GREENE STREET LETTERS: Morning Prayer

Monday, June 18, 2018

Morning Prayer

Psalm 5:3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord. In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

Funny thing about prayer and the act of praying.....
We have an innate desire to connect with something or someone greater than us.
This desire is stronger than what we claim we believe.
Let someone find themselves in a situation that is of a serious nature, and I would bet that they would throw up a prayer. They may claim that they don't believe in God. They may claim that they want nothing to do with God. Yet when push comes to shove, there is a whole lot of "Oh God...Oh God...Oh God!" going on.

If you've been around recovery for any length of time then you are very familiar with the Serenity Prayer. A cry for God to equip us to deal with life. A cry for serenity to accept those things, people, and circumstances we cannot change. A cry for courage to face and change the things we can. To me, the kicker of the Serenity prayer is asking for wisdom to know the difference. This prayer is much more than just flowery words written to make us feel better. It is a declaration that God can do for me what I could not do for myself if I give will and life over to Him. Now that is some kind of prayer. Everyone's situation is different. Everyone faces different problems daily, yet this prayer fits whoever turns to God and prays it.

I've been reading about St. Patrick and his mission and desire to take the good news of Jesus to the Celtic Tribes in Ireland. He wrote a prayer that I think is very appropriate for those who are moving from the darkness of addiction into the light of God's goodness. I'd like to close with this prayer.

I rise today

in power's strength, invoking the Trinity.

Believing in the threeness

confessing the oneness

of creation's Creator.

I rise today

with the power of God to pilot me

God's strength to sustain me

God's wisdom to guide me

God's eye to look ahead of me

God's ear to hear me

God's word to speak for me

God's hand to protect me

God's way before me

God's shield to defend me

God's host to deliver me from the snares of the devil.

Deliver me....

from evil temptations

From nature's failings

From all who wish to harm me,

Far and near, alone or in a crowd

May this be our prayer for this day.....

Just for this day....
One minute at a time...
One moment at a time...

God on you...

mbb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Morning Prayer

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD