Let Go And Let God

U.S. Botanical Gardens - Washington, DC

Holding on to resentment causes stress, anxiety, and uncontrollable feelings of anger. If these are unresolved, serious emotional and physical consequences will develop. If we allow our resentments to prevail, serious depression can develop and ultimately destroy us.
(The Twelve Steps For Christians, p. 67)
31 December 2014

Clear Out The Old

You shall clear out the old to make way for the new.

(Leviticus 26:10 (RSV), in Daily Guideposts - 2013, 24 January)

30 December 2014

Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
(Proverbs 4:23 NLT in The Secret Things Of God by Dr. Henry Cloud, p. 145)
29 December 2014

Supplement Your Faith

Fountain in front of U.S. Botanical Garden

Washington, DC, 27 December 2014

Photo by Mr. Dickie

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness.
(2 Peter, 1: 5-6 (Holman CSB) in 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 118)
28 December 2014

Distress

Hybrid Poinsettia - U.S. Botanical Gardens

Washington, D.C.

27 December 2014

Photo by Mr. Dickie

Your distress about life might mean you  have been living for the wrong reason, not that you have no reason for living.
(Tom O'Connor in The Color Of Light by Perry Tilleraas, 10 May)
27 December 2014

Forgiveness

Is there something someone has said or done that you have never forgiven?
What will you do about it?
(After Harry & Emily Griffith, This Love We Share, 14 November)
26 December 2014

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Christmas Tree - 2014

Hark! The herald angels sing,

"Glory to the newborn King.

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!"

Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With the angelic host proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

(Charles Wesley (1739))

25 December 2014

Mercy

Father, thank You that your mercy endures forever. I may have made mistakes in the past, but I know nothing I've done is too much for Your mercy. I may have even made mistakes yesterday. But I know Your mercy is fresh and new every single morning. So I receive it by faith today.
(Joel Osteen, Become A Better You, p. 89)
23 December 2014

Prayer And Solitude

2014 - Christmas Tree

Beloved God, thank You for the gifts of prayer and solitude.
Enable us to use them to appreciate Your holy presence.
(The Christophers, Three Minutes A Day, Vol. 41, 21 January)
22 December 2014

Trials

2014 Christmas Village

Trials teach us patience and help us grow 

to be the kind of people 

God wants.

(The One Year Book of Bible Readings, 23 October)

21 December 2014

Roll Up Our Sleeves

We have work to do, you and I, so very much of it. Let us roll up our sleeves and get at it, with a new commitment, putting our trust in the Lord.
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Stand A Little Taller, 26 April)
13 December 2014

Patience

Help us to be patient until You answer our prayers in the way You know best.
(Three Minutes A Day, The Christophers, Vol. 41, 20 February)
12 December 2014

Memory

Heavenly Father, ... [I release this] hurtful memory that has been haunting me day and night. I discard it now in the name of Jesus. Help me to never seek to pull this memory from the ashes.
(Jan Dargatz, 52 Simple Ways To Give Your Spiritual Life A Lift, p. 128)
11 December 2014

Wonder

I ask God to make me willing to see clearly my everyday experiences, to sharpen my perception of how much there is to enjoy, even in ordinary things and happenings. Let me be receptive. Restore to me my capacity for wonder.
(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 12 January)
10 December 2014

Troubles

National Harbor - White Poinsettias

When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.
(James 1:2, Grace For The Moment by Max Lucado, 26 April)
9 December 2014

Wait

If you, too, will learn to wait upon God, to get alone with Him, and remain silent so that you can hear His voice when He is ready to speak to you, what a difference it will make in your life.
(Kay Arthur In 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 163)
8 December 2014

Resentment And Anger

Resentment and anger keep us focused on the person or situation causing the negative feelings and prevent us from accepting God's promise of healing.
(The Twelve Steps For Christians, p. 67)
7 December 2014

Prayer Life

The manifold rewards of a serious, consistent prayer life demonstrate clearly that time with our Lord should be our first priority.
(Shirley Dobson in 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 163)
6 December 2014

Small Faults

The person who does not avoid small faults, 

little by little 

slips into greater ones.

(Thomas 'a Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 25)

5 December 2014

Abide With Us

(National Geographic)

Abide with us, Lord, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent, alleluia.
(Vespers in Eastertide, Western Rite)
4 December 2014

Sins Of My Youth

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways,

Remember me, O Lord, in keeping with your mercy.

(Psalm 25:7)

3 December 2014

Help Me To Live

Help me to live in such a way that my actions validate my beliefs ...

(100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 298)

2 December 2014

Reality

Taking time to be alone with ourselves, and with God, helps us to remove distractions that sometimes shield us from reality.
(The Twelve Steps For Christians, p. 104)
1 December 2014

I Will Pray

I will pray and then listen to allow my Higher Power some time to communicate.
(Amy E. Dean, Night Light, 22 February)
30 November 2014

Keep It Together

If your Bible is falling apart, chances are your life is staying together.

