Praying Hands
There are hands that help and comfort,
Hands that plan and teach,
Hands that rest and hands that strive
For a goal just out of reach,
Hands that grasp and hands that give,
Hands that work and play,
Friendly hands and loving hands
That soothe life's cares away.
But praying hands are dearest,
In the sight of God above
For in their sweet and earnest clasp
Are reverence and love.
No hands can do an unkind act Nor cause another care
Nor sin against Our Father's love
When they are clasped in prayer.
Author Unknown

Gracious God, Safeguard all whom we love in the sanctuary of your love. Thank you for being with me through all my yesterdays. I trust you to hold all my tomorrows in your hand. Amen

Week 1
Graduation

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
Romans 1:16-17

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where. Then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Romans 3:22b-31

We praise Thee, O God, for this day, which are both a beginning and an end. You have brought me to a new birth in my life. Now the past and present will merge into what is to become my future -- a future filled with uncertainty, courage, weakness and doubts. Help me, Lord, to live one day at a time. Thank You that Your grace is sufficient for today and tomorrow. Use me as you wish.
Amen

Dear Graduate,
Well, this is it! Graduation is over and you're ready to begin life's journey! I know you have lots of mixed feelings. That's the weird thing about most of life's big moments very rarely do they consist of one emotion. But that's okay. It helps to make the good times more precious and the not-so-good times bearable.

I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what sage advice I could pass along. That's one of the hard parts about being a parent determining what should be said and what should be left for you to discover. I finally decided just to offer a little insight to life's basic questions.

Some people go through their whole lives without ever giving them any thought. Too bad as you search for the answers, you can make some wonderful discoveries. They can also be frustrating -- just when you think you've found the answer -- you'll find the need to ask another question. At any rate, I hope that sharing this little piece of my soul and myself will somehow help to carry you through when the questions come along.

Who? It took me a while to realize that this is probably the most important question of all. Take time to discover who you are and be your own person. Strive to be honest, respectful and happy. When you are at peace with yourself, everything else will fall into place. Just be careful not to wrap your identity in possessions. Allow yourself to grow and change. And remember always that you are not alone you have your family, your friends, your guardian angel and God -- not necessarily in that order!

What? This is a tricky one, and at first this question had me fooled. I thought the question was "What will I do today?" However, I found that things really got interesting when I instead asked, "What is my passion?" Discover what it is that burns inside and keeps you going and then nurture it. Take it apart and build it back together. Do whatever you want with it, but never let it from your sight. Do it because that's what you love to do. The joy it brings you will keep you going through some of the doldrums of life.

When? This is the sneaky one. Do not ignore it. It will keep you balanced. Some things are best done now. Procrastination usually just creates more work. But keep in mind that there is a season for everything, and some things are better left for another day. As hard as it may be, remember to take time to rest and enjoy the miracle of each new day. With practice, you will learn the pleasure of doing some things now and the unique delight of waiting and planning for others.

Where? Surprisingly, this is the easiest one. You will always have the answer with you if you keep your home in your heart and put your heart into wherever you call home. Be an active part of your community and you will discover the special charm that will endear it to you. Remember always that the simplest act of kindness can make an enormous difference, and that you can change the world.

Why? Never stop asking this one. It's the one that will keep you growing. Let it. Let it challenge you when you've become too complacent. Let it shout at you when you are making decisions. Let it whisper to you when you lose sight of who you are or where you want to be. But you also need to be careful with this one. Sometimes the answer does not come for years, and sometimes it doesn't come at all. Recognizing that basic fact can keep you sane and allow you to move on.

How? Ah, this is the one on which I can't advise you! This is the one you will answer in your own special way. But you've come so far in the past few years. I know that you'll do fine. Just remember to believe in yourself and in miracles. Remember that the greatest discoveries come after stumbling over questions.

Congratulations on your new beginning!
Author Unknown

Open your heart to the promise of daybreak. Welcome each morning, embrace all it brings. See every dawn as the Father's own promise. For life is a gift, and it holds wondrous things.
Ezekiel 34:26

Dear God, fill me with Your boundless love. Open my eyes so that I may see where my help is needed. Help me to take advantage of each opportunity I have to offer someone a helping hand, a kind word, a listening ear, a pat on the back, hope. Guide me in reaching out to others. May I be a channel of Your peace. Amen

In 1931, Ted and Dorothy Hustead decided to move to a town that had four things: a good school, a Catholic Church, a doctor, and an opportunity. They wanted to open their own pharmacy. They eventually chose Wall, South Dakota, as the perfect location. To others, however, Wall seemed to be in the middle of nowhere somewhere between the Black Hills and the Badlands.

