Warnings Along the Way

... I'm grateful to a heavenly Father who anticipated what lunatics people can be and gave certain behaviors a strong warning label. Thank You, Lord, for the warnings along the way. (Daniel Schantz in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 13 September)

My Thoughts

Dear God, I open my mind to your holy presence. Realizing that my thoughts directly impact my day and my health, I keep them focused on You. (Collen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 233)

Gratitude

Photo: Aztech New Media (Yosemite, CA)

God make me grateful for all the good things I have been taking for granted. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 9 September)

Your Spiritual Side

Photo: Aztech New Media (Yosemite, CA)

Let your spiritual side guide your material side, and not the other way around. In order to improve his state, a person should strive for spiritual not physical perfection. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 18 September)

Cousins

Thank You, Lord, for cousins and other people who've taught me essential life lessons. (Penney Schuab, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 19 September)

Work at It

A person cries out from pain when he takes up hard physical work after a period of idleness. Any rest from the struggle for spiritual improvement brings the same pain. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 20 September)

Those who feel the need to spread their faith through violence and force either lack faith in God, or in themselves. (Anonymous in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 2 September)

Did I Miss Out?

I [wonder] ... how often did I miss out on God's best for me because I stubbornly insisted on my own way, chafed under His discipline or refused to trust His leading? (Penney Schwab in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 3 August)

Pray for Someone Else

I wonder what would happen if you stopped worrying about your situation and prayed for somebody else. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 235)

Protect Me Lord

Protect me, Lord, from my friends and enemies. (Food For Thought, 3 September)

Cares of the Day

Before I go out to face the cares of the day, I take this opportunity to wait quietly before You, God, and listen for Your voice. Speak reassurance and peace to my heart, and prepare me with Your Word to endure the temptations ahead. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 18 Sep)

Spiritual Dimension

[I'll] ... add a spiritual dimension to my life; then I will never be alone in dealing with whatever troubles may appear. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 4 September)

Reconciliation

I pray that I may see violence and conflict changed to plan and simple trust. I pray that I may help bring reconciliation where there is discord. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 13 September)

Some Bible History

Some Bible History

It's October 6, the day on which I say a prayer for the soul of William Tyndale, an Englishman whose short life has made my life a joyful and happy one. For it was he who, in 1526, make the first English translation of the New Testament. He had decided that the Bible should be read by everyone. Until then the marvelous words of that great book were in Latin, a mystery to the average person, and priests jealously guarded them and their meanings.

Forbidden by the bishops to print this translation in Henry VIII's Catholic England, Tyndale fled to Europe. But he persisted with his dream that all his countrymen should be permitted to read God's words, and eventually hundreds of copies of his translation were smuggled into England. Even after King Henry broke with Rome, he still proclaimed Tyndale a heretic, and demanded that he return to England for punishment.

And the priests didn't forgive the man who had torn the veil of mystery from God's words. They hounded and hunted him until he was captured in Belgium. There he was tried for heresy and condemned to death.
On October 6, 1536, he was strangled, then burned at the stake.

That's why, whenever I open my Bible, I think of the man who gave his life so that people like you and me could find solace and God's love in its pages. And why, on the anniversary of his death, I say a small prayer of thanks for his strength and conviction to perform a spiritual service that has changed infinite lives now and in the ages to come.
(Walter Harter in Daily Guideposts, 6 October 1988)

Make Me Grateful

God make me grateful for all the good things I have been taking for granted. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 9 September)

Matthew 11:8

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:8)

Wisdom

I pray for the wisdom not to involve myself with the personal lives and beliefs of others... (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 14 September)

Right Way

I pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may follow it to the end. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 29 August)

Great Wealth

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A person must completely close his eyes on his morals, that in a Christian society so filled with people in need, there are other people who are so proud to have great wealth. (Anonymous, Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 31 July)

Yesterday, 13 September was Grandparents Day.
Dear Lord, thank You for grandparents, in all their wonderful, human and sometimes frustrating complexity. (Julia Attaway, Daily Guideposts - 2006, 10 September)

Spiritual Discipline

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I pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better life. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 27 August)

Our Spiritual Lives

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Our spiritual lives are strengthened as we find that precious balance between expectant trust in our Higher Power and responsible reliance on ourselves. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele , 1 September)

Prayer For Wisdom

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I pray for the wisdom to recognize the difference between things I can and cannot change. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 9 September)

Renew and Refresh

Heavenly Father, I feel overwhelmed by the pressures of my life. I cannot possibly continue in my own strength, so I turn to You and ask You to renew my energy and refresh my attitude. Help me to press on. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 4 September)

Gratitude

I am grateful to my Higher Power today for the life which has been given me. I pray for greater understanding of my responsibilities. (Touchstones, 1 September)

Praying For Loved Ones

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Bleeding Heart in our backyard)

God, I am praying for my loved ones, knowing that Your spirit is within them, guiding and healing them now and always. I experience such peace about them in the realization that Your spirit within us and within the very air separating us is a powerful connection that can never be broken. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word for Healing, p. 224)

Plan For My Life

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Lord, I cannot see Your plan for my life at this moment. I do not understand exactly what You are working to accomplish through my difficult situation. But in faith I choose to believe that You will cause all things to work together for good. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 6 September)

Order My Time

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[Lord,] please order the time which You give me every day. (Food For Thought, 4 August)

Romans 12:3

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Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. (Romans 12:3 (NLT) in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 23 August)

Watch Your Language

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I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional unrest and confusion. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 25 August)

******

Yesterday I didn't post to either of the blogs I usually post each day. I got busy and late in the day I just didn't feel like doing anything with computers.

Mr. Dickie

Straighten Out My Thinking

Take my thoughts, Lord, and straighten them out. (Food For Thought, 11 August)

The Presence of God

Today I am devoted to allowing the presence of God to control every aspect of my life! (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 4 August)