Just Say Thank You!

Advent Praycation 2012

There are so many people stressed out about picking the perfect gift for someone right now. It can’t be any ole toy but THE toy of the season. It can’t be any pair of shoes but the ones that say you rank in the social pecking order. Oh no, it can’t be just any piece of bling bling the real bling that makes the heart $ing. The gift must be something special that says I love you, I care or you’re special, wonderful and I took all this time, trouble and expense just for you!

Half the people you care about want you to be a mind reader. You have to figure out what they really want without them telling you. The other half will give you a long list to pick from or want you to get the whole gift.

Amazingly, some people promise themselves that they will not get caught up in the shopping frenzy especially those who don’t shop or hate to shop. Yet they do. And you? Sure you’ll be out there getting the last minute something for someone or yourself. There is food to cook…lots of it. Final preparations to attend to….people are coming, you’ll be going… you’ll be giving and getting…won’t it be great?!

Try to remember whose birthday it is! Christmas is the time to celebrate with those around you that God reached down into the world and gave us the gift of all gifts. God knew exactly what we needed. So God did the God thing by reaching out to the world through Jesus Christ who came with salvation for all. Love invaded the world and grace came along for the ride. Hallelujah the Lord is come!

So this Christmas, if you haven’t already just accept THE  gift called Jesus. Say thank you a lot because this gift fits all sizes, races, and origins. This gift will never run out, run away or go away. Just say thank you, thank ya Lordy!

Repeat your Advent Affirmation throughout the day: In everything that happens today I will give thanks to the Lord.

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.”
Psalm 111: 1

Thanksgiving for God’s Love

O, Lord our God, how excellent is Your name in All the Earth!
We pause at this time in the Season of Advent with over flowing grateful hearts
And say, “Thank you, Lord!”
Thank You for Your unconditional love gift of Jesus, the Christ!
Thank You for loving us before we loved ourselves;
Thank You for sending Jesus that we might live through Him.
Thank You God for showing us that true love is patient,
And thank You for teaching us the endurance of true love!
Thank you God, for loving us through our sins
And providing us a way back to You and Your love.
Thank You for Christ’s unspeakable gift of eternal life!
We are truly grateful, Lord, in Jesus Name. Amen.
1 John 4:7a, 9-10

Bishop Sarah F. Davis
16th Episcopal District
AME Church

Arrival Ready?

Advent Praycation 2012

Beloved, we are all waiting for something. We are waiting for something to happen, something to cease, something to start, something to end, somethng to get better or somehing to arrive. Advent is the season of arrival. What are you waiting for to arrive? Jesus Christ is coming, again! The personification fo God's love, joy and peace. The government shall be upon His shoulders in spite of what the politicians think. (Isaiah 6:9)

Since we know that God answers prayer, be sure that you are prepared for the arrival. The Kingdom of God is at hand.

Since you have committed yourselves, your stuff and you ways...now it time to prepare for the arrival of your blessing!

Repeat your Advent Affirmation throughout the day:

Lord prepare my head, my heart and my life for your arrival and the arrival of Kingdom blessings!

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"Prepare for God's arrival. Make the road smooth and straight." Mark 1: 1-3

The Message

Let is Pray: 

Dear Lord in this season of eager anticipation of a rebirth of hope, a transformation from distress and gloom-we believe that those things that have held us down and kept us bound—will nevertheless cease and will be no more.

As your people we shall no longer walk in darkness for the Light of the World has come and His name is Jesus. We cling to your name Jesus because it reminds us that you took on human flesh for our sake. We recognize your divinity Christ because you never lost the ability to change your situation but instead chose to save our souls. We pray that through those times of despair that we remember your bright light that guided us all to you.

In this day, we believe fervently that you will again enlarge our territory, restore joy where despair sought to disable it and we will again rejoice in your name always. We shall have no fear of what could go wrong, we have no fear of what will go wrong-we simply believe that because you are Lord, you are Savior and you are God that all things are indeed working together for our good because we have been called by you and because we truly love you.

In you we seek our eternal Wonderful Counselor-the One who is able to guide us into all truth, we believe our Mighty God desires only what is good for us, we know that your mercies endure forever for you are the Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace—we love, adore and anticipate all great things during this most sacred period in our lives-Jesus come, it is you we love, it is you we serve. Father receive our prayer in the name of the One we love-Jesus Christ.

Rev. Deborah D. Jenkins,

Wife, Mother, Pastor, Author, Entrepreneur

The Divine Encounter

Dear God,

I cannot begin this day without spending time in your presence. I cannot rush to be with you and then quickly move away. I cannot come to the prayer place and not be ready to encounter you. I command my spirit to receive what you will give to me. Amen

Dr. Jessica Ingram
Supervisor, 10th Episcopal District AMEC
Author, The Journey Within
Journeyministry@aol.com

Prayer Quote

"Is the Son of God praying in me, or am I dictating to Him?....Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is a most initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God. If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude towards the things about which we pray."

Oswald Chambers

Prepare Me

Prepare me Lord to begin a new day. Lead me to do those things that help my heart and mind to be receptive to a fresh start.
Today, I will begin by discarding thoughts, attitudes, and habits that are not compatible with an abundant, beautiful and excellent life. I turn away from negative people, places and things and turn towards that which is positive and uplifting.

I let go of whatever caused past discouragement, disappointment, or disagreement. I reach for those things that encourage, support and nourish my body, mind and spirit. So, I stand boldly on your Word.. behold you shall do a new thing in me.

I am open and receptive to new ideas, activities and relationships. In Jesus name, Amen

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Precious Lord

Life is precious. Restrain me from cursing the one who strives to take my place. Help me to extend an invitation to them so that my rivals can be a resource as iron still sharpens iron!

Gracious Lord, help me to live one day at a time with a fresh plan of fulfillment. Empower me to act on your divine ideas that I receive in moments of prayer and inspiration. Send these through wholesome, positive thoughts, so they won't get lost in the the uncertainty of the times. Help me to use creative thinking to build upon divine ideas as my activities become more dynamic and my abilities are enhanced. Therefore, I enter this new year with optimism, joy and enthusiasm. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Believe and Receive

It is with a sense of anticipation that we greet this day. We've prayed and fasted. Listened and looked. We've ponded heaven with our peas and requests. We have waited up you and found that indeed, our strength was renewed.

Now Lord, help us to receive the answers we have been awaiting with joy and gladness. Help us to move forward with Your promises fulfilled.

Help us to tell the testimony of how You did the impossible, fixed what was broken, solved what was problematic, straightened what was disfigured, and restored what had been taken away. In Jesus name, Amen.

Seek And Find

Early we seek you this morning to pause in your presence; to breath out impurities and breath in whatsoever is kind, good, and lovely, to think on these things before the intrusion of whatsoever is deep, dark and real.

Strengthen us for the journey ahead; equip us to stand before our adversaries as we humble ourselves before you.

Lift us up to live the abundant life you came to give us and help us to lift others, the lonely, least and left out so that they may have a vision beyond what their eyes can see to what is promised in Your word.

In the name recognized in heaven, earth and hell, Amen.
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Adoration and Praise

Gracious God, source of all life, we come today to once again proclaim that we adore you! We adore you for who you are, what you do, not only for us but for all your children. We invoke your presence with joy because we know that before we called upon your name, you turned toward us.

Thank you for not holding back your blessings. Thank you for not being stingy with your favor. Thank you for the forgiveness of our sins. Thank you for healing. Thank you for deliverance. Thank you, that before we asked, the answers were on the way.

Protect us from dangers seen and unseen. Protect our children, families and the extended family of God. Guide our steps today and we promise to walk the way you have already prepare. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Refresh Us Again!

God of this brand new day, we welcome you with our many morning moods. Some of us barely made it though the night while others couldn’t wait for a fresh start and a new beginning. Some of us dread the crises we must face today while others view the challenges as opportunities to be conduits of your power.

Whatever the circumstance, refresh us with your spirit. Help us not to repeat the mistakes of the past and keep us from new evils that seek to disrupt. Provide the resources for our rescue and redemption today and always…in Christ’s name. Amen.

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Running Low

Gracious God, I confess that I have often run ahead of you. I have run in so many different directions that I've become road-weary. I've rushed by others trying to find my own way. I've failed to stop long enough to build relationships with you and others. I find myself alone in the corner of life unable to speak or act having lost all hope. I've allowed the running to drain my inner spiritual landscape. I'm running on empty.

Fill me and forgive me again! Order my steps so that life will no longer be a blur of too much to do in too little time. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and help me today to rediscover the joy of your love. Help me to shed aimless thinking, speaking and doing. Help me to walk the path you have set for me. In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.

