MorningPrayer

Dear Lord God,   May no day be just another day,  but let each day be a special day. May this day, especially, be a day set apart to worship and give thanks. May we stop,  be still and count our blessings, today. May this day not pass from our sight until we offer praise and see the sun shining forth and feel the silent breeze on our cheek and watch our shadow dance in the full moon light. May we whisper a silent prayer of love in the mystery and wonder of creation's song. In our anointing, may our cup overflow in loving gratitude for life. AMEN

Dear God,   In a wide wide world of conflict and fractured relationships, ideologies and opinions, it is good to be people of peace and gentle harmony.  We pray that we find that peace in your presence and  ask that we absorb  your being into our own and be saturated in your will and way.  May this new summer be a season of growth and healing as we de-stress and un-anxious ourselves and  be  lights of gentle goodness and shalom. AMEN

Dear God, Thank you for the comforts of life; food, shelter, clothing, community. Thank you for the goodness of relationships; family, friends, loved ones, those that care. Thank you for faith; church, prayer, opportunities for compassion. Thank you for a world of elegance and beauty; song birds, roses in bloom, speckled sunlight, fireflies at night. Thank you God for all things. AMEN

Dear God,   Hear our prayers, we ask humbly. There are those who struggle with anxiety and fear and find  themselves tossed about by stormy seas. Wherever and whoever they are, we pray they might feel the calm of your voice saying, "Be still!" Only then, may there be peace and serenity of heart and soul. Our spirits need the quietude and certainty of your peace, O God.  May we rest our weary souls in you. AMEN

Lord God,    In your presence let us live.  Let us ride the seas of life with you, flowing in the great ocean currents. Let us soar the highest heavens with you, riding thermals above the clouds. Let us grow in mother earth with you, surrounded by the nutrients of the good rich soil of your being. Let us in kindness and compassion share with one another, loving one another in the kindness of your heart. With arms and hearts opened wide, standing on the mountain top of life, let us shout your praises and release prayers onto all the land. AMEN

Dear God,   May we see this day as an opportunity to learn and grow.  Help us to enjoy and appreciate the music, dance, laughter and fun of companionship and exploration. Help us to float through the pain, sorrows and stress that might come our way.  Assist us in being the very best person of light and grace that we can be.  May we be disciplined and deliberate, creative and spontaneous as we learn and understand the lessons of life. May we be whole and well. AMEN

Dear God,   In the midst of our lives; many of our attitudes, understandings and beliefs are already set like stone on a plateau of age, education and genetics, (to name a few).  But we pray for wisdom and understanding that if some of our rock formations need adjusting that the Holy Spirit winds of change will carve them anew and the waters of Christ's love will round us into new creation's of God's wisdom. Help us to be formed in the compassion, love and social justice based upon the words and works of Jesus. AMEN

Dear Father God,   Jesus called you, "Abba, Father," reaching out to his rock solid God for  continued strength and love.  May we, each in our own way, be solid foundations of supporting love and guidance to others.  May they know in us a faith that moves mountains, an optimism that  exhales joy, a determination that is never-ending, a love that is beyond understanding but is real and true. May we be vehicles of your love and vessels of your grace. AMEN

Dear Holy God,   With every breath, might we pause and look at the world. A significant pause. A stopping in our thoughts and actions. A silencing of our desires and ambitions....so that we might look and see.  So that we might listen and hear.  So that we might touch and feel.  Lord, if not with every breath,  then at least once today might we just  be, and allow the world to bypass our filters and enter in and dwell in us. Allow us to be transformed, slowly but surely into a spirit filled vessel of your love. AMEN

Dear God,   Sometimes it feels like the threads of this weaving are too many and too complex to understand.  Sometimes it feels like there are even multiple layers, weaving's upon weaving's and the threads are complex and inter-woven.  Sometimes it seems that the weaving's  are tangled and torn, frayed holes gaping in the woven fabric.  We often long for simplicity. Help us, O God, to look beyond the weaving into the heart and soul of the weaver, both you, the master weaver and our own attempts.  May we see the simplicity of true love that longs only for fulfillment and in that weaving see the trinity of truth, beauty and harmony. AMEN

Dear God,    May the words of our mouth be gentle and melodious, filled with angels humming and east wind blowing. May our words be caring and considerate, kind and soft, free of jagged edges and harsh ledges. May the words that leap from our heart offer healing and wellness and a spirit of wholeness so that we might in understanding, comfort and compassion linger in the sounds of each others spirits. In the loving and graceful sounds of Jesus voice, we pray. AMEN

