Earthquakes and Explanations

Click the link below to visit my new website and read my reflections and learn about my ministry.

http://acceptableoffering.com/

Link to my new website

My blog has moved to my new website.

Please visit at acceptableoffering.com

Blog in Transition

My blog is moving!
In a few days I will post a link where you can visit my new blog.

A Call to Worship

Our Heavenly Father,

We join with the heavenly host,
declaring, "You are Holy!"
We make that declaration
with the utmost respect.
We stand in awe of You, O God.

And we pray that as we gather
we would do so with a desire to be Holy
as You are Holy.

Forgive us when we sin
and "repent" with empty words
and ritualistic "worship."
For we know You desire our hearts,
our broken, contrite hearts
more than our going through the
motions of worship.

As we gather Together to worship this week,
we want to see Your Holiness.
And we want to hunger and thirst
to be like You.

As we gather Together for worship this week,
we want to see Your Holiness.
And we want to experience the life change
that can happen only when You change us
from the inside-out,
O Holy God.

So...
Break our hearts.
Bring us to You.
Bind us Together.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN.

Sustaining the Mission

"A major difficulty in sustaining one's mission is that others who start out with the same enthusiasm will come to lose their nerve. Mutiny and sabotage come not from enemies who opposed the initial idea, but rather from colleagues whose will was sapped by unexpected hardships along the way."
-- Edwin Friedman

As I read this quote I was reminded of how many times I have seen this happen. For example, I immediately thought of Jesus and the twelve.

God,

Help us be faithful to Your mission whatever the unexpected hardships along the way. Help us be bold and courageous rather than fold under pressure. And may we do everything with love.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN.

Weak + Strong = One

a reflective prayer based on Romans 14

God our Father,

We thank You for the way
You accept us
even when we are weak and imperfect.

May we be more like You, O God.

And God we confess our wrongdoing--
in passing judgement on the weak
in withholding acceptance
in looking down on those who differ
in condemning our brothers and sisters
in causing others to stumble
in confusing the nature of the kingdom
in neglecting peace as a priority
in failing to bear with one another.

Change our hearts and lives
that we may be more like You.

May the strong and the weak be one.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN.

Time to Love

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” -- Mother Teresa

Every Body Needs Ears

"If Christians are to function as the body of Christ, we will need to foster stronger and more intimate connections with each other. To do this, we will need to learn to listen. Listening to each other will be greatly facilitated by our no longer viewing each other as threats to our well-being. Within the dominant culture that emphasized self-sufficiency and autonomy, there is little reason for us to listen to each other. Why should I listen to you? I don't want to hear about the good things that have happened in your life; they just make me more depressed about my own lack of accomplishment. I don't want to listen to your problems; I have my own. Nor do I care to listen to your advice or admonition; I can take care of my own problems by myself."
Philip Kenneson from Life on the Vine , p. 149

Together on the Altar

a reflective prayer based on Romans 12

God our Father,

We are thankful for the opportunity to gather
as a church family to worship You.
For You are worthy of worship.
And glory.
And honor.

And we want our worship to continue throughout the week.
Long after we have left our gathering place
to go to our homes
to our places of business
to our schools.

We want to be sacrifices,
living sacrifices
to You.

We offer our bodies to You
in holy living
as a way of continuing our worship.

On the altar we think differently --
not thinking too highly of ourselves,
yet not forgetting how You have gifted us.

On the altar we react differently --
not seeking revenge,
but allowing others to wrong us.

On the altar we live differently --
we live for You
rather than for ourselves.

So here we are on the altar --
living sacrifices.
Please accept our worship as we gather.
Please accept our worship as we go home.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN.

The Gathering

“We gather for worship to remember who and whose we are. We come to recount the stories that shape our faith, stories that turn us from a collection of individuals into a community with a common source and vision. The church as a worshiping community carries our biblical faith and spiritual tradition down through the ages to each individual. We are joined to that community in Baptism, tutored in faith through the interpretation of scripture in preaching, and nourished at the Lord’s Table as a family of believers. Life in the church teaches us that we are made for a communion not only with God but with one another in Christ.”
--Marjorie J. Thompson in Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, p. 60.