Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tuesday Tome - Book Club Next Monday

I will soon be leading a Book Club at Valley Christian Church. You can get full information about the book selection, Not a Fan, and our meeting times on the Valley website.


From the Publisher's Description...
 Are you a follower of Jesus? Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style.  Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Monday Music - Somebody's Child




Blame... I'm tired of the blame
And pointing fingers.
Hurt... I'm weary from the hurt
And the bitterness that lingers.
Turns... You made some turns along the way-
So wrong they left me crying.
Time... There's a time to forgive
And it's time I started trying.

It would be so easy to lay all the guilt on you.
And I could blame it all on what you did and didn't do,
But I can't forget the good times,
the times you got it right,
The times that I have loved you,
the times I think you tried.
And there are ways that I don't know you,
or the things that you've been through.
I wonder how much of my childhood
was handed down to you.
Instead of throwing stones maybe some mercy's overdue,
You were somebody's child too.

Words...I want to say the words
That lead to healing.
Fears...I want to put aside the fears
And the peace that they've been stealing.
Past... I want to let go of my past
and all of its distractions.
Truth...I want to speak the truth in love–
In love and in my actions.

It would be so easy to lay all the guilt on you.
And I could blame it all on what you did and didn't do,
But I can't forget the good times,
the times you got it right,
The times that I have loved you,
the times I think you tried.
And there are ways that I don't know you,
or the things that you've been through.
I wonder how much of my childhood
was handed down to you.
Instead of throwing stones maybe some mercy's overdue,
You were somebody's child-
You were somebody's child too.

“Somebody’s Child" by Dave Burkum.  © Copyright 1994 by Dave Burkum, from So Far to Go. Listen or Buy.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Help Us to Walk in His Ways

O God, you are everlasting and always faithful. We thank you for the grace and love you have proven to us by sending Son our Savior Jesus Christ into the world. He emptied himself, and he became one of us, and he suffered death upon the cross in order to free us from the penalty and the prison of sin.

Give us humble and thankful hearts. Help us to walk in his ways and to live by the power of his resurrection.

Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ.  And as you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Holy Father, though life is difficult and demanding, you are attentive and faithful. Though the world is entangled in the lie that everything is meaningless, you give us meaning, purpose, and hope. Thank you for the salvation, the strength, and the stability you give through Jesus.

It’s in his name we pray. Amen.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Friday Favorites - New Cactus Blossoms Tunes


The Cactus Blossoms performed a number of new songs from their forthcoming album at a release party this past Tuesday at the Electric Fetus record store. I really can't wait for the new recording to come out.

You can get their two song (You're Dreaming / Stoplight Kisses) preview of the album HERE.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Thursday Thinking - Shame Resiliency

Newsworthy with Luke Norsworthy Podcast -
ZACH LIND: THE GOSPEL OF PHIL COLLINS
The Phil Collins part of the interview starts around 12:30.


Richard Beck's post on the Experimental Theology blog...
Zach Lind: "The Gospel According to Phil Collins"

From the Richard Beck's blog post...
...the reason Zach's lesson has stuck with me is because I find living as a Christian to be a highly creative and artistic activity. Which means that living as a Christian means cultivating shame-resiliency so that you can take the risks you need to take to creatively and artistically explore the shape of Jesus in our world. In living artistically in how you creatively express the life of Jesus in your own life you'll have to take risks in what you say or do, things that might cause shame or embarrassment.

I'm reminded of the woman who crashes the party to anoint Jesus. What a risk! What shame-resiliency! 
Read the Post 

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Wednesday Words - Such Singing in the Wild Branches

It was spring
and I finally heard him
among the first leaves––
then I saw him clutching the limb

in an island of shade
with his red-brown feathers
all trim and neat for the new year.
First, I stood still

and thought of nothing.
Then I began to listen.
Then I was filled with gladness––
and that’s when it happened,

when I seemed to float,
to be, myself, a wing or a tree––
and I began to understand
what the bird was saying,

and the sands in the glass
stopped
for a pure white moment
while gravity sprinkled upward

like rain, rising,
and in fact
it became difficult to tell just what it was that was singing––
it was the thrush for sure, but it seemed

not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers,
and also the trees around them,
as well as the gliding, long-tailed clouds
in the perfect blue sky–––all of them

were singing.
And, of course, so it seemed,
so was I.
Such soft and solemn and perfect music doesn’t last

For more than a few moments.
It’s one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you’ve been there,
you’re there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.

"Such Singing in the Wild Branches" by Mary Oliver, from Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays, © Copyright 2003 by Mary Oliver.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Minnesota Wood Thrush - Hylocichla mustelina
In early spring, the fluting eee-o-lay song of the wood thrush resounds throughout the moist woodlands at dawn and dusk. In Minnesota, the bird nests throughout the state, except on the prairie and in the heavy coniferous forests along the Canadian border. It is partial to woodlands with swamps or streams. A heavy-bodied large-eyed bird, the wood thrush is easily recognized by its white eye-ring and light belly marked with black oval spots. A shy denizen of the woods, the bird is usually found alone or in pairs, foraging on the ground or low in trees. It feeds primarily on insects, spiders, and fruits. In Minnesota, the spring migration peaks around mid-May. Typically raising two broods each year, the wood thrush lays 2-5 eggs, which are incubated for 12-14 days. Young remain in the nest for 12 days and may live as long as nine years. It departs for its wintering range in eastern Mexico to Panama between August and October.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tuesday Tome - New Book Club Starts April 6

I will soon be leading a Book Club at Valley Christian Church. You can get full information about the book selection, Not a Fan, and our meeting times on the Valley website.


From the Publisher's Description...
 Are you a follower of Jesus? Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style.  Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Monday Music - Resting Place




My faith has found a resting place
Not in device or creed –
I trust the Ever-Living One
His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus died –
This ends my fear and doubt.
A sinful soul, I come to him –
He’ll never cast me out.

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea –
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that he died for me.

My faith is leaning on the word,
The written word of God –
Salvation by my savior’s name,
Salvation by his blood.

My great physician heals the sick,
The lost he came to save.
For me, his precious blood he shed;
For me, his life he gave.

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea –
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that he died for me.

"Resting Place" from Breathe a Little Deeper by Dave Burkum. Words by Eliza E. Hewitt in Songs of Joy and Gladness, 1891. Hymnals often show the author as Lidie H. Edmunds, Eliza's pseudonymn.
LISTEN OR BUY

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Direction and Wisdom

Almighty God, we come to you today asking you to help us to submit our wills and our desires to Yours. Help us to live stable lives with your direction and wisdom. Help us to love your commands and to delight in your promises as we face the challenges and changes all around us. Give us your joy and peace in every circumstance.

Forgive us our sins, O God. Lead us away from temptation. You are faithful to forgive and restore those who have sinned against you. So help us to be faithful to forgive and restore those who sin against us.

O God, give us the eyes to see your goodness, and the minds to remember your faithfulness to your people throughout history. Give us hearts that are ready to worship you all day every day, and voices that are quick to sing your praise.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen

Friday, March 20, 2015

Friday Favorites - New Cactus Blossoms Single

http://www.thecactusblossoms.com/

Electric Fetus - Minneapolis
Tuesday, March 24th - 7:00 p.m.
The Electric Fetus invites you to join us for a very special party with The Cactus Blossoms!

On Tuesday, March 24th at 7:00 p.m., we celebrate the release of the duo's "You're Dreaming" 7" single with a performance and signing by Jack and Page.

Enjoy refreshments from the Birchwood Cafe.
This event is free and open to all ages.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wednesday Words - Spring


Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –        
   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;        
   Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush        
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring        
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush        
   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush        
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.        

What is all this juice and all this joy?        
   A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden. – Have, get, before it cloy,        
   Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,        
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,        
   Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.        


"Spring" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, from Poems and Prose (Penguin Classics, 1985).

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Tuesday Tome - Not a Fan

I will soon be leading a Book Club at Valley Christian Church. You can get full information about the book selection, Not a Fan, and our meeting times on the Valley website.


