Always

be prepared

to make a defense

          to anyone

who asks you

for a reason

  for the hope that is in you,

yet do it with

   gentleness and respect.

           1 Peter 3. 15

(People are always watching

to see how we respond

in both favor and failure,

to see if God is real,

to see if God really makes

   a difference in how we live.

May they see us

    not just as nice people,

but those who know

     what grace means

     and bear a living hope

on which we have

            staked our lives.)

O LORD,

Help us to always

       be prepared,

not just with reasons

   and a firm defense

   of carefully selected words,

but with a heart overflowing

    with love for others

no matter the circumstances.

Show us how, O LORD,

to see difficulties

as an opportunity

   to practice grace in this.

And with a different heart

to surprise other people

with an unexpected response.

Because we can.

That is the love spilling over

that You place in our heart

and Your grace

    we have come to know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Grateful to God for you.

 

For this is a gracious thing,

when,

mindful of God,

one endures sorrows

while suffering unjustly.

          1 Peter 2. 19

(Not caught up in

what is fair

          or not fair,

uncomfortable,

inconvenient,

hard.

But even in this, knowing

God weaves His grace

       seamlessly into it,

nothing random at all,

   but eternal.

He gives His strength

to endure this situation.

He gives His grace

   to bring to the table.

Not "where are You, God?"

but knowing He is

   already redeeming it.

Knowing He is.

The LORD is here.

           Present tense.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

You are here among us,

not dependent on circumstances

    --favorable or not.

But Your Presence

           is present tense.

And You have strategically

          placed us

for Your glory

and for the blessing

and provision those around us.

Help us to not just

         be mindful of You,

but embrace the mind of Christ

   in whatever situation we are in,

realizing the suffering

   and struggling of others.

Help us to show grace

which is always

    an unexpected response.

Help us to approach

         the hard stuff

 with a new heart

because we love You.

 

This is the offering

that you shall make...

         Ezekiel 45. 13

(What if I viewed

this hardship,

these difficult people,

this tight spot,

this sacrifice of my time,

     talent and treasure,

this givenness,

the tight corners,

the upward slope,

this miry bog,

this plain old hard work

  that overflows its banks,

differently

   as an offering to God?

Am I willing

   to walk this path with God?

Am I willing for Him

   to use it for purposes

   beyond my vision?

Can I view it as worship?

Not just having a

       fresh attitude about it,

but a new heart.)

 

O LORD,

You never promised

that our path or life

would be easy,

but that You are with us

and You bring the strength.

Help us to see hard things

with new eyes

            and a new heart,

knowing that

      nothing is random

and no sacrifice

    is ever insignificant.

You are redeeming all things.

We just cannot see it yet.

Help us to know You more

    not just in the outcome

    but along the way.

Even in this.

 

May grace and peace

    be multiplied to you.

         1 Peter 1. 2

(God's fundamental

     law of mathematics:

He does not just add.

    God multiplies.

He is not limited by

   adverse circumstances.,

      but redeems them.

God's grace and peace

   are not intended

   to be kept for ourselves.

But spill over

   into the lives of everyone

   around us.

What am I bringing

      to the table today?

What aroma lingers?)

O LORD,

You fill us with Your grace

      and peace

into the most volatile situations.

Bless this time with what

cannot be understood

     if not for You.

May we realize our own

      need for grace

that we may willingly share it,

even in unlikely places,

   and in unexpected ways,

among those who need it

             desperately.

Grace is never earned

         nor deserved.

Your peace is not

   the absence of conflict,

but Your Presence into it.

Please change our hearts

     by Your grace and peace

that our with-ness with You

   is a clear witness to others.

Multiply Your grace and peace

not just as a blessing given,

     but as a way of living.

O Almighty, diffuse the volatile

by what we bring with us.

And that would be You.

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...the garments

in which they minister,

for these are holy.

             Ezekiel 42. 14

(A habit is a long loose garment

            worn by a member

            of a religious order.

     It is what distinguishes them.

But a habit is also

              a regular practice

that establishes a pattern of living.

The garments we have ready

and choose to wear into our day,

mark us by bearing His name

    wherever we are

    and among whomever..

Our clothing is more than appearance,

even surpassing daily practices,

by equipping us with

pockets full of grace and love,

ready and watching,

doing and being,

the marks and ministry

        of the faithful.

Grace is always

    the most appropriate clothing

    for any occasion.)

O LORD,

Help us to choose this day

to be ready and willing

   to minister to You,

     and to those around us,

with a wardrobe of love,

joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness,

faithfulness and self control.

May we be aware

of where we are,

among whom we are,

    and Whose we are.

Help us to be ready,

dressed and shoes tied on

to bring You honor

  in the most unlikely places

  and among the most unexpected.

May we be aware

          of the holy ground

          of ministering this day..

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So whoever knows

the right thing to do,

and fails to do it,

     for him it is sin.

        James 4. 17

(What has God

placed on my heart to do?

Have I responded to Him?

Ignored Him?

Argued with Him?

Left that nudge

  at the bottom of my inbox?

Sin is not

       just what we have done,

but chosen to leave undone.

Sin is not failing in our doing

    but failing to do.

As my granddaughter surmised,

   "Sin is missing out."

Indeed, we are the ones

         who are missing out,

because no detail

              is insignificant,

and there are

         no small obediences.

Am I seeking the LORD in this?

God invites us into His work

and delights in us

        to be part of it.)

O LORD,

When we seek You,

entire new landscapes

     open to our eyes.

There are not just new doors

   but incredible adventures

                    to explore,

   even right where we are.

Forgive our complacencies

  when we are blinded by self

       and ignore Your nudges.

We have left so much undone

that would have/could have/

              should have

         brought glory to You

and goodness into this world.

May it be seen

           in tangible ways

   that You are among us.

May Your love

      and our love for You

be manifest in the restoration

         of broken lives

         in this broken world.

 

...look with your eyes,

and hear with your ears,

and set your heart upon

all that I shall show you,

for you were brought here

in order that

I might show it to you.

               Ezekiel 40. 4

(Don't miss a thing.

Nothing random in this.

This is why you are here,

strategically placed

        for His Kingdom,

        for His glory

to bring His name there.

God is revealing Himself

      even in this.

God is already redeeming

   deeper than we can grasp.

And He is using us

to make Himself known

   in this foreign land.

Be faithful in this.)

O LORD,

You redeem

all the awkward pieces

and impossible situations

and fearful places.

Help us to trust You

  even right where we are

or what we are walking into.

Your steadfast love

             endures forever.

Help us to walk

     with You in that reality.

Help us to trust You

    even in the scary places.

Help us this day

      not to miss a bit

      of Your glory in this.

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