Category: Prayer

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The Sun Also Rises

So I’ve talked about the shop, the business, which I do a lot. Can I, may I, can we, You and I, talk about our country? God, we are so different. So diverse.

I chose 12 Disciples for a reason; actually, for many reasons. One reason was to ensure that among My followers were represented different walks of life, different points of view, different backgrounds, different talents and expertise.  What united them was each one’s individual commitment to Me, and their willingness to–gradually for some, more suddenly for others–be transformed into a team with common core values and common goals. Your nation has forgotten its founding and its foundation. You can celebrate and honor diversity while maintaining common values. What did St. Paul write?

There are varieties of gifts but One Body and One Spirit giving those gifts. Something like that.

What else?

That each part of the Body is necessary. No one part can say to another, I have no need of you. Oh! And when one part of the Body hurts, the whole Body hurts.

Yes, that is what your country has forgotten. It is what humanity as a whole has forgotten, not only in America, but all around the globe. It is what the Church has largely forgotten as well. Each seeks his own instead of seeking to be his or her own part in contributing to the health and beauty of the Body as a whole.

So God, there are some folks who say, in effect, oh well, things are getting worse just like God said they would, as if, I don’t know, as if we are supposed to just accept that. As if there is nothing anyone can do. As if it doesn’t even matter. So what can one person do?

You can stand. You can speak. You don’t have to shout, necessarily, although some may be compelled to shout. For your part, which is what you are really asking, your challenge is to not lose heart, not lose hope.

It’s hard, God.

I know, little one. But think of this–look out your window. Is the sun shining?

It is, Lord. In fact, it’s the solstice. The first day of summer. The longest day.

So as long as the sun rises on your world, this is your evidence that you are still called to love, called to pray, called to give, called to believe. Work while it is still day, as Scripture says. The Light is not vanquished–and remember what I said when despair threatens you. Light shines in darkness and the darkness will never overcome it. So Shine! Brighten the corner where you are!

Ok. But, God?

Yes?

What about those children? I know this whole situation breaks Your heart. You Who said, let the little children come to Me. You held them, and blessed them. Can You help us come to our senses, come to a place of compassion, and at the least, whether asylum is granted in individual cases or not, please reunite parents and children? And please heal their little minds from the trauma they are experiencing now, from the separation? We treat rescue dogs better than we are treating these little ones.

The anguish and angst you are feeling right now is just a tiny fraction of what I Am feeling. Do you remember, Jesus wept? Not only over Lazarus. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, too, lamenting. How often I would have gathered you under My care, like a chicken gathering her chicks, but you refused. This is just one more example of that refusal.

You see, Jesus still weeps. Yes, I the Lord God Almighty, still grieve. I weep with those who weep. I grieve as individuals reap crops of bitterness and hatred and prejudice and war. My grief will not end until humanity’s grief ends.

Be assured I Am working and calling every day, calling each one to come Home to the best of humanity, to come take their places in the Light, to commit to a life of Loving. You cannot love God and hate your neighbor. So the first wave of change must come from those who say they love Me. Don’t pray just for your political leaders. Pray for this who call themselves Mine–no matter their style of worship. Pray that they will actually and accurately manifest My Heart. Call to the North, the South, the East, and the West. Call all My People to rejoin the Team of Loving Compassion. You know how to Call. Call forth Peace, call forth Love, call forth Justice, call forth Compassion, call forth Unity. You see, there is much good you can do, with a simple heartfelt Call.

Thank You, God. Thank You, Lord. Thank You. 

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Windows of Time

Lord, this is one of those, I have a window of time–not a wide door, not a gate into a big field. A window. Moments. But I am here, choosing to spend these moments with You. I have friends who would rather I spend hours, even more sporadically, than moments often. But I know, sitting here now, that’s not You. That is not how we are, together.

Your life is lived in moments, in a moment, a moment, a moment. A breath, a heartbeat, a moment. Every time you choose to think of Me, even if “only” for a moment, you reconnect, and you make My own heart glad. Think how you feel with a quick phone call from your son, with a text from a grandson, with an online message or reaction from a friend. Those moments say, here I am to connect with you. That is what you are saying and doing now, and that is what I Am Always saying and doing for every one of My Children. I Am like a 24-hour radio station; I Am always broadcasting My Love, My Message. Your life will be even more fulfilling as you continue to dial in all during your day, not only at a designated, set-aside time in the morning or the evening or one special day in the week.

Remember the verse, do not despise the day of small beginnings? Well, do not think little of the seemingly small moments of connection. It takes only a couple of seconds to say, I love you. Or, I do. Or, it’s a boy! or it’s a girl! And think of the lifetime of meaning those few words, those few seconds hold. Even Eternity will be an endless series of Moments, every single one consumed in Love and in Joy and in Peace.

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Miracles

God, here I am, at the wanting to ask You for a miracle, a personal miracle, or the possibility of a miracle, and already I am hearing all this static in my head. You’re not supposed to ask for yourself. You’re not supposed to ask for miracles. God doesn’t do miracles anymore. God doesn’t do miracles, period, never did. Which is a small, slippery slope slide down into, God doesn’t, God can’t, God isn’t. Which I don’t believe. Which makes me, what? Crazy? Faithful? Foolish? Wise? What?

If you can’t ask Me for miracles, then who can you ask?

Well, that is the whole point, isn’t it? Either there is the possibility of what appears to our limited finite human faculties to be something out-of-ordinary, something other, something we have termed miraculous that happens, or there isn’t. Honestly, God, I come down every time on the side of the line that says there is. That says all is possible with You. I may not understand the how or the what, but I do believe, anything is possible with You. So I come asking, one more time–but not the last time. My one more time is never the last time.

Nor should it be. Even those who say they believe sometimes make Me out to be stingy, doling out favors to favorites, and in limited supply. Rather I Am extravagant, and love to lavish gifts on My world.

Oh, God, I am always creeping around this question. It starts with What about…and then I have–we all have–a private litany. What about this, or that, or so-and-so? What about what happened over there, or that particular day, or…whatever. What about that?

You want Heaven come to earth. I do, too. It is no comfort, no comfort at all to say, well it isn’t here yet. You know that. I know that, too. All you can do is all you are already doing–keep asking and keep believing and keep an open mind and heart, even when you don’t understand.

God, it’s hard. I just want to make everything better. I just want–this sounds so naive, so like some fairy tale with a happily ever after ending–but that IS what I want, I just want everyone healed. I want bodies healed and strengthened, I want minds and hearts healed, I want the power of addictions broken so folks and families can be whole. I want what I want. I feel almost stubborn about it. 

This is why you make such a great Kingdom ambassador.

It is?

Yes, you know when not to compromise. You don’t compromise My values or My principles, which are…

Always to bless.

Yes, always to bless.

So can I ask You, may I ask You, one more time?

Of course. For as long as you live in a body on this earth, you may ask Me, one more time, again and again.

Thank You, God. Then I am asking…

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Re-petition

God, yesterday we talked about how my mind works, my pattern of thinking. Tonight I want to talk a minute about prayer, about praying. You told a friend of mine to pray every day about a particular situation. I’ve been trying to do that too. But recently You also said I don’t have to ask You over and over for the same thing, which goes along with what You said yesterday about going over the same ground mentally.

Again you are thinking of prayer as only petition, rather than the conversation between us this has become. Let’s word this differently. Suppose I told your friend to talk to Me about this situation every day–not to keep asking for the same thing over and over, but to have dialog with Me about it. I can tell you it is a big enough issue she can easily find within herself something else to ask Me about, something else to uncover in her own thoughts and feelings, not to mention everyone else involved, as the process unfolds.

