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Why Practice Lent?
“Rend your hearts not your garments” the prophet Joel long ago directed. The same theme is directed to us this Ash Wednesday: “Open up your hearts.” Let’s not waste our time on superficial Lenten practices that fail to touch our hearts. Let’s take on and carry out those practices, penances, and deeds in a way that opens up our hearts in three directions – to ourselves, to one another and to our God. The script: pray, sacrifice and help. Why those three? They open our hearts in three ways: prayer – to God; sacrifice – to ourselves; helping – to others. The script is tried and true, and at least…
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Prayer for Those in Authority
( + My Modified Prayer)FROM US TO GOD NEW YORK CITY, 2016 God in your holy word Paul asked his friend Timothy, his peeps (aka faith community at Ephesus) to give thanksgiving as they pray for those in authority. So there must also be a prayer request you are sending me today. O.K., but God, cut me a little slack; I’m having a hard time with the thanksgiving part.
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The Lord’s Prayer: Twelve Tips for The Lord’s Prayer, Phrase-by-Phrase – “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
7. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread Today’s prayer for today’s needs!! Jesus taught “the power of now” – well before contemporary gurus. No accruals from yesterday. No deferrals for tomorrow. Pretty sly of you, God! You know how to keep your power base. Tomorrow I’ll have to ask you again. But you know my A.D.D. distractions, my impatience when you don’t answer right away and my insecurity that you might not be there tomorrow… So, I have an idea. Why can’t I make one big prayer payment for the month – like I pay my bills? Umm – I don’t see you nodding, yes. Well, then please…