November 30, 2015

click to hear: Lauren Daigle's Light of the World 

The world waits for a miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of hope
Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel

The child prays for peace on earth
And she's calling out from a sea of hurt
Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel

And can you hear
The angels singing

Glory to the light of the world
Glory the light of the world is here

The drought breaks
With the tears of a mother
A baby's cry is the sound
Of love come down
Come down, Emmanuel

He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah
The Prince of Peace has come
He has come, Emmanuel

Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
For all who wait
For all who hunger
For all who've prayed
For all who wonder
Behold your King
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel

Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Glory to the light of the world
Behold your King
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel

The world waits for the miracle
The heart waits for a little bit of hope
O come, O come Emmanuel

As a soldier watches the horizon in Afghanistan, waiting for the sun,

or the refugee teen waking to a foreign place

a child on the frozen tundra

or a weary mother with a restless baby--

So also the world waits for You Lord.

You are our light, our glory, our love, our Messiah,

our hope.

We need the Prince of Peace again Lord. We need the Comforter. We need You with us.

Don't let us try to fill that void with anything else. Lord, at this time when we are celebrating Your presence, don't let us get lost in the distractions. Help us to rejoice in time with You.

Lord we pray You will come to our soldiers in Afghanistan. May their time in the deserts be a turning point in their life. We pray for the chaplains to be filled with Your words.

We pray for our soldiers deployed in the Middle East and elsewhere; our Air Force members over Syria; our sailors on the big waters. Please keep them safe and draw them close.

We pray for our veterans, fighting their wars back home. Lord, they need the Prince of Peace. Please destroy all spiritual barriers that are blinding them. Give strength to the wounded.

We pray for our families who have lost warriors. Lord hold them in Your arms, especially in this season.

We pray for our leaders, including the Chief of Chaplains' office. May they be filled with Your wisdom. 

Lord, we need Your touch: 

*on Ron Mariani's body after being shot

*on the Odell family's quest to adopt

*on baby Gracie, that her heart would keep going
*for Pastor Saeed and other Christians imprisoned for their faith

Thank You Lord Jesus for loving us enough to be with us, to the point of being one of us. We trust in that love and have hope because of it.

November 23, 2015

Almighty God
You who could make anything,
You take the time to intricately create babies.
We thank You.
Thank You Lord for chubby little feet that grow into big funny looking ones. May they carry messengers of Your good news.
Thank You Lord for strong legs. May they run to do Your work.
Thank You Lord for laps and sitting time. May they comfort small ones, listen to old ones, wait on You.
Thank You Lord for strong stomaches. May they not be the gods of our children, but a seat of their courage to be who You want them to be.
Thank You Lord for beating hearts--the breathe of life You give to our babes. May they love and desire what You love.
Thank You Lord for long, graceful arms. May they be quick to comfort the hurting.
Thank You Lord for busy hands. Make them a blessing to this world.
Thank You Lord for sweet little babbles. May they learn to repent with that mouth, learn to praise, learn to tell Your story.
Thank You Lord for eyes in all the beautiful colors. May they see the world as You do.
Thank You Lord for those firing synapses, those chains of thought that lead to discovery and vision. Lord, help them do the work You have set before them.

We thank You Lord for the hope You continue to give to us through little ones. We pray we would share Your hope, and not discourage them. Many are the challenges of the next generation. We pray You would move more mightily amongst them. We pray they learn to handle failure. We pray they don't fear hardships. We pray they love--love--love.

We pray for the Operation Christmas Child mission and the millions of boxes going out. Lord, may it change the world in a generation.

We pray for the refugee children. Please keep them safe, bring them to where they can meet You.

We pray for the deployed soldiers who are missing their little ones. Please heal all hearts Lord.

We pray for our hurting veterans, whom You still see as little children. We pray against the spirit of despair and suicide.

We pray for the shepherds of the little ones, from the Chief of Chaplains to the young parents.

In this time when we remember so much to thank You for, we especially thank You for the new life in children. Thank You for coming as a baby, living among us, and saving us.

November 16, 2015

Through the thud of bullets, the explosion of bombs, the cries
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through the plane crashes, shootings, the beheadings--
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through the posturing, the moving of borders, the bullying of the weak
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through the yelling, the wounding, the self preservation, and the stinking lukewarm apathy--
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through all the roller coaster emotions, the roller coaster finances, the promotions or the waiting, the good jobs and the not so good ones
Great is Thy Faithfulness
When the days pass so quickly we can't remember what year it is
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through the adventures of seeing more of Your world, the following of Your lead, the battles won
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Through the birthdays, the goals achieved, the triumph of simply staying on task--day after daily day
Great is Thy Faithfulness

Lord, this world You created for good has fallen so far from You. So much hatred, suffering, sin. Yet You remain. And so does Your promises for hope. We cling to You.

