Gratitude Prayer for Happiness

Apr 29, 2021

Thank you, Lord, for all of your blessings in my life. Thank you for surrounding me with wonderful friends, family members and neighbors. Thank you for giving us the gift of your beautiful world and all the skies, mountains and lakes. Thank you for the thrill of celebrations and the enrichment of music. Thank you for all of the animals and creatures that you made. Thank you for giving us the promise of eternity and everlasting life. When I am down or depressed, please remind me of all the many reasons why I should be thankful and guide my spirit toward your happiness.

We are very thankful for all of you, our beautiful church family! We pray everyone had a magnificent week so far and an incredible weekend. Happy Day!!!

Source: EveryDayKnow.com

Prayer for Inner Peace

Apr 22, 2021

A Prayer for Inner Peace
Author Unknown

Lord, please put Your peace in my heart.
I’m worried and anxious.
My mind races and obsesses.
I can’t help thinking about my problems.
And the more I think about them,
the more depressed I become.
I feel like I’m sinking down in quicksand
and can’t get out.
Calm me, Lord.
Slow me down, put Your peace in my heart.

No matter what problem I have, Lord,
You are bigger,
You are more powerful than it is.
So I bring my problem to You.
I know what I want.
I know my will.
I do not know Yours.
I do not know how You will use this problem for my salvation.
I do not know what good You will workout from this evil.
But I trust You.
I trust Your goodness and Your wisdom.
So I place myself in Your hands.
Please fill my heart with peace.

– Author Unknown

Slow Me Down

Apr 15, 2021

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music
Of the singing streams
That live in my memory.

Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations
Of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend
Or make a new one;
To pet a dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day
That the race is not always won by the swift;
That there is more to life
Than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of our greater destiny.

Wishing everyone a “stop & smell the roses” kind of day!

– Offered by Dave Johnson and Kyra Shahid; Written by Orin L. Crain

Source: Jesuit Resource – Xavier University

For Joy In God’s Creation

Apr 7, 2021

 

BCP Page 814 – Prayers for the World

For Joy in God’s Creation

O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praying everyone is having an incredible week full of many blessings.

Farmer’s Grace Before Breakfast

Mar 31, 2021

(Sent to us from a parishoner)
A pastor attended a men’s breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast:
“Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wondered where this was going.
The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned.
Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.”
The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.
Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits.
So, Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what You’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until You are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits ed-danmark.com. Amen.”
Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to the complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.
Stay strong my friends, because our life is being mixed with lots of things that we don’t care for . . . relax and wait until the mixing is done!
 
 
 
 
We are pretty sure we have all had a moment or two during this past year where we thought why is this happening, when will it end, how will we survive . . . Continue to be faithful and patient during these troubling times, God has a plan, and all will be well when the time is right. Sending good thoughts and many blessings to you all on this Thursday morning!