D. Carr

Blind Spots

" O Lord, how do I let go when I'm so unsure of things? I'm unsure of your will, and I'm unsure of myself.... That really isn't a problem at all, is it? The truth of the matter is I hate the very idea of letting go. I really want to be in control. No, I need to be in control. That's it, isn't it? I'm afraid to give up control, afraid of what might happen. Heal my fear, Lord.
How good of you to reveal my blind spots even in the midst of my stumbling attempts to pray. Thank you!
But now what do I do? How do I give up control? Jesus, please, teach me your way of relinquishment. -Amen."

Richard J. Foster
Prayer
Finding The Heart's True Home

Open Our Eyes

O Give Thanks

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his loving-kindness endures forever." Psalm 118:29

Open our eyes today to see all that we should be thankful for even if at the present moment our problems, pain or need might lead us to believe that we have no thanksgiving. Open our eyes to your unfailing goodness. Help us to see that you are working behind the scenes of our lives to usher us into a season of restoration and reconciliation... and for this, we are thankful. Enter our hearts and clear away anything that prevents an attitude of gratitude. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Oughts and Shoulds

Grant to me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights thee most, to value what is precious in thy sight, to hate what is offensive to Thee. Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes, nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men; but to discern with true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and above all things to inquire what is the good pleasure of thy will.

Prayer of Thomas a Kempis

Reset

Today, I'm ready to push the reset button of my life. Lead me to do those things that help my heart and mind to be receptive to a fresh start.

Lord, today, I will begin by discarding thoughts, attitudes, and habits that are not compatible with an abundant, beautiful and excellent life. I turn away from negative people, places and things and turn towards that which is positive and uplifting.

I let go of whatever caused past discouragement, disappointment, or disagreement. I reach for those things that encourage, support and nourish my body, mind and spirit. So, I stand boldly on your Word.. behold you shall do a new thing in me. I am open and receptive to new ideas, activities and relationships. In Jesus name, Amen

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Empower Our Lives

Praying together and out loud, we pray:

Gracious God, we come before you, unworthy of your grace, unworthy of your love and unworthy of you. Have mercy on us, O Lord. Today, we come in confession that too often we have chosen the fruit over the garden; too often we have bowed down to the golden calf; too often we have begged for a sign; too often we have declared Caesar to be Lord; too often we have demanded to see the wounds in your hands; too often we have substituted our image of you, for you. Too often we have neglected your call to be salt and light; too often we have reduced our relationship with you to a moral code; too often we have forgotten Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection; too often we have acted on sight and not on faith.

Lord, have mercy. Heal us now. Open our eyes. Empower our lives. Fill our hearts with your eternal love.
In the matchless Name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.


Dr. Lance D. Watson, Senior Pastor
Saint Paul's Baptist Church
Richmond, Virginia
"A Church for People On the Grow"
www.myspbc.org

Keeping Company

O God, I rejoice today that I can spend time just being with you. No matter how much I love those you placed in my life, I love being alone in your presence for this moment. Let me fall into your arms, again. Let me taste and see that you are good, again. Let me drink deeply from your refreshing pools of living water, again. Feed me, O bread of heaven until I want no more.

Keeping company with you, the source of all wisdom, knowledge and power, leads to a greater revelation beyond human achievement.
Tutor my spirit, when I need to be challenged
Assure my heart when fear seeks to overtake my faith; and
Satisfy our hunger for certainty and control.

Just being with you helps us to entrust our lives to you more and more each day realizing that you are closer to us than we are to ourselves.

In Jesus name,
Amen
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Chaos to Calm

Pray this prayer with me:

My soul only waits for the Lord. In silence I sit in anticipation for the one who is my rock and my salvation. Draw me out of the chaos of this world and into the calm of your intimacy. I breathe out chaos and breathe in calm; breathe out the chaotic experiences of living in an uncertain world and breathe in the calm of a peace that surpasses all understanding; breathe out chaotic personalities and breathe in the calm of a changeless Christ; breathe out ignorance and breathe in the calm of your wisdom that instructs me; breathe out my will and breathe in thy will be done.

Calm me just as you have calmed the winds and the waves.
Speak to me just as you spoke to the storm.
Touch me in places I’d rather leave untouched.
See me and know what I thought was hidden from you.
Cross my inner threshold so that we are one.
Here I am Lord your servant is listening

In Jesus Name, Amen
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