August 11 - 17, 2013

Lord, we thank You that Your righteousness has delivered us from persecution; whether it is financial, physical, emotional, spiritual and we stand confident before Your throne.
The truth of Your Word has set us free from all oppression and anxiety. In moments of trouble, we trust in You and know You will always intercede for us.
Thank You Lord Jesus.
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. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"
Romans 8:34-35(NIV)

August 4 - 10, 2013

Jesus, Lord, I thank You for Your supreme sacrifice on the cross for my sins and for all mankind. There is no greater love than for one to lay down one’s life for a friend. You died for me, a sinner. Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son, born of the Virgin Mary. Thank You Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us safely to You. Lord God we praise and thank You in Jesus Name!
Amen.

 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and to the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew, 7:7-8 (NIV)

April 28 - May 4, 2013

Lord Jesus, thank you for willingly choosing to suffer the physical pain of the cross, and the emotional and spiritual pain of having Your loving Father turn away from You as You took our sin onto yourself and paid for our salvation. Lord You did all this out of obedience to your Father and for our benefit, to His Glory. Lord I rejoice in your resurrection knowing that as You were raised, one day I too will be raised to spend and enjoy life with You eternally. This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen

“Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
Luke 24:26

March 24 - March 30, 2013

Lord Jesus, how do I even begin to thank You for choosing to lay Your life down for me? I don’t know that I can ever truly understand or appreciate the type of love that would motivate this type of action. Lord as I consider Your Passion this Easter season; as I consider the pain of the cross, may it help me to understand the purpose of the cross and that it would cause me to draw closer to You and to love people more. Lord, thank You for loving me enough to die such a horrible death for and because of me. This I pray in Your precious name.

Amen


"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life… 
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord…"
— (John 10:17a -18a )

Week of Sept. 9 -15, 2012

Heavenly Father, We come with joyful hearts to thank You for the grandparents placed in our lives. How inspiring to receive their wisdom and insights on the matters of daily living. How awesome to watch them enjoy the simple delights of a dripping ice cream cone, or inhaling a fragrant flower.  How infectious is their laughter when cheering a grandchild in a competition. How precious is their smile when looking upon a newborn grandchild. How bright are their eyes when embracing their children’s children.
Father, thank You for allowing us to see You in the expressions of grandparents as they share their love for You with those around them.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

“One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.”

Psalm 145:4 (KJV)

Week of Sept. 2 - 8, 2012

Merciful Father, Help us to accept your call to labor and to rest. Labor we must, if we are satisfy our daily needs. Nevertheless, we lean heavily on Your promises to provide for us, especially those of us who cannot provide for ourselves. We recommit ourselves to answer the call to love You and to love each other. Help us to show that love for each other as we stretch forth our hands to the needy both in charity and in justice. We make our prayer through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls! Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

— Matthew 11:28 - 30  (Jerusalem)

Week of Aug. 26 - Sept. 1, 2012

Heavenly Father, the poor of the world teach us so much about human dignity, about justice, and about loving our neighbor. When the stresses of everyday life overwhelm us, help us to remember those who struggle daily for survival. Help us to take advantage of the opportunities You present us to help them, by generously sharing our blessings and Your love. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.


“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least
 of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

(Matthew 25:40) NIV

Week of July 29 - Aug. 4, 2012

Lord God Almighty, the Father of Lights from Whom all good things flow, we praise You for being the ultimate source of light, hope, and everything that we long for that is good and worth having.  Forgive us for the times of darkness in our loves when we blame You for the suffering, pain, and evil around us (and within us), rather than looking for Your light to guide us out of darkness. Thank You for the Gospel message that not only leads us out of darkness, despair and death, but strengthens us to give a hand up to others who still dwell in darkness. Lord, guide us today. Lead us by the heart so we can walk in Your light and be light to others.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.


“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you:
 God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.”

( 1 John 1:5  HCSB)

Week of July 22 - 28, 2012

Lord, thank You for Your great love and care for us. We need Your help because You have overcome the world, and all power comes from You. We pray that during our storms in life, we will not drown in our fears. We trust You, our heavenly Father, to replace our fears with peace and joy, as we learn to walk closer to You. Provide us the voice to shout from the mountain top that You are faithful! We thank You, Lord, that You will deposit wisdom in us through trials, and that we will rise up with faith to move mountains. In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.


“My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind,
consider it nothing but joy,
because you know that the testing of our faith produces endurance,
and let endurance have its full effect,
so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

(James 1:2-4  NRSV)

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 June 3 - 9, 2012

Dear Lord, we thank You that we have never lived an unloved moment. You love each and every one of us, and Your Son is the proof! Those who call upon the name of Jesus will experience a hope and peace that is eternal. Let our thoughts and hearts be reminded every second that Your love is real and unconditional. Forgive us for doubting that love in the midst of our circumstances and trials, as we experience a world of suffering. We thank You, Lord, that You are with us always. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

— Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

Week of May 27 - June 2

Merciful Father, thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Your Holy Spirit by whose power we are able to change and live a life that brings honor to You. It is overwhelming and humbling to think that You freely gave us the gift of Your Holy Spirit who guides us daily in all that we do. Help us to willingly and joyfully submit to His guidance in our lives. Lord, we pray that our lives will be good examples to those who don't know You, and that they would be drawn to You through the power of Your Blessed Holy Spirit in our lives. This we pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

“Peter said, ‘Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away, whomever, in fact, our Master God invites."
— Acts 2:38 - 39 (Message Version)

Week of May 13 - 19, 2012

Heavenly Father, we thank you for our mothers. Thank you that she deemed it a joyous event to nurture us from conception to now. She introduced us to You in so many ways. We watched her trust You when life events were cruel. She spoke hope when there seemed to be none. She walked in faith always believing Your teachings. She taught us to share our small portions with others who had nothing. We watched her treat rude people with kindness. By her actions she taught us to tell the truth and to express love in all we do. Father, shower her with Your blessings of good health, safety, and physical strength as You continue to prosper the work of her hands. May we always love and respect our mothers. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

“Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise,  think on these things.” 

Philippians 4:8 (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. 19 - 25, 2012

Merciful Father, we are reminded of what St. Paul said to the Romans as he urged the casting off of the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light.

Help us as we begin the preparation of the observance of the supreme sacrifice of Your Son, to make a greater effort at loving one another as You have commanded. Assist our prayers, our alms-giving, and our fasting as we turn our faces and our minds to the message of the Cross.

We pray in the name of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

Romans 13:12 (ASV)

Week of Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, 2012

Our gracious heavenly Father, we are thankful for new beginnings in this new year. It symbolizes a time to bring closure, a fresh start, and new opportunities. With hearts lightened, we now sing a new song to You, in acknowledgment that You are worthy of all our praise and glory. May our very lives be an offering of beautiful music to You. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“I will sing a new song to You, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to You.”

Psalm 144:9 (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 Nov. 13 - 19, 2011

Almighty Father, help us to remember that it is all about Your mercy, rather than Your justice. Guide us always along the right paths, and grant that we may never be unaware of the needs of others, especially the poor, the destitute, the deprived, and the bereaved. As we learn more and more each day to love one another, we make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.


“Lord, listen to my cry for help! Listen compassionately to my pleading!
If You never overlooked our sins, Lord, could anyone survive?”

(Psalm 130:2-3 Jerusalem)

Week of Sept. 25 - Oct. 1, 2011

Dear Lord, I pray that my day may be blessed with the peace of finding little ways to slow the pace and quiet my soul. May this day be blessed with simple moments of thanksgiving, and the joy of knowing that You are present here within me. You bless me with every good gift from above. I ask that today I may come to know You better, and to seek to do Your will in my life. All honor and glory be Yours forever. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Romans 11:36 (NIV)