Thank you for the Rain

It's Morning, Jesus
There you are, seated at the right hand of God the Father
The three of you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
have and do exercise Sovereign reign over all the universe
Thank you for the water that fell from the sky today
to quench the parched earth
to give drink to the thirsty trees
to fill the creeks and rivers
to swell the lake
to replenish the wells


Thank you, heavenly Father, for the gifts you give us all
For the often forgotten gifts of health
For the joy of sports
For the ability to walk and run

I saw a jogger today, Lord, running in the rain
His legs were stretched out
His back was straight
His arms pumping
His lungs breathing

What a gift!
O' that we may run in this day with the gifts we have from you,
the passing gifts we take for granted.
O' that we may use the gifts of heart, soul, mind and body,
to exalt you, Lord Jesus.

Keep me aware today of all I have been given and all with which I am entrusted
This body is on loan, today, from you.

Amen

Ask and It Shall be Given to You, Seek and Ye Shall Find

It's Morning, Lord
And we ask.
We desire to ask rightly and not amiss
We ask for a conscientious worker in Dubais to look through luggage and find Berewan's bag.
We ask for a caring government worker to hear and see the story of her child
We ask for passageway to America for her little girl.
We ask for doctors and health-care workers
We ask for immigration officials
We ask for health
We ask for life.

Amen

Can I Make a Difference Today, Lord?

It's Morning, Jesus
I read your story again this morning.
I read the part about what said you went about doing good.
Help me follow you, today Lord.
And I thank you, Lord Jesus,
For all those whose love and life in you
trickled on to me this week.
I knew your goodness, your care, your thoughts for my family
in their acts of goodness.
Challenge me, Lord
To simple acts of goodness that exemplify your love.

a dish of banana pudding
a Star-Bucks card for my girls
a hand-written Christmas letter
a tin can of porpcorn
a phone call of encouragement
an email of thanks
a ladder and a carpenter
a job for Hannah
a word of praise for Chelsea
a laugh with Jenna
a game on a kitchen table
a cold glass of water
a firm handshake
a close hug
an act of understanding
a gift of patience
an overlook of error
a helping hand

So today, Lord, as I have seen and known you
May I make a difference today in someone elses life.
Amen!

Christmas Blessing

It's Evening, Jesus
We give thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 1:12

Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens
with the saints and of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19

Amen

Christmas Today in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - Thousands of Iraqi Christians made their way to church through checkpoints and streets lined with blast walls, many drawing hope from a lull in violence to celebrate Christmas Mass in numbers unthinkable a year ago.
Death is never far in Iraq—two separate suicide bombings north of Baghdad killed at least 35 people and wounded scores more. But the number of attacks has fallen dramatically in the past few months—the U.S. military says by 60 percent since June.

"We did not celebrate last year, but this year we have security and we feel better,"
Families streamed into the church's courtyard, wrapped in heavy winter jackets to protect them from the early morning chill. Young children with neatly combed hair held their parents' hands, and women stopped by the front door to pick through a basket of small lacy headscarves, placing them over their hair before walking in.

in. Outside, police armed with automatic rifles manned a checkpoint at the corner of the narrow street, searching every passing car for possible bombs.

A coordinated bombing campaign in 2004 targeted churches in the Iraqi capital, and anti-Christian violence also flared last September after Pope Benedict XVI made comments perceived to be against Islam.


Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq's first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people.

Muslim clerics—both Sunni and Shiite—also attended the service in a sign of unity.

"May Iraq be safe every year, and may our Christian brothers be safe every year," Shiite cleric Hadi al-Jazail told AP Television News outside the church. "We came to celebrate with them and to reassure them."

William Jalal, a 39-year old father of three attending Mass at Mar Eliya, said this Christmas was clearly different.

"We didn't celebrate like this in the past two years as we were holding limited celebrations for relatives in an atmosphere filled with fear," said Jalal, a cook in one of Baghdad's social clubs. "Now we feel better as we see all these security forces in the streets to protect us."

Bombers still attack city markets, police or army patrols and stores, and the dead bodies of tortured kidnap victims turn up almost daily along river banks or dumped on the streets.

Venturing out in large numbers late at night in Baghdad is still unthinkable, so the capital's Christians celebrated midnight Mass in the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Eve.

