We bring before you, O Lord, the troubles and perils of people and nations, the sighing of prisoners and captives, the sorrows of the bereaved, the necessities of strangers, the helplessness of the weak, the despondency of the weary, the failing powers of the aged. O Lord, draw near to each; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. –Anselm

Lord, educate us for a higher life, and let that life be begun here. May we be always in the school, always disciples, and when we are out in the world, may we be trying to put into practice what we have learned at Jesus’ feet. What he tells us in darkness may we proclaim in the light, and what he whispers in our ear in the closets may we sound forth upon the housetops. Amen.    –Charles Spurgeon

Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee; Thou only knowest what I need; Thou lovest me better than I know now to love myself. O Father! give to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask. I dare not ask either for crosses or consolations; I simply present myself before Thee. I open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I know not myself; see and do according to Thy tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up; I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray. Pray Thyself in me. Amen.  –Francois de Salignac Fenelon

Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conq’ror be. I sink in life’s alarms when by myself I stand, Imprison me within your arms, and strong shall be my hand. My heart is weak and poor until it master find: It cannot freely move till you have wrought its chain; Enslave it with your matchless love, and deathless it shall reign. My power is faint and low till I have learned to serve: to nerve; It cannot drive the world until itself be driven; Its flag can only be unfurled when you shall breathe from heaven. Amen.     –George Matheson

Father in Heaven! Hold not up our sins against us, but hold us up against our sins, so that the thought of thee when it wakens in our soul—and each time it wakens—should not remind us of what we have committed, but of what thou didst forgive; not of how we went astray but of how thou didst save us! Amen.   –Soren Kierkegaard

Servant Leaders spend regular time in God’s Word. They show up to it.

Here at First Trinity, we’ve been wrestling with how to encourage, equip and help our people get into God’s Word when they are away from our building. We recently took the Reveal Study and learned that we have a big need to help people learn to read the Bible on their own. Reading plans seem like one way to get at that. They are all over the place, these days: YouVersion.com, Zondervan.com, and BibleGateway.com, to name just a few. 

I came across one today that is not for the faint of heart (10 chapters of the Scriptures a day!), but it is certainly intriguing. Professor Grant Horner’s Bible-Reading System. Don’t know that I’m in a place to commit to it right now…anyone else?

What’s your experience with Bible Reading Plans?

Preface: I love color. I carry a box of 24 colored pencils in my purse, as well as a pen case with five different colored fountain pens and two different colored highlighters. I color in my Bible. I color in my journal. I used to use stickers on my calendar before I went electronic. Got very excited when Google calendar added more colors. I love to doodle. Circles, bubbles, hearts, arrows, etc. Get teased about drawing bubbles in color all over everything.

The story: Last week on the NADCE (National Association of Director of Christian Education) list serve, I saw a recommendation for Sybil MacBeth’s book “Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God”. It sounded fascinating, so I ordered a copy.

I FEEL LIKE I’VE COME HOME.

The idea is to use doodling to pray. It has NOTHING to do with being artistic. It has to do with using doodling and color to tap into a deeper reflection as you pray. You can pray for people, like in this prayer map:

You can pray through a Bible passage:

I’m also looking forward to trying confession this way. There is something about the doodling that keeps my heart and mind in the game longer. What’s your favorite way to pray?

O—and good news for those of you who find this whole idea incredibly silly and frilly and wacky (I know you’re out there): Sybil and her husband also did a book together called “Praying in Black and White: A Hands on Practice for Men.” If one of you tries it out, let me know what you think!

Teach me, O God, not to torture myself, not to make a martyr out of myself through stifling reflection, but rather teach me to breathe deeply in faith. Amen.

-Soren Kierkegaard

Our Father, you made us. You made us so that we are restless until we rest in you. Accept, we beseech you, those pressure points in life where we know we need you. And help us. For you are our Father and we know who we are because you sent your Son, our brother, Jesus Christ. Amen.

- John B. Coburn

Our sin lies in nothing else but in loving what you hate and hating what you love. I confess, eternal God, that I have constantly loved what you hate and hated what you love. But today I cry out in the presence of your mercy: grant that I may follow your truth with a simple heart; give me the deep well and fire of charity; give me a continual hunger to endure pains and torments for you. Eternal Father, give my eyes a fountain of tears with which to draw your mercy down over all the world, and especially over your bride. Amen.   -Catherine of Siena