Monday, December 30, 2013

Day 281: 29/12/13

God...

Uncharted
            You guide me.
Undefined
            You remind me.

Your presence my constant.
Your love my compass.

Straight and narrow
I will follow.

Your spirit my heart beat.
What beats inside of you, would it beat inside of me
Fusing our hearts together, forever: your glory.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Day 280:28/12/13

Christ--Lord,

You're doing that thing again.
That explosive, invasive life changing shift.
You speak your truth straight up into my soul
and my heart runs wild.

You're living life rearranging my stagnant doubting faith.
You're whirl pools of energy spin my spirit into joy.
Your tides of faithfulness push me deeper into your rest.
Your buoyant grace floats me, stills me, hushes me.

Surprise me. Lavish me.
Your will: my heart beat.

Day 279: 27/12/13

God...

And you're just always surprising me!
Always knocking down my willful wall of protection.
Always spilling over, abundantly into this storm-worn heart.
Always listening, always patient.

My heart runs wild
My will runs free
Your presence is where I want to be

Day 278:26/12/13

God,

You stop me in my tracks.
You paralyze me.
Rearranging is your speciality.

Unearthed
Control relinquished.
Moving forward in a guise of backward motion.

You're enchanting
You're maddening

Mystery of mysteries Guide me this night.

Day 277: 25/12/13

Christ,

Come awake in my heart
in the dead of the night
burn my heart alive with wild fire

come awake in my heart
in the quiet of the morning
like the calming of the water
like the assurance of the tide

come awake in my heart
be not just born
be not just a silent sleeping baby

come awake in my heart
with your peace like a river

come awake in my heart Lord
come awake in my heart Christ.

Day 276:24/12/13

God...

And I melted down
and the world hushed.

My loud sobs
your breathless breaths.

These things collide in a moment of explosive wonder.

The God king becoming man
the long awaited one a baby

You're arriving
You've arrived
we await your arrival.

Your kingdom, your glory, your honour, your power. Amen.

Day 275: 23/12/13

God...

And we lay it all down.
All this figuring out who we are and who we were and who we are becoming.
We lay it all down and we place it in your "more-than-capable" hands.

We rest our confused hearts.
We gently lay them in your hands, because we're terrified of change, terrified of the past.

Day 274: 22/12/13

God...

Your kingdom is coming.
Your spirit is moving.
Our hearts you're preparing.

Remove us, reveal us
Spread your hope to the nations.

Call us, center us
Share your peace to our neighbours

The Christ child is coming,
         make way for our king!

Day 273:21/12/13

And I hear you say to me today:

"Your stress is man made and self inflicted. If only you see how I see you.  You are not a disappointment, you are not a failure, you are becoming less and I am becoming more.  Give yourself a break.  The expectation you put on yourself to be perfect is crazy. Let me love on you.  Let me fill you with my peace and my joy. Yes, let me encompass you in my love."

Lord we pray,

Rise up.
Come to our help
be not far from us Lord.

We are your people
We are the delight of your work
Rescue us Lord
Rescues us from the hand of the oppressors.

Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the power
Yours is the glory
Amen.

Day 273:20/12/13

God...

You've outdone yourself today!
Dusting our small section of this earth with holy, silent, joy-giving snow.
Your dumped a pile of rest on some weary, burned out souls.
And we can't thank you enough.

You're calming your earth
intentionally slowing us down.
Make way, prepare for the coming of the Christ child.

Cover us with blankets of your grace.
We delight in your miracle and we anticipate your coming.

Day 272: 19/12/13

God...

And you are God our saviour
                     God our mighty one
                     God our provider
                     God our delighter

In our comings and our goings
In our waiting and our hasting
You are the Lord.

Lord over all things created...the work of your hands
Awe struck we fall to our knees in surrender.

How do we forget?
How am I so quick to forget who you are?

Remind me again.
Remind me again and again till I cannot forget.

Day 271: 18/12/13

Lord,

My cup overflows
I build a dam of control

Your goodness and mercy follow me
I fix my eyes on the fear and trouble ahead of me.

Let the force of your love flood me
Erode my control dam

Let me close my eyes and fall back into your goodness and mercy

The battle I fight-- enemies without and evils within.

Your accomplished work
My doubting soul

I raise my white flag
Let the dear Christ enter in.

