Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can. John Wesley (1703-1791)
John Wesley was one of nineteen children, and as a theologian, he spearheaded the evangelical revival in eighteenth century England.
It seems yesterday’s blog, A Prayer for Energy, was a timely one. Three people that I know of found it helpful and I got the best hug from a church friend.
What a hug, I can still feel it! Thank you, Christine, it was very energizing.
It is very rewarding when the written word touches a chord somewhere, and people voice their appreciation.
I truly appreciate that.
Thank you.
It’s Sunday again and I’d like to share another prayer of the people:
Breathe on us breath of God as we welcome Your Holy Spirit into the silence of our hearts.
Father God, help us to realize that talking about You is not the same as knowing You, and talking to You.
Help us to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from enjoying a closer relationship with You. Help us to trust You completely in the problems we face and the decisions we make each day.
When we are self centered, help us to center on You and the needs of others.
When we are feeling depressed and anxious help us to rest in Your never-ending love and to feel the comfort and peace that Your love brings.
When we lose our sense of compassion, help us to remember Your constant compassion for us and make us aware enough to feel it in our lives.
Make us humble enough to know that You are our help in every need and without You we are incomplete.
Father we pray for our friends and families and for each other and ask that You would replace our grief with peace, our sickness with healing, our poverty with prosperity and our sadness with joy.
We pray for world peace, for unity among all people, for governments of all countries and for courage to stand up to the unacceptable acts of those who have no concern for the lives and welfare of their fellow human beings.
Help these people to find a way to channel their destructive behavior into productive action that they may become caring members of our society.
May our prayers today be acceptable in Your sight, and may we try to make our lives acceptable to You in every way. Amen.
There are things that we don’t want to happen, but have to accept,
things we don’t want to know, but have to learn,
and people we can’t live without, but have to let go.
Author Unknown
In 1990, our then Pastor gave a sermon depicting the many faces of Christ. It was very interesting, and gave us another way of looking at Jesus. The lady sitting beside me gave me an elbow poke and whispered, “You could write a poem about this.” I am quite susceptible to the power of suggestion when it comes to writing anything and immediately thought, hmmm, I wonder…
And so, I came home, sat down with pen and paper and came up with this:
THE FACE
Evil, cruel, hardened,
set in grimaced scorn.
Flattened nose,
upslanted eyes,
with pointed ears was born.
Hollowed cheeks,
haunted eyes,
disease its toll has taken.
Wasted skin, hungered, thin,
in poverty, forsaken.
Criminal,
Down Syndrome child,
Aids victim,
Poor man’s tryst,
Look!
And then, please look again…
and see the face of Christ.
©1990
I gave a copy to the lady who poked me, and said, “Here you go, Christine, this is for you.” She took one look at the first few words and said, “Oh, I don’t want to read this!” But she did, and I do believe still has the poem in her possession all these years later.
As for me, that sermon and ensuing poem gave me the eyes to see all of God’s people in a whole new Face.
My Precious Life 