"Here, I feel my soul is at rest," said Matti Gordese, a 40-year-old father of four originally from Baghdad. "I can practise my religion without feeling that suddenly, a bomb will explode and kill you in God's house."

Christmas

Luke 2
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men

1st Christmas

Aidan Brock
Greg and Sherri's Neighbor

Lord Jesus,
Do bless these babies you have given to us
Do make our family of faith a warm and secure nest of love
Do grant to us the love and spirit that imparts life
May a spirit of love and affirmation of truth
Inform each of us as caregivers,
To babies and parents and mee-maws and papaws...
That our children will rise up and call You and us blessed!

Julia Nehring
Cody Yawn
Paisley Jackson
Ella Kate Firth
Sydney and Ethan Bryant
Sam Kunczewski
Ambree Lynn Scott
John Wyatt Sanders
Lydia Vickery
Joshua VanLarhoven

In Memory of Steve Herod

You got away from me, Steve
Before I got to say goodbye.
You took the road out of here,
quietly, quickly.
We've said our farewells dozens of times
always knowing we would meet again
sometimes....either later or sooner.

In spite of distance, we had a brotherhood that kept us close
We piled up memories behind us
We stood together in the ashes of a burned down church
We climbed ladders on a roof top where a tornado ripped a steeple
We poured foundations and put the footprints of my children in them
and declared to each other that whatever else we did
these labors would last.
So, we did try to feed the hungry
And we did try to clothe the naked
And we did try to help the helpless
And that was when we mutually discovered that "the least of these" was us
For we met such beautiful people
Whose soul struggle, courage, and indomitable spirit
Strengthened and challenged us.

I still have the knife you made me.
And I still recall with smile and pleasant laughter
our walks in the river basin
and the arrow heads you hid for finding

Whatever part of Indian was in you...I admired it.

I sat with you among the fragments of the Cherokee nation
I admired the relics you excavated from Cherokee history and kept in hallowed memory.

When it rains, my little finger still hurts,
Where you almost broke it. Remember?
Our hands gripped in prayer when you suddenly tried to pass a kidney stone.

You were quiet, Steve, so quiet
It took me two years to get to know you
But after two years I finally learned to listen to your silence
I figured out how you talked with your eyes
And communicated with your grin
I liked the shrug of your shoulders
And became relaxed in your laugh.

We always said that when we got old
We would remember together the things God led us to and through
We made the bet that we were making the right choices those cold
Saturday mornings when it was just you and me

But you got away from me, Steve,
Before we ever got to have any of those conversations
We don't get to become old men together

And you have taken up your residence now in that place already prepared

And could you whisper down to me, I think I know what you would say
I think your eyes would twinkle, you would grin and laugh
And leave me to figure out the rest.

Take rest my brother, take rest
And take joy in the magnificence of glory
God has called you home.

Hospice, Hospital, and Hope

It's near Christmas, Jesus
And we bring to you what you already know
That those we love
Struggle for health and hope.
And so we who have not the trained hands to hold surgeons knives
Press our hands together in prayer
And join the doctor and the nurse in the arts of healing
And the labor of hope this Christmas.
Amen

The Agony and the Ecstacy

It's Morning, Jesus
You are the God of the Mountain Top
You are the Sovereign One who reigns in the Valley
The concrete doors to the heavenly places
Look like cemeteries to us
We etch the names of our loved ones
In stone portals.
We sometimes stand among
the fallen doors we can neither open nor lift
Because they mark the path back to you
And declare to us that we cannot enter Heaven as we are.

So we number our days and count our blessings
But count as most blessed those who have already passed through
from us to you.

Amen

Courage

It's Morning, Jesus
At the basketball game last night,
I learned from my daughter Chelsea.
She taught me about courage, perseverance, confidence, anger, determination, stamina, frustration, strength, commitment.
She could have quit. She could have given up. But she didn't.
Angelina taught me a lot too. About dribbling among giants.
About getting knocked down and getting back up.
Dorothy taught me about fierce, no-fear playing.
Lord, I thank you for all the victories we've had
And I thank you, too, for last nights defeat.
For you teach us in adversity the lessons we cannot be taught in victory.
I thank you for Julie, the coach
The mom, the wife, the church member, the school coach who cares.

Amen

How Can This Be?

