything.
Amen.

Day 27: 18/04/2013

God,
Today we look to you. 
We look into your eyes and we desire to behold your glory and your beauty.
We know that you are above all things, and we rest in that truth.
We know that you alone can rescue us, heal us, and deliver us.
We ask to be rescued, healed and delivered from all our chaotic places, even the places we are unaware of our bondage. 
Because we seek you.
That is our desire to seek you while you may still be found.
To seek you on your holy hill.
To seek you in this land of the living.
God we look to you, God we seek you.

In the name of the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Day 26: 17/04/2013

Father,

This morning I open my hands and I receive your new mercies, which are new everyday.
I let the dust of yesterday fall off of me and I step out into your light and the gift of this day.
Help me to be a good receiver of this gift; may I open it well.
May I be open to your workings in my life, this day, though they be different than my ideas and opinions.
Grant me the grace to look others in the eye and treat them with dignity, worth and love, regardless of how they treat me, for such is how you have treated me.
May I not be resistant to your prompting, but quick in obedience knowing that your way is the path of life.

Today I choose to follow you.
 I choose to lay aside my own hidden agendas, and to put my hand into yours.
I choose to walk with you today in joy or in sorrow.  For yours is the path of life and hope.

So may we journey upward and onward in grace and peace.
You have been faithful, you are faithful and you will continue to be faithful.
Therefore my heart rests in you, and you only.
Let it be so. (Amen)

Day 25: 16/04/2013

Holy God,

Yes you are God and we are not. 
And so we come before you in reverence, awe and surrender. We confess our idolatry today.  We are sorry for the times, which are so frequent, that we place others, ourselves and things above you.  We are sorry for all the trust we put in our own beauty, wealth and wisdom.  Truly we are like dust, like ashes before you.

Realign our thinking, transform our living. Bring our entire being into surrender to you. We need you to intervene here.  Left on our own we are prone to leave the God we love, prone to be consumed by pride or self doubt.

We are sorry for our need to control things, people and situations. We are sorry for our relentless pursuit of knowledge and power. In the end they only seem to consume us and we are left empty.  Have mercy on us, for we know not what we do.

Love on us so that the fears and lies of inadequacy and defeat melt away and we can rest in your healing presence.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
God have mercy, for we know not what we do.

Amen.

Day 24: 15/04/2013

Holy God,

Our hearts are just breaking all over the place.  Your babies are hurting your babies.  And your heart, your heart must be breaking in two. 

Lord, we don't understand, we don't get it and we just want it all to stop. We just want those people to be able to run their race without any interference of bombs. And our hearts are mourning with those who lost loved ones. And we are asking that you, the God who can heal, would heal up all the injured wounds.  That you would heal their bodies and make them better than new. And we sit and grieve with those who've lost loved ones. We sit and grieve with you.
Christ let your kingdom come here, in this spot, in this mess of an earth.  Let your kingdom come.
Amen.

Day 23: 14/04/2013

Oh holy God of light,
Be our living hope this night.
Chase us out of fear and fright,
Forge our path and hem us in tight.

Oh living God of favour,
Guide our hands to grant you honour.
Create life giving words for us to ponder,
Until we reach heaven's shores over yonder.

Oh moving God of life,
Remove from our hearts our quarrels and strife.
Destroy our man made lies with your living knife.
And fit us to be your beautiful wife.

Day 22: 13/04/2013

Holy God,

And your grace...
Your miracle, washing over everything, grace is enough.
It's enough even when it doesn't seem like it.
Even when the debris of this broken world just keeps on falling from the rafters.
Even still, your grace is enough.
Yes, always enough.
And its cleansing power and mystery is still enough even when I don't believe it.

Lord we believe, help our unbelief.

karis

Day 21: 12/04/2013

Father, the one who is in heaven and who gave the Holy Spirit to us,

Tonight I'm tired.
Depleted of emotional strength or energy.
Worn out, exhausted on the insides.
Processing like a madwoman.

Slow down my thinking tonight.
Let me rest in silent slumber.
Settle my insides and quiet my mind.
Fill me up through the night.

Please banish all nightmares and bad dreams.
Let me sleep through the night and not see 4:13am like my norm.

We wait on you.
Because we know that those who wait on you will renew their strength.
So renew us as we rest.

We love you.
Amen.

