Lord who cares for the church, bless your servants who dedicate themselves to teach and preach and guide the body of Christ. Uphold those who labor and preside and admonish the family of God. May they be esteemed for their work. Continue reading
Author Archives: J. Randal Matheny
In your presence
Above all things, O Lord, let us rejoice in your presence. Let our hearts love you and let our mouths proclaim you. Let our souls hunger for you and let our whole being desire you; until we are one with you, for you are God, blessed for ever. Amen.
—Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033-1109) (From Prayer of the Day)
Lord, I want
Father, I want to be righteous, doing what is correct and right, in order to please you in all things and be holy as you are holy, so give me the righteousness of Christ in the sanctification of the Spirit. Continue reading
Around the table of the Lord
Around the table of the Lord,
On this his day, among his saints,
We eat his supper, drink his blood,
Our every need he freely grants. Continue reading
When do you pray?
So asks Michael Summers as he shares part of his prayer life on the run, literally.
I pray while I run. I run often, five or six days a week, usually for distances ranging from four to eight miles each day. I run on trails that, while paved, traverse hills. Animals also cross these trails. On a recent run, I encountered a family of screaming humans whose recreational walk had been halted by a snake slithering slowly across the trail. The trail runs along a narrow ridge between a river and man-made ponds. For these reasons, I run and pray with my eyes open.
Read more at the link above.
A thousand motives
Lord, let us feel toward no man ill,
Prevent us paying wrong with wrong;
Keep words from sounding harsh or shrill,
Toward evildoers let love be long. Continue reading
To touch a soul today
Give me the grace to touch a soul today,
A single soul, or if by mercy’s kind embrace,
Might I save two? One to take my place,
Another to extend the Kingdom’s sway.
Put us on our feet
The power, the glory, the quiet peace
The Spirit of God bestows;
Let courage in Christ and faith increase,
The heart in hope repose. Continue reading
With darkened thoughts and lonely sighs
Ah, Lord, the heart is weighed
With darkened thoughts and lonely sighs;
None care to listen, none have paid
The price, none seek the heavenly prize.
Can seven thousand faithful hide
Among a wayward church? Have they
No objecting voice? Have they not cried
Against the obscene who dance and play? Continue reading