Prayer Candles for Daily Prayer

 

Prayer candles- 

a new definition for a discipline of daily prayer.

 Purchase a package of birthday candles. Not the big number kind, not the surprise ones that re-ignite after you blow them out. Just the plain, old fashioned ones. Color does not matter. Twisted sides don’t matter. Just plain, little birthday candles. Now, take a kitchen cup that you don’t use any more and fill it half way with either sand or potting soil. Moisten the soil, and put a single candle in the middle of the soil. This is your new prayer candle.

Write down things for which  you want or need to pray. Write them on individual strips of paper and put them in a second cup.

 Put both cups and a book of matches in a designated prayer place and select a time for daily prayer.

 At that time, light the candle, draw a prayer strip from the second cup and start praying. If you run out of words, draw the next strip and pray some more. Keep on going until the candle burns out. Notice that the smoke continues even after the flame is gone. You can follow the smoke and keep on praying. Say amen when you run out of words.

 Put the used strips back in the prayer cup and put a new candle in the soil. When a new need for prayer presents itself, utter a small prayer, give thanks to God for listening to your voice, write the need down, and add it to your prayer cup. It will be waiting for you the next day when you light your new prayer candle.

Perhaps this is a great personal

 or family practice to try out for Holy Week.

Thanks to contributing writer- 

Natalie Hartwig for this Journey of Faith post.

 

 

Devotion- Mysterious Power

 

James 5: 13-20 Epistle Lesson for  Sunday September 26th As a concluding benediction To an instructive letter James mentions prayer Seven times in these verses   He reminds us of the mysterious power That praying or being prayed for has It is not wishful thinking or just a polite thought But truly leaning into the promises of God   While we do not have control Over how and when prayer is answered It invites the deepest part of our deepest self To simply surrender and trust   Moments of suffering deplete us Moments of rejoicing refill us Whether captured by joy or sorrow Prayer is a resource for all seasons   We use prayer confidently knowing that God will be our truest companion Certified by a cross, we can trust that This is a promise God gracefully keeps   So we pray for others And allow them to pray for us Drawing strength enough from God’s love   To faithfully place ourselves in God’s hands+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer, Northern Region Facilitator for Mission Engagement

Bless More

 

BLESS MORE   - a memorial prayer

 

Hold close, O God, bless more:

The men missing their daughters; the moms without their sons

The widows grieving husbands, while raising little ones.

Each boys whose soldier daddy did not come home from war

Families who honor what the sacrifice was for 

 

Hold close,  Father,  bless big:

The battlefield  survivor who fought next to his friend

still stuck inside that foxhole where he thought it was the end 

The military heroes and their communities   

rent by the pain of  those who fell protecting liberty   

 

Hold close,  bring peace,  bless more:

The nation 

            who remembers

                        its valiant defenders. 

Mend broken lives,  restore.

hold close,  Jesus,  

bless more. 

  

*May 31,  2021  - Wendysue Fluegge 

Awake

                                                                           

                                                        A WAKE

Remember Before The Lord

At the time for remembering, 

Sit, alone or with others, at the feet of God.

There, remember the one you miss.

Speak with God about that one,

Dwell not on the pain of missing,

But on the joy of remembering.

Give thanks, with a grateful heart.

 

AWAKE

For the WOKE

At the feet of the teacher, 

Remember the cost 

Of the deeds of yesterday 

And yester-year.

Consider the work planned for the day.

As you go about your tasks, 

Ask God to walk with you, 

To guide your feet, your hands,

Your mind and mouth. 

You were given this day of grace

To show forth the glory of God.

Thank you to Journey of Faith Contributing writer- Natalie Hartwig.

Thoughts and a prayer as we remember the one year of Covid, and begin the next. May the Lord continue to walk with us as we find the way/

 

Sabbath Prayer

Meet me, O Christ, in this stillness of morning.

Meet me, O Spirit, to quiet my heart.

Meet me, O Father, from yesterday’s harms.

From the discords of yesterday, resurrect my peace.

From the discouragements of yesterday, resurrect my hope.

From the weariness of yesterday, resurrect my strength.

From the doubts of yesterday, resurrect my faith.

From the wounds of yesterday, resurrect my love.

Let me enter this new day, aware of my need, 

and awake to Your grace, O Lord.     Amen.

The prayer is from 

Douglas Kaine McKelvey,

 Every Moment Holy, Volume 1,

 Rabbit Room Press, p. 235.

Back Yard Labyrinth

It doesn't take long for creative people 

to move into their personal gig.

COVID 19 is bringing out the best in people.

This is the Lenten labyrinth

 shared by Natalie Hartwig.

Right in her own backyard.

Personal prayer space.

Just you and God.

Talking over the things

 in this world today.

During these days of self quarantine 

we can walk beneath the shadow of the cross, 

meditate, and pray in our own back yards.
A can of spray paint?
And a labyrinth in the making...

Thanks to Natalie Hartwig
 and her "at home" 
encouragement for these days.

Praying for the Workers in the the Field

 Members of the Spiritual Life Team 

of the Southeastern District 

gathered for a 24 hour Prayer retreat at 

Richmond Hill Retreat Center this week.

 Under the leaedership of Deaconess Robie Hillhouse 

there is a plan in place to cover

 those in the field of called ministry,

and those serving in places of leadership.

There are specific prayer groups for each gathering.

 They pray for the churches and ministries. 

Specific needs if known, are lifted in prayer

 for the schools, preschools and the people.

 This time set aside is to cover

 the work of the Holy Spirit

 in the lives of the workers in the Kingdom.

There is much to be done, 

resources are dwindling, 

challenges abound.

But, the Lord of the Harvest is faithful.

 Gathering this week- individual prayers 

were offered for each preschool director, 

child care director,

school administrator and school principal.

We give thanks 

for these members 

who were able to gather this week-

Deaconess Sally Hiller

Deaconess Robie Hillhouse

Deaconess Debra Lennox

Rev. Bill Ginter

Connie Denninger

Faith of Our Mothers

I recently came across this information

 from Barna Research and find it interesting.

Whose faith influenced you?

(among practicing Christians)

Though we know that Biblical order

 states the father is the head 

of spiritual nurture in the home, 

he is often in need of encouragement.

So if we deal with the reality in many homes,

how can women take seriously

 the importance of their influence?

The percentages for teaching by example

  highlight the role that lifestyle

 gives in influence to our children.

That probably connects with the old adage that -

"seeing makes believers more than hearing."

These are also great talking points for parents.

How can they work better as a team for:

teaching the Bible, 

responding to faith questions,

praying together,

 teaching about God's forgiveness,

encouraging church attendance,

discussing God, 

and teaching about faith traditions.

It is very important to remember that -

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE,

to find a door into 

faith encouragement for our children.

Pray for them,

send them a visual prayer,

text them your prayers.

Show them how and what 

you are praying for them.

Live out a culture of prayer

 in your family-together.

Thanks to Genevieve Cooper for the photos.

Article photo from Christianity Today.

Prayer Reflections

Doing some writing on prayer 

these days for an upcoming conference.
Loved a devotion this week in 
My Utmost for His Highest
 by Oswald Chambers.
"Keep your life so constantly in touch
 with God that His surprising power 
can break through at any point. 
Live in a constant state of expectancy
 and leave room for God to come in as He decides."
He speaks about not expecting God 
to come in a particular way,
 but to LOOK FOR HIM.
We tend to plan and script the way that God 
can enter into our life situations 
and for those we pray.
He always responds in surprise.
More that we could have imagined in our prayers.
Even though sometimes,
 we won't see it in our lifetime.
Oh, Lord, let us be surprised.

Praying in Community- Hurricane Florence

The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd,
 Olney, Maryland 

 held a prayer vigil to cover 

the church workers and churches 

affected by Hurricane Florence.

They prayed for the pastors and their wives

 and the congregations 

and members.

In prayer they remembered the first-responders

 and all those living in the devastated areas.

Debbie Harman shared the prayer cards

 where she added a Visual Prayer.
Flood waters are STILL rising
 in some areas in the next couple of days.
Please cover them in prayer for safety, 
ability to recover,
and hope in this time of devastation.

Thanks to Debbie Harman 
for taking time to share these with
 the Spiritual Life Team of the Southeastern District.

Encouragement for Young Moms- OROMO Community

Prayers for our Children-
in the OROMO (Ethiopian)
language.

