Lord God, “thank You so much for Your love for us. Thank you that, despite the way the world and other people treat us, we are loved by the One who matters the most (Vince Antonucci, VerveLV).” We come to You today with our whole truth because You know our life story.
You spoke us into being and You know every moment of sin, shame and inconsistency. Yet, Your love for us never fails. We’re forever struggling to know You more, so please give us the wisdom to understand that You already know us. You see us, You hear us and you still love and forgive us no matter what. You take all of our messes and create the most beautiful work of art, called life, for You are with us always.
The way of the cross is not forced its given. The Lord isn’t asking us to walk across a continent; He’s asking us to walk across the street” (M. Russell Ballard) or towards the broken souls in this very room and love our neighbors as ourselves with the same love that God gives to us. So let us begin.
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, M. Russell Ballard, Prayer, VerveLV, Vince Antonucci
Cross at Community Lutheran Church, Las Vegas NV
Lord, we come into Your presence today with all of the joys and sorrows that come with this life. Open our hearts so that we can talk with You about the intimate feelings of our heart. Let the prayers and questions that need to be said rise up to You like incense. Silence the whispers of ego and self-righteousness. Help us to forgive what needs to be forgiven and to let go of whatever holds us back from receiving and reflecting Your love. Give us the faith to know that You will “restore what is broken and change it into something amazing” (Joel 2:25)
“Faith is not believing in (our) own unshakable belief. Faith is believing in an unshakable God when everything in (us) trembles and quakes” (Beth Moore). There are no easy answers in this life but there is a God who will not forsake us. There is the Word of God that will not return void. And there is the love of God that knows no end. So Lord, give us the wisdom to be able to preach the gospel with our life and not our lips.
Tags: Beth Moore, bible, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, Joel 2:25, lutheran, Prayer, Son of God
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Las Vegas, NV
Lord we come into Your presence as “citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken and as children of the (One who knows) no limitations” (Godfruits). We lay down our burdens at Your altar for we all come with scars of a broken heart or of regrets of the things we did or didn’t do. We release all these things to You because You are “merciful towards our iniquities, and (because of the intercession of Your Son) You will remember our sins no more” (Hebrews 8:10). We’ve failed a thousand times and will fail again but You’re always there to pick us back up to face the world knowing that our mistakes do not define us: our salvation does.
Our “faith (in God), is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light” (Helen Keller). “So (let us) be careful how we live. Don’t let us live like fools, but (let us be) wise (so that we can) make the most of every opportunity… Don’t (allow us to) act thoughtlessly, but (allow us to) understand what (it is that) You want us to do” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Ephesians 5:15-17, Godfruits, Hebrews 8:10, Helen Keller, Jesus Christ, lutheran, Prayer, Son of God
Poster at VerveLV
“Because You turn Your ear to us, we will call on You for as long as we live.” (Psalms 116:2) You alone can see into the window of our minds and understand the snapshots of our life. You see the joys and the fears, along with all of the victories and the losses. “Though our feelings come and go. God’s love for us does not.” (CS Lewis) So when everything we know falls down to the ground, let us remember the hand that will pull us back into the possibilities that God has planned for all of us.
In a world gridlocked with fear and confusion “we need to be brave with our stories so that other people can be brave with theirs.” (Katherine Center) Reveal to us just how much of an impact our lives are to others. Because “now is the chance to choose the right side. (For You, Lord,) give us that chance…(but) we must take it.” (C.S. Lewis)
Tags: bible, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus, Katherine Center, lutheran, Prayer, Psalms, Son of God
A text book that my Pastor, Reverend David Poling-Goldenne, wrote for seminary students. We will honor his life and ministry today at his memorial service.
Lord God, “the earth is Yours and “You have made everything beautiful in it’s time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Usher us into Your presence and shield us from a world of easy answers and false solutions.
Present the hard truths of this life so that we can think, ponder and dwell in the Word of God and it’s meaning in our lives. Our life is our message to the world just as the life of Your Son is Your message to us: Love all and love God.
Our faith does not rest upon on who or what we are, but in who Jesus is, what He has done and in what He is doing now. So Lord, guide us to wherever You are and “if we can’t fly, then let’s run, if we can’t run, then walk, if we can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever we do, we have to keep moving forward” (Martin Luther King, Jr.) into the future that God has planned for us.
Tags: Christian, Church, Ecclesiastes, Jesus Christ, Jr., lutheran, Martin Luther King, Prayer, Son of God
Artwork at St. James Lutheran Church in MN
Lord God, we stand at a new doorway with new possibilities and challenges. Help us to start believing in Hope again so that we can do what You have written on our hearts. As we leave yesterday behind, remind us that “Your mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-24) and that You hear more than we say.
