Prayers for Kairos, Day I

The Kairos Prison Ministry of Indiana is currently in the first day of their program at Rockville Correctional Facility. 

We lift up our prayers for the participants and the leaders....

We pray that the participants' stress and anxiety will be reduced and their comfort levels will increase as the weekend goes on.

God of mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray that the participants understand and accept God's love, mercy, and grace offered to them individually. 

God of grace, hear our prayer.

We pray that the participants are able to forgive and offer forgiveness.

God of love, hear our prayer.

We pray that the participants have understanding of what they hear.

God of compassion, hear our prayer.

We pray that the team models vulnerability. 

God of creation, hear our prayer. 

Grace

A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do.

The grace of God means something like this: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.

There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it.

Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.


-Frederick Buechner, "Grace" from Listening to Your Life

Trick or Treat!

Being that it is the week of Halloween I thought this video was appropriate. Kids are the best! Enjoy!

Praise!

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, the Lord's praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

Let them praise the Lord's name with dancing, making melody to the Lord with tambourine and lyre.

For the Lord takes pleasure in the Lord's people; God adorns the humble with victory.

Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,

to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,

to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all God's faithful ones. Praise the Lord!

Assurance of God's Protection

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

God will not let your foot be moved; God who keeps you will not slumber.

God who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; God will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.

Feline Friday

Because cats do funny things....

Here's link for more of these hilarious pictures: http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/best_pet_photos

Love. Grace. Hope.

Love. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God's mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Grace. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

but God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Hope. (Romans 15:13)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is Prayer?

This past Sunday the Youth were posed a question... Describe what prayer means to you in one word?

Here are their answers...

Meditation.
Commitment.
Faith.
Help.
Refreshing.
Helpful.
Trust.
Communication.
Reflection.
Longing.
Hopeful.
Thankfulness.

As I reflect on these powerful words I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul...

What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. (1 Corinthians 15:14)

Reflect on what prayer means to you.

Shema

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Thanksgiving for Earth's Bounty

Psalm 65: 9-13

You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.

You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Living Adundantly

Isaiah 55:10-13

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

The Holiness of Grief

"I don’t know what they will tell me when the phone rings.  I don’t know right now if the goodbye that I said this morning will be final or just one of many more to come.  What I do know is that I will never again skip over Christ’s days in the tomb when I sit with the grief-stricken.  For those days are holy, too."


This quote comes from the article "Don't talk to me about the resurrection," written by Jennifer Barchi. I strongly recommend reading this profound article regarding the necessary process of grief. Make sure you have some Kleenex close by! Here is a link to the article: http://pres-outlook.org/insights-opinions/outpost-blog/18946-dont-talk-to-me-about-the-resurrection.html

Caged Bird

A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind  
and floats downstream  
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and  
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings  
with a fearful trill  
of things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams  
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream  
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied  
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings  
with a fearful trill  
of things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom.

-"Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou via www.poetryfoundation.org 

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 

a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 

a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 

a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 

a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

What is Faith?

This past Sunday, October 13th, the Center for Interfaith Cooperation held Indianapolis' inaugural Festival of Faiths. They posed this question... "What is Faith?" Here are some answers below...

"Faith is our belief in something of higher origin, spirit or significance. Faith is love, understanding and a deeper connection with our sacred self."
—K.P. Singh, a leader in the Sikh Community of Indianapolis

"Faith is a verb—do it!"
—David Carlson, Ph.D., Professor at Franklin College, representing Shoulder to Shoulder

"Trust in power beyond ourselves."
—Don Knebel, president of Center for Interfaith Cooperation

"Hope & Peace"
—Donald Lassere, CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville

"Faith is responding with one's whole life to the Presence of God within and without one's person and living God's love in prayer and action."
—Sister Norma Rocklage of the Franciscan Sisters of Oldenburg, Ind., representing Marian University

"Faith is the totality of humankind's being, a combination of belief, doubt, and reason that drives both our worldview and practice."
—Aaron Harrison, student majoring in Religion at Butler University

"Hope & Unity"
—Andrea Guajardo and Chance Lewandowski, students from Anderson University

"Faith is being a kind-hearted human being."
—Ani Choekyi, Tibetan Buddhist nun

"There is only one God. Love for all—hatred for none!"
—Hasan Hakeem, Muslim

"Faith is confidence in the abundant possibilities of God, sometimes in spite of present circumstances."
—Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards of Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Richard’s Episcopal School

"Faith is connecting with a higher being, which I call G-d, and having it affect one in thought, speech & action."
—Rabbi Mendel Schusterman, Lubavitch of Indiana 

Check out the full article here: http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/circlecitizen/2013/10/14/photos-what-is-faith

The Center for Interfaith Cooperation: http://www.centerforinterfaithcooperation.org/

The Glories of God's Law

Psalm 119: 97-104

Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.

I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.

I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you have taught me.

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

Praise for God's Goodness to Israel

Psalm 66: 1-12

1Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

2sing the glory of God's name; give to God glorious praise.

3Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.

4All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah

5Come and see what God has done: God is awesome in God's deeds among mortals.

6God turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in God,

7who rules by God's might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah

8Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of God's praise be heard,

9who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

10For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

11You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;

12you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.

Girl Power!

Today is International Day of the Girl! Here is a little bit of information from the website dayofthegirl.org regarding this AWESOME day:

The Day of the Girl is a response to an urgent problem facing our world today: the neglect and devaluation of girls around the world. On October 11 of every year, we see dynamic groups across the world (led by girls, of course) acting to highlight, discuss, celebrate and ultimately advance girls’ lives and opportunities across the globe. When girls come together to talk about what really matters to us, we can teach ourselves and other people–adults, boys, and other girls all across the world–new ways of thinking about gender issues, which will help us take action to change the status quo.

October 11 is not just a day; it’s a movement. A worldwide revolution.

The Day of the Girl is bigger than one issue, one organization, one country, and even the day itself. It is a yearly reflection of what we’ve done and what we need to keep doing to fully achieve gender equality everywhere.

Hey cool! The U.N. declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child! Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”

The below "Girl Declaration" comes from www.girleffect.org. Take a minute to read this powerful declaration of the profound impact girls can have and do have in our world. 

 

Here are some websites to check out:

http://www.girleffect.org/

http://dayofthegirl.org/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/8-girls-who-dream-big_n_4072279.html

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, thou heaven's bright sun,
O grant me its joys after victory is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Here's a beautiful version of this wonderful hymn on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjLuG4sza3U

The Inescapable God, Part III

Psalm 139: 13-18

For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.

You're Going to Church! (Well, 10 Reasons Why You Should)

Ten Reasons Why You Should Be Going to Church

Originally posted on www.argentapres.org by Rev. Anne Russ, Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Argenta.

I’ve just seen one too many articles on why people aren’t coming to church. Admittedly, there are some good reasons. But I’d like to share my top 10 reasons why you should be coming to church. Others will have different reasons and some may disagree with the ones I have listed, but here they are.

10. Coming to church doesn’t mean you have no doubts about God or faith or religion. It means you have a place you can share with people who have their own doubts.

9.  Bad stuff is going to happen in your life. It just is. A church community cannot be everything to everyone in times of crisis, but when the bottom falls out of your world, it’s great to have a community to lift you back up.

8. Bad stuff is going to happen in your life, part two. The time to build a relationship with God is not when life turns ugly, and you’ve run out of all other options. Attending worship regularly helps build a relationship with God and others that will give you a solid foundation when the winds blow and the storms come.

7. Not all churches are anti-something. Most of us are for people, for acceptance, for hospitality. Really, we’re out there. We just don’t get the good press.

6. Any church worth its salt has really good food on a regular basis.

5. Churches offer paint-by-number opportunities to serve. Many people would like to help the poor, the hungry and the homeless, but they don’t know how to get involved, how to make the time to be involved, or what they can do to really make a difference. Churches offer you ways to plug in to help those who need it most.

4. You’ve got a gift. Probably two or 10 of them. Becoming involved in the ministry of a church will help you discover and use gifts you never even knew you had.

