Beautiful Risen Lord; Easter Sunday

O God, who on this day,
through your Only Begotten Son,
have conquered death
and unlocked for us the path to eternity,
grant, we pray, that we who keep
the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection
may, through the renewal brought by your Spirit,
rise up in the light of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 
Amen

Good Friday

It's all for YOU

Behold, the Lamb of God

Holy Thursday

Day 43

Eternal Father, I offer You
The Body and the Blood
Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son
Our Lord Jesus Christ
In atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion
~Have mercy on us and on the whole world

Holy God 
Holy Mighty One
Holy Immortal One
Have mercy on us and on the whole world

 






 

Day 42

Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;
in Your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.
Thoroughly wash away my guilt;
and from my sin cleanse me.
For I know my transgressions;
my sin is always before me.
Against You, You alone have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in Your eyes
So that You are just in Your word,
and without reproach in Your judgment.
Behold, I was born in guilt, 
in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire true sincerity;
and secretly You teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
You will let me hear gladness and joy; 
the bones You have crushed will rejoice.
Turn away Your face from my sins;
blot out all my iniquities.
A clean heart create for me, God;
renew within me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from before Your face,
nor take from me Your Holy Spirit.
Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation;
uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:1-15

Day 41

Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

Day 40

O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed-it haunts me day and night. It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just. Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 

(Psalm 51:1-12 TLB)

Day 39

Father, forgive me

Day 38

Glory, honor, and praise to You eternal God
Unshakable, immovable
Immortal invisible God only wise
Perfect and holy
Righteousness shines through in all You do
You are faithful, full of mercy
You are truth
All beautiful things come from You
You own the cattle on a thousand hills
God be praised
God be praised!
GOD BE PRAISED!

 

Day 37

Christ Jesus, you have called me to love my wife tenderly and sacrificially, even as you love the church, but too often I know myself to be a selfish man with a distracted heart. Please give me patience, gentleness, and kindness toward my wife, and the wisdom to value her for her gifts and ideas. Teach me to be vulnerable with her, openly sharing my own heart and thoughts, hopes and fears, even as I seek to better understand her.

Remind me to be ever mindful of her interests and needs with each decision I make and to structure my life in such a way that she receives the best of my energy and attention, rather than the leftovers. Give me courage to passionately pursue relationship with her even when I feel wronged or wounded. Let me become for her a man of tenderness, kindness, creativity, and integrity, protecting and cherishing her by vigilantly guarding my own eyes and heart.

Above all, teach me to lead as you led, Jesus, in humility and service. Only by your grace can I be a godly man and a good husband for my wife. Lead me Lord, I pray.

Day 36

Lord~
Forgive my offenses against You
forgive me for looking at people with selfishness and arrogance in my heart
forgive me for thinking some people this status and some people that status
forgive me for not loving my brother like You love him
forgive me for considering opportunities to engage in dialogue interruptions
forgive me for putting my needs ahead of others'
forgive me for thinking of myself before my wife
...
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Amen

Day 35

Dear Lord~
Please protect and bring peace to all our family, in whatever situation they are in, wherever they are. We pray especially for Jon and Jen and Joslin Mia - keep them in your care always, and continue to bring them closer to You.
In Christ's name, 
Amen

Into Your care we commit our beautiful grand baby, Lord

 

Day 34

God of love,
You know what I need to be made ready for Your kingdom.
Bless me with those graces.
I lay aside every self-ish thought, word, and deed this day
And may I consider You and my brother always before myself from this day forth.
In Christ's name
Amen

Day 33

Who is left here to condemn you?
No one, sir.
Then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

Lord, you have that kind of compassion, that kind of mercy.
You are above the law, though You, on earth, fulfilled the law
You are more than rules and regualtions
You rule, but it is with compassion
You know our hearts, how filthy they are sometimes
Yet You tell each of us: Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more

Mercy
May we show each other
The same that You show us
Be pleased to help Your Church be more merciful, ever always seeking You first
Guide us always
Strengthen our convictions
Bless our efforts in Your name

But thanks be to God! Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!!!!

Day 32

All who call upon the name of the Lord
All who sojourn in this land not our own
All who are pilgrims
All who thirst
All who hunger for righteousness
All who beat their breast in humility
All who sing the praise of our God 
All who love
All who seek
Every member of the Body
This hour we join together 
Hear our prayer, o Lord
Change our hearts o Lord

 

Day 31

If I raise my hands just lift the shade
Will I reveal a sky heavy and gray?
Will last night be a memory sweetly fading?
How I hate a morning starting out this way
On these lonely raging mornings I would whip you if I could
But Your on the mighty side of strong and the perfect side of good

If I raise my hands will you grab me by the wrists
And will you try to pull me from the fray?
And even if my fingers join together into fists
Will you hold me firmly anyway?
'Cause I would try to escape you but for everyday I'm sure
That You're on the huge side of big and the hly side of pure

Ok, hear what I say
As I raise my hands and surrender today
Ok, here I will stay
Hands in the air, singing have Thine own way