This was the afternoon project

 for the group of OROMO

 young moms gathered in Kensington, Maryland.

Translated from English to Oromo.

Pastor Teka Fogi-

taking a photo or two 

of our time together.

Thank you to his wife,

Tenagne, 

for organizing the gathering.

Working on the projects

Also learning about Visual Prayer 

and how to bless others with Visual Prayer.
And Counting our gifts 
so we can remember 
God's Goodness to us.

Listening to our stories.

Praying Scripture.

Coloring and paying attention.
A wonderful day together-learning.

PRAYER WORKSHOP- Risen Christ, Myrtle Beach, SC

All generations.  64 people.   Round tables.

How do we deal with Spiritual ADD 

and Spiritual Amnesia?

Introduction to Lectio Divina.

Visual Prayer.

Bible Journaling.

 Hands-on. Experiential.

Dealing with:

 slowing down

paying attention

dealing with distractions.

Becoming child-like.

Coloring.

Praying the Scriptures.

 Prayer is realtionship-

with our Heavenly Father, 

who wants to BE CONNECTED.

 Prayer time is Learning to LISTEN.

Prayer time changes- US.

 Stencils. Rulers. Drafting tools. 

All sorts of things can add

 to a blank sheet of paper.

Lifting up people and situations 

to the Lord that are on our hearts.

Sometimes we don't have a lot of words.

The Spirit prays for US.

 Prayer becomes story.

Prayer become journey.

We are witness to God's faithfulness.

We SEE when we forget.

We CONNECT the dots of our prayer lives.

We SHARE the story of what we have seen. 

We BLESS others with prayer.

The Lord BLESSES our small efforts,

Because He is Good. 

A Prayer Workshop

 to begin the celebration year of the 

40th Anniversary of

 Risen Christ Lutheran Church, 

Myrtle Beach, SC.

And praying for the Lord's hand

 on the ministry and people into the next 40 years.

Worskhop presenters:

Rev. Dr. John R. Denninger-

 Southeastern District President and his wife-Connie.

Oh Give Thanks!

A prayer workshop was held this 

Fall at St. Paul's Mecahnicsville, VA.

One of the women attending planned an extension

 of the Visual Prayer experience for 

Thanksgiving.

This note was in the Bulletin:

Bulletin Announcement: In this season of thanks, we at St. Paul have much to thank God for. To express our thanks, the LWML is sponsoring a graphic way for every member of the congregation to acknowledge what they are most thankful for. Inspired by the recent Prayer 101 workshop, there is a sheet of paper with outlines of the words "We Give Thanks" in the Narthex. You'll find some colored pens with it. We invite everyone to take a moment to write inside the letter outlines what you are thankful for this year.  As there is no limit to gratitude, there is no limit to how many things you can write. You can sign it or not, as preferred. Let's make our spirit of gratefulness visible to all who enter.

Visual Documentation 

of prayer time,

 Blessings, 

and the ongoing 

Faithfulness of our Lord.

Story submitted by Judy Pask.

Thanksgiving Weather Report

I follow the blog 

of a wonderful writer

 and wanted to share the 

Thanksgiving post here:

Thanksgiving weather report

Extreme gratitude.
Outward conditions will vary throughout the day
as an intense high pressure zone moves through,
bringing with it a dense, cold air
of deadlines, household preparations,
long lines and frozen traffic;
news of unpleasantness will cloud the horizon.
However—
an inner receptiveness will meet every moment
with awareness of an unseen Presence
and awe and gratitude for the gift of life
mixed with marvel at all existence, including its pain,
producing a flood of wonder, patience,
forgiveness and generosity
unaffected by external conditions.
So in the end it will be a glorious day. 

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Megan Daub- Southern Region

 Megan Daub- 

Havelock, North Carolina

I recently was able to visit with

 Megan at the Southern Gathering

 of Professional Church Workers.

Megan came for the day 

with her husband- Jim.

Catching up a bit in all that happened

 since we were last together.

Jim and Megan were recently married-

May 2015

Job changes for Megan-

with more responsibility and 

challenges.

The death of Jim's mother in Wisconsin.

A call to Wisconsin for Pastor Jim.

That is a lot to wade through

 at any time of marriage-

 but especially as newlyweds.

