God, I am so grateful for your provision - everything I have really belongs to you, and I am just a steward of an infinitesimally small part of your resources. I can't say that I "give" to you, because you can't give to someone who owns it already! But you have put me in charge of this very small part of the world that belongs to you, and you have given me "dominion" over it. I pray that you would lead me to manage it wisely. I confess to you, God, that I have sought to surrender to [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER  God of Glory, I have been thinking about creation lately. If you didn't already know, you did a really good job with the whole creation thing. First, there are parts I can see. Like mountains and rivers and trees and all the usual things. These inspire and amaze me - just the basics. And as if that isn't enough, there is a whole world so small I can never see it, at work all the time in my body and all around me. If you unraveled all of the DNA in my body, it would [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER  Hey God, I spoke with a friend in the oil industry yesterday, who lost his job when his whole team was eliminated. He was grieving the loss - friends he loves, people he has worked with for years, projects he has been a part of making happen. I know he isn't the only one in that state of loss, and there will be more to come. God, I pray for discernment for these folks about what to do next. I pray for your provision for them. I pray for you to lift their spirits, and [...]

Hey God, Wow. I wish I could find words to express the gratitude I feel for the beauty of these past few days. I breathe in deeply, and there is something about the air that just brings joy and a spirit of life. I sit outside on the patio and "work from home," and just bask in the beauty of it all. What a gift, God. Thank you. Thank you for the gift of life itself, for the majesty of nature, for the new life of Spring, for each moment in which your creation speaks aloud with your [...]

God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I'm kinda tired and weary, today. Tired of not seeing my kids and grandkids. Tired of the same walls around me all the time. Tired of trying to figure out technology. Tired of trying to come up with clever ways to reach people online. Tired of wondering how long we will do this. Tired of worrying about the impact on our family and friends and congregation, on our city, nation, and the world - not to mention our church. Just weary. I am so glad I can share my weariness with you, God. [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, Give me a word today, to say to others around me. Give me a word of gratitude, to share with the paramedics and firefighters and law officers, doctors and nurses and technicians, care-givers and grocery store employees and pharmacists, delivery drivers and restaurant takeout waitstaff and sanitation workers... all those people whose contact with the public cannot be eliminated because we depend on them. Give me a word of encouragement, for those who are weary and tired, who are afraid and anxious about the future. To the parents at home juggling work, and those [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER OK, God, I feel like I am running in circles, but staying in the same place. You know about all the phone calls, the ZOOM conferences, the worries about church and congregational health and finances and the future. You know I am praying more than ever, for my own family, for those who are sick, for the healthcare workers on the front line, for families with kids trying to do work and childcare from home, for our older adults stuck at home, for those who live paycheck to paycheck, for those who lead businesses and [...]

Dear God, This morning, in my study time, I read these words in your Scripture. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) So that is what I am praying for today. I am praying for you to speak to the anxious places of my heart and fill me with hope and joy and peace that it overflows into every personal interaction I have with my close family, and every virtual or distance interaction I have [...]