From the Publisher's Description...
 Are you a follower of Jesus? Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style.  Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Monday Music - The River



Rolling river-
Your arms around a loved one who lies sleeping.
Living water-
The sound of baby's laughter, and a promise you've been keeping.
Currents moving through your being;
Flooding you with reasons to be.

It's flowing down from the hand of my Father.
And its streams abound in all that's beautiful and true.
And it's time you found the pure and crystalline headwaters
Of the river that runs in you;
The river that runs in you.

Rolling river-
A selfless act of kindness toward your neighbor.
Living water-
The joy of loyal friendship, and the fruit of honest labor.
A silver ribbon in the moonlight;
A golden strand that shimmers through your days.

It's flowing down from the hand of my Father.
And its streams abound in all that's beautiful and true.
And it's time you found the pure and crystalline headwaters
Of the river that runs in you;
The river that runs in you.

Rolling river-
The tears you shed when someone else is aching.
Living water-
The time you take to listen, and a sacrifice you're making.
Through the depths of your fulfillment,
Dancing down the rapids of your dreams.

It's flowing down from the hand of my Father.
And its streams abound in all that's beautiful and true.
And it's time you found the pure and crystalline headwaters
Of the river that runs in you;
The river that runs in you.

"The River," words and music by Dave Burkum, from, So Far to Go.
© Copyright 1994 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sunday Supplication - The True Bread of Heaven

Gracious Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus Christ, the true bread of heaven, which gives life to the world. Fill us with this bread that we might take hold of the life he gives.

Forgive us our sins, O God. And as you have shown us mercy, make us able to be forgiving and merciful to others. Help us to turn away from what is wrong and to do what is right. Help us to escape temptation.

Holy Father, open the eyes of our hearts and enlighten us in order that we may know the hope to which you have called us. Show us your goodness, and transform us by your great and saving power.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen

Friday, March 13, 2015

Friday Favorites - Mat Kearney at the State


Next Tuesday night, March 17, at the State Theatre should be a fun show! Looking forward to seeing Mat Kearney again. His guitar player is one of my favorite players of all time.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Thursday Thinking - Being Fully Human




The Templeton Foundation has just announced from London that has awarded the 2015 Templeton Prize to Jean Vanier, for his innovative discovery of the central role of vulnerable people in the creation of a more just, inclusive and humane society.

According to Jean Vanier, this prize honors primarily the most vulnerable among us, often marginalized in our societies, and to whom he attributes his discovery.  It is these people who revealed to him that any person who has been previously rejected, when welcomed, becomes a source of dialogue, of healing, of unity and of peace for our societies and our religions.

FIND OUT MORE

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Wednesday Words - Today

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.

"Today" by Billy Collins from Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems, © Copyright 2013 by Billy Collins.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Tuesday Tomes - Following Up

This week I'm going to do a little follow-up on two books mentioned in past Tuesday Tome posts. The first is Tim Keller's Every Good Endeavor, the selection for my recent book club at Valley Christian Church. The second is another one I finished reading last week – The Seven Big Myths about Marriage by Christopher & Jennifer Kaczor.

Every Good Endeaver
by Tim Keller

This is a solid book I would gladly recommend to anyone trying to sort out their personal work goals and motivations. Keller does a great job of framing the Christian perspective for work and life.

The book has three sections: 1. God's Plan for Work; 2. Our Problems with Work; 3. The Gospel and Work. Keller's straightforward outline makes for very assessable reading and an easy to follow line of reasoning.

In the first section, "God's Plan for Work," he describes the Christian basis for seeing the inherent goodness of work as part of the Creator's design for humankind. In Part 2, "Our Problems with Work," he shows how the Christian view of sin and brokenness server to explain the many ways work can be distorted into burden, disappointment, and worse yet, a corrupted pursuit. In "The Gospel and Work" (Part 3), Keller shows how the Christian Gospel can redeem and reorient our work goals and experiences.




The Seven Big Myths about Marriage
by Christopher & Jennifer Kaczor

I think I heard about this book through a positive review or comment in First Things magazine or the First Thoughts Blog, and so I thought it might be pretty good. The subtitle for the book – "What Science, Faith, and Philosophy Teach Us about Love and Happiness" – also raised my level of expectation.