The first year was a tough one thick dust, intense heat, and strong winds. In their desire to move on to a more welcoming place, tired, throat-parched travelers rarely stopped. Then, Ted and Dorothy came up with an idea. They made a sign that read: FREE ICE WATER AT WALL DRUGSTORE. The sign became something of a novelty. They made more signs and put them farther and farther from Wall eventually, as far as Europe, India, Korea, Egypt, and the North Pole!

All druggists, of course, made "free" ice water available for their customers. But nobody else had thought to advertise the luxury. Eventually, some 4,000 to 6,000 customers a day stopped at Wall Drugstore.

When you take a step toward your dream, you open yourself to creative ideas and solutions. Taking that big step gives you hope and optimism, which are essential elements for creativity. Dream big, step big, and do big things.
Author Unknown

O Lord, help me to remember that what I do and say will touch the lives of those around me, with memories that will last a lifetime, whether I realize it at this moment or not. Remind me that people will react the way they are reacted to. Help me to repay injury with kindness. I know that You can turn any mess I make into a miracle. Show me how to find love in every situation. If someone raises his voice to me, give me the strength to lower mine. Help me to heal hurt feelings and wounds. Give me courage to admit my mistakes and to go on. Keep me from getting stuck. Thank you for your grace. Amen

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

After Dwight Eisenhower won the Republican nomination for President from Robert Taft in 1952, a reporter asked Taft about the disappointment that he surely must have felt in setting a goal and not reaching it. Taft admitted, "My great goal was to become President of the United States in 1953." But then he added, "Instead, I became a senator from Ohio!"

Ultimately, Taft's goal was to be elected to a political office and to serve his nation as a representative of the people. And in that he succeeded. If he hadn't run for an office, however, he would never have been elected to one!

That's true for the accomplishment of any real goal in life. You've got to throw your hat into the ring and start pursuing your goal campaign for its accomplishment the best you know how, thoroughly brief yourself on the issues that are important, define your stance and stay true to it, and maintain a positive attitude even in the face of serious opposition.

You can't cross the finish line if you never leave the starting blocks.
Author Unknown

Lord, let me never forget that when I ignore another's need, I am ignoring You. When I reject an opportunity to love, I am rejecting You. Remind me to take time to study the map before racing down the road. Help me to look for signposts and wait for Your direction, as I travel on the way. Give me a hunger to explore Your word. Father, let me see the people you send to me, not as interruptions in my schedule, but as creations in your image to touch and to love. Amen

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14

One Friday morning, an eager young student at Stanford University stood before Louis Janin. He was seeking part-time employment from Janin, who informed him, "All I need right now is a stenographer."

"Fine," the young man said eagerly. "I'll take the job." Then he added, "But I can't come back until Tuesday."

Janin agreed and the next Tuesday, the young man reported for work as scheduled. Janin asked him, "Why is it that you couldn't come back before Tuesday?"

The young man replied, "Because I had to rent a typewriter and learn how to use it."

This zealous new typist was Herbert Hoover, whose can-get-it-done attitude eventually led him through the doors of the White House.

No skill you learn will ever be lost to you or prove to be of little use. If nothing more, the learning of new information and new skills builds confidence and exercises the mind. One of the secrets of great leaders is continuing education. Never quit learning. That's what gives you an edge over the competition.

Carlos Romulo, the former president of the Philippines, won an oratorical contest in the Manila high school he attended as a young man. His father was puzzled, however, when he saw his son ignore the congratulations of one of the other contestants. As they left the auditorium he asked, "Why didn't you shake hands with Julio?"

Carlos said, "I have no use for Julio. He was speaking ill of me before the contest." The father put his arm around his son and said, "Your grandfather used to tell me that the taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends. Remember that always, my boy. The taller the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.""

Every person has something to teach us not only those who are experts in their fields or tell us what we want to hear. Each person is a living encyclopedia of ideas, insights, facts, experiences, and opinions. A woman once advised a new employee: "Fifty percent of the people in this organization will teach you what to do and the other 50 percent what not to do. It's your challenge to figure out which percent goes with which person." Even if a person doesn't have a good example for you to follow, you can always learn from him or her what not to do!
Author Unknown

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:20

In 1989, Rainier School, Washington's largest state facility for mentally retarded adults, faced a serious problem. Tens of thousands of mosquitoes, flies, and other insects invaded the 500-acre facility. Inspectors cited the insects as a health hazard.

Anita Glasco, a counselor at the school, recalled that the previous year, inspectors had cited the school as having a sanitation problem, owing to the great number of birds that had peppered the sidewalks with their droppings. Numerous bird nests had been removed. She also recalled hearing at her garden club that swallows eat large numbers of insects. Glasco approached Rainier's administrators and suggested that the residents in the school's vocational-education program build birdhouses and place them at the perimeter of the acreage to attract swallows. The chairman agreed to give the idea a try!

After only a few weeks, the birdhouses had been installed, swallows had taken up residence, and the insect problem began to disappear. The extra birdhouses the residents made were sold to pay for materials and to reward the workers.
The worst thing you can do with a good idea is to polish it up and set it on a shelf. Always give your ideas a try.
Author Unknown

Week 2
Confirmands

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:1-12

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of may nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead. since he was about a hundred years old and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delievered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:13-25

Lord, let me never forget that when I ignore another's need, I am ignoring You. When I reject an opportunity to love, I am rejecting You. Remind me to take time to study the map before racing down the road. Help me to look for signposts and wait for Your direction, as I travel on the way. Give me a hunger to explore Your word. Father, let me see the people you send to me, not as interruptions in my schedule, but as creations in your image to touch and to love.
Amen

Dear God, show me how to pray, to reach out in faith. Give me a love others can count on -- a steadfast, unconditional, all-encompassing love that will not fail -- like Yours.
Amen

Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one that has been opened for us.

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've every had.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart, but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours.

It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.

Find the one that makes your heart smile. There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.

Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Author Unknown

Dear Lord, Today let me make someone's day happier. I pray that Your light will shine through me, that Your love will flow through me and that I may be ever aware of Your Spirit within me. Amen

May you have
Enough happiness to keep you sweet
Enough trials to keep you strong
Enough sorrow to keep you human
Enough hope to keep you happy
Enough failure to keep you humble
Enough success to keep you eager
Enough friends to give you comfort
Enough wealth to meet your needs
Enough enthusiasm to look forward
Enough faith to banish depression
Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday!
Author Unknown

Dear God, help me to savor the changing seasons, the happiness, the tears, each and every year. Give me the wisdom to dare to try, to keep on learning, caring, and growing. I know that with you beside me, it will be a future that's rich in beauty, joy, and love. Help me to follow my dreams, taking time every step of the way to see all the splendor, to taste all the joys, that you will freely give each day.
Amen

GOD KNOWS
When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts...
God knows how hard you have tried.
When you've cried so long and your heart is in anguish...
God has counted your tears.
When you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by...
God is waiting with you.
When you're lonely and your friends are too busy even for a phone call...
God is by your side.
When you think you've tried everything and don't know where to turn...
God has a solution.
When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated...
God has the answer.
When suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope...
God has whispered to you.
When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for...
God has blessed you.
When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe...
God has smiled upon you.
When you have a purpose to fulfill and a dream to follow...
God has opened your eyes and called you by name.
GOD KNOWS
Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are facing!
Author Unknown

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am God, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4

At first I saw God as an observer, like my judge, keeping track of things I did wrong. This way, God would know whether I merited heaven or hell when I died. He was always out there, sort of like the President. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him at all.

But later on, when I recognized my higher power better, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride, on a tandem bike, and I noticed God was in the back helping me pedal.

I didn't know when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since...
Author Unknown

Dear God, help me to never forget that nails didn't hold Jesus to the cross...but that love did. Thank you, Lord, for the lessons you teach me so gently. Who among the crowd today, do you want to gain my attention? Who is reaching out for something you want to give through me? Help me to see. Help me to hear. Help me to stop and take the time to love. Help me to gather from each day and to wrap each one carefully with your love. Thank you for planning my life. You know me so well -- my hours and my days my actions and emotions my abilities and inability's. Teach me to always rest in you. Thank you for your infinite care with every detail of my days. Amen

Open your heart to the promise of daybreak. Welcome each morning, embrace all it brings. See every dawn as the Father's own promise. For life is a gift, and it holds wondrous things.
Ezekiel 34:26

Give
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all men, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
Author Unknown

Dear God, fill me with Your boundless love. Open my eyes so that I may see where my help is needed. Help me to take advantage of each opportunity I have to offer someone a helping hand, a kind word, a listening ear, a pat on the back, hope. Guide me in reaching out to others. May I be a channel of Your peace. Amen

The fear of the Lord adds length to life.
Proverbs 10:27

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone.

May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace.

May a kind word, a reassuring touch, a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts was well as receive them.

Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who know hate, and let that love embrace you as you go into the world.

May the teaching of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them.

Remember, those whose lives you have touched and who have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less that you would have wished.

It is the content of the encounter that is more important than its' form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness of your heart.

Find time in each day to see the beauty and love in the world around you.

Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way.

What you may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in anther.

What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future.

May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.

Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.

May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgments of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved.
Author Unknown

Dear God, help me to ask less and to give more to comfort, encourage, and to bring healing. Whenever You come to me whatever You ask of me let me be ready and eager to open the door in welcome. Let me always remember in whatever I do that the goal of my life is to glorify You.
Amen

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
John 5:24

As the Holy Spirit brings you all the gifts of Confirmation,
May you in return offer Him your love and dedication.
May your faith and knowledge grow as you receive God's blessing.
As you love and serve Him always.
May your life hold all the joy only a child of God can know.
May His blessing light your way and strengthen your faith.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

With my hands, Lord
May I work for You.
With my heart, Lord
May I always be kind.
With my eyes, Lord
May I search far and wide for the good You would like me to find.
With my mouth,
May I speak loving things.
With my ears,
May I hear what is true.
With my mind,
May I be wise enough to live my whole life for you.
Amen

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, Go jump in the lake'˜no shuffling or shilly-shallying˜and it's as good as done. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive˜only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.
Mark 11: 22-25

Thank you for my loved ones. Let me not be so impatient when my life doesn't go according to my plans. Help me to be sensitive to the suffering of others. Guide me so that I build rather than destroy lives. Amen

Week 3
Fathers

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:1-8

A father's love gives strength to his sons,
Guidance to his daughters, and protection to the home.
He is the most important teacher in their lives, because in him,
His children see the qualities they will look for in other men.
Jean Kyler McManus

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

Thank you for my loved ones. Let me not be so impatient when my life doesn't go according to my plans. Help me to be sensitive to the suffering of others. Guide me so that I build rather than destroy lives. Amen

A Father's Prayer
Lord, I need your help today.
I want to care for those you've sent into my life,
To help them grow in body, mind, and spirit,
To help them develop the special gifts you've given them.
But I also want to free them to follow their own paths
And bring their loving wisdom to the world.
Help me to embrace them without clutching,
To support them, without suffocating,
To correct them without crushing.
And help me to live joyfully and playfully myself
So they can see your life in me
And find their way to you.
Author Unknown

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong. Do all your work in love.
1 Corinthians 16: 13-14

Lord, help me to be strong and courageous in my prayers -- to reach out in faith. Give me the confident assurance that what I'm trusting You to do in my life is going to happen. Teach me to pray with a hopeful heart, a heart that expects to be blessed. Give me the certainty that what I hope for is waiting for me even though I cannot see it. Guide my thoughts and guard my words. Help me to look to You for all my needs. When I hesitate to take the next step, give me a gentle nudge to get me going -- trusting you to take me somewhere new, even if it is down a different path than I wanted to tread. For I know that all things that come from your hands are good and meant for my best.
Amen

Thanks for the hardship and pain I experienced as a child; the sickness and death I survived. They were only lessons I learned in becoming a man, and not punishment and guilt for things I had only thought in my mind.

Thanks for the painful need for acceptance I had as I tried to replace the loves I had lost. The need gave me an understanding and empathy for others with even a greater need for love and understanding than myself. It gave me the way to gain my acceptance by giving my love to other even more barren hearts.

Thanks for the loss of a parent, so needed, so loved. It taught me by example of my mother's equal loss and how strong a human can be in the face of tragedy. Her dignity and strength were beyond my comprehension and yet, through her example, I learned.

Thanks for the strength and hope through each stage of life to continue to improve and understand not only my own life but also all my brothers and sisters of the world. It is only through loving ourselves that we can understand the meaning and true beauty in the greatest gift of love.

Thanks above all for being a caring and loving God who resides within each of us to remind us that impossible is possible and that forgiveness is not only possible but necessary.

And most importantly of all, thank you for reminding us that love is the key to all the questions, fears and desires in our small, but beautiful world of yesterdays, today's and tomorrows.
Author Unknown

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
John 13:34, 35

For the gift of life and health, O God, and the strength to do my work, I praise You. O Lord, I thank You for the gift of this challenging life. Let me have the confidence that wherever it leads me, I am only following You. I will try to look forward to the changes in my life without fear, to push on when I would rather freeze. I know You will lead me safely through every path I trod, for I know the one thing worse than being a quitter is the person who is afraid to begin. When I feel trapped, let me not forget that You are greater than my problems and that I can trust Your love to help me cope and guide me to the right solutions. I know that through Your spirit within me I can succeed in all I do. Awaken me to what I am and help me become the most I can be for You. Amen

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.
Author Unknown

God our Guide, where we see no way forward, teach us to reach out in faith, not bound by our securities, but trusting you to take us somewhere new in the company of those of whom we had never thought. Amen

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

4 years old: My daddy can do anything.
5 years old: My daddy knows a whole lot.
6 years old: My dad is smarter than your dad.
8 years old: My dad doesn't know exactly everything.
10 years old: In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different.
12 years old: Oh, well naturally, Father doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood.
14 years old: Don't pay any attention to my Father. He is so old-fashioned!
21 years old: Him? My Lord, he's hopelessly out-of-date.
25 years old: Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long.
30 years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience.
35 years old: I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad.
40 years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise and had a world of experience.
50 years old: I'd give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him.
Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was.
I could have learned a lot from him.
Author Unknown

