Saturday, April 12

GIVE

Give your love

Pass it around

Don't be shy to give

For once you're done

You'll have more love

Than in this life

You ever did.

HUG

Give a hug to cheer a friend

But please don't give a sneer.

Give praise to God and ask for his grace

When Satan's evil nears.

Hug your neighbor,

Hug some more

But never shut that loving door

For now

Just now

The huggers rule the world.

   

Amanda Schneider 7th grade (1990)

---

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6

Kari Schneider 7th grade (1990)

Friday, April 11

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.

Matthew 10:38

Glory Only In The Cross

In 2013, more than 350 people from all over the United States celebrated Easter Sunday in the annual Easter Sunrise Service. Many plan annual vacations to celebrate here on the Coronado beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For 16 years I had enjoyed the ending of this service while taking my daily 5 am walk to the Dog Beach at the end of Coronado Boulevard, as worshipers were returning to their homes all greeting with "Christ has risen" and joyfully responded "Christ has risen indeed."

Now it was our last of 17 years of residency at the Shores and I decided to attend all Easter events possible. And my Good Friday WALK WITH THE CROSS was the highlight! Not knowing the distance involved, Bruce decided he hadn't better. But ask him sometime about the Sunrise Service we did finally go to! A spiritual highlight also. So I left at 4:30 pm with good spiritual friend Judy P. for this unique event. I still tingle and tear when I think of it. The cross, looking like pictured, is carried from church to church. The programs are tailored to the number of churches, based on the 14 stations of the cross. This year there were eight stations.

We start at the first church with welcoming, devotions, past history, explanation of our route and instructions how to follow, closely together, in silence. We walk through all traffic lights, stopping all traffic as we cross the streets. I'm thinking not many places you could do this. The group has the right-of-way as we proceed from church to church. Some churches had standing room only. I like to be at the front, and it was heartwarming to see three young boys struggling with the weight. Our close church friend Tom M. estimated 40 to 50 lbs, said it would be very difficult for one person to carry all the way and usually there would be a volunteer at each participating church. He said it then remains at the last church until the next year.

Each church station followed the same poignant program. Each had a First Reader, Second Reader, and Third Reader, and all involved us. Before we ended, we all knew our responses by heart. At each station they began: "We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”

First Reader describes the situation which is very graphic, grim, heartbreaking.

Second Reader responds to the first and makes us think, get involved, numbed, exhausted!

Third Reader leads in prayers. All had such beautiful, thoughtful, inspirational prayers. After their "Amen" we respond:

Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy Immortal One,

Have Mercy upon us.

How special this walk was. Ever since, I've realized why I really love the crosses at F.P.C. and St. Paul's Methodist, reminding me how much we must be thankful for the human pain Jesus suffered for our sins.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I pray wherever We may live, wherever we may be, your Holy Spirit will guide, comfort, and enable us to be the best you you would have us.

Sheryl McCristal (2014)

Thursday, April 10

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light, and

Where there is sadness, joy.

Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal life.

May this also be our prayer as we seek to serve our Lord right where we are. I like the specific suggestions for action which are as important today as when this prayer was written in the 13th century.

Doris Bergan (1991)

Prayer: Lord, help me to enrich the lives of those with whom I come in contact. Strengthen me so that others will not have been diminished by having known me.

Prayer by Kay LaForest (1991)

---

This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

We cannot forecast the future but we can help shape it. Each day God gives us new possibilities to deepen our faith, to be a good neighbor, to promote justice, to create a future that holds promise and hope for all peoples of the world.

Prayer: O God, help us follow your leading, one day at a time. Amen.

Lois Poston (1990)

Wednesday, April 9

No longer will the sun be your light by day or the moon be your light by night. I, the Lord, will be your eternal light. The light of my glory will shine on you.

Isaiah 50:19

 

I've pondered how it might have been to have been born in the world before Christ, before the eternal light was given to us. What would it have been like to be living out my days thinking they would end with my death? Or to be thinking I would never again see loved ones gone before me, or ones I was leaving behind?

If I had been living during Christ's time on earth, would I have had the courage to seek the light of Christ knowing the controversy and conflict often surrounding hin? Would I have listened and been moved to be a follower?

We have been so blessed to have His words and promises available for the taking. How easy He has made it for us. How little we are tested.

Prayer: Thank your Father God, for the gift of your son who is the light of my life.
 

Pauline Davidson (1991)

---

 

It is so comforting to remember that God is always with us, watching over us as a parent watches over a child. And just like a parent, God will often stay in the background, allowing us to make our mistakes because it is through our mistakes that we learn and grow. But when we're alone and troubled, God is there to comfort us and help us through to better times.

Prayer: Thank you, dear God, for always being there, even when we aren't aware of your presence. Thank you for being with us not only to comfort us but also to help us continue to become better persons. Amen.

 

Anne Ihnen (1991)

Tuesday, April 8

[Paul is in Corinth on his third missionary journey.] I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’

 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

Romans 1 :13-19

 

Our coins say, “In God we Trust.” Do you “Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” These words come back to me, a song we used to sing in Sunday School when I was a little girl.

Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Listen

Verna Smith (1990)

Monday, April 7

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

I often think about those who have given up so much to be true to their faith. From the martyrs in the Bible to those still persecuted today, I am in awe of the courage people have displayed. Would I, as a Christian, have that courage?
What does courage look like? So often we think of courage in extreme measures- these “headline grabbing” circumstances that we gravitate toward. But courage is all around us in the most common of situations, and we often fail to recognize it.
A lovely girl I have the pleasure of knowing at FPC loves to sing and is a member of the children’s choir. But when she hears beautiful music she often starts to cry. She does not want to stand out in that way. She does not want to cry. She does not want people to see her like this. Each time the choir sings in worship she pushes through it, trying to mask her tears with a smile. She lifts up her voice and gives it her all, never missing a word, well aware that people see her crying. Her love of being part of this community of God is greater than her need of personal comfort. She is my hero. What courage it takes to honor God with her voice and share herself with the congregation, all the while being uncomfortable with her tears. This “simple act of courage” has had a huge impact on me, and once again a child is my teacher. Would I have this courage? Would you?

Prayer: Loving God, Help me to have the courage to be uncomfortable and trust in your presence. May I honor you as much as my young friend. Amen. 

Joanne Blair (2014)

Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 6

Whoever tries to save his/her life will lose it, and whoever gives his/ her life for others will find it.

Luke 9.24

 

This paraphrase is probably the most relevant and close to the center of the gospel than any other. In recent months, given what I have been through, it keeps floating to the top.  It definitely means more to me now than it would have a year ago. Our daughter Alicia said to her mother, "Gee,Mom, the house is sold, you have the check, and this really great retirement home has room for you and Hank. What could be sweeter!"

How little did we know what would be involved after Judy's death began staring us in the face. Then our daughter Sue suggested to her dysfunctional father "Why don’t you interview various people around the residence and ask this question; ‘Tell me the story of your life.’ Don't take notes. Just listen.”

This process re-focused my life from ridiculous whining to conversations that energized the interviewee’s thoughts as well as my own discovery of useful things that are beginning to pull me out of the ooze.

                                                       

Prayer: Mighty God, help anyone who reads this to find new of life in those of others rather than moping around in the dregs of our own.  We pray this In Christ’s name. Amen

Hank Borchardt (2014)