Unfortunately, I found this book to be generally disappointing. I wouldn't be saying anything negative about this book if I hadn't expressed hopeful enthusiasm about it in an earlier post. My mistake.

That's not to say that there was nothing good about it. There were a few interesting ideas, research observations, and statistics I hadn't seen before, but these were not enough to save the book from being underwhelming. Furthermore, the writers present only data and information that supports their own conclusions. They do not give serious attention to contrary views (secular or religious) and they do not question their own.

The title of the book suggests it will help the reader put aside wrongheaded ideas with insights gleaned from science, theology, and philosophy, but I found it to be the writers' case for holding on to conservative Catholic perspectives. The book was especially disappointing in its approaches to the ethics of contraception, definitions of marital covenant, marriage and the State, and theological views about heaven and salvation.

Monday, March 09, 2015

Monday Music - Love the Lord





Hear, O hear, O Israel–
The Lord, our God, the Lord is one.
Hear, O hear, O Israel–
The Lord, our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord, your God
With all your heart,
And with all your soul,
And with all your strength.

"Love the Lord" by Dave Burkum (lyric adapted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5), from This Is the Testimony, © Copyright 2005 by Dave Burkum.

Click Here to Purchase

Sunday, March 08, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Powerless without Your Grace

Almighty God, we know that without your grace we are powerless to help ourselves. We ask you to help us in heart, mind, and body as we seek to be your people. Save us from all those things threaten and tempt us in our bodies, and from all evil thoughts that hurt us in mind and spirit.

Forgive us our sins. Help us die to ourselves and live through you. Make us willing and able to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Help us to think, speak, and act in ways that restore lives, nurture relationships, create peace, and bring honor to you.

Thank you, O God, for salvation and life through Christ. Help us to surrender fully to you and to follow Jesus with whole hearts. Help us to know Jesus––to love him, to understand him, to honor him,
and to draw near to him––so that our lives are completely shaped and guided by him.

It’s in His Saving Name that we pray these things. Amen.

Friday, March 06, 2015

Friday Favorites - SPCO: Ordway Concert Hall

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has long been one of my favorite things about the Twin Cities.  I'm very excited to hear them perform in their new concert hall. We were planning to be there tonight, but had to rearrange our calendar due to some unexpected circumstances. We've rescheduled and March 27th will now be the first concert performance we get to experience in the new space. We're really looking forward to it!
 
From Minnesota Public Radio: Arts & Culture
When the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra plays its debut concert Thursday in the Ordway Concert Hall, it will begin a new era.

Gone are the days when the orchestra competed for a performance space at the Ordway with other arts institutions. The new hall is specifically designed for acoustic music — and the SPCO in particular. 

With its dramatic wave-like ceiling sweeping down to the stage, and pristine white walls covered with acoustically-friendly abstract shapes, the concert hall puts the orchestra in a striking setting. But concert-goers will notice its true magical quality when the SPCO begins to play.

TO LISTEN OR KEEP READING

PHOTO GALLERY: Tuning the Ordway Concert Hall

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Thursday Thinking - Honor Everybody

Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, author and Professor of Philosophical Theology Emeritus at Yale University, gives very helpful insights on 1 Peter 2:9-17 in this message he delivered at Biola University in 2012.


1 Peter 2:9-17
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Wednesday Words - For Grief


When you lose someone you love,
Your life becomes strange,
The ground beneath you becomes fragile,
Your thoughts make your eyes unsure;
And some dead echo drags your voice down
Where words have no confidence
Your heart has grown heavy with loss;
And though this loss has wounded others too,
No one knows what has been taken from you
When the silence of absence deepens.
Flickers of guilt kindle regret
For all that was left unsaid or undone.
There are days when you wake up happy;
Again inside the fullness of life,
Until the moment breaks
And you are thrown back
Onto the black tide of loss.
Days when you have your heart back,
You are able to function well
Until in the middle of work or encounter,
Suddenly with no warning,
You are ambushed by grief.
It becomes hard to trust yourself.
All you can depend on now is that
Sorrow will remain faithful to itself.
More than you, it knows its way
And will find the right time
To pull and pull the rope of grief
Until that coiled hill of tears
Has reduced to its last drop.
Gradually, you will learn acquaintance
With the invisible form of your departed;
And when the work of grief is done,
The wound of loss will heal
And you will have learned
To wean your eyes
From that gap in the air
And be able to enter the hearth
In your soul where your loved one
Has awaited your return
All the time.

