Category: Current Events

when I feel awash

When I feel awash, untethered, I often look to my ‘go-to’ prayers to anchor myself again.

I find this prayer especially helpful when lies and truth are mixed together so thoroughly…so thoroughly…I start to wonder how our society can ever find a truthful footing for an honest discussion.

Grace and peace to you…

Holy God, who entered our world as the Word,
the Word of truth, of love, of light, and of life,

When we speak words of error, hatred, darkness and death, have mercy:

May those listening see our lies for what they are,

And may you awaken our conscience and grant us repentance;

May you change our very hearts to make them clean, wholly loving you and our neighbor, whoever that neighbor may be.

When we speak words of truth, love, light and life, have mercy:

May those listening take heart and have hope,

And may you grant us the joy and gladness you have always purposed for us,

to be your people with your Word living with us and in us.

Holy God, may your Word be spoken and cherished in all places and by all people.

Through your Son, Word of God, Jesus,

Amen.

originally posted here pray for truth

Tags anchor, Jesus, lies, praying for truth, truth telling, Word of God

Current Events the real self

Resetting our real selves

Post author By dw
Post date April 6, 2020
No Comments on Resetting our real selves

Maybe this time when God has the attention of the whole world…this time of forced rethinking and resetting…maybe it’s a good time to go back for a moment to the early days of becoming flame and the very basic questions many of us are asking ourselves now – what really matters? who are we as a people? who are we individually?

Grace and peace to you in this time of trial…

Thomas Merton on the ‘real self’

I consider that the spiritual life is the life of [one’s] real self, the life of that interior self whose flame is so often allowed to be smothered under the ashes of anxiety and futile concern.

— Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Full original post here: Thomas Merton on the ‘real self’ | becoming flame

Tags anxiety, becoming flame, concern, lockdown, No Man is an Island, pandemic, real self, repost, Thomas Merton

Current Events Scripture truth

What is truth?

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

The Gospel of John, 18:38

Is truth a light in the dark
or is it the dark itself?

Is it pain
or a drug-mask that covers pain?

If it’s a lone voice
on a noisy street corner
is it worth hearing,
stopping for?

If we jeer at it
does that make it less true?

What if most of us jeer?

Jesus said:
For this purpose I was born
and for this purpose I have come into the world –
to bear witness to the truth.

This he said facing crucifixion.
Truth was a big deal to Jesus.

What is truth,
to you,
to me,
to all of us?

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash

Tags darkness, Gospel of John, Jesus, light, Pontius Pilate, what is truth

Current Events Music prayer Prayers

Pray

Post author By dw
Post date July 13, 2019
No Comments on Pray

I’m so distraught today over how people are treating each other in our world. I pray that God would ‘change the prevailing winds’ – in my heart, in the hearts of his people, in our culture, in our politics. I’m overwhelmed and at a loss for words.

In the past when I’ve felt the way I do now, I’ve turned to music – to beg, to listen, to find comfort, to believe. Today I’m sharing here music I’ve titled The Strongest Prayer I Know (for the little ones). When I first wrote it, I had in mind the millions of little ones who were not allowed to be born alive; afterward, I realized it is about many more ‘little ones’ – all who are neglected or despised and considered of little value. This music has often been my prayer when I have no more words to pray – other than “Lord, have mercy”.

There are three parts: the first is a repeated cry for God to hear; the second is Jesus giving us a quiet wake up call, a chance to listen and change our ways; the last is reminding us that, in the end, our Great Shepherd will lead his little ones to the place he has prepared for us.

Here is a link to the music, posted on my other site. I invite you to listen and pray with me.

The Strongest Prayer I Know

Tags distraught, God's kingdom, little ones, mercy, overwhelmed, piano music, prayer

Current Events Music

Remembering Samuel

I took this photo on Sunday. I often sit right behind Samuel’s chair, right where I often sat when he was still in sanctuary in our church building. We miss him every Sunday and still wonder what value our country got out of the taxpayer dollars ICE spent in its action to entrap, arrest, and deport him. We experience every day the damage that was done.

Over the past month I’ve been putting together this video for Samuel, using a photo published the day we surrounded the ICE van, a graphic produced shortly afterward as we fought against his deportation, and an arrangement of Amazing Grace I often play at a nearby cancer center. I offer it here as an encouragement to Samuel (who recently celebrated a birthday) and also to all of us who miss him. It’s just over a minute long and has audio – please take a look (and listen).