March 31 - April 6 , 2013

The song writer wrote… I serve a living savior Christ Jesus is His name… What a reason to rejoice. I thank You Lord for rising from the dead to show that You have the ultimate power over death and sin. And to the glory of God, one day sin and death will also be defeated in my life. By Your resurrection You immediately gave hope to every single person in the world. And all this because of Your love for us and Your desire to reconcile us to Your loving Father. Lord, Thank You, thank You, thank You, in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen


"Who then is the one who condemns? No one.
Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life
- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."
(Romans 8:34)

Week of July 15 - 21, 2012

Father in heaven, as we bless Your Holy Name, please give ear to Your servants. May Your great and mighty hand produce in us the supernatural ability to trust You under all circumstances, no matter what kind of adversity we face. Create in us ready and merciful hearts to serve You in the way that Your Son Jesus Christ served You – by serving others. Help us to see everyone and everything through His loving eyes, that we would find grace in Your sight, O Lord. Thank You for always being here for us, even when we let You and ourselves down. Thank You for being a loving, caring and wonderful Father to Your sons and daughters. This we pray in the precious name of Christ Jesus.

“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” 

(Jeremiah 33:3  KJV)

Week of July 8 - 14, 2012

Most merciful Father, We praise You and we thank You for being our refuge, our strength, and our help in all times of trouble. Continue to guide our journey of life. Help us to do for others what they, through no fault of their own, are unable to do for themselves. May we never fail in our efforts to reach forth our hands to the poor, the destitute and the deprived, not only in acts of charity, but in justice. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.


“Lord, You have been our refuge age after age.
Before the mountains were born, before the earth or the world came to birth,
You were God from all eternity and forever.” 
(Psalm 90: 1& 2  Jerusalem)

Week of June 10 - 16, 2012

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of this day, our families, our jobs, the air we breathe, clean water, food, and so many other things we take for granted. Thank You for claiming us as Your sons and daughters. It says in the song, “Indescribable,” that You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You also know us by name. Help us to have a productive and peaceful day. We pray for those who are starving for food, but we pray more so for those who are starving for Your unconditional love. May we treasure all the many gifts You give us, Lord. Help us to realize that You are the most precious gift of all. You are the giver of all gifts. We make this prayer through the most precious and holy name of Jesus. Amen.


“But now, this is what the Lord says -- he who created you, O Jacob,
 he who formed you, O Israel:
‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

(Isaiah 43:1 NIV)

Week of April 22 - 28, 2012

Our great God and Father, we are overwhelmed as we contemplate the reality of the cross and the resurrection of your only Son. Father, we are not deserving of such love and compassion, but You gave it anyway, motivated by your love for us.

Jesus, thank you for willingly going to Calvary's Cross to die for our sins. Now guide us, Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit, so that we would accept and cherish this free gift of forgiveness. May we also forgive all those who have done us wrong. Help us to love like You, Lord.

This we pray in the loving name of Jesus. Amen.  

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8 NIV)

Week of March 25 - 31, 2012

Lord Jesus Christ, You stretched out Your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross, that everyone might come within the reach of Your saving embrace. So clothe us in Your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring to those who do not know You, the knowledge and love of You, for the honor of Your holy name.

Amen.

“Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘It is finished.
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’
When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

- John 19:30 (NIV)

Week of Feb. 26 - March 3, 2012

Lord, our God, we put our hope in You. As we begin the season of Lent, we seek You with all our hearts. May the light of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, continue to shine upon us so that we may be light in the darkness of this world. We trust in Your unfailing goodness and love. We look forward to serving You with each passing day. We pray all this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!
The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him.”

Lamentations 3:24-25 (NLT)

Week of Jan. 1 - 7, 2011

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Good Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

“Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

(Psalm 34:14, NIV)

Week of Dec. 11 - 17, 2011

Father of all mercies, we Your children await Your glory a second time. In this season of waiting and preparation for celebrating that first coming at Bethlehem, we are mindful not to neglect our calling: To at all times love You, and to love each other unconditionally. We pray in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.


"A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots."

(Isaiah 11:1, Jerusalem Bible)

"Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed
and all mankind shall see it."