So let’s apply this same idea to you, and to your business, your working life, your finances, to the many decisions you have to make day-to-day. Tied into that is the whole issue of creativity for you, what, when, where, how, and that all changes in real time. Then we have your need for rest, and for play outside of work. Perhaps most important of al lis your need for time together with Pete that is not work-dominated. You could talk to Me about all of that, about everything involved with that, every day, and not be repeating some rote petition over and over. So why don’t we do that now? Why don’t you list out your fears and your joys? Even if I have addressed them before, if your fears are still present in you as fear, then we have more to talk about. This is not the same thing as going over the same mental territory but making no progress. The goal here is progress. Progress and freedom, freedom from your fear, which is always a very good thing. That is why I ask you to list your joys, too. It is always good to balance your focus, especially if you are trying to heal something wounded, or broken, within you.

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The Parent-Child Connection

Well, today was…interesting. It rained on my parade–literally drove me off the beach and back indoors.

But you didn’t let the rain ruin your afternoon. You went out looking for hearts, and you found them.

Yes, and now I’m sitting trying to Connect, on the couch watching the Super Bowl with a husband whose team is losing. I reckon it’s a great time for me to, what? Not test what You say, but prove it true in my experience. Sort of, if I can manage to hear You here, in the middle of distractions, sounds emotions–then, then, it’s true that anyone can hear You anywhere. Right?

One of the unforeseen and unfortunate consequence of community worship has been to discourage the discovery of the Presence of God in all the other hours of the week, especially in the middle of messy real life days. Think of how you have heard prayer time described: Quiet Time. But what about all the rest of the time, when life is anything but quiet?

I want you to think back to your experiences deep in the pelican and tern rookeries. In all the chaos of birds flying and waddling, of biologists banding and then releasing, somehow all the baby birds managed to unite with their right parents. The connection was stronger than the chaos. Now, do you think the connection was stronger on the baby bird’s’ side or the parent’s side?

I would guess the parent’s side. The babies have need, and the parents are hard-wired to meet that need.

So it is with Me. The Connection between us is always maintained on My part, and as you are learning right this minute, you can actually hear, clearly, My Voice even in the middle of other voices. Even in the middle of other voices shouting. You have learned to recognize My Voice. I don’t have to shout, to make Myself heard. You know My Voice by now. So the Super Bowl lesson for you is, no matter how the game goes, no matter how loud life gets all around you, you can still hear and respond to My Voice within.

You can turn, answer your text, and talk to Me.

You can look up, respond to anyone in the room, and hear from Me.

This is what I mean by no separation. You don’t have to wait for Sunday, you don’t have to wait for your early morning quiet time, you don’t have to wait, period.

So I have a question. Why did it take so long, then? What about all those years I could barely hear You at all? Were You not talking just as much then?

For years, you were schooled to believe I speak in particular ways, at defined times, and often only through select people. You had to line up all the conditions, just so. Can you feel Me laughing? Can you see Me dismantling all those barriers to My Presence? Now that the River is flowing freely, you will never experience drought again. Even the rain will remind you of all the ways My Spirit waters your soul.

So for folks reading this now, who may be where I was, what can they do differently to find this kind of Connection, where You speak in the middle of busy days at work, or loud kids, or the TV blaring? What steps can they take?

The best way to begin is to expect I will speak into their heart. And the best place to begin is to find some quiet.

I thought You just said we don’t need quiet.

Quiet is a good place to start, so that you can move beyond it. Everyone uses the bathroom. Everyone takes a shower or a bath. These are great times to turn off any background noise and reach out to Me. Once people experience My Voice within, even one time, they will know what to listen for, like a mother who can recognize her child’s voice in a crowded classroom at the end of a day. Then, as happened with you, the experience of connecting with Me, however briefly, will create a Holy Hunger for more contact, more awareness of My Nearness. And very soon, they will be sharing with others of how their experience of Me has deepened and changed.

As for you, keep being open and honest. And now that you have been able to hear Me here, expect the particular timbre of My Voice to be even more evident all throughout your day.

Happy Birthday! See, you’re smiling. Now what would you say about your day?

Uh, how about Wow?

