My Rock and My Redeemer

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 14 March)

God Bless and Save Us!

God bless us and save us!

Help Me To Trust

Help me, Father, to trust You for my brief time on earth. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 4 March)

Traveler Prayer

Lord, watch over and guide our beloved travelers today and in the days ahead.

How Far

I pray that I may know how far I have come with Your guidance. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 3 March)

Unanswered Prayer

In a corrupt age, when prayers are not answered, that itself is the answer. (Muso Kokushi - The Little Book of Prayers edited by David Schiller, p. 337)

Surrender to God

The very act of surrender to a God who is wiser and more powerful than we are can help bring order into our lives. It serves as a steadying influence and a constant guide to right decisions. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 7 March)

Your Generous Hand

We recognize Your generous hand, Lord, in the beauty about us. (Daily Guideposts, 20 Nov 1978)

Continued Blessings

Thank You, Lord, for Your continued blessings - past, present and future. (Marilyn Morgan Helleburg, Daily Guideposts - 20 Nov 1982)

Glory in this Day

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Alma Lutheran Church, Mead, NE, church of my mother)

I will glory in this day and fill it with living. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 24 February)

God, please show me what I can do. (Melody Beattie, More Language of Letting Go, 7 November)

Show Me the Way

Lord, how do you want me to respond in this situation? What can I say that would allow Your love and holiness to shine through me -- or should I say anything at all? I want to walk in obedience to You. Please show me the way. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 20 March)

Our Higher Power

Turning our will and our lives over to God as we understand Him encourages serenity. Staying in contact with our Higher Power as we go about our daily activities produces serenity. Practicing abstinence from compulsive overeating maintains serenity. (Food For Thought, 21 February)

...Help us to see afresh the needs of those around us. Open our eyes! (The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 22 February)

Back Up Your Prayers

We all wish good things to happen to us, but we cannot just pray and then sit down and expect miracles to happen. We must back up our prayers with action. (Freedom From Despair in Courage to Change, 24 February)

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, expecially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal. 6:10 in Pace Yourself by Ric Engram, 21 February)

Make Me Humble

Make me humble enough to accept a new and more rational view of my life. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 13 February)

I cannot make it on my own, Dear Lord. The weight of my burdens is more than I can handle. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 11 February)

My Own Frailities

God, teach me to be as quick to spot my own frailties as I am to see the fault of others. (Daily Guideposts, 12 Nov 1982)

Thanks for Friends

By having our quiet moments each morning, we come to depend on the help of our Higher Power during the day, especially if we are tempted by our afflictions. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 11 March)

God, today let me say a prayer of thanks for those friends whom I loved when they came and cried over when they went. (Linda Neukrug, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 8 March)

Simple Things

I pray that I may love the simple things of life. I pray that I may keep my life uncomplicated and free. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 12 March)

Prayers are the Stairs to God

Prayers are the stairs
We must climb every day,
If we would reach God
There is no other way.
For we learn to know God
When we meet Him in prayer
And ask Him to lighten
Our burden of care--
So start in the morning
And, though the way's steep,
Climb ever upward
'Til your eyes close in sleep--
For prayers are the stairs
That lead to the Lord,
And to meet Him in prayer
Is the climber's reward.
(Helen Stiner Rice, Heart Gifts, p. 17)

Saying Goodbye

Today in Panama, my wife, Melva, and her family say goodbye to her sister, Lila Julieta Marquinez, who died on 10 March 2009. May she rest in peace.

When you appeared in this world, you cried, and all the people around you rejoiced. You have to live your life in such a way that when you leave this world, you will rejoice, and all the people around you will cry. (Indian Wisdom in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 12 March)

Here's something Alexandra Stoddard wrote about death.
... Death is a door we all enter, a bridge we cross, a boat we sail.

In life we're thrown together, in families, in friendships, through our work and circumstances, where we live and where we study. The death of a family member or loved one brings to light the relationship you shared. We grieve because we care. When someone we love dies, we are acutely aware of how important that person is in our lives. Death is concrete, final, and silent. We can no longer carry on a conversation the way we were able to when our loved one was alive.

Feeling the pain of loss when someone close to us dies is natural, normal, healthy and balanced. We feel sorrow, distress, and perhaps misfortune. It is not up to us to ask why, but to accept death, grieve, and move on. There is no need to feel regret. Death teaches us to do what we can, when we can, and then let go. There are stages in recovery from the death of a loved one. Everyone takes time to adjust to death, and being able to express your sadness and pain is the sign of an emotionally balanced person.
(Alexandra Stoddard, The Art of the Possible, p. 157-58)

Thoughts, Words and Actions

I pray today and each day that my thoughts, words, and actions may be divinely led. I pray that I can move forward in confidence knowing my steps are guided. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 11 February)

My Next Step

Send me the right thought, word, or action. Show me what my next step should be. In times of doubt and indecision, please send your inspiration and guidance. (Alcoholics Anonymous in The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie, 11 February)

All the Good

Thank You, God, for all the good in this day and in every day. (Colleen Zuck, Daily Word for Healing, p. 62)

Tomorrow

Dear God,
The little plans I tried to carry through
Have failed.
I will not sorrow.
I'll pause a little while,
Dear God,
And try, again, tomorrow.
("Tomorrow," John Fico, in Dawnings, p. 140

Where Is God?

God lives in every one of us. When a person remembers this, the thought of it can save him from evil, and help him do good. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 14 February)

God Is

... either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, on He isn't. (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 53, found in Daily Reflections, 10 February)

Praise God

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

Listening

I pray to acquire the habit of listening, confining my own talk to what might be of help to others. Teach me the use of silence. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 12 February)

It would be very wise to listen to yourself very carefully. You never know when you will say exactly what you need to hear. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today! p. 70)

The Will of God

A person's life is good only to the extent that it fulfills the expectations of the will of God. (A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 11 February)

My Problems

I ask that You might help me work through all my problems, to Your glory and honor. (Alcoholic Anonymous in The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie, 22 February)

Asking Your Blessings

Lord, today we ask your blessing on all those who are clearing the roads and keeping power and other utilities working. Heal the broken arms of Mary and Karen. Watch over Melva's sister, Conchi and her family at this time. Bring an end to this winter storm and restore order to air transportation so Melva's flight to Panama can leave at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Number Our Days

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12) (Rick Engram, Pace Yourself, 27 January)