Thursday, July 31, 2014

Go Forth and Set the World On Fire!- St. Ignatius of Loyola




Dear Family of  Love (God) and Pilgrims on Our Journey,

Today in many religious calendars we celebrate the feast day of St. Ignatius of  Loyola, one of his most famous quotes is "Go Forth and Set the World On Fire!" What does that mean for us? What does that mean for the world? For us we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, Pneuma, Ruach, and the many other  enlivening  powers of faith to go out into the world and effect change for the good. We all must be empowered with love, compassion, and a willingness to face the difficulties that are ahead. Sometimes fire may be seen as a cleansing and purifying agent. Lots of times when we see and hear about wild fires and are told that many areas of brush haven't burned for centuries or many years. After the burning away of this brush we find new growth and healthy sprouts. That is what we all need to do for ourselves! We need to burn away all the dead brush and find new growth. God invites us to do this all through the day wherever we are.  What kind of  brush is within you that needs burning away to allow for new growth? Take time to find out and ask God to help you. When we set the world on fire in ourselves we find more energy and purpose to love and serve the least of these, have courage to speak truth to power, and a love from the Holy Spirit that is to the brim and over flowing! I'm finding this daily. It isn't always easy but we need to do so. What does this mean for the world? It means that we are the Lights of the World, peace makers, healers, hope bringers, and love givers!
So let us do as St. Ignatius said in his famous quote "Go forth and set the world on fire!"

Tonight let us take time to do our prayer at the center: Let's put on the timer or music for about 15 minutes and take time to reflect upon the day and how we can set the world on fire. 

Take and receive - Prayer of St. Ignatius

Prayer for Generosity St.Ignatius of Loyola                  

O God, by whose grace your servant Ignatius, enkindled with the fire of your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and may ever walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (From Satucket Lectionary -St. Ignatius Loyola)

Jesus, help us to bear the light to others and lighten their dark places.

Jesus,  heal and help all children to be able to make right choices in life.

Jesus, heal all those who are suffering in body, mind, and spirit.

Jesus,  we pray for our nation that the divisions may cease and that we may be united as one.

Jesus, protect all those who are in danger in God's broken world especially in the war torn areas of the world and in the Holy Places where you  walked , healed, and fed many with love, loaves, and fishes.
We pray for Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and Egypt. 
We pray for Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya
We pray for the Ukraine
We pray for the 51 million refugees and those who are at our borders and have entered our country.
We pray for political prisoners, immigrants, strangers, the marginalized, our enemies, those who hate us, those without human rights or dignity, help us to remember that they are family too.
Jesus, we pray for all pilgrims and especially those who are working on the Pine Ridge Reservation with the Red Shirt Project.

Jesus, we pray for all religious leaders clergy, lay, and church musicians who are preparing for worship this Sabbath rest weekend. We pray for those who are preaching the Gospel that they may write what you want their congregations to hear and to receive.

Jesus ,we pray especially for those who travel and for safety on all forms of transportation.

Jesus, we lift up these our prayers to you in your most Holy Name. Amen.

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Good Night Dear Family! I will be on the road to LA tomorrow and we will have a blog tomorrow night. I love you ,You Matter, and I give God thanks to you this day and always! Have a blessed night and a peaceful rest.

Love, joy, blessings, prayers, and peace be always yours!

Sara
























Taize Mix

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Walk With Me On Our Journey Continues...........Marching/Walking in the Light of God!




Dear Family of  Love and Pilgrims on Our  Journey,


Today Walk With Me On Our Journey continues as we are Marching the Light of God with love, prayers, and spirits enlivened to change and bring peace to God's broken family and world. We must continue to find body, mind, and spirit balance, it is necessary now more than ever. If you haven't started your prayer walking or just your walking please consider doing it. It will help your health immensely. This Summer and at all times let us be conscious of Sun exposure and practice Sun Safety. Take time to do a body check and look at your skin. Do you have moles? What do they look like? Please follow the ABCDE's : Asymmetry, Borders, Color, Diameter, Evolving! 

This is what I wrote in a Facebook post earlier

I'm getting ready to go on a brief prayer walk with my pump. Please join with me at 7:30 PDT. for a period of reflection and prayer for Peace in the Middle East especially the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Also please pray with intention for all the holy places in that region, the Ukraine, the 51 million Refugees around the world, and an end to human trafficking. Please pray and meditate on the lessons for the feast of William Wilberforce 

I think we need to pray these portions of scripture and be mindful of the needs of our family members. Let us stop all the, divisiveness,  hate and bitterness, let us sew love and mercy instead. 

Galatians 3:23-29

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring*, heirs according to the promise.

Abraham's offspring include all Semitic people (Muslims, Jews, and Christians) (Arabs and Jews) (Palestinians and Jews) etc. All means all and not some.

Matthew 25:31-40

Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, `Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, `Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' "

We have been given our marching orders! God isn't letting us off the hook and neither is Jesus. We are to care for one another, love one another, and share each other's burdens.There is no place for hate, fear, injustice, oppression, division, one-upmanship, in God's Kingdom. We need to stop all this madness that keeps us from being truly united in love, mercy, and humility. I have seen way too much tearing down, instead of building up in Social Media and in the Media in general these days. Be careful what you post make sure it is helpful not hurtful. Please post, tweet, or pin wisely. Pray or think before you post, tweet, or pin our family members will thank you and it is a loving thing to do.