Wow is good. I like Wow. I specialize in Wow, in fact. And even before you can think it or take the time to write it out–since I know your thought beforehand–you are so welcome.

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Conversation

Well, Lord, I did a lot today. Spent a good amount of time at the page this morning, and I really appreciate being able to do that. You helped me clarify a number of things I needed to work out, details about the upcoming season mostly. So this was one of those days I needed some specific direction, and You provided it. Thank You. But that means I didn’t spend the time to talk to You for the world, so to speak. I needed to talk to You for me.

 

This life you are living, peeling back the layers and allowing folks a glimpse into your private world of prayer is making you feel vulnerable, and a bit pressured. You want so much to give value, give something worthy, something helpful.

God, it’s true! I do. I really do.

So here is your message for today, and it is very important. Critical, in fact. You need to talk to Me. That is the message. That is the message for you. And that is the message for your world. Ultimately, that is what this entire effort is about, convincing folks that they can have the same experience of intimacy with Me that you have. In that sense, you are not a prophet but you are an example. I say, not a prophet, because just as you cannot carry the world’s burdens, as we talked about yesterday, I also don’t want you to take on the mindset of having to hear a message tailored for the world, as if I were not going to speak to individuals, individually. So I really do want you to keep doing what we are doing. Keep having these conversations—some deep, in which you explore questions and issues of purpose and puzzlement, and some so seemingly routine, in which you ask, as you did this morning, for daily help, like figuring out a workable schedule with time factored in for everything that is important to you, including times to rest and relax and be creative. This is important for you and your life, so it is important to Me. And it is just the kind of direction so many need and yet they don’t ask Me for My help.

If you can continue to be faithful to share these daily conversations, one of the results will be that others will become bolder to ask Me anything, and tell Me everything. And I tell you, that choice causes more rejoicing in My Father-God heart than you can imagine.

So keep talking, keep listening, and keep being willing to share. And don’t worry about trying to be profound. As I told you before, just keep being real. You are doing more good than you know.

 

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Empath

You said I can talk to You about anything, and I can be honest.

Of course.

So I want to talk to You about Star Trek. I want to talk to You about that episode about the Empath. I always identified with her, how she literally absorbed whatever bad thing, whatever illness, was happening to her people. It was her destiny to do that, and ultimately it killed her.

Ultimately it killed Me, you mean.

Whoa, no, I didn’t. But, yes. I hear You.

So it doesn’t need to kill you. It already killed Me. And I already Rose, victorious, over all of it.

To save us from punishment?

To save you from enslavement. To save you from any power that would harm you, power that you would yield yourself to. To save you from choices, habits, addictions, anything whatsoever that would cause you harm, or prompt you to harm another.

So among everything else You are, You are the Empath?

I Am. And you cannot be, you must not be. This does not mean you have no compassion or show no mercy. It does mean you do not have the role of absorbing into yourself all that is false or negative and transforming it to the true and positive. That is my role; that is Divine Alchemy, Holy Chemistry. Your role is to see the end result, and you do that by asking Me for Vision. When you see through the eyes of My Heart for the world, you begin to envision what is possible, what is best, and right, and true, in any situation. This takes practice and a discerning ear, eye, and heart. But this is what is truly meant by the scripture, “let the same mind be in you that is in Christ Jesus.” You can share one mind, one body of thought, with Me. The only transformation you have direct control over is that of your own life. You can influence others; you can model a life lived in union with Me; you can speak and share from your life experience, but you are not meant to carry the weight of the world’s sorrows and sufferings. That is uniquely My burden to bear.

So when the world’s sorrows burden you, bring your burden back to Me, and let Me transform your mourning back into dancing. Let Me repair any breach such knowledge has made in your trust or your confidence in My Nearness and Goodness. Let Me continue, like Atlas, to carry the weight of the world. You continue to proclaim glad tidings of great joy!

If you try to absorb the world’s ills, the practice will only sicken and weary you, and cause your own light to grow dimmer with discouragement and despair. That is why Empath is not E.M.’s path. Yes, I used both your first and middle name initials. Clever, yes? You sometimes forget I can be clever, and humorous. Where do you think humor originated?

