Tag Archives: ministry

Prayer for Protection

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In 1977, while on vacation in Trinidad, I was introduced to Silent Unity, a 24/7 prayer ministry using affirmative prayer to provide others with faith, courage and strength. A delightful old woman named Miss gave me their devotional magazine, Daily Word, to take home. I subscribed to it for many years and have recently been re-introduced to this wonderful organization. The following prayer has been in my possession for over forty years and is within my daily vision. Happy Sunday.

“The light of God surrounds me; The love of God enfolds me; The power of God protects me; The presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is!” James Dillet Freeman (March 20, 1912 – April 9, 2003)

Thanks for the Cue

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Day fifteen of the #everydayinspiration challenge suggested taking a cue from your reader for this blog. The reader I chose is arwen1968 who, in response to my June 30th blog, “To Write or Not to Wrie”  suggested many things to write about including books. I chose books by one author in particular…Frederick Beuchner…mainly because of one of his quotes: “You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”

Another reason I chose this author was due to a Facebook comment that took exception to another of his quotes, surely due to misinterpretation.

I have posted about Frederick Beuchner once before, with good response, and a few questions about the man, so included in this blog is a bit from Wikipedia:

Carl Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) is an American writer and theologian. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and the author of more than thirty published books.[1] His work encompasses different genres, including fiction, autobiography, essays and sermons, and his career has spanned six decades. Buechner’s books have been translated into many languages for publication around the world. He is best known for his works A Long Day’s Dying (his first work, published in 1950); The Book of Bebb, a tetralogy based on the character Leo Bebb published in 1979;Godric, a first person narrative of the life of the medieval saint, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1981; Brendan, a second novel narrating a saint’s life, published in 1987; Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner (1992); and his autobiographical works The Sacred Journey (1982), Now and Then (1983), Telling Secrets (1991), and The Eyes of the Heart: Memoirs of the Lost and Found (1999). He has been called “Major talent” and “…a very good writer indeed” by the New York Times, and “one of our most original storytellers” by USA Today.Annie Dillard (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) says: “Frederick Buechner is one of our finest writers.” [2]

Buechner’s work has often been praised for its ability to inspire readers to see the grace in their daily lives. As stated in the London Free Press, “He is one of our great novelists because he is one of our finest religious writers.”[3] He has been a finalist for the National Book Award[4]Presented by the National Book Foundation and the Pulitzer Prize,[5] and has been awarded eight honorary degrees from such institutions asYale University[6] and the Virginia Theological Seminary.[7] In addition, Buechner has been the recipient of the O. Henry Award,[8] the Rosenthal Award, the Christianity and Literature Belles Lettres Prize, and has been recognized by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.[9]He is continually listed among the most read authors by Christian audiences.[citation needed

To you, arwen1968, I say, “Thanks for the cue.”

 

 

I AM ONLY ONE

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It was a conversation with a friend that brought this little poem to my attention yesterday. It made me aware of how helpless we sometimes feel when things happen beyond our control; things like suffering, wars, crimes, accidents, lying, cheating, stealing, needless hurting, senseless behavior; you get the picture. And we think, that’s terrible but what can I do about it? Examining the words of this little poem, provides food for thought, and poses the question, “What is the something I can do?” And then we realize that not all things are beyond our control, and indeed we should not refuse to do the one something we can, however humble it may be.

I am only one
by Edward Everett Hale

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister.