February 27 Prayer

The mountains bring forth peace and
the hills righteousness
You have to look up higher to see this
Lift your head up from looking down
From looking at the other
With envy, comparison even admiration

God is our only hope and help when
we are troubled
His very words bring life,
They are full of the Spirit and life and
this is where Jesus tells us to love,
Love our enemies, those that hurt us
Be made perfect as He is
Be made whole
The only way we can actually do this is
to live out of our God created identity
Live generously toward others, like God
The way He lives toward you

God gives us His best, the sun to warm and
the rain to nourish the ground
For all
Let difficult people bring out the best in you ,
not the worst
Pray blessings on others when you want to curse
Have mercy on others when you want to bring judgment

For all these perils we face we conquer
overwhelmingly through Him who loved us.
Nothing will ever separate us from
this love of God in Christ.
Rom.8:35-39
Matt.5:48, John 6:63

We pray now to look up higher
than our circumstances
Open the eyes of our hearts to see
your great all encompassing love
That covers all and is for all

Help us to receive it,
this love and believe in your words,
Jesus, that bring life

Let us bless others when it is hard
And live generously full of your spirit
and full of your love

May we be deeply rooted in who you are
and who you have created us to be
Let the rain of your spirit nourish us
And the sun warm us

This day
In Jesus name
We pray
Amen
DB

February 25 Prayer

A good Father loves
A good Father sees
knows what is needed.
Cares and smiles over you

A child wonders
Unabashedly asks
sometimes begs relentlessly for what they want.
All we want is already there
All we are waiting for
In the silence and unknowns and unmet needs
It’s there along, the answer is in the presence
of seeking, asking and finding.


May we never lose the wonder
To simply seek, to simply ask,
to simply wait for the opening
In the dark and let the light come in.

Like Queen Esther,
Young and emboldened from stories on her youth
She Remembers Father God,
the one who brought her out of troubles,
slavery and fear.
She lays down her life into the
hands of A good Father
To trust in him even if
she loses her life for her people
She is willing to surrender all
For a call to prayer
A time set apart
For courage to lead

‘May our prayers be simple and true
Like Esther's honest cry,
“Help me God for I am alone
and have no one but you.”

May our hearts take courage and
rest in the wonder to be a trusting child
We ask Lord, we receive, we seek You and find

The doors opened before us today.
Lead us as we trust in You.
Let us find You in the faces we see,
the unmet needs and desires
Help us in this hour,
we simply pray and simply trust.
Thank you Papa for your hands of love
and gifts from above.
Thank you for the wholeness and peace you bring.

We love You.
Amen’
DB
Matt.7:7-12, Esther

February 22 Prayer

First week of lent
It is a long and arduous journey waking in the wilderness
Climbing up and up takes effort and strength
It may seem a bit daunting at times
These 40 days
This setting aside your vices and attachments
Stripped away of your go to comforts.

The desert experience is essential though
It was for John
And for Jesus, for he was led there by the Spirit,
His spirit took him there
To meet Abandonment, rejection, temptation,
and there in the untamed wilderness
He was met by angels sent from heaven
To minister to his needs.
Consolation came in Desolation.

Pope Francis says, that “lent is a joyous time
and a serious commitment, to strip
ourselves of our selfishness,
.. living each day with the desire to
embrace the love that comes from God.”

Yes, it is hard, it takes effort to go
into the wilderness of our souls,
shut out the world's chatter and distractions.
But oh what joy is found in the simplicity of
The quiet pool of reflection,
To relax and rest and simply trust in Him.

There will be gifts along the way
up these stairs you climb
Look for the Angels to arrive
Take the time to rejoice when they come
and receive the consolation they give you
as you make the journey with Jesus.

For you are never alone
And everyday is a day of salvation
Of returning to allow the Spirit to form
you into the shape of Christ

Look for the angels to arrive
For consolation will come.
It’s a gift if you are open to receive and
able to embrace this wild time.
There is an unfailing crown of glory that awaits you~

Pause a moment here to pray,
Lord, Jesus we are willing and even
eager to go with you on this journey,
For where else would we go that leads us to a joy?
Thank you for a glory that never fades and
a love to embrace from heaven.
We are your beloved,
Lead us,
We will follow
You.
Amen
Mark 1:12-15,1Peter 5:1-4,Ps.116
DB

February 20 Prayer

‘Bless the Lord, O my soul,”

Wake up your soul and bless the Lord,
With your whole heart!
Return to His goodness and mercy in your life,
His compassion beyond human, it is divine and
Everything is possible for Him.

Remember, we are but dust caught by the wind
A seed falling into the ground
A blade of grass
The field’s flower birthed from the earth
Fading in that same wind
Never to be seen again-

Return, and bless the Lord with your soul
For Your life lives on in the
everlasting love of God
The wind blows with divine compassion
Touching another seed to give birth again

So let this day be one of delighting,
Of blessing for he has given all to you
And it is up to you to return it.

Let him renew your soul and give you strength
Let him give you the plenty that you desire
Let him water your dry, parched land
Let him turn your dust into a wall of restoration
And make you a rebuilder
of that which has broken down.