Intercessor and Empath are not the same thing. You can have empathy for others, and feel with others, without trying to feel FOR others. You can pray for them and comfort them, but don’t try to absorb their pains or weaknesses. Even if you could, that would merely prevent them from coming to their true source of ultimate help, strength, and transformation–which is Me. That is why I Am the Empath, because I Am also the One Who Transforms.

So rest easy, little one. You are doing well. You love your friends and family very well. Let that be enough.

Okay, Lord, I hear You. And thank You. This is not at all how I pictured this conversation going!

And that is why our times together are so important. You need to stay on track, and for that, you need Me.

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Within the Circle

Lord, I want so much to have this radical connection. I do. I mean…I don’t know. I want everyone to get along. But what if they don’t? What stand do I take then? I am thinking about the kitties, all the kitties. How Morgan wasn’t safe for the others. And then, Lord, I tamed him. Or You did. He heard my heart somehow. Back then, I thought at first I was hearing You tell me to forgive him, when he was fighting with the others.

Actually, what you were saying was that you would accept Morgan into the Circle if his behavior changed. Even then, you felt compassion for him. You wished you could help him. You were concerned that your actions would make him worse. And when he did change, when he did grow calmer, you welcomed him and loved him and gave him his first real taste of love, of safety, right before he passed.

Yours is the classic boundaries struggle. Listen to yourself. Listen to what you already know. It is okay to have a circle. It is okay to define the parameters for that circle, to set values for that circle, values like tolerance and gentleness. It is okay to draw a line of definition. Your circle expands outward, but the definition does not change. You are willing to let your circle expand–I Am saying to you, don’t distort its shape and purpose to make it a lasso. Keep maintaining your intention of connection and peace. Attract into your circle–of friends, of animals, of family, of customers, of clients, of artists, of collaborators–everyone and anyone who is of like mind and heart. Keep your heart steady and true. This is what you do. This is who you are. Live from that center.

What about forgiveness?

Forgiveness and tolerance are not the same thing. You can forgive and simultaneously refuse to tolerate.

How, Lord?

Think like this: every day, you gave Morgan another chance. You put out food in a place away from the others so he would not starve. At the same time, you guarded the others so he could not approach them until he was fully tamed. You did this all over again with your current feral, Torri. And you are doing it again, right now, with Sambo. And look what happened, look what is happening. Your willingness to both forgive, while not tolerating unacceptable behavior changed Morgan, changed Torri, and is changing Sambo.

What about people?

Forgiveness, as you know, means setting you free from being tied to punishing someone else. Forgiveness seeks healing and restoration. Forgiveness wants the best for the other person. Forgiveness does not excuse or make light of wrong. Forgiveness especially does not signal that bad behavior is all right, or is excused or excusable.

Like my prayer years ago: please don’t punish so-and-so on my account.

Exactly. Forgiveness practiced the way I intend it builds compassion, not doormats. It does not minimize or trivialize any wrong, any betrayal, any abuse, any suffering inflicted on another. Forgiveness makes a way for transformation and change. The true miracle in the story is that your actions and choices made a way for each of those kitties to make their own different choices, to be drawn to you by your heart, which truly wanted–and wants–the best for all of them. They sense that. Try this: try praying for your planet, your country, your leaders, anyone in your circle that you care about, anyone just outside your circle that you are concerned about, try praying that just as the kitties sense your heart for them, these people will sense My Heart for them. That, I promise you, changes everything.

 

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Honesty

While Pete was in the shower, I laid in bed and said thank You for everything and everyone I could think of, a fabulous way to start a day, and start off a new year. 

You have not because you ask not. So much of your difficulty in receiving comes from your reluctance to ask. You fear being disappointed, and you still believe at your core that you can ask only for others, not for yourself.  You much more easily accept the idea of My favor on your friends, family, even strangers, than you accept that I want to richly bless you.

Even here, you seek to be profound and all I Am asking you to be is honest. Honest–and willing, willing to share our relationship in order to inspire others to seek Me out in ways that are deeper and more personal to them than they had imagined before.

This is why I keep insisting on you telling Me your dreams, your longings, and your wished-for hopes. I keep asking for lists of your loves so I can reveal Myself within the seemingly small details of your life, what you call your ordinary every-day life. You’ve said it yourself, if you can have this deep connection to Me, so can others. So can anyone, everyone. Your task is to go on living your everyday life from a position of Connectedness, to model in all circumstances what a daily relationship with Me looks like and feels like.

You already know this doesn’t mean you don’t experience loss and grief. You already deal with disappointment–but dealing with disappointment by bringing all your emotions to Me is far different than burying them inside, pretending you don’t hurt when you do, and allowing your hurts to fester and become infected. That way leads only to resentment and eventually to bitterness, a very lonely road indeed.

Nor Am I asking you to pretend all is well when it isn’t.

I ask you to be honest because, first, you can’t fool Me or hide from Me and you will only wear yourself out trying. I also ask you to be honest because I want to transform you–your character, your attitudes, your reactions, and responses–to reflect Me more and more. So it is essential that you tell Me when and where you hurt, so I can apply the Balm of My Healing. Tell Me what you regret so I can give new chances and choices. Tell Me what you think you lack so I can more fully be your Provider, the One Who gives opportunities and opened doors. Tell Me what puzzles you so I can give you wisdom, understanding and discernment. And tell Me what makes you afraid, so I can light your way.

Finally, tell Me what makes you glad, so we can rejoice together along with all the angels.

Tell Me everything, all the time, all day long. Pray without ceasing. How? By keeping Me, My Presence, in your mind and heart at all times, and by listening for My least whisper on the wind.

On the Page, off the Page–all the time. Tell Me Everything.

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Life Movies

Lord, we started talking last night as I was falling asleep, and I really need to re-start that conversation.

I was telling you not to close your heart off, but to stay open, and vulnerable.

Lord, someone gave me that same advice years ago. I heard it then as a command to endure.

That may have been that person’s meaning, but it is not Mine. I never condone or excuse abuse or mistreatment. But when you are hurting inside, for yourself or for others, you tend to wall yourself in and work harder as if that will help. It won’t. It will only add more physical fatigue to your emotional weariness.

The truth is, I didn’t create humanity—or the planet itself—for sorrow, sickness, loss or death. I created for life, for I Am the Giver of Life. I created for Love, for I Am Love. My entire nature and being is Love. Out of Life and Love flow joy and peace and kindness and goodness—which you call the fruits of My Spirit.

So when humans encounter the elements of life they were not made for, they react. Some become stoic, so nothing affects them. Some become narcissistic so everything affects them or revolves around them. Some become addicted to pastimes or to substances to numb or distract them from which is too hard, too painful, to bear alone. But you humans were not made to bear such suffering, not in the beginning, and certainly not alone.

You said recently when a situation troubles me, to surround it, to picture it surrounded, like effervescent life, I can’t remember exactly what You said, and I don’t know how to do that. And I need to. Right now.

Imagine you are a movie director. You can film the scene any way you wish. You have an unlimited budget and any props or costumes you need. You have the world as your set. And you have Angels as part of your extras in your casting of characters. How would you film the next scene? What kind of movie would you produce and direct? Set that as your intention and prayer for them.

Lord, aren’t You the Producer and Director?

Sadly, no. People assume so, and that assumption has led to much additional sorrow and misunderstanding. Each of you is your own director. I direct only where and when I Am invited to do so. Oh, I try to interject into the plot, to give warning about where the storyline is going, or to give encouragement in character development. But the human power of choice is always in your hands. That is why I ask you to pray My Will Be Done. It is not a given, in this world—only in the next.

So take a few minutes. Imagine the scene re-written. Then offer that, as prayer. I Am the God of Reconciliation. Picture a peaceful resolution to all that troubles you.