Author Archives: Patricia Ann

Sunday Morning Prayers

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Upon occasion I have been asked to do “prayers of the people” at church. It is a good way for me to learn to pray outside my own box. Thank you for letting me share one of those prayers.

Good morning, Father God. We thank you for this beautiful morning and for letting us be a part of it. We thank you for all our blessings, for all our answered prayers, for forgiving all our sins and we thank you for loving us, sometimes in spite of ourselves. We thank you for being with all the people on our prayer lists, for those who are struggling with many difficulties, for those who are grieving, for those who are suffering illness, for those on the road to recovery and we pray for those who have yet to become aware of your presence in their lives.

We thank you for being with your people all over the world, Father, for those in war torn countries, for those courageously coping with natural disasters, and for those loved ones of ours who live in other lands. Please grant them your peace and protection.

Father, we thank you for this opportunity to worship you, to praise you, to appreciate you and to show our love for you by showing our love for one another. We thank you for our awareness of your Holy Spirit present with us this morning.

We thank you for being with each and every one of us as we go about our daily activities and pray that you will keep us safe from all harm and evil and help us to be the best we can be for you today and always.

Above all, Father, we thank you for Your Son, our Lord Jesus in whose name we pray and who taught us to pray The Lord’s Prayer. Amen.

The congregation then prays The Lord’s Prayer in unison. I’m sure many churches follow a similar procedure, and I find it very spiritual and comforting.

A Way to Happiness

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Here is another little tidbit I found among my collection of wonderful quotes and sayings. This one is from Robert Schuller.

A Way to Happiness

Keep your heart free of hate.

Keep your mind free from worry.

Live simply, expect little, give much.

Fill your life with love.

Scatter sunshine.

Forget self, think of others.

Do as you would be done by.

RHS

Have a pleasant weekend.

Learn from the Best

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This quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was in part responsible for me writing my book, My Precious Life. Procrastination had prolonged my beginning it until I read this quote for the umpteenth time, and along with the encouragement from my family, finally sat down and seized the very minute on December 26, 2012.

Here then is Goethe’s famous quote:

Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute.

What you can do, or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

Only engage and then the mind grows heated;

Begin and then the work will be completed.

I am pleased to say the work has been completed and My Precious Life is the result of finally seizing the minute.

I love learning from the best.

Compassion

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Compassion is to share with another whatever it is that circumstances are bringing to bear on that other.

It means  to be with, to share, to overlap, no matter how difficult or painful it may be.

Madelaine L’Engle

In Flanders Fields

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In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place;

and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly…scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

to you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep,

though poppies grow in Flanders fields.

John McCrae

Lest we forget.

 

A Prayer to Start the Day

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Dear Lord, thank you for the night’s rest you so graciously gave me.

I am grateful for renewed energy and enthusiasm.

I accept this new day as a wonderful opportunity.

May I use it minute by minute to do your will.

Guide me in every problem, every decision I shall make this day.

Help me to treat everyone kindly and to be fair and just and thoughtful in everything today.

And if I should forget you during this day, oh Lord, please do not forget me.  Amen.

Norman Vincent Peale

All Things are Possible

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I was asked to post more of my poetry, specifically the above title, so here it is.

All things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

All goals can be reached,

all dreams can come true

when you call on the Power

that’s inherent in you.

All life can be lived

to the fullest extent,

all wishes fulfilled

as you know that He meant

all things are possible

to those who believe,

to those who have faith

as a small mustard seed.

©1984

With God, all things are possible has been my mantra for many years, and what began as mustard seed faith is now as big as the tree depicted in Matthew 13:31,32.

 

 

 

Apologizing

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Today I’m going to reblog one part of a blog by Osarobohenry, just in case there are some who don’t follow him. I found this quite profound:

“Apologizing does not always mean that you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.”

Tomorrow I’m going to borrow from another blogger I just met. These people put up some great posts.

God’s Chain Gang

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I belong to a chain gang.

It’s called The Prayer Chain, and our headquarters is St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Scarborough. (The link to St. A’s can be found on my home page.)

Our gang consists of twenty-two members, each at the ready to man the phones when a prayer request comes through.

I like to think of us as The Prayer Warriors.

Our prayers are not restricted to church members, but are available to any and all in need of prayer.

I’m sure many churches around the world have prayer chains and for those who don’t, why not start your own chain gang? Membership is free and the chain is linked to heaven.