It's Morning, Jesus
All the lights are burning on my Christmas tree
I turned them on in the darkness of the dawn
To sit and think of you
To meditate on your birth.
But these thoughts led me to your death.
How can this be?
So I pick up a bible, and read it again
Your word
Your truth
Your explanation..

Who Can Believe It?

1 Who has believed what we've been saying?
Who has seen the Lord's saving power?
2 His servant grew up like a tender young plant.
He grew like a root coming up out of dry ground.
He didn't have any beauty or majesty that made us notice him.
There wasn't anything special about the way he looked that drew us to him.
3 Men looked down on him. They didn't accept him.
He knew all about sorrow and suffering.
He was like someone people turn their faces away from.
We looked down on him. We didn't have any respect for him.
4 He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.
But we thought God was punishing him.
We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.
Isaiah 53

He Was Punished to Make Us Whole

4 He suffered the things we should have suffered.
He took on himself the pain that should have been ours.
But we thought God was punishing him.
We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.
5 But the servant was pierced because we had sinned.
He was crushed because we had done what was evil.
He was punished to make us whole again.
His wounds have healed us.
6 All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God.
All of us have turned to our own way.
And the Lord has placed on his servant
the sins of all of us.
Isaiah 53

He Was Beaten and Made to Suffer

7 He was beaten down and made to suffer.
But he didn't open his mouth.
He was led away like a sheep to be killed.
Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off.
In the same way, he didn't open his mouth.

He Was Cut Off From This Life

8 He was arrested and sentenced to death.
Then he was taken away.
He was cut off from this life.
He was punished for the sins of my people.
Who among those who were living at that time
could have understood those things?
9 He was given a grave with those who were evil.
But his body was buried in the tomb of a rich man.
He was killed even though he hadn't harmed anyone.
And he had never lied to anyone.
Isaiah 53

He Will be Punished

10 The Lord says, "It was my plan to crush him
and cause him to suffer.
I made his life a guilt offering to pay for sin.
But he will see all of his children after him.
In fact, he will continue to live.
My plan will be brought about through him.
11 After he suffers, he will see the light that leads to life.
And he will be satisfied.
My godly servant will make many people godly
because of what he will accomplish.
He will be punished for their sins.
Isaiah 53

He Gave His Life

12 So I will give him a place of honor among those who are great.
He will be rewarded just like others who win the battle.
That is because he was willing to give his life as a sacrifice.
He was counted among those who had committed crimes.
He took the sins of many people on himself.
And he gave his life for those who had done what is wrong."
Isaiah 53

An Oak of Righteousness

The Year of the LORD's Favor
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61

It's Morning, three-personed God
It is for the display of your spendor
That you sent your son
To build a righteous people
You came to bear our sin (Isaiah 53)
And you came to make us righteous (Isaiah 61)


Water me as your planting, today Lord Jesus
Tend me with conviction and truth
Prune me
Cause me by your Spirit
to bear fruit.

I yield all of myself to you today.

By "binding up the brokenhearted"
By giving "liberty to the captives"
By releasing those imprisoned by sin,
You purposed as Messiah to make us "trees of righteousness."

O Lord God,
It is your will that I be righteous
Because you want me to display your glory.

Thy will be done today.
Amen

The Horn of Salvation

67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68" Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
Luke 1

It's Morning, Jesus
I laugh
I chuckle for joy
You go before me as the "horn of my salvation".
To walk behind you is to walk as securely as one walks behind this powerful creature
To feed in your pasture is not just to be helped by a shepherd
But to be guarded by power

Satan may be a roaring lion, but none of those who take refuge in Christ, the horn of salvation, can he destroy.

We are saved from the enemy.
Praise God!

Amen

Looking for Christmas

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[a] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[b] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:25-38

It's Morning, Jesus
Do stir up in us today
a longing for consolation
a desire for redemption

"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, and her iniquity is pardoned." (Isaiah 40:1-2)

You, Lord Jesus, are the consolation of our hearts.

Today, Lord, my warfare is ended
I surrender all to you
I know longer try to have it my way
I seek your way and get in it
Today, Lord Jesus,
My iniquity is pardoned
When I tried to have it my way, I messed up
And in messing up I made a mess
But today, my iniquity is pardoned
You have bought me back.
Today I begin to live in your redemption.

Amen

A Prayer for a Friend

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
Psalm 40

Lord,
I lift this cry to you
For him
He needs patience in truth, today
He needs the capacity for longer suffering
He does not feel able to endure anymore
He does not have a willigness in himself to take anymore

I know, Lord Jesus, that you hear his cry
I ask you, Lord Jesus
to give him a sign

He cannot get out of this by himself
The pit is too slippery
The slope is too high

Help him, Lord
to lean into the lift
to rest into the rescue
to fall into the grace

Every thing in him
Every bone in his body
Causes him to struggle, to exert, to try harder

Help him release and let go, Lord Jesus
and experience the fall he feels is dangerous
until his feet rest on the rock of your truth.

Amen

I Exalt You

It's Morning, Jesus
Your name be exalted
Your life be lived in each of us
Your love be expressed through our compassionate vision
Your justice be won by our discipline
Your truth be seen in our character
Your glory be known as the glory of God the Father
Be exalted O'God
above all the earth
I exalt you today

As I love my wife, you will be exalted
As I instruct my children, you will be exalted
As I serve my neighbor
As I discipline my character
As I manage my mouth
As I bring every thought captive to the feet of Jesus
As I take custody of my eyes
As I study your word
You will be exalted above all the earth.

Amen

Evening Prayer

It's Evening, Jesus
Today we lit a candle signifying your coming.
And today we remembered our brothers in Cuba and China
who must hide their light.
Today we joined Christians all over the world
in celebrating your life.

As I sleep, tonight, Lord Jesus
May your light speak to me, even in dreams.
May your desire that I be closer and closer to you
find me receptive in sleep
to the kisses of angels.

Amen

Christmas in the Old Testament

Four Creative Acts of God
After Creation
Genesis 3

1. He Stepped in to the Ruins
"Adam, where are you?"

2. He Confronted Evil
"He said to the serpent...."

3. He Set forth a Plan of Redemption
"Out of her seed..."

4. He Covered Their Shame
"And the Lord God made them covering of animal skin."

Best of Huckabee

Faithful God

It's Evening, Jesus
Before you punished Adam
Before you spoke to Eve
After the fall
Afer the failure
You addressed evil itself.
You stood between them....between Adam and Eve and Evil itself.

You are a God who watches over His word

Grant it, Lord Jesus
That today
I will be a part of confronting evil.
Before I point fingers and lay blame upon your creation
Let me join you in your work of confronting the evil one in our midst.

As your merciful stance between them and evil came before judgement,
Allow my mercy to be swift
That justice may be just.

That your name be exalted
And healing come that glorifies you.

Amen

The First Sermon Ever Preached

14 So the Lord God spoke to the serpent. He said, "Because you have done this,
"I am putting a curse on you.
You are cursed more than all of the livestock
and all of the wild animals.
You will crawl on the ground.
You will eat dust
all of the days of your life.
15 I will put hatred
between you and the woman.
Your children and her children will be enemies.
Her son will crush your head.
And you will crush his heel."
Genesis 3

Father in heaven,
I thank you that you set in motion in that single day
Your plan to redeem the world.
You stepped into the garden.
You declared that destruction would not stand.
You told the evil one his days were numbered.
You preached the first sermon ever preached in the garden
And you spoke to evil itself.

Enable me, Lord Jesus
to interfere with Satan's plans
to expose His scheming.
As you sought to retore your creation,
Enable me to join you in that work.
Thy kingdom come.

Amen

Now the disquieting thing is not simply that we skimp and begrudge the duty of the prayer. The really disquieting thing is it should have to be numbered among duties at all. For we believe that we were created ‘glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ And if the few, the very few, minutes we now spend on intercourse with God are a burden to us rather than a delight, what then?

–C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm

It's Morning, Jesus
I adore you
I simply adore you.

May every action I take today
be a small step toward you
on the lowest rung of the ladder

May I glorify and exalt you
sitting at the table
typing on this computer
driving my car to school
walking the halls of the hospital
opening the book
reading the mail

May I know you, share you, be with you
in Sherri
in Chelsea
in Jenna
in Hannah

May I bless you
in traffic
in store
in hallway
in line

in gym
in store
in restaurant
in meeting

in writing
in thinking
in studying
in praying

in talking
in listening
in feeling
in being

in all things
I exalt you today.

