Weekly Pastoral prayer

GOD’S CHALLENGE TO CHANGE

From the great British explorer Sir Francis Drake

Your kingdom seems far away today

TURNING FEAR INTO CONFIDENCE

JESUS READS THE BIBLE DIFFERENTLY THAN MOST CHRISTIANS

Naming One’s Brokenness as the First Step Toward Healing

The Meaning of Compassion

Jesus, Martial Arts and The Law

DEATH IS NOT THE END, BUT A NEW BEGINNING

What We Can Learn From Jesus’ Own Struggle With Temptation

Jesus is Not A Dead Fact, But a Living Friend

Jesus’ Odd Approach to Eternal Life

What’s Most Important According To Jesus Himself

Learning to See

Affirming the Other

God’s Love In Action

EACH OF US IS DIFFERENT EACH OF US IS NEEDED

The Traditionalist God View

HUNGRY FOR GOD

A PASSION FOR THE TRUTH

TO THE LEAST OF THESE – THE ALTRUIST GODVIEW

Breaking the Chains of Injustice – Godview

WHAT IS GOD THE SOWER CULTIVATING IN YOU?

THE SLOW, STEADY, SURPRISING GROWTH OF GOD’S KINGDOM

ARE YOU WHEAT, WEEDS OR BOTH?

IT’S (RELATIVELY) EASY TO ACCEPT HELP FROM A FRIEND – BUT WHAT ABOUT AN ENEMY?

DOING GOOD EVEN WHEN WE DON’T FEEL LIKE IT

THE “PHARISEE” IN EACH OF US

GREED REVERBERATES!

Missing the Forest For The Trees

CORRECTING SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

GOD NEVER GIVES UP ON ANYONE!

Everyone Is Welcome At God’s Table

DOES YOUR IMAGE OF GOD NEED TO BE HEALED?

Each of Us Can Relate To The Story Of “The Prodigal Son” In Our Own Unique Way

GOD’S LOVE – THE ONE SURE THING IN ALL THE WORLD

Two Interwoven Ways Of God Saying To Each Of Us “I Love You!”

Breakfast With Jesus

What Are You Seeking?

He Had been with the One who Came to Give Us Joy

Three Challenging Prayers: how they look when people pray them

An Example of God Setting a Good Example

Who Is The Real Hero Of The Parable Of The Talents?

We Harvest What We Plant – Shall We Plant War Or Shall We Plant Peace?

The Tug Of War Between God’s Love And Human Selfishness

God’s Light Shows Us The Way Out Of Our Darkness

HAPPY OR BLESSED?

What Does It Mean To Mourn?

THE STRENGTH IN HUMILITY

JOYFUL ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR JUSTICE-INCLUDING JUSTICE FOR THE EARTH

COMPASSION ISN’T COMPASSION UNLESS IT’S COMPASSION-IN-ACTION

AN ODD EQUATION FOR US – PURITY OF HEART EQUALS GENEROUSITY IN GIVING

PEACE IS MORE THAN THE PEACE IN “PEACH AND QUIET”

Jesus Challenges Us To Suffer For The Side Of Justice

THE WORLD IS CRYING FOR TRANSFORMATION

CALLED TO BE SALT AND LIGHT

JESUS FULFILLS THE LAW BY EMBODYING IT IN HIS OWN LIFE

NOT INDULGING IN – BUT TRANSFORMING OUR ANGER

A DIFFERENT TAKE ON TWO SEEMINGLY HARSH PRONOUNCEMENTS BY JESUS ON SEX AND MARRIAGE

Speaking With Integrity

Jesus Introduces The New Martial Art Of Nonviolence

The Most Revolutionary Thing That Jesus Taught: “Love Your Enemies”

INTEGRITY IN ALL OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Compassion Not Limited To Certain Days of the Week

FAITH AS ANTIDOTE TO FEAR

JESUS REDEFINES THE MEANING OF “FATHER”

A CLOSE LOOK AT THE ‘OUR’ IN “OUR FATHER”

THE BREATHTAKING IMPLICATIONS HIDDEN IN GOD’S NAME

BRINGING HEAVEN TO EARTH, EARTH TO HEAVEN

WHEN WE PRAY FOR DAILY BREAD, WE DON’T USE THE WORD “MY” BUT “OUR”

Forgiveness is a Two Way Street

God Does Not Lead Us Into Temptation, But Away From It!

