For the Year 2016,  I resolve to pray this prayer as often as I can remember. And to fill a gratitude jar as the year progresses with little notes of things I am grateful for. 

 It is a time of new beginnings. Set aside some time to think about what your hopes and dreams for 2016 may be and lift them up to God. 

A Prayer
by Max Ehrmann

Let me do my work each day;

and if the darkened hours

of despair overcome me,

may I not forget the strength

that comforted me in the

desolation of other times.

May I still remember the bright hours 

that found me walking

over the silent hills of my childhood,

or dreaming on the margin of a quiet river,

when a light glowed within me,

and I promised my early God

to have courage amid the tempests

of the changing years.

Spare me from bitterness and

from the sharp passions of unguarded moments.

May I not forget that poverty and riches

are of the spirit.

Though the world knows me not,

may my thoughts and actions be such

as shall keep me friendly with myself.

Lift up my eyes from the earth,

and let me not forget the uses of the stars.

Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself.

Let me not follow the clamor of the world,

but walk calmly in my path.

Give me a few friends who will love me 

for what I am;

and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps

the kindly light of hope.

And though age and infirmity overtake me,

and I come not within sight of the castle 

of my dreams,

teach me still to be thankful for life,

and for time’s olden memories 

that are good and sweet;

and may the evening’s twilight find me gentle still.

            In this New Year, in the midst of the chaos around the world, let us remember and resolve not to respond with hate and not to be afraid—but what should we do?

            A rabbi wrote to his congregation in New York just after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In response to the question, what is the remedy to wanton hatred? he wrote, 

“Wanton love. Raw, cold-blooded, fanatical, baseless, relentless hatred can be matched and combated only with pure, undiscriminating, uninhibited, unyielding, baseless, unsolicited love and acts of kindness. But we need not just plain love. We need love that costs us. Love that we get nothing back for...And when we do our part God will surely do His part to protect us and transform our world to the one we all hope and yearn for, one that will be filled with His glory, like the 

waters fill the ocean.”

Let us also together meditate and pray the words from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Jesus told us how to deal with uncertainty and hate in his eloquent sermon. Prayer is a powerful force that can and will transform our world and our personal lives. Let us use our “force” daily to pray for healing and wholeness for our church, our families, our nation, and our world. 

Happy New Year and enjoy the rains!

   Pastor Cindy

Lent is a Time for Healthy Humility

The Lenten Season is a time for renewing our willing spirits and restoring our joy in our salvation through the love of God. I LOVE Lenten season worship services when we are inspired to evaluate our “dark forces” and the burdens we carry. And then to lift them up to the light of God for healing and wholeness. To be aware of our sinfulness and the burdens we carry, to be aware of God’s forgiveness, to be contrite in heart and mind, are all good and healthy attitudes for the soul!  

When we are introspective and humble we are better able to be compassionate and show empathy for others. C.S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less."

Leadership research shows that those who admit and discuss their mistakes and failures with others learn from them and are more likely to succeed in the future.  When we humble ourselves and share our humility in our interactions with others, we receive many blessings.

Psalm 51 is a wonderful Psalm for reading and contemplating this Lenten Season. It begins with: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” And closes with: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”