Amen

Ah!

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a lonely place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" (Mark 1)

It's Morning, Jesus
Now I know, all over again, why you went away. Why you got up early, and found a solitary place, to be alone with the Father.


Grant it, Father, that even though others do not understand, or despise, or question why...grant me the courage and discipline of withdrawing to be with you.

Impart to me your life, Lord Jesus, not someone elses.
Let me live to the favor of your face, not someone elses face.

Pull me aside
Draw me close

Thank you for your presence.
Thank you for your peace.

Amen

Thinking the Thoughts of God After Him

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

It's Morning, Jesus
How wonderful to align my first thoughts of the day with you.
How sweet, to saturate my sponge like brain with the water of your word.
How uplifting, to think your thoughts
How convicting, to let the grey matter of my brain process your truth with the Spirit's guidance
How exhilirating to know eternity is being sown into my body
How trustworthy to think thoughts that are true, forever and ever
How encouraging to have safe words, powerful thoughts, lofty ideas downloading from you into me
How excellent to walk on a parth knowing the bend in the road leads to you.

So I open the book
And in so doing I walk the road
With you
And try to walk, and not run
Try to pace myself beside you and not get ahead or behind
Though I want to run and shout
Help me keep pace with you, Jesus
On this road with you and your word
The sun rises soon enough.

Amen

The Body

14 The body is not one part, but many parts. 15 If the foot should say, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that would not stop it from being a part of the body. 16 If the ear should say, "I am not a part of the body because I am not an eye," that would not stop it from being a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye how would it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how would it smell? 18 But God has put all the parts into the body just as He wants to have them. 19 If all the parts were the same, it could not be a body. 20 But now there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you." Or the head cannot say to the feet, "I do not need you." 22 Some of the parts we think are weak and not important are very important. 23 We take good care of and cover with clothes the parts of the body that look less important. The parts which do not look beautiful have an important work to do. 24 The parts that can be seen do not need as much care. God has made the body so more care is given to the parts that need it most. 25 This is so the body will not be divided into parts. All the parts care for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. If one part is given special care, the other parts are happy.

I Corinthians 12

It's Morning, Jesus
I thank you for the created order of all things.
I praise you for the wisdom of your work.
Bless this body I partake of now: my hands, my feet, my eyes, my ears.
Bless the family I am part of now: Sherri, Hannah, Chelsea, Jenna, Greg
Bless the church I am a part of now.

Amen

I Have Come to Proclaim Release to the Captives

It's Morning, Jesus
And I thank you this morning for the miracles of last night.
She said: "This is the first thing I ever graduated from."
Last night, Lord, they call came together. AA, Celebrate Recovery's from the churches, and the Salvation Army. They met in Judge Little's Drug Court, and we saw your power to release your creation from bondage.

I praise you for creating man with a mandate to shape his world.
I praise you for those servants, who saying Yes, let go of their own lives, and take up a cross and follow you.

I thank you for calling Chuck Anderson to ministry with us.
I thank you for the Celebrate Recovery Team.
I thank you that people with character, with salty lives, have a domain of influence that is everywhere they go; and that you still commission these salty saints to point-specific ministry, to engage the hurting world.


Amen

For You Have Been My Help

Psalm 63

Lord, you touch all of me; every part of my body,
every aspect of my life. I come to you this morning
by way of:

MY SOUL

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

MY LIPS

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

MY HANDS

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

MY MOUTH

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

MY BED

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

MY SONG

7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

The Mirror, the Magnifying Glass and the Bible

Rain

It's Morning, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Be exalted, three-personed God
Be exalted over all the earth!
You brought the Governor, our leader, to His knees
before you sent the rain.
Be exalted.
Your let us see the cracks of parched earth as a symbol of life without you
before you sent the rain
You waited unitl you heard the cries of your people
before you sent the rain

For we took for granted our bounty
We accepted without real thanks our blessing

Now, we cry glory
Now we cry hallelujah
For the simple rain
Because now we see in it the majestic hand of Your creation
Now we know in it the wonder of your blessing!

Thank you, God, for the rain.
You have heard our prayers
You have exalted your name.

Let it rain.