Lord of All,   May the deep music of the cosmos carry us and float us in green pastures.  May the still waters of the reflecting pond hold us gently in mirrored embrace.  May the pathways of love lift us so no twig breaks or flower bends. In your grace may we breathe the swirled breath of life everlasting.  In infinite stillness of soul may we be one with you. AMEN

Dear God,    Between here and there is a detour I must take, and if the road is crooked or the  traffic is dense or the GPS leads me astray, would you please help us to "recalculate."  For  there must be a way to get from here to there, even though it is unclear at the moment and we seem quite lost. So, in spite of our best intentions to do this alone, it seems we need a navigator, a pilot and a guide. It is not, O God, a failure, but a success to realize that not only do we need help, but help, i.e., You, are here. AMEN

Lord God,   We are of the earth, brown.  We are of growing things, colorful. We are of the sky, blue. We are of the rivers, flowing and the oceans throbbing. We are the wind, blowing and the bees, humming.  We are breath, cleansing and blood, red.  We are a mixture of physical and spiritual. We are you and you are us. We are one, with all that has been, that is, that is yet to be. We are Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha and all potential. We are now and we give thanks. AMEN

O God,  We are picked up and carried on the lip of a wave from the past.  We struggle to maintain our balance even as we learn from past surfers and look to the horizon unfolding ahead of us.  Always awesome in momentum, the wave fluctuates in size and fearsome power.  We ride the wave with a prayer. We ask you be our inner strength and personal power and that we might keep our eyes and heart fastened on you, O God. May our identity as wave rider, be that we ride with and for God. AMEN

Dear God,   Help us to make our moments count.  Let us be intentional in the events of our day whether we choose to sit and watch the grass grow and the clouds move or whether we weed the garden or trim a hedge or whether we cook pasta or bake a pie or whether we read a book or write a letter...or...well, you get the idea.  May each moment count for its own self in the beating of our heart and the breath of our lungs -- may we know the treasure of the day. Oh, and please God, be with us in all of the above. Thank you. AMEN

Lord God,   When in doubt or despair, may your angels hold us on feathered wing, swinging us in silver hammock of loving support. When our stress rises like a morning fog from the swamp of our anxiety, may your breath flow into us like a river spirit and nurture us.  When our heart beats like a hummingbird in flight and our eyes glaze over, may the rhythm of your ancient love beat slowly within us and sustain our bodies in rest and peace. May Jesus sit with us and hold our hand. AMEN

Dear God, May we follow Paul's prescription for living, "Rejoice always, give thanks for everything, pray without ceasing." We know this is hard and we will need lots of help and prayer to live this way, but we also know the benefits for living with and in this vision of faith will help us move mountains and walk on water. In Jesus help and name we pray. AMEN

Dear God,   Help us to be still and find the center of ourselves. Focus our thoughts on our breath from the center of our being and then take us deeper.  Deeper into the mystery of presence and life. Let us be like a wheel turning, all actions, thoughts and motives spinning from the center hub of your being. Focus us in the center, O God, and balance us in your eternal rhythm and essence. AMEN

Dear God,   We pray that we might create a world that is more kind and caring than we found it.  We pray that we might bring tolerance and understanding into the world, without sacrificing our ideals. We pray that all people of the world,might be aligned to principles of world understanding and acceptance and not force their ideals upon others. We pray that in our families, our neighborhoods and in the world that we might spend more time creating harmony than disharmony, beauty than ugliness and love rather than hatred. In the Gospels we read of Jesus who followed these principles; may we do likewise. AMEN

Dear God,    May we be filled with wisdom, the wisdom that turns knowledge into loving kindness.    May we be filled with the Holy Spirit, the life-breath that animates our souls and stirs us into life.    May we be filled with the Lord Jesus, the compassion that overflows in us and creates hope.    May we be filled with you, O God, the grace that forms our foundation and allows us to grow in vision.    AMEN

Dear God,   Breathe into us the Holy Spirit breath of loving hearts.  Breathe into us the forgiving spirit that comes from your very essence and being. May we be forgiving. May we let go of hurts and pains.  May we open our very selves to receive the gentle touch of forgiveness for our trespasses and foolish ways.  May we rest our weary souls in the palm of your hand and from your firm foundation spring forth with renewed vigor and energy.  May the Balm of Gilead anoint us and may we dwell in your house forever. AMEN

Dear God, Sometimes like a slow, tired river the day begins to flow, only bird calls picking up its skirts and pulling it along. Then, dawning light illuminates the banks and river shoals and we hasten onward; the river calling, "Come, come explore me." ... God, be the land through which we flow, Jesus, be the current of our movement. Spirit fill us with inner strength. Blessings be. AMEN