He calls everyone, even those who seem too far gone
To His great divine mercy
To turn dust into a life form
And become His body here on the ground
Of earth-

Sit here a moment and feel the
wind of the spirit gently blow through you.
See all the particles of the dust of your life
become something completely new
beyond your own imagination-

“Jesus, suffering servant,
we come to you now and receive your mercy.
Blow the wind of your Spirit upon us
Bringing our souls back to the life you desire for us to live.

One of divine will and purpose that will live
on in your everlasting Love.
We pray for the ones we may encounter that feel they
are too far gone from receiving your mercy.

May we extend your compassion
in a way that rebuilds and not tears down.
We give back to you all you have given to us
And we wake up our souls to bless you this day
In our thoughts, words and deeds
Be glorified.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Ps.103:1-18,Is.58:9-14,Mk.14:36

February 19 Prayer

“Why don’t you fast like we fast?”
Look how we do it, I’m more holy than you because….
Oh, what rhetoric and empty talk the early followers of Jesus had.
Do you suppose they were missing the point of a fast?

Why did we fast during lent?
What do we fast?

Lent is all about returning,
Laying down our selves as a sacrifice for others
Perhaps we should start here and fast comparing,
Fast our measuring judgements
Turn our focus away from these things,
That take our hearts down the wrong path
That leads to judgment
That closes the door for relationship

Shall we choose the fast that God has declared for us?
Return and delight in the Lord
Feast in His presence of mercy and grace

Rejoice in this very moment
As the sun rises and the clouds light up
with a gentle blush,
As if to say, “wake up you silly head”
Return to the Love that’s inside of you
That’s where you are to live today

Come alive in your fasting
from
shame and blame,
comparisons our convictions,
calls and causes.

And be the beautiful light to shine on others
With a glow of gentleness and acceptance
Like Jesus did
It’s not about your fast or mine
It’s about us

Fasting together
Following him on the road all the way to Jerusalem
That’s where your wounds will quickly heal,
And the glory of the Lord will follow.
When we cry out together,
That’s where He is,
and says,
“Here I am.”

Be with Jesus today, then you will be like him
No matter where the road takes you
Stay with him and you’ll be good
We all will be good
Together

Pause and picture in your mind someone you
have compared yourself with recently.
Someone you have criticized or think is better or less than you.
Bless them
now pray;

“Lord, we return to the kind of fast you desire for us
We lay down our comparisons and judgments
Forgive us we pray.
Keep us close to your heart today
May we follow you where you will lead us and
trust all will be good as we stay close to you.
Let our call and cause be to bring your glory here on earth.

Together we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen
Matt. 9:14-15,Is.58, Ps.37:1-6

February 18 Prayer

Great suffering,
The journey begins
Rejection, death, loss.
The road leads deep yet the destination is life.

Those who will follow me
Walk in my ways.
He calls forth giving us due warning
It’s not an easy path
It will require sacrifice
To live righteous
To lose the chains of prisoners,
And bring justice to the oppressed,
To lose yourself to save it.

The walk leads you deeper
The loss of all the is false
The outer shell of protection will fall away
Leaving you naked
But without shame
Clothed by the very cross you carry

He carries you
Covers you
Raises you up again when you fall

There are mysteries unsolved and treasures,
Joys will glimmer on the edges of the dark path
Leading you there to your true home.

Do not run away from suffering,
embrace it, for you will find him there

As you carry your cross
He carries you

“Those who follow me must walk in my ways.”

Let the shadow of his cross fall upon you
For He carries the weight upon His shoulders
Choose life, not doom
For life is the destination
His Glory awaits you
The whole complete infinite weight of Glory
Falls on you by the shadow of the cross.

In the stillness of your imagination
begin to feel the soft glow of His presence upon you now
as you pray.

‘You, God of my heart, have fashioned all things,
that they might have being.

We are your beings.
Shape us and form us into your image so we may follow your ways.
Even in the ways of suffering that we are afraid of.
May we find your courage and strength there.
Knowing that where it leads us,
You are present

We receive your faith and trust to carry with you the cross
And leave our old selves behind.

Pull us out of ourselves into the infinite abundance
Of your divine life,
Your never ending love.

We choose to follow this path today.
Guide us to bring hope and kindness
to all that are suffering.
And keep us on the path that leads to life!
Amen - DB

Lk.9:22-25, Ws.1:14, Deut.30:15-20

February 17 Prayer

‘Return to me with all your Heart’
Tear them open,
Take off the clothing that covers and restraints.
Rend your hearts,
Of all of its hiding,
All it’s shame,
In weeping,in mourning,
In the tearing apart,
from the familiar and what
keeps you secure.

In the dust and ashes black, and scorched
falling like rain until the soil
becomes soft and rich enough again,
to birth something beautiful here.

A blessing is left behind,
Though the ripping open of
a crack in your heart.

There is no punishment here,
No penance here, no retribution to pay.
Only a returning home,
to the One who enters into your heart
and receive the blessing left behind.

Mercy, grace and a strong love
that does not waver but waits for you to return again.

Place your hand on your heart
Feel the warmth of God’s hands there,
entering in with all the gifts you
have desired and longed for.

In that place of receiving,
offer your heart back to him
to be His heart for the world.

‘Lord, we return to you all that you have given.
May our hearts be your dwelling place,
a home and shelter for the lost and weary,
the hungry and weak,
to find your new life springing forth
from the ashes.

In the sacred name of Jesus we pray.’
Amen
Joel 2:12-14