Amen

Jesus Claim to be the Messiah

19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

John 4:21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24G od is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

The Messiah

Handel's Handwritten Copy of Messiah

It's Morning, Jesus
We live in a world that still questions who you are.
Though ancient Words of holy text, and ancient songs with Hallelujah's
declare your glory, the world still debates.

Your footprints are in the dusty roads from Nazareth to Jersualem
Your ancient words still funnel to us through the tunnel of time
And for those of us who believe, your Living Word, is a voice we hear.
In You we live and move and have our being.

Grant it, Lord Jesus,
That in these days approaching Christmas
Your birth may be remembered, honored, and studied
To give weighty and truthful anchorage to our flippant world.

Forbid that we should argue over Christmas trees
while we lose the identity of the One who came to save us.
Rescue us, again, from the Evil One
Who lurks in cultural drift toward death, not life
toward darkness, not light.

To You who are the Light, we pray.
Amen

Evening Prayer

It's Evening, Jesus
I walk toward you in the light of your Word
I sit at your feet to ask you to speak to me
I wait on you as the earth waits on rain.

I know that by the promise of your presence
the Holy Spirit will attend to my preaching tomorrow
I do not want to go into the pulpit without You
I give you my body, my mind, my mouth, my lips, my voice
I yield tonight every part of me
For You and the proclamation of Your word.
Holy God.
Amen

Evening Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.


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This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience.


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Psalm 4
Thanksgiving
Take pity on me, Lord, and listen to my prayer.
When I called out, he heard me, the God of my righteousness.
When I was in trouble, you gave me freedom:
now, take pity on me and listen to my prayer.

Sons of men, how long will your hearts be heavy?
Why do you seek for vain things?
Why do you run after illusions?
Know that the Lord has done marvellous things
for those he has chosen.
When I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.

Be vigorous, but do not sin:
speak in the silence of your heart,
in your bed, be at rest.
Offer righteousness as a sacrifice,
and put your trust in the Lord.

Many are saying, Who will give us good things?
Let your face shine on us, Lord,
let the light of your face be a sign.
You have given me a greater joy
than the others receive
from abundance of wheat and of wine.
In peace shall I sleep, Lord, in peace shall I rest:
firm in the hope you have given me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Take pity on me, Lord, and listen to my prayer.

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Psalm 133 (134)
Evening prayer in the Temple
Bless the Lord through the night.
Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand through the night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your arms to the sanctuary
and bless the Lord!

May the Lord bless you from Sion –
the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Bless the Lord through the night.

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Reading Deuteronomy 6:4-7 ©
Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart. You shall repeat them to your children and say them over to them whether at rest in your house or walking abroad, at your lying down or at your rising.

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Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

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Canticle Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
the glory of your people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

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Prayer
Let us pray.
Come to us, Lord, this night, and give us the strength to rise at dawn rejoicing in the resurrection of your Anointed, who lives and reigns for ever and ever, Amen.

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May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
A M E N

Evening Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

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This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience.


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Psalm 15 (16)
The Lord, my inheritance
My body will rest in calm and hope.
Preserve me, Lord, I put my hope in you.

I have said to the Lord “You are my Lord, in you alone is all my good”.
As for the holy and noble men of the land, in them is all my delight.
But for those who run to alien gods, their sorrows are many.
I will not share in their libations of blood. I will not speak their names.

You, Lord, are my inheritance and my cup. You control my destiny,
the lot marked out for me is of the best, my inheritance is all I could ask for.
I will bless the Lord who gave me understanding; even in the night my heart will teach me wisdom.
I will hold the Lord for ever in my sight: with him at my side I can never be shaken.
Thus it is that my heart rejoices, heart and soul together; while my body rests in calm hope.

You will not leave my soul in the underworld. You will not let your chosen one see decay.
You will show me the paths of life, the fullness of joy before your face, and delights at your right hand until the end of time.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
My body will rest in calm and hope.