3. Not all churches are after your money. Good churches want you have a healthy relationship with money. Sure, churches need to pay the electric bill and the pastor and the youth director, but money and the church is more about you than it is about the church. It’s about your own relationship with money. World events have proven that it’s much better to put faith in God than in a bank account. Church can help you with that.

2. Taking a break from our hectic lives to come to church is accepting the gift of Sabbath. Wayne Mueller says “(Sabbath) dissolves the artificial urgency of our days, because it liberates us from the need to be finished.” We don’t take Sabbath and come to worship because we have time and have finished up everything that needs to be done. We take Sabbath because it is time to stop, and we are designed to stop, rest and reflect. Those don’t are destined to crash and burn.

1. Jesus is really cool. Even if you don’t know if you can believe in the whole Son-of-God thing, even if you refer to the resurrection as the Zombie Jesus event and even though those of us already in church often do a lousy job of following him, come to church to get to know Jesus. The more you get to know him, the more you’ll understand why people call his way The Way.

–Rev. Anne Russ

Why Faith?

"Faith is not the knowledge of what the mystery of the universe is, 
but the conviction that there is a mystery, and that it is greater than us."
-Rabbi David Wolpe

The Inescapable God, Part II

Psalm 139: 7-12 

Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”

even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Friday Funny

Because who doesn't love when dogs act like this....

Kindness According to Third Graders

50 Ways to Make Kindness Ripple Throughout the World:

1. Smile at a stranger.

2. Say thank you to the bus driver.

3. Help someone carry her heavy groceries.

4. Hold the door open for someone else.

5. Leave a kind note for someone whom you usually don't get along with.

6. Give your Mom a hug and tell her you appreciate her.

7. Sing a song to your teacher!

8. Let someone else choose the game and play it -- even if you don't like it.

9. Let someone else have a seat on the bus or subway.

10. Say hello to the security guards and thank them for keeping you safe.

11. Leave happiness notes on the apartment doors of your neighbors.

12. Leave a thank you note to the cleaners, thanking him for keeping your place so tidy.

13. Give a homeless person a smile and a piece of fruit.

14. If you see someone (even a stranger) who looks nice, tell them!

15. Say thank you to someone who makes your life easier.

16. Look for someone who seems lonely and invite her to play.

17. Invite someone new to eat lunch at your table.

18. Draw a nice picture for someone and leave it as a surprise!

19. Read a book to a child.

20. Help someone who seems to be having a hard time with his work.

21. Clean up after someone without telling her.

22. Give the secretary a flower from your garden.

23. Give someone a sticker! The smelly ones are the BEST.

24. Seek to understand someone else's point of view.

25. Use kind words when talking to others.

26. Use kind words when talking about yourself.

27. Forgive someone who has done wrong -- even without their asking.

28. Be patient with others.

29. Donate time, money, and supplies to an organization in need.

30. Respect the feelings of others

31. Know that different is good.

32. Praise someone for being brave enough to be different.

33. Listen to someone else when they are talking and ask questions so you can better understand them.

34. Ask someone how they are -- and really listen to the answer.

35. Say please when you ask for something. Say thank you when you get it.

36. Try to make someone else laugh.

37. Make someone who is sad smile.

38. Don't fight with your sister -- help her instead!

39. Turn off the lights when you don't need them.

40. Recycle when you can.

41. Share your favorite toys with someone.

42. Even if you don't have a lot, share your cookies with someone who doesn't have a snack.

43. Encourage someone when he is playing soccer, or running a marathon, or trying something new!

44. If your friend is injured, take them to the nurse and help them to feel better.

45. Stand up for someone who is being picked on.

46. Remember to have fun with people!

47. If your friend is nervous, give them confidence!

48. Play cards or football with someone.

49. Be a good looser and a good winner.

50. Hug the people you love, and tell them you love them every day.

This come from the article "Advice From a Third Grader: How to Make Kindness Ripple Throughout the World" by Erin Michelle Threlfall. Check out the full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erin-michelle-threlfall/kindness_b_3991311.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul

The Inescapable God, Part I

Psalm 139: 1-6

O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.

The Pursuit of Your Passions

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

                -Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC