Year-End Inventory

O Lord, my year's work is over, bless all that I have done right, and forgive all that has been wrong. Grant me the peace and rest that come from Thee above. (Adapted by REH from a Franciscan Prayer)

Constructive Living

I pray that I may try to bring something good into every situation today. I pray that I may be constructive in living today. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 23 December)

What I Used To Be

I may not be what I ought to be and I may not be what I'm going to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be! (African American Christian prayer in Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 20 November)

Give Me Peace

Dear heavenly Father, I need to feel Your loving presence here beside me, walking with me through this difficult day. Speak to my heart as I wait in silence, meditating on Your word. Give me the peace only You can give. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 7 December)

Boundaries

Lord, help me recognize where to set the boundaries in my life. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 19 December)

Christmas Day

Lord, on this Christmas Day, bless with comfort those separated from their loved ones. (Gail Thorell Schilling, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 25 December)

God, help me enjoy and cherish this holiday. If my situation is less than ideal, help me take what's good and let go of the rest. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 25 December)

Guide My Giving

Today, God, guide me in my giving. Help me give to others in healthy ways. Help me give what feels right, what feels good, what feels clean, and what I can afford. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 13 December)

Prayer is a Necessary Condition

One can live without prayer either when he is possessed by his passions or when his life is completely dedicated to God. But for a person who is fighting his passion and yet far from fulfilling his duty, prayer is a necessary condition of life. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom, Leo Tolstoy, 21 December)

Forgive Me

Forgive me, Father, for trying to find solutions in my own strength and in the wisdom of men. I turn to You now with the confidence of a child, trusting You to meet my need beyond all that I ask or imagine. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 4 December)

Judging

Lord, keep me from judging others. Grant me patience and understanding and the wisdom to love every moment of every day that You've given me. (Edward Grinnan in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 19 December)

Tasks of the Holidays

I am worn out, dear Lord, from trying to juggle all of the tasks of the holidays. I confess that my family has become increasingly caught up in the commercial side of Christmas. Show me, please, what I need to change so that our family can experience the true joy of Christmas as You intended. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 20 December)

Wintertime Is Snow Time

Lord, make everyone willing to slow down and accept the beauty of the snow.

Help Me

Lord, help me deal with the pain I experience in my life today. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 11 December)

Just For Today

Just for today, be God on earth. Love somebody. Help somebody. Touch somebody. Guide somebody. Feed somebody. Support somebody. Forgive somebody. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 14 December)

Thankfulness

Lord, I'm thankful for this season when thankfulness and love is on everyone's lips. (adapted from Rick Hamlin in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 23 November)

Power of Government

Until such time as people reject the power of government to govern, to tax, to legislate, and to punish, war will never stop. War is the consequence of the government's power. (Anonymous, in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 25 November)

Life of the Spirit

Try to see the life of the spirit as a calm place, shut away from the tumult of the world. Think of your spiritual home as a place filled with peace, serenity, and contentment. Go to this place to meditate and gain the strength to carry you through the day's problems. Go back daily and whenever you are weary of the world. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 14 December)

Meditation and Prayer

And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed support. (From page 97 of 12 Steps and 12 Traditions found in Daily Reflections, 15 November)

I Give Up

God, I give up. I cannot make it happen. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 6 December)

Mistakes

Mistakes help you to grow in character and spirituality. (Susan Smith-Jones, Choose to Live Each Fully, Day 325)

Spiritual Path

God, help me find the spiritual path in the choices I make today. Help me to turn away from self-pity. (Touchstones, 3 December)

The Will of God

I pray that I may do the will of God. I pray that I may gain new spiritual power. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 7 December)

Your Blessings

Lord, we ask for your blessings today on our neighbor undergoing medical testing and for the young mother caring for a sick child.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they, too, have their story.
(Max Ehrmann, dated 1927, "Desiderata," found in One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 7 December)

I Am Blessed

I am blessed as I bless others, and blessings come back to me multiplied.
(Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 281)

Changing Seasons

Thank You, God, for the changing seasons and for my ever-changing life. (Daily Reflections, 23 November)

Traditions

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught ...

Lord, thank You for the traditions that bind our family together. (II Thessalonians 2:15 and Daily Guideposts - 2006, 17 November)

For Whom Do You Pray?

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Double day-lily in our yard)

For whom do you regularly pray? Who else needs your prayers? (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 26 November)

Guidance

I ask God for guidance and strength in releasing ... [my detrimental] habits and leaving them behind. (Daily Word for Healing, p. 283)

Meditation

Half an hour's meditation is essential except when you are very busy. Then a full hour is needed. (Francis de Sales in Courage to Change, 22 November)

Entrenched Religious Beliefs

It is the ultimate contradiction that those who are firmly entrenched in their religious beliefs think nothing of killing in the name of their God. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 354)

Spiritual Life

I pray that I may not be overwhelmed by material things. I pray that I may realize the higher value of spiritual things. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 20 November)

Thanksgiving

Father, we around this table thank Thee:

• for Thy great gift of life,
• that Thy love for us is not dependent upon any worthiness of ours,
• for good health,
• that we know neither hunger nor want,
• for warm clothes to wear,
• for those who love us best,
• for friends whose words of encouragement have often chased away dark clouds,
• for the zest of living,
• for many an answered prayer,
• for kindly providences that have preserved us from danger and harm.

(The Prayers of Peter Marshall, p. 84)

Fulfillment of the Law of God

The first and most difficult obstruction to the fulfillment of the law of God is the fact that our society's existing laws are completely opposed to this law. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 3 November)

God Is Spirit

God is spirit and part of this spirit lives inside me and gives sense to my life. (Anonymous, in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 17 October)

St. Francis

Lord, make me a channel for thy peace --

• that where there is hatred, I may bring love
• that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness
• that where there is discord, I may bring harmony
• that where there is error, I may bring truth
• that where there is doubt, I may bring faith
• that where there is despair, I may bring hope
• that where there are shadows, I may bring light
• that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather

• to comfort than to be comforted
• to understand, than to be understood
• to love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Amen.
(Prayer of St. Francis, Daily Reflections, 21 November)

Attitude Control

Photo: Mr. Dickie

Lord, I refuse to let my attitude be controlled by regrets and worries that reflect a lack of trust in You. My goal is to take every thought captive and destroy any thought that contradicts my knowledge of You. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, I pray that you will enable me to do this. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 22 November)

Wings of Eagles

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31)

Deliver Me

Deliver me from indolence.
(Food For Thought, 17 November)

Law of God

There is only one real Law, the law of God, which is the same for all of mankind. Human law can be valid only when it is in harmony with the law of God. (Anonymous, in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 3 November)

War

Let's not confuse war with patriotism; we're all citizens of the whole world, and war hurts our human family. (The Promise of a New Day, 18 October)

Miracles Happen

Photo: Mr. Dickie (San Blas Indian Mola, Panama)

Miracles happen all the time, but they only happen to those who believe they are worthy of them. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 30 October)

A Special Thought

You hide from your misfortunes. But if you knew what other people suffered, then you would not complain about your own. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 24 October)

When I meditate I have a special thought to carry with me throughout the day. I know I am doing something important for myself. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 13 November)

Act of Thanksgiving

The act of thanksgiving is a demonstration of the fact that you are going to trust God.
(Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 13 November)

Come Empty

In prayer, come empty, do nothing.
(St. John of the Cross)

Praying Today: Practical Thoughts on Prayer

Praying Today: Practical Thoughts on Prayer:

"An 'arrow prayer' is a very simple and direct petition or word of thanksgiving and praise, which may be said at any time and in any place. Texts from well-loved portions of Scripture may be selected; one may find appropriate words in some other book; or one may make them up for himself.

Typical arrow prayers would be:

• 'My God I love thee; make me love thee more.'
• 'Thank God for life and friends, for work and fun, for everything.'
• 'Help me, O Lord, to see thee and serve thee wherever I am.'

The possibilities are beyond number. And one can also pray in this fashion before undertaking some job,

• 'May I do this work as well as I can and in a way pleasing to thee' or
• 'Help me, Lord, in talking to this person who needs my counsel' or
• 'Strengthen me to face this ordeal.'

It is as simple as that."

Mediocrity

Photo: Corel

God would not give us the ability and opportunity to be successful and then condemn us to mediocrity. (Debra Anderson in Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant, 4 November)

The Right to be Wrong

Photo: Mr. Dickie (One of our daylilies)

God allows us the right to be wrong. (After Daily Reflections, 24 October)

God's Will

I arise, O God, to do Thy will. (Daily Reflections, 6 November)


Photo: Mr. Dickie (Near Thurmont, MD)

Daily Discipline

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Coneflowers in our backyard)

The daily discipline of [self-examination,] prayer and meditation will keep me in fit spiritual condition, able to face whatever the day brings ... (Daily Reflections, 4 November)

Oswald Chambers

Some prayers are followed by silence because they are wrong, others because they are bigger than one can understand. It will be a wonderful moment for some of us when we stand before God and find that the prayers we clamored for in early days and imagined were never answered, have been answered in the most amazing way, and that God's silence has been the sign of the answer. (Oswald Chambers, Daily Thoughts for Disciples, p. 75)

Truly Thankful

Generous and loving God, open our eyes and our hearts to know Your grace in our lives and to become truly thankful. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 6 November)

Fears and Trust

Lord, show me the places where my fears have me trapped and help me trust You to face them with faith. (Eric Fellman, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 3 November)

Hate

I pray that no hate may flow out from me to others. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 7 November)

Step Eleven

Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God as you understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out. (Modified Step Eleven of Al-Anon from The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie, 27 October)

Moderation

Teach me to practice moderation. (Food For Thought, 3 November)

Hear My Prayer, O Lord!

Hear my prayer, O Lord! And let my cry for help come to You. Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline Your ear to me. (Psalm 102:1-2, Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 27 October)

Be Patient

Encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV) in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 28 October)

Spiritual Vision

Show me how to focus my thinking, Father: Cleanse my mind. Expose every thought that is based on the world's values rather than on Your standards. Sharpen my spiritual vision so that I can counter Satan's lies with the truth of Your Word. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 2 November)

Life and Peace

To be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 23 October)

If You Knew Better

Sin is doubly sinful to the man who knew better; failure is doubly blameworthy in the man who had every chance to do well. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (DSB), p. 168)