(Isaiah 40:5, Jerusalem Bible)

Week of July 31 -- Aug. 6, 2011

Thank You, Father, for being my safety net when I stumble and fall. I am sorry for not trusting You enough when I become discouraged and flustered when things just don’t go my way. My troubles cover me and my failures weigh me down. I pray, Father God , for your Holy Spirit to strengthen me to help me overcome my faults and shortcomings. Mold me into a more humble and loving Christian. I place my burdens and cares in Your hands. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.



“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

( 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV)

Week of July 10-16, 2011

Thank You, heavenly Father, for Your promise that when we call upon Your Name, You will answer our every prayer. We stand on Your promise that You will be with us through the storms in our lives; through the sicknesses; through the stressful times; through our financial difficulties; through broken relationships. Not only will You be with us, but You promise to deliver us. Give us the courage and the patience to hold on to Your perfect timing, because we know that You are the same yesterday, today, and always. I ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.


“He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him”.

(Psalm 91:15)

Week of May 30

Lord, my God and Savior, Your life, death and resurrection gives me reason to rejoice and be thankful, for Your Spirit lives on, in, and through me. I am a vessel, an instrument of Your love and hope in a world that is often not very loving or hopeful. By Your grace, may I, as Your follower, make a difference in this world. May my actions today and each day bring You honor and glory. Amen.


"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

(Philippians 4:13, NKJV)

Week of May 23

Merciful Father, help us to be mindful that our Easter joy must be lasting food for our journey. Help us to express our joy not only in songs of praise, but in the manner in which we show love, one to another. We thank You for the gifts which You give us in order that we may share Your love tangibly with the poor. We thank You that You have enabled us to answer this greatest of all calls – to love one another. We make our prayer in the name of Jesus, our risen Lord.Amen.

“Fill me with your praise and I will sing your glory; songs of joy will be on my lips, alleluia.”

Ps. 71:8, 23

Week of May 16

Father God, we stand on Your promise that You will deliver the needy and the poor. As servants of the King, help us, Lord, as we strive to help the suffering poor. We acknowledge that without You, we are nothing and can do nothing without Your mercy and Your grace. Hear us O God; hear the cries of the poor; make haste and answer the prayers of Your children, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

“For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy and will save the souls of the needy.”

(Psalm 72:12-13 (NKJ)

Week of April 18

My beloved Lord and Savior, You have told us that we, too, must accept crucifixion if we are to accept resurrection with You. Help us to rejoice in the sufferings that come with the fulfillment of our daily duties, seeing in them the royal road of the cross to resurrection. Amen.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

-Galatians 2:20 (KJV)

Week of April 11

Lord Jesus Christ, stripped of everything, You stood exposed to jeers and contempt of the people whom You loved. Clothe us with genuine love of others, so that nothing we suffer may ever fill our hearts with hatred or bitterness. Amen.

“They gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.”

Matthew 27: 34-35 (NASB)

Week of January 17

Almighty God, with You there is no beginning and no end. You are the origin and goal of all creation. May this new year which we dedicate to You, bring us abundant prosperity and growth in holy living. We ask this through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.


"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance."

(Psalm 65:11, NIV)

Week of January 10

Almighty God, as we begin another year of life here on earth, help us to press toward that goal You have set for us and not ponder on the past. Remind us, Father, that the past is gone, but we have the future to hold on to – a future of hope in You, a future of Your unfailing, never-changing love. Help us, Lord, to attain the goal, to accomplish the plan, and to fulfill the purpose for which the very grace of God has chosen for us to do. Jesus, Savior of all, be glorified in everything we do and say.

Amen.

“Brothers and Sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

(Phil. 3:13-14, NIV)

Week of November 1

Dear Lord, You made us for lives in families and in community. What I say and do reveals who I am as a follower of Christ. I am to be Your hands and feet in the world today. What a tremendous responsibility, but also a tremendous opportunity to share Your spirit of love, compassion, and justice with others. May I embody all that You want me to be. Be my source of grace as I go about my work today. I ask all of this in Your holy name. Amen.

“…The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

(Romans 5:5, NAB)