Oh Lord, help me to know that what I might think is unimportant, others will cherish or ache from. Remind me that what I do and don't do, will alter the life of someone else. Help me to know that sometimes the deepest feelings are the ones kept inside -- feelings of affection, gratitude or pride or feelings of disappointment, inferiority, embarrassment or fear. Help me to always show the feeling of love.
Amen

I looked at you and smiled the other day.
I thought you'd see me, but you didn't.
I said, "I love you" and waited for what you would say.
I thought you'd hear me, but you didn't.
I asked you to come outside and play ball with me.
I thought you'd follow me, but you didn't.
I drew a picture just for you to see.
I thought you'd save it, but you didn't.
I made a fort for us back in the woods.
I thought you'd camp with me, but you didn't.
I found some worms for fishing, if we could.
I thought you'd want to go, but you didn't.
I needed you just to talk to, my thoughts to share.
I thought you'd want to, but you didn't.
I told you about the game, hoping you'd be there.
I thought you'd surely come, but you didn't.
I asked you to share my youth with me.
I thought you'd want to, but you couldn't.
My country called me to war.
You asked me to come home safely.
But I didn't.
Author Unknown

Dear God, help me to ask less and to give more to comfort, encourage, and to bring healing. Whenever You come to me whatever You ask of me let me be ready and eager to open the door in welcome. Let me always remember in whatever I do -- that the goal of my life is to glorify You.
Amen

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

I watched intently as my little brother was caught in the act. He sat in the corner of the living room, a pen in one hand and my father's hymnbook in the other. As my father walked into the room, my brother cowered slightly; he sensed that he had done something wrong. From a distance, I saw that he had opened my father's brand-new book and scribbled across the length and breadth of the entire first page with a pen. Now, staring at my father fearfully, he and I both waited for his punishment.

My father picked up his prized hymnal, looked at it carefully, and then sat down without saying a word. Books were precious to him; he was a clergyman and the holder of several degrees. For him, books were knowledge, and yet, he loved his children. What he did in the next few minutes was remarkable. Instead of punishing my brother, instead of scolding or yelling or reprimanding, he sat down, took the pen from my brother's hand and then wrote in the book himself, alongside the scribbled. John had made: "John's word 1959, age two. How many times have I looked into your beautiful face and into your warm, alert eyes looking up at me and thanked God for the one who has now scribbled in my new hymnal? You have made the book sacred as have your brothers and sister to so much of my life." Wow, I thought. This is punishment?

From time to time I take a book down not just a cheesy paperback but a real book that I know I will have for many years to come and I give it to one of my children to scribble or write their names in. And as I look at their artwork, I think about my father, and how he taught me about what really matters in life: people, not objects; tolerance, not judgment; love which is at the very heart of a family. I think about these things, and I smile. And I whisper, "Thank you Dad!"
Author Unknown

Oh Lord, teach me to be a good Dad. Open my heart and give me a love others can count on ...a steadfast, unconditional love that will not fail. Help my time and effort be dedicated to making dreams come true. Help me to make each unfolding day beautiful bringing out unique talents and skills in others, so that they will be able to face every challenge that lies ahead. As You flow through me to minister to others, I know that You are flowing within me to heal my life too. Thank You for flooding the deep places of my life with Your electric love. Help me to hear Your soft, gentle call as You work through me to accomplish Your will. Thank you for the gift of life. When I would choose to stay and rest on the blessings You've given me, remind me there will always be time for my comfort, but now is the time to love others.
Amen

I can't begin to count the number of times that prayer has played an important part in my life. As often as God has answered my prayers, I realize it's important to pray for others, too. So when our church started a weekly night prayer service, I became a regular participant. The pastor would begin with a short devotion, and then we'd sing a couple of praise choruses before getting down to serious conversations with God. From the beginning, we knew we were there to pray.

During the first few months, attendance was sparse. Those who came gave their prayer requests and there'd still be plenty of time to bring them to the Lord. However, as prayers were answered, more people joined -- and the number of requests multiplied. It took most of the service to hear all the requests.

The pastor solved the problem. Now when we arrive for the service, we write down our prayer requests on a sign-in sheet in the foyer. During our praise time, someone makes copies of these requests for each person. With list in hand, we find a quiet place to pray individually.

One night our prayer list was short. I prayed for each need. I prayed for the church, our community, our state and our country. Then I started over.

I looked at my watch thinking the hour ought to over. I still had fifteen minutes left. There has to be something more I can pray about, I thought.