Day 20: 11/04/2013

You filled up this day with sunshine.
You ordered this day with a great timeline.

You startled my soul with your graces.
You brought to my house new and old faces.

We entered in to all you had for us.
We smiled and shared and embraced with no cuss.

Splendor and love sprinkled all around.
Laughter and chatter were the very sound.

You rock and we love you.

Day 19: 10/04/2011

Your steadfast love encompasses the earth like a solid, sure hug.
Your splashes of joy explode in my day like Mentos in coke.
Your spontaneous gifts seem to never end like the snow in Saskatoon.
Your circular, gathering faithfulness erodes my Janga towers of fear.

My only response can be grenades of gratitude.

I love you.
You my other.
Be holy in my heart, a cut above all else.

Day 18: 09/04/2013

Full.  Empty.  Recycle.  Breakdown.  Create.  Fill.  Empty.  recycle.  Breakdown.  Create. Fill...

This is my cycle.  This is our cycle. 

You fill me up. 
You breathe your breath life right into my nostrils.
You put your own living blood into mine.
Full.

The days wear on me.
That tree's fruit tastes so good.
In a façade of control and self sufficiency I become a depleted resource. 
Empty.

You find me...empty.
I hide in shame; you make clothes for me.
You speak hope and truth in the places of my deepest fears.
Recycle.

Empty, you break me down.
Quietly you lead me out of the garden, out of the known.
I tremble at the rapid changes, and sharp honesty.
Breakdown.

Life.  New life in a way I've never known.
I labour and till: the new life is born.
Up from the ashes I see a beauty, a clear glass, I've never seen before.
Create.

Day 17: 08/04/2013

For the twelve year old girl who tired to steal from our store today:

My sweet baby girl.
Yes, you, you are sweet.
You are sweet because I saw the shame in your eyes...
you knew what you did was wrong.

So, my sweet baby girl,
What happened today?
What went so wrong on this Monday?
Who stole from you?
Why did you feel like you needed to take those ugly black laces?
You didn't even steal something good,
like earrings, or neon laces!
You took something that's only good for men's dress shoes.

Sweetheart,
I'm not sure who stole from you,
or what they took.
Maybe your innocence has been snatched.
Or maybe someone has marked you down and lessened your value.
Or maybe you've had yourself worth taken.
Whatever was taken from you, little one, it's not okay,
and they shouldn't have taken it.
And I'm sorry that chances are you'll never get it back.

But sweetie,
even though much has been taken from you,
it's still wrong to take from others.
I hope you learn this now,
when the consequences are lighter.
Cause, beautiful one, you weren't meant to live behind bars.
You were meant to walk on this beautiful green gift of an earth.
You weren't meant to be a taker, but a giver.

And I pray that your pain would be swallowed up in Christ's love.
That you would be assured and told of your worth.
That you would feel valued and accepted just as you are with all of your awkward pre-teen chaos. 
That you would no longer be called "thief", but in its place "daughter".
Because that's who you are, you're a daughter.  I'm not so sure what your earthly mom and dad are like, but I am sure of the Father of Lights.  And he, he takes real good care of his babies.  And I know he will take care of you, if you let him.

So I place you back in his hands,
and pray he swaddles you tight this night. 
Sweet dreams my little child of light.

Day 16: 07/04/2013

Father.
Father who is above all and in all and around all and through all...
We rest in you today.
We rest in you though the terror strikes at the night,
though the bad dreams come and wake our slumber,
though the stress mounds on our shoulders,
though the unrest twitches in our eyes.
Still we rest in you.

You who's love is more than enough.
You who's love has weathered many sleepless nights.
You who's love has conquered the carefully crafted towers of fear.
You who's love has stilled and hushed my wayward heart.

Be heavy with us this day. 
Be heavy with us this night.

For Thine is the kingdom.
Thine is the power.
Thine is the glory.
Right now and continuously forever.
Amen.

Day 15: 06/04/2013

You`re steadfast love is written everywhere... help my eyes to see it and read it.
You`re faithfulness covers this earth like a blanket...help my hands to receive it.
You`re constant creativity and care dust the earth like pollen....help my thinking to be open to it not allergic.

Break down my binary thought; help me to do math without numbers.
Let me soak in your truth that resides deeper than mere facts.
Set me in the sunlight of your presence without getting burnt or catching fire.