Megan shared that this first call 

from another congregation other

than where they currently serve 

was difficult to figure out.
Lots of praying and some stress there too.

Just how to deal with such a BIG decision?

Husband's decision-

that affects Megan too.

One day while Jim was taking 

a nap following a hectic day,

Megan went and sat under a tree

 with this printed sheet for visual prayer.

I had sent her this print out in a packet

 of Prayer and Bible Journaling starters.

Coloring and praying. 
Focused prayer. 

Resting in Him prayer.

Megan said she sat under 

that tree for quite a bit.

Then her

 husband, Jim, 

came to the door and said,
"We're staying."

That is a quick answer to prayer time.

Megan is also participating in an 

online Bible Study of Philippians 4.

She had with her the 

prayer sheet for the word True.

I had drawn this prayer sheet

 for the Bible Study.

Mine is still waiting to be colored in.

Whatever is True.

Whatever in Noble.

Whatever is Right.

Whatever is Pure.

Whatever is Admirable.
Staying focused.
Dealing with distractions.

Megan also using visual prayer
 to pray for members of her congregation.

Visual Prayer Tools-

in the prayer tool box.

For everyday life.

Megan and her husband, Jim, serve at

 St. Paul Lutheran Church,

Havelock, North Carolina.

Megan works as a 
911 Dispatch Supervisor

 for the City of Havelock.

Gathering in Prayer

Life always has the high points and the valleys.

 Sometimes they follow very closely to one another.

Six weeks ago, Tom and Sandra Becker

 celebrated a beautiful beach wedding

 for their son Tom and his new wife, Janet. 

Within the past two weeks,

 their son Tom was involved in a motorcycle accident in Virginia Beach.

 Tom lost the bottom half of his left leg due to his injuries. 

Tom is currently still in ICU.

In the hours that follow such news,

 there is shock and disbelief and a thousand questions. 

We know and trust that our Lord plants Himself firmly

 in the middle of the messy challenges of life. 

The hard eucharisteo moments. 

When there are no answers and many many questions.

As a community of believers,

 we step forward to boldly ask God's intervention 

at this time 

for healing and recovery- WE PRAY.

In prayer, we have the gift of connecting

 our limited resources to the God of infinite resources.

It moves beyond our wants,

 hopes and needs.

 It is tapping into the supernatural plane of living

 that brings strength that our human endeavors cannot move.

Spend a moment praying this verse

 over Tom and Sandra, and Jeff and Janet.

 Ask the Lord to bring this family His help and comfort.

 Ask for His blessing of safety as they travel many times

 between their home and Virginia Beach in the next month. 

For upcoming surgeries and rehab for Jeff.

 Cover them in prayer.

Rev. Tom and Sandra Becker serve at
 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Preston, MD. 

Other prayer prompts for the Southeastern District

 may be found at:  praying-for-the-southeastern-district

 Just click on the individual prayer cards
 to enlarge to use as a prayer prompt.

9/11/13 Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father- ABBA,

On this day- remembering the heart wrenching news of twelve years ago,
when we watched the skies, as terror reigned the day.
Not much is really worth sharing these dozen years later-
other than - YOU- are still God,
and the hope that the Good News brings still changes lives.

I pray that I might see all the relationships in my life as precious-
and tenderly care for each one, every day.

Bless my words that they might bring healing and restoration
and Create the space for growth and harmony.

Because I have two choices, Lord.

All of my actions and all of my words either lift up,
build, make new- CREATES-
by the very breath and heart of your Goodness.

Or each and every action tears down, removes
or DESTROYS- the very real passion of the EVIL ONE.

Protect me, Lord. Guard my heart.

Because the evil one cannot create Goodness,
he can only rob or take away Goodness in my life.
He is the JOY ROBBER.

Grant me the wisdom to not be swept away by the luring
of a tempting world, with riches, power and fame.
Keep me steadfast. Keep me FAITHFUL.

And in Your Grace and Love for me, you have pursued me to
 be a part of the story of YOUR WORK in the world.
THANK YOU.

 For Gifting me to be a First Responder to a hurting
 and lost world.

 By the power of Jesus,
 I can tell about the healing that His Love brings
 in the GOOD NEWS- GOSPEL- to me.

Oh such grace, such grace, to me.
Oh Bless the Lord.

AMEN.

constance