Everything changes all around us except You. You are the constant, so quietly descend into our hearts and give us the courage to face these giants that our fears create. Remind us that “the giant in front of us is never bigger than the God who lives (with)in us.” (Christin Caine)
Let everything we do lead others to the cross and to the path of grace, mercy and love. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. (So) Let us begin.” (Mother Teresa)
Tags: Christian, Christin Caine, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, Lamentations, lutheran, Mother Teresa, Prayer, Son of God
Stained Glass from St. James Lutheran Church in Mounds, MN
Eternal One, because “Your love is better than life, we glorify You” (Psalm 63:3) and lean on Your compassion. Guide us so that we may “move from illusion to truth, from darkness to light, (and) from ignorance to wisdom…” (Varun Soni). Lead us and we will follow.
For wherever we go, wherever we are…it is You who goes with us. It is You who provides rest. It is You who soothes our fears. You make us complete again by restoring us through Your grace, mercy and love. Our faith in You, Lord, doesn’t just change our reality. It reveals it.
You enthrone the truth of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. The truth that You compare us to no one else and that our mistakes have been paid for in the life of the Son of God. “Despite all (our) flaws, (it is God who) continues to write (our) story. (And) it’s beautiful (Rochelle Griffin).
Tags: Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, lutheran, Prayer, Psalm, Rochelle Griffin, Son of God, Varun Soni
Lord God, “You are near to all who call on You” (Psalm 145:18). And we will sing of Your love from one generation to the next. (Psalm 89:1). So many memories flood our minds as another year closes and a new one begins. We pray that You would continue to bless us beyond imagination.
Don’t let us stare too long at doors that have been closed, but instead prepare us for the doors that will be opened to us because “we will not find peace by rearranging the circumstances of our lives…” (Eckhart Tolle) We have peace because Love found us right where we are, and God was born as one of us.
Faith tells us that no matter what lies ahead, God is already there. “Love has a name; Jesus. Love has a place; our hearts. Love has a story and it’s not finished yet.” (DAYSTAR)
Tags: Christian, Church, DAYSTAR, Eckhart Tolle, ELCA, Faith, Jesus Christ, lutheran, Prayer, Psalm 145:18, Psalm 89:1, Son of God
Help us to see the big picture, beyond ourselves, so that we can learn from both our joys and our sorrows. Look, it doesn’t matter where we are in this life because we’re all on the same journey towards grace and redemption. Give us the strength to “never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” (Corrie Ten Boom) This life isn’t meant to be routine, and in the blink of an eye everything can change. But because of Christ, we know who we are and whose we are.
So Lord, “revive whatever peace and love has died in us” (Christian Today) because the only one who can mend a broken heart is the One who made it. And as long as we still have breath, we can still shine the light of God out onto the darkness of this world
“Our soul is not contained within the limits of our body. Our body is contained within the limitlessness of our soul…Every possession or accomplishment will rot but what remains is our heart” (Jim Carrey) and how we affected others. It is through our faith in God, God’s word and God’s grace that we know that “in Christ, there are no goodbyes and in Christ, there is no end” (MercyMe) so let’s hold on to the only truth that we have; that God so loved us all that God redefined what love is. Love is sacrifice, messy and painful. But in the end love wins.
Tags: Christian, Christian Today, Church, Corrie Ten Boom, ELCA, Jesus Christ, Jim Carrey, Love wins, MercyMe, New Song Church, Prayer, Son of God
Advent 1
Lord of all, Your grace covers all things and You make all things new. As another year slips away, show us how to stop obsessing over things that we can’t take with us to heaven because all we leave behind is the impact that we had on the lives of others.
In the absence of so many things, we can be God’s light and love on this earth so give us the strength to push through the fear so that we can touch and change lives as Your Son did with us. The birth of the Son of God, His life, death and resurrection tells us the truth that fear cannot keep us away from the presence of God. Nothing can.
Lord, just “give us enough light to see the next step” (Vicky Beeching) for “many are the plans in a person’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). Center us now to step back into the story of “how God so loved the world that He sent His only Son” (John 3:16) to be the eternal living truth for all generations to know that “hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can.” (Martin Luther King) and Love won over death and sin and will continue to do so forever and ever. Amen.
Tags: Advent, Christian, Church, ELCA, Jesus Christ, John 3:16, lutheran, Martin Luther King Jr, Prayer, Proverbs 19:21, Son of God, Vicky Beeching
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