You are other.
You are holy.
My brain cannot process even a fractal of you
and I`m starting to become okay with that.

I respect you because I cannot control you.
You are my other and I love you.
I raise my white flag: Christ enter in.

Day 14: 05/04/2013

You`re watering your earth today.
Water our lives too.
The smell of growth and freshness mingles in
I welcome its cleansing life.

Dance your grace upon on lives.
Sing sweet melodies of your steadfast love around us.
For there is nothing created like you, in heaven or on earth.
You are above all. And I sit in awe of you this morning.

I fall back into your depths, like a diver falling into the ocean.
Who can comprehend the depths of you?

I give thanks for the wonders you have shown me.
I give thanks that I cannot control you or your workings.
I give thanks that you are holy, that you are above all, set apart.
I give thanks.

Day 13: 04/04/2013

What is it I need to say to you today?
Teach me to unpack my heart, unpack its depths.

What is it I need to hear from you today?
Quiet my insides, break fear so that I can listen to your voice and live.

Where is it that I need healing from you today?
Open my mind, unclench my fists that I can walk in your freedom.

Christ, please be all over my day, like the chicken pox.
Get inside of my throat and everything.
Let no part of my life be untouched, no rock unturned.

Day 12: 03/04/2013

Today, today we choose hope.  We choose to hope in your steadfast love that surrounds us.  We choose to sit here and remind ourselves that you are faithful, that you have been faithful and that you will continue to be faithful.  We choose to rest in these facts. 

Today, today we choose peace.  We choose to let your peace wash over all of our uncertainties, all of our lack of understanding.  Because we remember that with your voice you spoke things into being and calmed the raging sea.

Today, today we choose attentiveness.  We choose to get on board with what you are doing in our lives and in the lives of people we come into contact with. We choose to operate in kairos time because this is where abundant life happens.

Today, today we choose patience.  We choose to slow down our busy rhythms and embrace yours.  We choose to view people as the God-breathed miracles they are.  You have been beyond patient with us and we choose to embrace the "no-secret-agenda" lifestyle that you offer.

Today, today we choose freedom.  We choose to say a strong "no" to feelings of inadequacy and fear.  And a bolder "yes" to Christ and his worth which cloaks us.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, and the Spirit of the Lord lives inside of us; so we open ourselves to more of that freedom.

And with all that said.
Today, today we choose grace.  We choose to accept that we will most likely not live up to these standards, but we will try, with Christ we will try. And we choose to recognize that life is not about achieving things, but about growing and loving; about becoming.  And so we ask you, Father, to pour out your grace on us so that we can be brave enough to try.

May Christ be within and without us this day.

Amen.

Day 11: 02/04/2013

So I'm trying my hand at a responsive prayer today.  The bold is read together and has been taken from Psalm 33.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God we look to you.
We look to you in the midst of the chaos and confusion of our lives.
For we know that you can make the crooked places straight.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.

Christ we look to you.
We look to you for understanding and comradery.
Knowing that you've walked on this earth, and felt the sting and joys of life.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.

Spirit we look to you.
We look to you for guidance on this uncharted path of uncertainties.   
And we rest in the fact that you are truth, and that you will lead us into all truth.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.

Trinity, Oh mighty three in one, and one in three we look to you.
For in you and through you all things live and move and have there very being. 

Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Christ guard you and keep you and your house this night.
And may his steadfast love surround you in shouts of victory.

Amen.

Day 10: 01/04/2013

Holy God,

You're alive!  And It's written all over your mighty, green earth.
It's written in the trees shouting forth nature's loud, colour-chorus. 
It's written in the beautiful, birthday, eater lily bursting forth its trumpeting pose.
It's written in our hearts methodically laying down tiles.
It's written in our souls calm comes to the chaotic.

Orbit our lives around you.
shift our equator,
adjust our tectonic plates,
tilt our axis just a little differently,
because all we want, all we want is to orbit around you.

Day 9: 31/03/2013

And when He rose...he rose with healing in his wings.

Father, Christ, Holy Spirit,

We do this in remembrance of you...
And we drink
And we eat
And we taste and we see that the Lord is good and that His love endures forever.

And we let the healing in...
We open ourselves, we open places we didn't even know we had
And we let your healing in
We let your life in
we let the resurrection, death-defying life in

And we say: "don't hold back! Don't hold back".

Amen