“For Grief” by John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us, Doubleday, © Copyright 2008 by John O’Donohue.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Tuesday Tomes - New Reading Group Selections

Brad Dewing and I will be leading two New Reading Groups at Valley Christian Church. You can get full information about the book selections and meeting times on the Valley website.


http://www.valleycc.org/book-clubs.html

In The Jesus Way, Eugene Peterson considers all the ways that Jesus is the Way compared to the distorted ways the modern American church has chosen to follow. Arguing that the way Jesus leads and the way that we follow are symbiotic, Peterson begins with an extensive study of how the ways of those who came before Christ a Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah of Jerusalem, and Isaiah of the Exile a revealed and prepared the way of the Lord that became complete in Jesus. He then challenges the ways of the contemporary American church, showing in stark relief how what we have chosen to focus on consumerism, celebrity, charisma, and so on obliterates what is unique in the Jesus way. A stunning analysis of the gap between the personal Jesus and the impersonal modern church, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way is sure to engender debate and to inspire a movement back to the true way of Christ.


http://www.valleycc.org/book-clubs.html

Are you a follower of Jesus? Don’t answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style.  Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple.

Monday, March 02, 2015

Monday Music - Breathe a Little Deeper




Abel made a sacrifice.
Enoch somehow never died.
Noah built an ark
And left the world outside.
Abraham didn’t have a son,
But by faith he traveled far.
His children now outnumber
The stars.

Take another step,
Breathe a little deeper,
Straighten up and take a stand.
Walk another mile,
You’re headed for a better land.

Isaac blessed and prophesied.
Jacob worshipped, staff in hand.
Joseph spoke of exodus from
Egypt’s land.
Moses chose to be mistreated--
Pharoah’s pleasures he would deny.
The Red Sea parted and the ground the children walked
Was dry.

Take another step,
Breathe a little deeper,
Straighten up and take a stand.
Walk another mile,
You’re headed for a better land.
Think about the joy,
Don’t forget the promise,
Let the Spirit lead the way.
Tomorrow’s gonna come--
It’s gonna be a better day.

Gideon, Barak, and Samson--
There’s not time enough to tell
Tales of Jephthah, King David,
And Samuel.
There were those who closed the mouths of lions;
Those who quenched the fury of the flames.
They suffered this world’s hateful scorn
And shame.

Still they took another step,
Breathed a little deeper;
They weren’t afraid to take a stand.
They walked another mile,
Headed for a better land.
They thought about the joy--
Thought about the promise;
They let the Spirit lead the way.
They gave a little more,
Hopin’ for a better day.

So take another step,
Breathe a little deeper,
Straighten up and take a stand.
Walk another mile,
You’re headed for a better land.
Think about the joy,
Don’t forget the promise,
Let the Spirit lead the way.
Tomorrow’s gonna come--
It’s gonna be a better da 

"Better Day" words and music by Dave Burkum from Breathe a Little Deeper. © Copyright 2000 by Dave Burkum.


Sunday, March 01, 2015

Sunday Supplication - Bring Us Back to You

O God, we are so thankful for your mercy. Please be gracious to us when we go astray from your ways. Bring us back to you. Give us humble hearts and steadfast faith. Teach us to hold fast to the unchangeable truth of your Word. Help us to follow Jesus Christ your Son.

Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ. And as you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Renew us, O Lord, and save us from the things that afflict us. Give us the strength to persevere, and give us hope as we cling to your promises. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.

Make us vessels of your grace in a weary world. And as we are surrounded by so much suffering and hate, we ask you to make us a testimony of your saving and transforming love.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.