TWO POSTS IN ONE!

Due to circumstances beyond my control... For the time being (a short time, I hope) I need to post both today's Night Prayer and tomorrow's Pause for Prayer in one mailing.  This is part of the process of switching over to a new email subscription service. Thus, this two for one edition of my blog.

 

NIGHT PRAYER: Thursday 7/8

 

Something ticked me off today, Lord, 

something small, inconsequential, 

 a matter of no great importance

- but it did Tick. Me. Off.

Often it's the little stuff that gets me going, rubs me the wrong way, 

gets my dander up, ruffles my feathers, drives me up the wall,

gets on my nerves, rattles my cage and pushes my buttons

AND

I know I waste so much time and energy, 

so much of my heart and soul 

fussing, dealing with, fuming over petty problems

undeserving of a whit of my attention and emotion,

only draining me of grace and life and peace

- and all for really nothing...

Calm me down, Lord,

give me peace of mind and heart,

settle me deep inside, deep enough 

to see life in perspective,

to accept what comes my way,

to live within the moment,

to do the next right thing,

to be at peace with you and with my neighbor,

with the world and with myself...

Please, Lord, don't let the small things tick me off:

help me save what righteous anger may be mine

for the big stuff, the real injustices, 

the glaring inequalities, evil masked as good,

unmet basic human needs, every form of hate

and the crying need for mercy and compassion

in the lives of millions 'round the world...

 

Don't let the small stuff get me down, Lord,

don't let the small stuff get me down...

 

Protect me, Lord, as I lie awake

and watch over me as I sleep

that awake, I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

 

Small Stuff by Alabama  

 

 

There's a little cafe' on the corner of town
Lucy works there 'til the sun goes down
It ain't very much but she brings home
The bacon and the bread
We got a mortgage we pay just a little bit on
But it seems like all of our money is gone
Before we get a chance to get ahead
That's small stuff, we don't sweat the small stuff

Why worry about the mortgage and the minimum wage
Traffic and the taxes and the coming of age
Small stuff
There's a comfort in the knowing there's a spirit in us
Giving us the courage and the wisdom to trust
In a love that's so much greater than all the small stuff
So we don't sweat the small stuff

There's a little bitty hole in the ceiling above
Sometimes the rain drips down on our temple of love
We have to put a pot smack dab in the middle of the bed
Somebody hit my car at the diner last night
Had to drive it home with one taillight
When I went out this morning, the engine was dead
That's small stuff, we don't sweat the small stuff

Why worry about the mortgage and the minimum wage
Traffic and the taxes and the coming of age
Small stuff
There's a comfort in the knowing there's a spirit in us
Giving us the courage and the wisdom to trust
In a love that's so much greater than all the small stuff
So we don't sweat the small stuff

There's a little cafe' on the corner of town
Lucy works there 'til the sun goes down
And she don't sweat the small stuff... 

 

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 

Pause for Prayer: FRIDAY 7/9

 

Image source

Lord,

I trust in your presence when I feel all alone...

I trust that you'll follow when I walk away...

I trust you’ll come find me when I get lost...

I trust in your promise when my hope's run out...

I trust in your wisdom when my thinking's confused...

I trust you're still with me when others have fled...

I trust your compassion when I'm feeling distressed...

I trust in your comfort when I’m lost deep in grief...

 

I trust you'll give me your healing and peace...

I trust in your strength when I'm weak and afraid...

I trust in your love when I don't love myself...

I trust in your mercy when I've fallen from grace...

I trust in your Spirit when I’m down and out...

I trust you hold me, that you'll never let go...

I trust in you, Lord, my Savior, my God...

Amen.

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