If I raise my hands so weak and thin and frail
Will you reveal the light of mercy in your eyes?
If I cry to you faintly will my feeble whispers fail
Or will it find its way to a reply?
'Cause now that I'm exhausted I think I'm ready to admit
That I've spent all my resistance on someone I can't resist

Ok, hear what I say
As I raise my hands, in surrender today
Ok, here I will stay
Hands in the air singing have Thine own way

Light from my window sill make my way to the door
I hang my head and still I know your wanting more
Over the threshold now I move across the yard
Although my will allows my every step is hard
Now in the garden I carve out six feet of space
There make my will comply lie down upon my face
Been toe to toe to long I'm tired of fighting You
I see You were to strong, 'cause I am black and blue
But now I understand that losers do to win
How every dying man is sure to rise again
So I rasie my left hand one I raise my right hand two
Under the morning sun, my spirit cries to You

Ok, hear what I say
As I raise my hands in surrender today
Right here under the sun
Hands in the air singing Thy will be done
I'm here under the sun
Hands in the air singing Thy will be done
Ok, here I will stay
Hands in the air, singing have Thine own way
Have thine own way  

 

By Brad and Todd Olsen

Day 30

As my bodily hunger increases, so does my spiritual thirst~
More of You LORD
As I learn how the former is temporal and the latter eternal~
More of You LORD
As my focus is less on the former and more on the latter~
More of You LORD
As I am encompassed by Your saving grace~
More of You LORD
As I am enlightened by Your holiness~
More of You LORD
Amen

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace, my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed

 Through many dangers, toils, and fears I have already come
'Twas grace that brought me save thus far, and grace will lead me home

The Lord has promised good to me, His word, my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures

When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise, then when we've first begun

 
I love you Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You
Oh my soul, rejoice!!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound to Your ears.

Day 29

It is a marathon, this race we run
No sprint; tho I admit that I think I need to sprint sometimes
To make up for the times I've walked
Or crawled
Or even stopped.

In the state of hyper-awareness of my sin that this time of year brings me to
Help me never ever forget You,
Your love
Your kindness
Your mercy

 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Day 28

Lord of Love~
Teach me to live and love as You live and love
show me the most excellent way
Be patient with Your servant, he is slow
but he wants more of You, more of You
Break through my shell of protection, indifference, apathy, self-preservation
Conquer me, in spite of me!

Lead me this day Lord

Day 27

Lord of Love~
Help me to-day to see Your Presence in every person I talk to, listen to, and interact with. Infuse me with Your grace and mercy so that these also see You in me.
In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified
In my life, Lord, be glorified to-day.

Day 26

Shepherd me O God
beyond my wants
beyond my fears
from death into life.

Day 25

Father, tonight I pray for our loved ones in different parts of the this great land: For mom and dad and mom and dad, for our aunts and uncles and cousins and cousins' kids, for brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and nieces and nephews' kids, and especially for Jon and Jen and our beautiful grandbaby Joslin Mia.

 

Day 24

Father God, morning by morning new mercies I see!
As we express our thanks through self-denial and prayer, help us to master our sinfulness, and conquer our pride. Help us to show Your goodness to everyone we meet to-day.
Christ Jesus, by Your death, raise us to life. Teach us generosity, lead us to those who need You.
 

Day 23

If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

Loving God,
I hear your invitation, "Come back to me"
and I am filled with such a longing to return to you.
Show me the way to return.
Lead me this day in good works I do in your name
and send your Spirit to guide me and strengthen my faith.
I ask only to feel your love in my life today.

Day 22

"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Lord, this morning I pray for all men, that we would hold virtue in high esteem.
Give us a desire to do what is right, pure, lovely, true.
Heal our spirits, that we would be guided by our conscience and your good Spirit.
And let the glory and praise always be Yours and Yours alone.

 

Day 21

Our Father in heaven
Holy is Your name
Your kingdom, come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation
And deliver us from evil, Amen

Day 20

Thank You for the time I was able to spend with my sweetie tonight, Lord.

Day 19

Gracious and loving God~
We praise You for the sunshine to-day, and for the beauty that is Your creation.
We ask for peace for our loved ones, and direction for Your Church, and victory for Michigan State this afternoon.
LORD, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen

 

Day 18

College basketball, cooking and eating, spring training Tigers, light, fluffy snow, bagging dog deuces, fixing up our home, reading by the fire in the evening.... all these we partake of at this time of year, Lord, but You I desire. More of You, Christ, more of You, Jesus. 
Fill me, possess me, thoroughly inebriate me, make me into one worthy of hosting Your Spirit.
I seek You, I desire You, I am destined for hell without You. 
I cannot have Life without You, Your Life calls me...patiently tugging at my conscience...
I am Yours, LORD; forgive my tardiness and absences.

 

Day 17

For Your Church, that She would continue to be guided by Your Spirit, 
For believers in parts of the world where it is not so easy as here to believe,
For the cold, hungry, hopeless, poor,
For our parents, in their retirement years,
For our siblings: raising children, paying bills, dealing with disease,
For our nieces and nephews, and their formative years,
For Jon, Jen, and Joslin Mia - the apple of our eye,
For our friends, coworkers, acquaintences, 
We pray to the Lord, hear our prayer.