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Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:23
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you in every way and preserve your life and your soul and your body without blemish, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

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Canticle Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
the glory of your people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

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Prayer
Let us pray.
Lord our God, we are tired by the work of the day. Refresh us with peaceful sleep and, forever renewed by the help you give, let us always be dedicated to you in body and mind.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
A M E N

Thanksgiving

It's Evening, Jesus

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

Romans 8:19-21

Thanks be to God
All creation is being brought into glorious freedom of the children of God.
All creation...the year 2007 and the year 2008; Hannah and Chelsea and Jenna and Sherri and Greg;
All culture...Western, Eastern, Asian.
I pray for Australia and Germany and Yemen and India and Morocco;
I pray for Cuba and the Dominican Republic and the Honduras and Mexico.
I pray for Malaysia and Myanmar and Africa.
May we touch the world with our lives, Lord Jesus, in a way that exalts you and gives you glory.
May we shape the culture and impact the world.

Thank you Heavenly Father, for your watchcare over this nation.
Thank you for our birth as a people.
Thank you for our forefathers.
Thank you for the sacrifices made.
Thank you for leading us and not abandoning us in our sins.

Be a part of our perfection as a nation
Be a part of our healing
Grant to us your mercies as we seek to touch the world.

Be with our President tonight as he takes to rest.
Give him wisdom and discernment as he leads this nation in times of trial and testing.

May this day close with your benediction, your mercy and your grace.
Amen

Amen

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.


Psalm 90 (91)
The protection of the Most High
He will shade you with his wings; you will not fear the terror of the night.
He who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells under the shade of the Almighty.
He will say to the Lord:
“You are my shelter and my strength,
my God, in whom I trust”.

For he will free you from the hunter’s snare,
from the voice of the slanderer.
He will shade you with his wings,
you will hide underneath his wings.
His faithfulness will be your armour and your shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day;
nor the plague that walks in the shadows,
nor the death that lays waste at noon.

A thousand will fall at your side,
at your right hand ten thousand will fall,
but you it will never come near.
You will look with your eyes
and see the reward of sinners.
For the Lord is your shelter and refuge;
you have made the Most High your dwelling-place.
Evil will not reach you,
harm cannot approach your tent;
for he has set his angels to guard you
and keep you safe in all your ways.

They will carry you in their arms
in case you hurt your foot on a stone.
You walk on the viper and cobra,
you will tread on the lion and the serpent.

Because he clung to me, I shall free him:
I shall lift him up because he knows my name.
He will call upon me and for my part, I will hear him:
I am with him in his time of trouble.
I shall rescue him and lead him to glory.
I shall fill him with length of days
and show him my salvation.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
He will shade you with his wings; you will not fear the terror of the night.

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Reading Apocalypse 22:4-5
They will see the face of the Lord, and his name will be marked on their foreheads. There will be no more night: they will not need sunlight or lamp-light, because the Lord God himself will shine upon them. And they will reign for ever and ever.

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Short Responsory
Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
- Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

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Canticle Nunc Dimittis
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.
Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.
You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;
the glory of your people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace.

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Prayer
Let us pray.
Today we have celebrated the mystery of the Christ’s resurrection, and so now we humbly ask you, Lord, that we may rest in your peace, far from all harm, and rise rejoicing and giving praise to you.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

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May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.
A M E N

Abraham

It's Morning Father God
To Adam and to all men you gave
a worship mandate, a social mandate, a cultural mandate.
Out of the garden to the world we are to go.
Help each of us fulfill that mandate today.
May we worship you today in our personal lives
May we exalt in you sun and sea and mountain and sky and tree and bird and neighbor and friend and business associate
May we fulfill the social mandate in serving our mates, teaching our children, participating in community.
May we fulfill our cultural mandate in shaping the world with what we eat, what we purchase, where we go, how we spend our time, all that we consume. May we push back against the darkness by striking a match of truth wherever we are.

I am a child of the covenant.
You began with Adam, then Noah, and then Abraham.

Thank you, God, that I am grafted in, through Christ, as a covenant child,
one you chose....you chose to die for me, that I might live for your Father's glory.

Amen

Heart to Heart

It's Morning, Jesus
I have before me the bible, the mirror and the magnifying glass
And I come to you this morning just to be with you
To exalt you.
You have put it in my heart to do so.
That is why I do it.
I do not come to you this morning out of my will
I do not have the will power in myself to get up in the morning to be with you
I don't even have the determination to say no to pumpkin pie
But I do have the heart beating inside of me to come to you
You have given me this heart
This is your work in me

You have written on my heart

You chose me, before the foundation of the world
to be holy and blameless in your sight. (Ephesians 1:4)
You had decided, even before my father left me
To adopt me as your son. (Ephesians 1:5)

I have no claim to any work that you have done in me
But in accordance to the riches of your grace
You lavished me with love (Ephesians 1:8)

So I come before you this morning.
I stand in awe of your mercy
I stand in the wonder of your grace

I thank you that you have given to all your people
The promise of a new heart.
I thank you that the redeemed of the Lord
know you and say so.