Then my son came to mind. When he was less than a year old, his mother and I divorced and she took him out of the state. I smiled to myself as I thought back to those months with my firstborn son.

After the divorce, I made an effort to keep in touch, but my first letters were returned unopened. Later they were marked, "Addressee moved, left no forwarding address." I had no idea where either he or his mother lived.

Later, I learned through an attorney that my ex-wife had remarried. Her new husband wanted to adopt my son. I agonized over my decision.

The attorney wouldn't disclose their whereabouts unless I chose to seek custodial rights. But I knew in my heart that a custody battle might forfeit any chance for him to enjoy a stable life. He didn't know me. Would it really be fair to deny him a father to satisfy my own need to see him? Would my selfishness cause more emotional damage?

I loved and missed him terribly! I decided I couldn't interfere with a chance for happiness in his life. I waived my rights, hoping it was the best thing to do for my son.

Now years later, I simply asked prayerfully, "Lord, my son is a grown man now. I love him and miss him. Please just let me know what kind of a man he has turned out to be. Anything more than that I leave in your hands. In fact, Lord, I don't even know where to start looking for him. I am truly leaving it all up to you. Please, let me know my son. Amen."

As I left that prayer service, the Lord gave me peace from the words of Malachi 4:6 "He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers."

The rest of the week I went about my normal routine and forgot about my prayer. But God hadn't forgotten. The Saturday after the prayer meeting, I ran into our pastor at the post office. I collected the mail from my box and we started to chat. I scanned through my mail and a letter caught my eye. I couldn't place the name or the return address. As the pastor commented on Sunday's church activities, I started reading the mysterious letter. "Are you okay?" he asked me. Tears were rolling down my face. I couldn't speak. I handed him the letter I had just read. It was from my son.

My son explained that he had decided to search the Internet for me. This letter was one of many letters that he had mailed all over the country. Then I noticed the postmark: It was dated the day after our prayer service. This wasn't a coincidence. This was a direct answer to my prayer.

I decided to call my son at once. I was nervous as I dialed the phone number. When he answered the phone, I said I had received the letter and I was his father. I sat down and wrote him and enclosed a photo I had of him˜a color snapshot taken by a family friend at his christening. In his return letter, He enclosed the exact same photo˜the only family photo he had! That was the confirmation we both needed. My son had found me.

This prayer wasn't the first or the last prayer that God has answered in my life. But it is one of the most wonderful and satisfying blessings He has ever given me. All I did was simply ask, trusting for His answer.
Author Unknown

When you draw close to God, God will draw close to you.
James 4:8

Dear Father, I know You love me just as I am. Help me to be accepting of my loved ones just as they are. Help me to remember to tell people when I appreciate them and when I am grateful for their service. O Lord, You have brought me to this new day and further opportunity. Help me to work with You, so that it may be a good day with good things done. Fill me with Your boundless love, so that I may pass it on to those who come across my path. Today let me make someone's day happier by doing a kindness they do not expect nor ask for.
Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Psalm 23:1

I was never one to eavesdrop when someone was having a chat.
But late one night as I came through our yard, I found I was doing just that.
My wife was talking to our youngest son as he sat on the kitchen floor,
So I stopped quietly to listen just outside the back screen door.
Seems she'd heard some kids bragging about their daddy's jobs.
How they were big executives...and then they asked our son,
"What fine career does your father have?" their queries began.
He mumbled low, as he looked away, "He's just a working man."
My good wife waited til they all had left, then called our young boy in.
She said, "I have something to tell you, Son," as she kissed his dimpled chin.
"You said your dad's just a working man, and what you said was true.
But I doubt if you know what that really means, so I'll explain it to you."
"In all the sprawling industries that make our country great.
In all the shops and stores and trucks that daily haul our freight...
Whenever you see a new house built, remember this, my son.
It took the common working man to get that big job done!"
It's true˜executives have nice desks and stay real clean all day.
They plan big projects to achieve...send memos to relay.
But to turn their dreams into fact, remember this, my son.
It takes the common working man to get those big jobs done!"
Well, I choked back a tear and cleared my throat as I entered through the door.

My young son's eyes lit up for joy as he jumped up off the floor.
He gave me a hug as he said, "Hey, Dad, I'm so proud to be your son...
Cause you're one of the men˜the special men˜who get the big jobs done."
Author Unknown.

Oh God, as your love is unconditional, thank you for life's daily challenges to teach me to give unconditional love in return. Thank you for your grace to teach me compassion and to make me whole. Help me to love others as you love me and to remember that each moment is an opportunity for love. Give me the power to turn every negative situation into one where your light shines through. Thank you for your love for me. Amen

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38

When I was growing up I do not recall hearing the words "I love you" from my father. When your father never says them to you when you are a child, it gets tougher and tougher for him to say those words as he gets older. To tell the truth, I could not honestly remember when I had last said those words to him either. I decided to set my ego aside and make the first move. After some hesitation, in our next phone conversation I blurted out the words, "Dad . . . I love you!"

There was a silence at the other end and he awkwardly replied, "Well, same back at you!"

I chuckled and said, "Dad, I know you love me, and when you are ready, I know you will say what you want to say."

Fifteen minutes later my mother called and nervously asked, "Is everything okay?"

A few weeks later, Dad concluded our phone conversation with the words; "I love you." I was at work during this conversation and the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finally "heard" the love. As we both sat there in tears -- we realized that this special moment had taken our father/son relationship to a new level.

A short while after this special moment, my father narrowly escaped death following heart surgery. Many times since, I have pondered the thought, If I did not take the first step and Dad did not survive the surgery, I would have never "heard" the love.
Author Unknown

Dear God help me to be the first to say, "I love you". Please show me the way when I don't know how.
Amen

Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:31

I have many memories about my father and about growing up with him in our apartment next to the elevated train tracks. For years, we listened to the roar of the train as it passed by his bedroom window. Late at night, he waited alone on the tracks for the train that took him to his job at a factory, where he worked the midnight shift.

On this particular night, I waited with him in the dark to say good-bye. His face was grim. His youngest son had been drafted. I would be sworn in the next morning, while he stood at his machine in the factory.

My father had talked about his anger. He didn't want them to take his child to fight a war in Europe. He placed his hands on my slim shoulders. "You be careful, and if you ever need anything, write to me and I'll see that you get it."

Suddenly, he heard the roar of the approaching train. He held me tightly in his arms and gently kissed me on the cheek. With tear-filled eyes, he murmured, "I love you, my son." Then the train arrived, the doors closed him inside, and he disappeared into the night.

One month later my young father died. I once heard that memories are man's greatest inheritance and I have to agree. But the only memory that lingers is of the night when my dad said, "I love you, my son."
Author Unknown

Dear God, please be the keeper of my heart. Bless each moment of my days. Deliver me from boredom and laziness. Give me a smiling face and a helping hand. In all the work I do, let me never forget my life's true priorities that of family, friends, and the will of God.
Amen

There are little eyes upon you, and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager to do anything you do.
And a little boy who's dreaming of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little fellow's idol -- you're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you, no suspicions ever rise.
He believes in you devoutly, hold all you say and do.
He will say and do, in your way when he's grown up just like you.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you're always right.
His eyes are always opened, and he watches day and night.
You are setting an example every day in all you do.
For the little boy who's waiting to grow up, to be like you.
Author Unknown

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in ever good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

Week 4

Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 16-17

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means. We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus
Romans 6:1b-11

A woman once had a dream that an angel was giving her this message: "As a reward for your virtues, the sum of $1,440 will be deposited into your bank account every morning. This amount has only one condition. At the close of each business day, any balance that has not been used will be canceled. It won't carry over to the next day or accrue interest. Each morning, a new $1,440 will be credited to you." The dream was so vivid, she asked the Lord to show her what it meant. He led her to realize she was receiving 1,440 minutes every morning, the total number of minutes in a 24 hour day. What she did with this deposit of time was important, because 1,440 minutes per day was all she would ever receive! Each of us has a similar account. At the close of each "business" day, we should be able to look over our ledger and see that these golden minutes were spent wisely.

Time in god's gift to you. What you do with your time is your gift to God.
Author Unknown

Dear Lord, even when I feel lost, I know You are there and will never forget me. Here is my hand˜take it and lead me to YOU. Amen

Don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.
Matthew 6:34

One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!"

Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place."
Author Unknown

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Lord, teach me to be loyal and loving, and when the two collide, give me a heart big enough never to diminish the one by ignoring the other. Amen

At age five, he wrote an advanced concerto for the harpsichord. Before he was ten, he had published several violin sonatas and was playing the best of Handel and Bach from memory. Soon after his twelfth birthday, he composed and conducted his first opera. He was awarded an honorary appointment as concert-master with the Salzburg Symphony Orchestra and within a few years, was hailed as the pride of Salzburg.

When he died at the age of thirty-five, he had written forty-eight symphonies, forty-seven arias, duets, and quartets with orchestral accompaniment, and more than a dozen operas. He is credited with some 600 original compositions in all.

Even so, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Amadeus Theophilus Mozart lived most of his life in poverty and died in obscurity. His sick widow seemed indifferent about his death. A few friends made it to the church for his funeral, but a storm prohibited their going to the graveside for his burial. The location of his grave thus became virtually impossible to identify. No shrine marks his resting place.

What is Mozart's legacy? Not the life he lived, but the music he gave. As with all of us, what we give to the world of our talent and creativity is what lasts.
Author Unknown

Don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.
Matthew 6:34

Heavenly Father, help me to do all things in love. Aid me as I hold each person that crosses my path in your memory. Let me start today to remember that a simple act of kindness, or that my words spoken or unspoken, and the tone I use will touch those I come across with a remembrance that will be passed on to others. Amen

No horse gets anywhere until he is harnessed. No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.
Harry Emerson Fosdick

"I tell you this if two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask for, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I will be right there among them."
Matthew 18:19

I once was a candy striper at a local hospital in my town. I volunteered about thirty to forty hours a week during the summer. Most of the time I spent with a man who never had any visitors. Nobody seemed to care about his condition. I spent many days there holding his hand and talking to him, helping with anything that needed to be done. He became a close friend of mine, even though he responded with only an occasional squeeze of my hand he was in a coma.

I left for a week to go on vacation with my parents. When I came back, he was gone! I didn't have the nerve to ask any of the nurses where he was, for fear they might tell me he had died. So with many questions unanswered, I continued to volunteer there.

Several years later, I was at the gas station and I noticed a familiar face. When I realized who it was, my eyes filled with tears! He was alive! I got up the nerve to ask him if he had been in a coma about five years ago. With an uncertain look on his face, he replied yes. I explained how I knew -- that I had spent many hours talking with him in the hospital. His eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever received.

He began to tell me how, as he lay there comatose, he could hear me talking to him and could feel me holding his hand the whole time. He thought it was an angel! He didn't realize there was someone with him. He firmly believed that it was my voice and touch that had kept him alive!

Then he told me about his life and what happened to him to put him in the coma. We both cried for a while and exchanged a hug, said our good-byes and went our separate ways.

Although I haven't seen him since, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a difference between his life and death. More important, he has made a tremendous difference in my life. I will never forget him -- and what he did for me -- he made me an angel!
Author Unknown

John Erskine, a well-known author and professor, once wrote that he learned the most valuable lesson of life when he was only fourteen years old. It came from his piano teacher.

"How many times a week do you practice, and how long do you practice each time?" the teacher asked. John replied that he usually tried to practice once a day, generally for an hour or more. The teacher warned, "Don't do that. When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between chores. Spread your practice throughout the day, and music will become a part of your life."

Looking back, John saw that advice as a good formula against "burnout". He also saw it as a way to live a complete life as a creative writer, apart from his regular teaching duties. He wrote the bulk of his most famous work, Helen of Troy, while commuting between his home and the university. To make a day count, make each minute count.
Author Unknown

Week 5

Many children learn to count on their fingers, but a nurse once taught a child to pray "on his fingers." This was her method.
Your thumb is the digit nearest to your heart, so pray first for those who are closest to you. Your own needs, of course, should be included, as well as those of your beloved family an friends.

The second finger is the one used for pointing. Pray for those who point you toward the truth, whether at church or school. Pray for your teachers, mentors, pastors, and those who inspire your faith.

The third finger is the tallest. Let it stand for the leaders in every sphere of life. Pray for those in authority both within the body of Christ and those who hold office in various areas of government.

The fourth finger is the weakest, as every pianist knows. Let it stand for those who are in trouble and pain the sick, injured, abused, wounded, or hurt.

The little finger is the smallest. Let it stand for those who often go unnoticed, including those who suffer abuse and deprivation.
Author Unknown

A father once looked in on his 16-year-old son as he sat at the desk in his bedroom, struggling to finish his algebra homework. The father quickly scrawlewd a note and tacked it on the bulletin board above his son's desk. It said DETERMINATION. "What's that?" his son asked.

"You're dealing with all these formulas," the dad explained. "X and Y and all that. So I made up my own formula to encourage you. It's try plus determination!"

In her autobiography titled Dolly, Dolly Parton says, "My high school was small. So during a graduation event, each of us got a chance to stand up and announce our plans for the future. I'm getting to junior college,' one boy would say. I'm getting married and moving to Maryville,' a girl would follow. When my turn came, I said, I'm going to Nashville to become a star.' The entire place erupted in laughter. I was stunned. Somehow, though, that laughter instilled in me an even greater determination to realize my dream. I might have crumbled under the weight of the hardships that were to come had it not been for the response of the crowd that day. Sometimes it's funny the way we find inspiration." Give your dream a try, no matter what others say.
Author Unknown

O God, help me to touch someone today with my eyes, my words,
my smile, my voice, my laughter, Your word. Change my life, so I can make a difference. Let my actions bring someone closer to you. Help me to make Christmas last all year. Help me to use my gifts for Jesus. Amen

Back to the top