Dear Jesus we pray this night in an old hymn called Evening Prayer:

If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own will full way -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself should suffer through the strain -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have craved for joys that are not mine,
If I have let my wayward heart repine,
Dwelling on things of earth, not things divine -
Good Lord, forgive!
If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,
If I have longed for shelter in Thy fold,
When Thou has given me some part to hold -
Good Lord, forgive.
Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee,
Forgive the secret sins I do not see,
That which I know not, Father, teach Thou me -
Help me to live.
an evening prayer - c. maud battersby
Jesus, we pray especially for all those who have asked us to pray for them remembering_____________

Jesus, we pray for all of our family members  who are ill and suffering any illness.

Jesus, we pray for all of our family members who are traveling this weekend.

Jesus, we pray for all of our departed family members, remembering those who have entered the Thin Places today and those who are on their way.

Jesus, give us courage to speak truth to power and boldly proclaim your Gospel message to the world with loving words, deeds, actions, and being both salt and light.

Jesus, help us to feel your presence walking beside us. Give us that Gentle tap on the shoulder from time to time.

Jesus, we offer these prayers and ask that you heal, comfort our family members. We ask this in your most Holy Name. Amen.

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Good Night Dear Family, I'm sorry that I was a little long winded tonight but my heart has been hurting all week due to everything that has been happening here at home and around the world. I love you, You matter, and I Give thanks to God for you this day and always.

Peace, love, prayers and God's Blessings, 

Sara

























Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Taking a Celebratory prayer Walk on Walk With Me on Our Journey's First anniversary( with my Chemo Pump!)




Dear Family of Love and Pilgrims on Our Journey!

Today we celebrate the most wonderful milestone in Walk With Me on Our Journey,today we give thanks to God and Celebrate its First Anniversary and also our anniversary of being a family in every sense of the word. We have celebrated many joys, remembered and mourned the loss of loved ones, prayed unceasingly, and gave thanks with hearts of gratitude. Tonight we celebrate also my 6th chemo cycle which means my dear family that I'm halfway through! I have a surprise for you! I took a prayer walk tonight and I have pictures for  you to see! My feet are feeling better! Thanks be to God! I have been thinking of what our official song for Walk With Me On Our Journey would be and this is it! The Summons and it reminds us all what we are called to do and be! God and Jesus do not let us off the hook and that is for sure and we can't get out of it.

Tonight let's take time for reflection with the timer or musical selection. In the quiet let us reflect upon this past year's pilgrimage and look forward to the year to come. Here is tonight's selection: We Are Called - David Haas 

Dear Jesus, we lift all of our prayers at your feet and loving arms this night. 

We pray for an end to every armed conflict in the world and that peace may prevail.
Come Lord Jesus and heal God's broken world.

We pray for all who mourn the loss of any loved ones and bring comfort to those who grieve.
Jesus, Help us to know that it is ok to grieve and weep as you wept at the tomb of your friend Lazarus.

Help us to be more loving, compassionate, accepting of all our family members,giving, less critical, more humane, more kind, more merciful, and to let our egos go and let you in.

We pray for those receiving treatments for cancer and other illnesses.
Come Lord Jesus, Heal us and make us whole.

We pray for your friends Martha and Mary of Bethany, help us to strive for balance and choose what you'd like us to do.
Jesus, help us to listen and choose.

We pray for our most vulnerable family members remembering the homeless, hungry, lost, broken-hearted, elderly, children, refugees, victims and survivors of domestic violence and child abuse, the lonely, and anyone who is brought to our hearts.
Jesus, help us to respond to and care for the Least of these.

We pray for all awaiting surgery and diagnoses of any kind.
Jesus, help to to learn to wait, watch , and pray.

We give thanks for Walk With Me On Our Journey may we continue to pray, walk, and respond to what you are having us do.
Jesus, may we continue to pray and walk the King's Highway.

We pray for all who travel and are on pilgrimage anywhere. We remember especially those who are on pilgrimage in the holy places of the Holy Land.
Jesus, be with them and protect them on every side.

We give thanks for the Philadelphia 11 who were the first women ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church 40 years ago.
Jesus, may we who are discerning vocations and any ministry have listening hearts and the courage to say yes to your call to serve God in the 
Church and the world.

Jesus we add our prayers, thanksgivings, remembrances, and celebrations here before you______________
We offer these and all our prayers in Jesus' most holy Name. Amen.


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Good night dear family of Love! I love you and I give thanks to God for you and Walk With Me On Our Journey this day and always! Let the Celebration begin! How you decide to do this is of your own choosing! I'm having a virtual glass of Rioja since I'm on chemo!

Love, prayers, blessings, and a heart full of more of these may always be yours!

Sara


























The Way Movie Soundtrack

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Time to Celebrate!












Party music!


Kool and the Gang Celebration


We Are Family- Sister Sledge


That's What Friends are For