(Anonymous, 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 150)

29 November 2014

Renewal

Renew my spirit and my attitude with a fresh and positive perspective, Divine Master, so that I may fulfill my obligations.
(The Christophers, Three Minutes A Day, Vol. 41, 24 February)
28 November 2014

Thanksgiving

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us.  We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of His Word and the example of his life; for this steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptations; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.  Amen.
(A Time To Pray, compiled by George T. Cobbett, p. 90-1)
27 November 2014

Choices

Your creator has given you the ability to make decisions on your own. With that freedom comes the responsibility of living with the consequences of your choices.
(100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 56)
26 November 2014

The Great Trial

Truly life can be a great trial! The more one wishes to be spiritual the more difficult the present life can seem, for as one progresses in the spiritual life, his flawed nature becomes more and more apparent.
(Thomas 'a Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Chapter 22, Book 1)
25 November 2014

Unfolding Life

My life continues to unfold with divine care and direction.

(Daily Reflections, 9 January)

24 November 2014

Motives

It is easy to fool oneself about motives, and admitting it is hard, but very beneficial.
(One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 26 September)
23 November 2014

May The Memory

May the memory of two world wars strengthen our efforts for peace,

May the memory of those who died inspire our service to the living,

May the memory of past destruction move us to build for the future,

O God of peace,

O Father of Souls,

O Builder of the Kingdom of Love.

(G.A. in The Oxford Book Of Prayer, p. 367)

20 November 2014

Eternity

O Lord, you have made us very small, and we bring our years to an end like a tale that is told; help us to remember that beyond our brief day is the eternity of  your love.
(Reihhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971, The Oxford Book of Prayer, p. 164)
19 November 2014

Standing Firm

Backyard Dahlias

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.

(Twelve Steps For Christians, p. 157)

18 November 2014

Troubles and Temptations

When a man of good-will is troubled or tempted or afflicted with evil thoughts, then he can better understand how great a need he has of faith in God.
(Thomas 'a Kempis in One Day At A Time In Al-Anon, 4 May)
16 November 2014

Need

When I see need in the person of my neighbor, Divine Master, may my response be immediate and loving.
(after The Christophers, Three Minutes A Day, Vol. 41, 23 October)
13 November 2014

Dreaming Of The Future

We spend our lives dreaming of the future, not realizing that a little of it slips away every day.
(Barbara Johnson in 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 166)
12 November 2014

Show

For outward show is a wonderful perverter of reason, and when you are most sure that the things you are busy about are worth your pains, it is then that it cheats you most.
(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Chapter VI, 13)
11 November 2014

Natural Resources

White Dogwood in front yard, changing color

Photo by Melva

Heavenly Father, generous provider of all good gifts, teach us to live wisely on this fair earth.

Bless our efforts to restore a healthful environment, to make the air clean, the water pure, and the soil rich.

Let food abound on land and sea, and grant that it may be so distributed that hunger may threaten the world no more;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
(A Time To Pray, compiled by George T. Cobbett, p. 78)
7 November 2014

Be With All

Emmittsburg, MD

Dear God, be with all who are facing health issues or death today in fear or loneliness.
5 November 2014

Give Generously

Give generously ... and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
(Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV))
4 November 2014

Courage

Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones; and when you have ... accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
(Victor Hugo in Peace Flowing Like A Gentle River, 3 November)
3 November 2014

Opinions

... other people's opinions do not determine your potential.

(Joel Osteen, Become A Better Person, p. 12)

2 November 2014

Silence

I can practice silence in the face of anger or outrage. I can turn away from an unhealthy situation.
(Amy E. Dean, Night Light, 2 April)
1 November 2014)

Be Joyful

Melva at Emmitsburg, MD

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
(Romans 12:12 (NIV) in Daily Guideposts - 2013, 16 March)
31 October 2014

Scoffers

Little Free Library, Hyattsville, MD

It has been said that, "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough."
(From Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97, in Daily Reflections, 19 March)
25 October 2014

Follow By Email

The "Follow By Email" option is now available on all four of my Google blogs. You have to scroll to the bottom of the first page on each blog to find it and subscribe.

If you subscribe, when I post to that blog you will receive an Email message with the link to the post. This eliminates the need to constantly check the blog to see if I am posting.  This will be particularly useful in the case of the Obituary blog which I infrequently update.

Dick Henthorn
24 October 2014

Self-Appraisal

Honest self-appraisal is a daily necessity if we are to be restored to wholeness.
Vigilant appraisal of our thoughts and habits must become routine.
(The Twelve Steps For Christians, p. 137)
23 October 2014

It's A Blessing

Do we not continually pass by blessings innumerable without notice, and instead fix our eyes on what we feel to be our trials and our losses, and think and talk about these until our whole horizon is filled with them, and we almost begin to think we have no blessings at all?
(Hannah Whitall Smith in 100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 218)
22 October 2014

Getting To Know God

If you'd like to get to know God a little better, talk to Him more often.
The more often you speak to Him, the more often He'll speak to you.

(100 Days Of Prayer For Women, p. 179)

21 October 2014