We pray for the hurting in France. We pray for the innocent in Syria. We pray for the refugees. We pray for the good guys, fighting against evil.

Lord give our world leaders wisdom. Help us protect Your children. May Your name be glorified.

We pray for our soldiers working around the world, on the edge of confrontation with so much hardship. Lord, please give the deployed the safety, the rest, the comfort, the fortitude they need. May Your presence cheer and guide.

O God, our Father, we especially pray for our soldiers who are heart-sick, who have no idea they are wasting away inside, and no idea how to fix it. You are the ultimate physician, and we pray for soul-healing. Help us to help these people. We so need that pardon for sin and peace that only You have.


Lord, thank You for the word 'new'. A new season, new mercies, a new day, and You making us new. Teach us to number these days. We know we can follow You-- because You are good. Unchanging. Forgiving.
We go forth Lord! With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow--You give blessings overflowing!

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”   Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—     “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me! Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above, Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

November 8, 2015

Click here to worship with David Crowder's You Make Everything Glorious

The day is brighter here with You
The night is lighter than its hue
Would lead me to believe
Which leads me to believe

You make everything glorious
You make everything glorious
Yeah, You make everything glorious
And I am Yours
What does that make me?

The sunrise over the snow-capped mountains; glorious!

The child squealing at the waves touching her toes; glorious!

The golden heads of wheat being harvested; glorious!

A moment with a cat purring in your lap; glorious!

The millions of stars turning in the heavens; glorious!

The nip and painting of the first frost; glorious!

And behind it all is You Lord. You create out of Your character--You are glorious!

Oh, to see You in the highest heavens! To kneel before Your rainbow throne! To have all the beauty of all existence wrapped up into one moment! How glorious! How glorious You are!

And You have made us into Your bride? It is too much to imagine. 

And so Lord, we pray that we will live like Your glorious bride.

We pray for our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the military. May their lives be marked with  honor, their work be marked with excellence, their relationships be marked with grace.

We pray for our chapels. May they gain reputations as being welcoming, loving. Make us effective, outward focused, alive. And not through flashy sermons or rock-star music, but by holding children, and looking people in the eye, and praying. Lord, help us to pray.

We pray for our chaplains, from the young person considering the calling to the Chief of Chaplains' office. We pray Malachi 2:5-7 would be true:

"My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty."

We pray for the soldiers they are ministering to, especially those who are deployed. 

We pray for the hurting veteran, may we be able to reach them with Your glorious love.

We pray for all our veterans, Lord draw them close to You. Thank You for their sacrifices.

We pray for our Christian body around the world. Please help the persecuted.

Lord, please rule our lives today and make everything glorious in You.

Amen.

November 2, 2015

So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while you will learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light.--Colossians 1: 9-12


God of coincidences
who orchestrates all moments
author of all of the stories


Thank You for making us military wives. Thank You for love that triumphs over fears. Thank You for our men.

We are facing a full week, Lord, and our brains are wired tightly. Settle our minds Lord. Help us to focus, first on You, then on the tasks You set before us.

We pray for our sisters today: the new, young wives; our peers on our streets; the commanders' wives who have few confidants. We do ask for wisdom in what You would have us do with our lives, with today. Remind us to reach out, and may we overflow with love.
Lord, break down the barriers we have to wisdom: squash all pride. May our words and actions be good and kind, not judgmental and controlling.

Be with us in PWOC, in our Bible studies, in Planting Roots' event this week. May the things we learn spur our love for You--not just head knowledge that we can use as a weapon.
May the words of our mouth honor You.

We pray for our sisters who are struggling with serious illnesses. Lord, we ask for healing.
We pray for our sisters whose marriages are in troubled waters. Lord, please heal hearts and be the grace between them.
We pray for our sisters with little ones. Lord give them strength and patience and endurance.
We pray for our sisters who are working with the kids in our chapel programs. Lord, please bless them.
We pray for our sisters with empty nests or without children. Lord, hold them in Your arms and fill their hearts with helping others.
We pray for our sisters who are on the move. Please give them peace.
We pray for our sisters who have deployed loved ones. Lord please be more real to them than ever.
We pray for our sisters whose work blesses others: for the teachers and the home schoolers, the volunteers, the doctors and nurses, the social workers, the counsellors. Lord help them handle it all.
We pray for our sisters in leadership positions and the help-mates of the leaders, from the Chief of Chaplain's office to the child care worker.
We pray for our sisters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and have lost husbands, children to war. Lord Jesus please hold them in Your arms.

And Lord, please use us. Fill us with joy and make us a beacon of hope to our hurting veterans. We pray against suicide.

We can come to You only because we know You have all strength, all wisdom. And we come to You because we know You love us so much, and will give us all we need.
Thank You Lord.