Our Treasures Are Our Relationships

TURNING OFF THE WORRY MACHINE

TAKING OFF THE MASK OF HYPOCRISY

ASK, SEARCH, KNOCK, DO

JESUS CAME TO GIVE US LIFE IN ABUNDANCE, NOT TO TAKE AWAY LIFE’S JOYS

Jesus is About Doing , Not Beliveing

Choosing to Build One’s Life on Rock or Sand

Creation – By Chance Or By A Creator?

God Is Bigger Than Gender

National Officers of the United Church of Christ prayer for the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine

ORIGINAL SIN OR ORGINAL BLESSING?

THE DYNAMICS OF TEMPTATION

VIOLENCE UNLEASHED

GOD’S SHOCKING ROLE REVERSAL

Holly Week As The Embodiment Of God’s Nonviolent Love

Easter As God’s Big “YES!” To Jesus’ Nonviolent Love

What Happened on the Afternoon of the First Easter

Fear Cannot Settle In The Same Space As Trust

Honest Doubt – A Sure Path To God

Jesus’ Comprehensive Forgiveness

The Importance of Telling Our Own Story, Not Someone Else’s

Daring to Question the Almighty

Did God Really Ask Abraham to Sacrifice His Son, Isaac?

Jacob Needs A Lot Of Work!

Taking The Risk Of Knowing God

Miracles?

Faith Seeking Understanding

Coming Home

GOD PROMISES TO BE WITH US

Pastoral Prayer 8-13

The First Of The Big Ten

The 2nd Of The Big Ten: True Worshp

The 3rd Of The Big Ten: Honoring God’s Name

The 4th Of The Big Ten: Honoring God’s Sabbath

The 5th Of The Big Ten: Honoring Others

The 6th Of The Big Ten: Honoring Life

The 7th Of The Big Ten: True Fidelity

The 8th Of The Big Ten: Honoring Others’ Possessions

The 9th Of The Big Ten: Honoring Truth

The 10th Of The Big Ten: Honoring the Reality of “Enough”

Listening To The Silence

God’s Alternative Reality

GOD DESIRES TO BE OUR EMMANUEL-TOTALLY WITH US

God Wants All Of Us – Including our Anger

Our Core Values Are The Core Values Of Advent & Christmas

Standing One’s Ground Against False Understandings of God

Waiting on Tiptoe For God To Appear in Person

No Escaping God’s Love

Learning to Follow Jesus’ lead in Reading Scripture

Not Giving Up On God’s Peaceable Kingdom

Jesus Understands Himself As The Embodiment Of God’s Love

Reclaiming Our Hope

Called

GOD IS BIGGER THAN GENDER

What’s Most Important According to Jesus

BACKTO THE AUTHENTIC JESUS

FRIENDSHIP WITH NATURE

Rejected

THE NON VIOLENT CROSS

GOD’S GREAT YES! TO LIFE

OUR DOUBTS ARE SAFE WITH JESUS

WHAT GOD’S OWN HOSPITALITY LOOKS LIKE

FORGIVENESS IS HARD WORK – HARD TO GIVE AND HARD TO RECEIVE

On Being Content with One’s own Personal Path

A NEW LOOK ON A OLD PARABLE

God’s Spirit Would Like To Breathe New Life Into Each Of Us

THE BATTLE BETWEEN FEAR AND FAITH AS TRUST

Keeping Company With Jesus

Naming As Prerequisite For Healing

God Gives Us The Time And Space We Need To Grow

LEARING TO TRUST THAT GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY

Has the Church Lost It’s Mojo?

HEALING OR FORGIVENESS – WHICH COMES FIRST

INVITING JESUS INTO A HEART CONNECTION

THE CHOICE OF LIFE

Jesus or Caesar? (With Some Contemporary Implications)

TRANSFORMING FEAR INTO TRUST

COMPASSION – THE STATE OF BEING THAT JESUS CALLS US TO

READING THE BIBLE LIKE JESUS DID – AND DOES

Seeing is an Art That Can Be Learned

A Wild Text On Eternal Life

JESUS GIVES US A RADICAL NEW VISION OF GOD A FATHER

                       

Independent and United Church of Christ