Day 270: 17/12/13

Wow! So I've been super lazy in posting these....

God,

And I'm not used to this, used to these late hours of writing, but there's something about the deep of night that keeps calling to me.  Calling and inviting me to embrace the mystery of the cosmos. 

I surrender and I invite you to call me deeper than before.
Assure and affirm.
All I want is to know more of you.
Soften me and heal me.
Speak right into this soul.
Your undoing is my gathering.
Your love silences my fears.
Assure me again that you are Lord.
Lord even is this.
Even in me.
Amen.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Day 269:16/12/13

God...

And it's in the waiting on you that we rest.
It's the quieting with you that order comes form our chaos.
It's these unrehearsed, bare-bone, honest moments that transform this wandering heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh.
It's your undoing that begins my gathering.
In this mystery, this mystery of you I find healing.

Undo me
         Gather me

Unhem me
         Find me

Unravel me
          Draw me

Here.
Here in this place
I find you
I find me.

Day 268:15/12/13

God...

We anticipate your workings
We look for your stirrings.
Its your kingdom we're hungry for
your kingdom coming we look forward to.

You're the glory from the ashes
You're the bright and morning star
You're the ruler of this cosmos--
              yet you fit inside of me.

Glory out
Glory up
All praise to you my king

You're the Lord who reigns supreme
So we shout with jubilee.

Move us closer
ever closer till we're right beneath your tree.
Shade us and shield us
till our hearts rest sweetly in thee.

You delight us
You inspire us
you bring hope in this whole earth.

Lead us safely,
  Oh so faithfully
 until we leave this home worn mirth.

Day 267: 14/12/13

Holy God,

Asleep in your graces
Awake in your care.
Lead us forward,
ever forward
till our hearts prepare
of your coming
of your waking
in this world of dark and strife
call us deeper
plunge us further
till our souls in him suffice.

Day 266: 13/12/13

Holy God...

Clear the path
Walk us into order
Pray us into rest.
Fortify us from self pity, destruction tears and
march us into holy repentant tears.

Carve out time where there lie only tasks.
Carve out silence where there are only bitter words.
Carve out articulation where there is only decaying swirls of thought.

Exert yourself as Lord
Lord in the midst of the mess we make
Exert yourself as Lord.

We surrender to your bidding.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Day 265: 12/12/13

Hard to believe only 100 more prayers to go!!!

God,

And we'll do almost anything to justify you away.
We'll put our faith in extra-terrestrials before we'll hope in you the truth.
And in the same breath we give away our desire to be known by something other...something other than human.

Break our man-made myths
Deepen our knowledge of you
Deepen our knowledge of our other, our holy.

In the name of Christ we pray.

Day 264: 11/12/13

God,

The doubts run high this time of year.
They run high and deep, right into the core of this storm worn child.
But your grace, it floods out from heaven like sunbeams melting the snow, softening this hardened heart.  I am my beloved's and he is mine.

Day 263: 10/12/13

Advent:

Holy God,

And I come apart to hear you
          come apart to make some space for you

It feels like coming home.
            like coming into rest, into safety.

You're what I want,
You're my heart's desire.

Resting in you I feel free to fly,
Resting in you I feel clothed in forgiveness and love.
Resting in you I feel satisfied, enough.
Resting in you is where I want to be.

undefiled

Day 262: 09/12/13

God...

Weeping you find me
Unchained by your honesty
Unhinged by your grace.

Your stillness so cutting
Your silence my grace.

Uncase me,
Unlock me,
Until I surrender within.

Unglue me
Undo me
Let the dear Christ enter in

In the rhythms of the liturgy
The timing of the bells
the cadence of holy laugher
the solemn words of your strength. 

Enhance me
Enlighten me
Till I'm your child again.

Extract the stress,
Replace it with trust.
Open the flood gates of grace.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Day 261: 08/12/13

Holy God,

You do your thing...

              providing ways in our deserts and hope in our valleys.
              You speak your truth straight up in our souls and life right into our hearts

You're healing me whole
             
               Through frailty to strength
                from sorrow to laughter

you're breaking me whole

Day 260: 07/12/13

Holy tears streaming down
Beating in the throne room door

Heaven's answer swift and surprising
Grace so free
Love so extravagant

The wonder in the waiting
The wounding in the wadding

Fire verses ice
Kingdom conquered
surrender released

It's the beauty in the rawness
the strength in the confession

Holy laughter
Light's pure glory

Conversations: I'm getting softer

Friday, December 6, 2013

Day 259: 06/12/13

Christ child,

And you little one
You are Lord at your birth.
You are Lord when the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
You are Lord in the meekness of a manger.
You are Lord in the narrow, maze chambers of my heart.
You are Lord.
Lord at your birth.

I surrender to your lordship.

Day 258: 05/12/13

Holy God,

Your presence...
  waiting, you invite us
  pouring out, we are filled
  giving up, we receive

The paradoxes of your kingdom surprise me.
Remind me again and again.
Remind me of your steadfast love which is not false but always faithful.

Invite me and remind me

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Day 257: 04/12/13

Holy God...

And in the moments where my hope seems lost and despondent
        in the moments when my life feels fleeting and meaningless
            the moments when the well of grace feels dry

in those moments
           even in those moments
                                    
                                  You are faithful
                                     You are hopeful
                                                   
                                                       a faintly burning wick you won't snuff out
                             
                                       Your grace is enough for this,
                                                                          for me

                                                                                 Lord have mercy

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Day 256: 03/12/13

Holy God...

We wait for your coming
We expect your coming

Open our hearts, Lord
Open our minds
Open our souls

Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the power
Yours is the glory

Amen

Day 255: 02/12/13

God...

You lavishly invite me into December
You chart it with extreme moments of love and care
You pour out blessing upon blessing

How is your kingdom this wonderful?
How is there not end to your love?

Come deeper in my life
Breakout in repentant revival tears
Our heart cry is for you and you only.

Spirit, Father, Christ,
Lead us deeper into your rest.
We bow with adoration before you.
We wait on your coming.

Day 254: 01/12/13

Holy God...

Swiftly you shift us into advent.

We wait for you
We wait upon you
We wait in you

You move the mundane to miraculous
Silently you cradle us,
Your love descending like freshly designed snow flakes.

It's the glory of your presence
The wonder of your love
The unassuming nature of your extravagant gift

Prepare us, Oh God.
Prepare us to receive your holy child anew.

Amen.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Day 253: 30/11/2013

God...

You shape us and you chase us.
You prepare our hearts.
You bring us into your presence---help us to stay there.

You lead us by the straight and narrow.
You lead us by your spirit and truth.

Lead us and free us.
Teach us and heal us.

By your stripes we've been set free.

Prepare me to prepare your coming

Day 252:29/1//2013

God...

And you weave together the moments of my life.
The unrehearsed sequences of events,
the uncharted honest conversations.

                     you're coming alive in my soul.
                     You're coming alive in me.
                      You're coming alive in the spheres around me.

Grace and gratitude.
Gratitude and grace.

I am my beloved's and he is mine

Day 251: 28/11/2013

God...

And watching your world wake up,
        watching the whole thing just come alive, takes my breath away.
            It simmers my response down to a hushed awe.

Your sun rising- shinning its brilliant freedom over a cold and wearied people.
          This process ignites my soul with joy.

Your kingdom is coming.
Your kingdom has come.
Your kingdom is here.

Let us rejoice and give thanks.

Day 250: 27/1//2013

Make yourself at home, Lord.
Settle in.
Take your coat off and leave your things hanging around.

Let me be your resting place Lord.
The place where you unwind.
Where you feel completely at home, completely free to be yourself. 

Let your glory fall here Lord.
Let it descend like crystal snowflakes
                                  announcing your rambunkish coming.

Make yourself at home Lord.
                        At home in this battered, storm warn heart.

Day 249: 26/11/2013

God...

Broken deep beneath the surface
constantly pursuing and striving to suffice...

Rest.
Be still.

Your calm strong words.
My anxious battered heart.

Your assuring smile.
My doubt filled eyes.

You undo me.
You unhinge me.
Again and again.

Endangered species

Day 248: 25/11/2013

God...

Soften my hardened heart.
Prevent it from the catastrophic catastrophe of fossilization.
Breathe life in this fragment shell of a heart.
Speak life and hope to the lost and missing pieces.

Gather me.
Then heal me.

Bind me up for your glory.
Breathe on these dry bones.
                  these shells of a life.

Breathe Lord.
Breathe Holy Spirit.

In your power, Oh God.
Amen