Jeremiah said: (1:5)
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Speak to your people, this morning, Lord
And may your people visit with you
with mirror and bible and magnifying glass
that you may continue your work of perfection.

Amen

Now and Then

12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (I Cor. 13)

The Age to Come

It's Morning, Jesus
You woke us up this morning
In your resurrection
The "age to come" has already begun.
Our guilty verdict has been overturned
and we have already been declared righteous on the basis of your death. (Romans 3:21-31; Galatians 2:14-16; 3:6-14)
As I stand in covenant with You, the final judgement has already taken place.
Because my guilt is removed, my sin atoned for, I can enter the holy of holies and stand in right relationship with you O' God.

You are the new Adam,
And the resotration of God's original created order is accomplished in You.
Out of the orphanage of sin, you have adopted me (Galatians 4:4-5) Ephesians 1:4)
And the same spirit that lives in You is poured into our own lives and enables us cry Abba Father. (Romans 8:14-15)

All Religions are Not the Same

Troupes of monkeys are out of control in India's northeast, stealing mobile phones and breaking into homes to steal soft drinks from refrigerators, lawmakers in the region have complained.
"Monkeys are wreaking havoc in my constituency by taking away mobile phones, toothpastes, sipping coke after opening the refrigerators," Hiren Das told Assam state's assembly.

He said the primates were "even slapping women who try to chase them".

"It is a cause of serious concern in my area, with more than 1,000 such simians turning aggressive by the day," fumed Goneswar Das, another legislator representing Raha in eastern Assam.

Last week, around two dozen people were hurt after monkeys rampaged through a New Delhi neighbourhood.

Last month, the deputy mayor of Delhi died when he fell from his balcony after being attacked by monkeys.

Efforts to drive out the animals is complicated by the fact that devout Hindus view them as an incarnation of Hanuman, the monkey god who symbolises strength.

It's Morning, Jesus
Give to my children and this new generation
an understanding that all roads do not lead to You.
Show them these other paths, O Lord
And where they lead and how society is shaped out of a vision of God.

Who can see this monkey as a reflection of the Mighty God?
Only those who have not the knowledge of God.

I pray, Lord God, that in a world that promotes pluralism
and values tolerance
You will raise up photographers and journalists to
shout back the truth to the world
through headlines, essays and articles
and show us the end of all idolatry,
the senseless hurt and pain caused by it
and your anger and wrath toward it.

Amen

I Came to Restore Order to a Broken Creation

It's Morning, Jesus
We were designed in covenantal relationship with God
to live in symphonic harmony with Him and all creation.
God gave the musical score that would give Him glory
He gave us our bodies as instruments and gave each of us the notes to play.
Yet, we tore up the score
There is no harmony in the world, as each insists on playing his own tune.
We desperately need a conductor if we are to play the right notesagain.

You have come back to creation, Lord God, in Jesus
Who is both composer and conductor.
You want to change the ugly disorder of our lives and our world
into the beautiful music they were designed to make:
a symphony of praise to the Creator.

You, yourself, played that perfect music as you lived in perfect submission
to God the Father.
In your death, you made it possible for us to return to God's orchestra
despite the way we have treated Him. Then, by your resurrection, you
were established as the eternal conductor.
As we take our lead from you, Lord Jesus,
We find our proper place in God's world once more.
Following you, our lives will make sense and will begin to produce beautiful music again, brining praise to God.

We confess, Lord, that we your followers still produce many discordant notes.
We still disobey you.
We still miss the note.
We tire.
We stop listening.
We rest in the wrong places.
We go off on our own with our instruments

In you, the Kingdom has come
and yet it has not come in its fullness
It is already, but not yet.

Glory be to your name as I live in the kingdom, today.
Amen

I Came to Glorify My Father

It's Morning, Jesus
Today I follow you in exaltation of the Father.