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Prayer

9/16/2014

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I've been thinking about families. Some of this comes from so far three nights of watching The Roosevelts. Some comes from the disastrous news stories from NFL players. Some comes from the travails of a friend of mine, who is having a tough time with new neighbors not accepting his family (two men, a mixed-race young girl, and an ever-changing group of foster kids). And some comes from that Honey Maid Graham Cracker commercial showing a variety of families living, growing together and supporting one another.

So what constitutes a family? I'm not sure the old image of a man, a woman, and 2.3 kids ever really was true. Oh, for some it was, but many families even then had more or fewer children, or they had grandparents living with them, or they had nieces or nephews or even neighbor children somewhere in the house. Maybe just as the old saying goes: home is where the heart is, maybe a new one could be: family is whoever loves and is loved by you.

God who loves beyond anything we can imagine, we give you thanks for the families into which you have called us. Some are the families of our birth, some are families which have raised us, some are families of friends we have gathered around us, and some are church families. You send us these people to help us to live and to grow and to mature both in life and in our faith. We thank you that we are part of your greater family of children around the world. Give us grace to include all your children in what we understand to be our family...
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Prayer

9/3/2014

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I've been thinking about transitions. School is starting in most areas. I remember the first time I didn't go back to school in the fall. I walked around feeling lost, like there was something I was supposed to be doing but I couldn't remember what it was. In my family this is a time of transition, as well. My mother is working on transitioning from life to life eternal, and fighting it all the way. My niece just started her first day of college, my son Micah just started his last year of college, Nathan just got engaged. 

Even the happiest of transitions can feel like walking through the deepest, darkest valley: you don't know what will be at the end of it, you aren't sure how to navigate your way through it, and sometimes you feel really alone. The Psalmist tells us that when we walk through that deep, dark valley God is with us. Not just at the beginning pushing us into it, not just at the end telling us we can do it, but with us, leading and guiding us, supporting us as we are on the journey.

God of our valleys and our mountain tops, we give thanks today for your presence with us in all the ups and downs of life. We thank you that you walk with us, and when we are too weary you lift us up and carry us. We need your presence, your courage, your uplifting, especially when we are unsure of where to go or how to get there. Reassure us every day of your love for us and fill us up so we can share that love with others...
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    Peggy Jeffries

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