Time to fall back and pray our way back into equilibrium !

Good Evening!

I hope everyone is still trying to be on retreat! It's not easy I know but we must do it for our stress level. Tonight we need to relax before the time change and that means praying our way back to normal. 


Tonight we need to take some time and do our old fashioned mindfulness exercises along with "Be Still's.

First, find yourself a timing device, musical piece, or app. Let's set it for our own particular time. 

For those who would like to join in the musical meditation please do.  Tina Turner is into meditation and has a beautiful piece in which to do this!
.

Tina Turner - Peace Mantra


Close your eyes and breathe and relax
Origin: Hindhuism
Language: Sanskrit

Om Om Om
Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Poornam Bhavatu
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

Mantra's Meaning: 

May there be happiness in all
May there be peace in all
May there be completeness in all
May there be success in all.

Breathe deeply and exhale gently.


Now let us engage in the "Be Stills"

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Breathe deeply and exhale gently.

As they say on the shampoo bottle: Lather, rinse, repeat if necessary!

Let us make vigil and light one candle tonight as a symbol of our oneness.

Now let us take time to hold each other in our hearts and minds. Visually in our minds let us encircle  and wrap one another in a prayer quilt of CALM (Compassion, Acceptance, Love and Mercy)


Let us take time to pray and be in solidarity with Standing Rock, Aleppo, Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, and everywhere there is violence and division.

Let us cleanse and make holy our hearts, heart homes, lands,  waters, and relationships by praying this smudging prayer.

Below is the prayer and the link to the ceremony. We are using the prayer only.

Smudging as a Christian Aboriginal Ceremony

A Smudging Prayer

 Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.

Prayers in the stillness

*Those may be replaced with names, or by using Family Members.

Quiet our minds O God so that we can listen and hear your voice and what you are calling us to do and to be.
Help us to be still and listen to that quiet place in our heart and spirit. Help us to unwind our minds O God.

Quiet our bodies that we may turn our bodies from human doings to human beings.
Take the keys away  that drive our bodies to do and not be.

Help us to feel our spirits and the indwelling of  You and the Holy Spirit in this time of being quiet and still.
May our spirits be enlivened even in the quietness. 

Lord we pray for all who are traveling may they take time to rest and be alert.

Lord help us to lay down our burdens each day at your feet so that we may find rest and spend time with You.

Give us the peace of mind that we are always seeking. 

While we spend time with you Lord please take care of all of our loved ones and those whom we have been praying for. If we should fall asleep and rest be with them as we rest in the quietness.

In the stillness  O Lord may we drink of the Living Water of Life and be refreshed and feel it coursing through our  veins and give us the energy to do your will to your glory and in service to others.

In the stillness we remember and pray for all those who have requested our prayers for themselves and on behalf of others________________________________.

In the stillness we give thanks for the gifts of quiet, contemplation, rest, and times for our bodies, minds, and spirits to be renewed.  We give thanks for__________________________

In the stillness we celebrate those times of joy and those who have made a difference in our lives remembering_____________________

In the stillness we remember those who have entered in to life eternal especially________________
And we remember those continue to grieve.

We pray for those awaiting surgery in the weeks ahead. Calm their fears and anxieties Lord.

We pray for those who are being beset by bad weather O Lord. Ease these weather patterns Lord.

We pray for those who live in earthquake prone areas. Quiet their minds and give them  the peace and knowledge that You O God are there. 

Lord God watch over this your troubled and divided world. Set us on fire to help heal and unite it with our prayers, love, service, and actions. Give us grace, courage and love energy to do this in Your Name. Amen.

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From The Charter of Compassion on Facebook and Twitter:

"If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are. “Interbeing” is a word that is not in the dictionary yet, but if we combine the prefix “inter-“ with the verb “to be,” we have a new verb, inter-be."
~ excerpt from Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
image: theidproject.org

*************************

Good Night Dear Ones we may go longer tomorrow. I love you and Give God Thanks for you always.

Love and blessings!

Sara

A pre -election retreat ! A time to pray, make vigil, and discern, and begin anew to heal and to reconcile with one another.

Good Evening!

Tonight we begin our 4 day retreat and vigil for our family members, nation, and the up coming election. I suggest that we begin to make time for holy silence, outside time, and periods of being away from cyberspace. I urge everyone to stop posting and sharing anything relating to the candidates and re-focus energy towards Standing Rock, the least of these, and all of our family members.

Tonight let us engage in the "Be Stills"

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know .
Be still.
Be.

After we do this as many times as we need to let us try it again with our eyes closed and incorporate deep breathing.

We open our time together by making vigil and smudging!

Anthem at the Candle Lighting (from the BOOK OF OCCASIONAL SERVICES)

You, O Lord, are my lamp; *
my God, you make my darkness bright.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.
You have been my helper:
My God, you make my darkness bright.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
You, O Lord, are my lamp;
my God, you make my darkness bright.


V. Let my prayer be set forth, O Lord:
R. As incense in your sight.

A Smudging Prayer

 Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we 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. Amen.

A Song of Wisdom Sapientia liberavit

Wisdom 10:15-19,20b-21

Wisdom freed from a nation of oppressors *

a holy people and a blameless race.

She entered the soul of a servant of the Lord, *

withstood dread rulers with wonders and signs.

To the saints she gave the reward of their labors, *

and led them by a marvelous way;

She was their shelter by day *

and a blaze of stars by night.

She brought them across the Red Sea, *

she led them through mighty waters;

But their enemies she swallowed in the waves *

and spewed them out from the depths of the abyss.

And then, Lord, the righteous sang hymns to your Name, *

and praised with one voice your protecting hand;

For Wisdom opened the mouths of the mute, *

and gave speech to the tongues of a new-born people.

A Song of Christ’s Goodness

Anselm of Canterbury

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you; *

you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.

Often you weep over our sins and our pride, *

tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.

You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds, *

in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.

Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life; *

by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.

Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness; *

through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.

Your warmth gives life to the dead, *

your touch makes sinners righteous.

Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us; *

in your love and tenderness, remake us.

In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness, *

for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

Here are a series of prayers from other blogs to use as we pray during this time of prayerful discernment for our nation.

For our musical meditation let us listen to a few protest songs sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary Mix

Think about what the words of these wonderful songs are saying to you and your heart home
Now let's take time to mediate on what voting and our founding mothers and fathers, Sojourner Truth,  Martin Luther King, John Adams, Johnathan Myrick Daniels, Medgar Evers, Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, Thomas Jefferson, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela,Malala, Mahatma Gandhi, and all those who have fought for justice throughout the world mean to us.  Who are your favorite protesters?  What do they mean to you?


Let us pray in the Key of Jesus and Ring the Bells of  El Camino Real for those who fought for  and are fighting for justice, peace, and equality. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Martin Luther King Jr. and his witness to all of our family members who were longing for justice in this their distant home and land that we take for granted. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Mahatma Gandhi who taught us how to protest non-violently Help us to follow Your and His Model  and use our words  to make peace and cry out for the voiceless.
We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray  and give thanks for all who gave their lives in the Stonewall riots to help pave the way for LGBTQ rights and the rights of those who are afraid to live authentically. May we see God in each of us who are in the LGBTQ community, who are family, allies, and friends , be enfolded into the mainstream community with out fear and labeling. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and all of our sisters who fought for the rights of women so that they would no longer be property but full and perfect members of  society and examples of citizenry to their sons and daughters. We pray that all of our sisters may have full protection and rights securely given them. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for all of our family members who were interned in the Japanese inte

rnment camps at Manzanar and Santa Anita. We pray for their contributions to our society and ask for their forgiveness for the wrongs we may have done out of fear and mistrust. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for the witness of all our Native and Indigenous Martyrs who were here in their homelands of origin in this country We pray for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done to them and remember the trail of tears that took them away from places they call home and became refugees in strange and distant lands. We remember this night all of our family members who are refugees. We pray that they may one day return home as You , Mary, and Joseph left Egypt for Nazareth. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Malala and all children who speak truth to power. We pray for all our children that they may be protected from harm. May all of our youth look to Malala for hope and a role model of what one child can do. We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for Cesar Chavez and all those who fought for the farm worker and for the rights and protection of those who put food on our tables We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for those who have died in the struggle for justice, equality, inclusion, and universal human rights.We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for all the many witnesses that we have not named but you know them all may we remember them now_____________________________We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

Jesus we pray and give thanks for this night especially for ________________________

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Justice for all of our family members now.

We pray this in the Key of Jesus! Ring out the Bells of Forgiveness,Justice, Peace, Human kindness, and most especially love,  for all of our family members now. We pray this in the name of Jesus who came to unite us in love, forgiveness, and serve to and speak  for  the least of these. Amen. 



+++

Tonight let's meditate on the words unity and love. Take your time and find your way into the center and stay there. Be in conversation and listen to 

what God is saying.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God to help us promote healthy bodies, minds, and spirits not only in our lives but as as good citizens.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God  to seek peace in everything we do.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls O God, to love and care for the least of these.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O  God, to strive for justice, peace, and equality throughout all nations of the world and in our own country.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O God, that we may learn to love and care for the refugee, victim of violence, and human trafficking.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts and souls O God that we may care for all who  are in mourning and those who have died.

Open our eyes, ears hearts and souls O God to help us fight injustice and oppression.

Open our eyes, ears, hearts,and souls O God to come to you when we are in need of help and comfort.

Open our eyes, ears,hearts and souls O God to Pray for all those who are ill and in need of your healing. remembering_________________________

Open our eyes, ears, hearts, and souls that we may lift up our prayers and thanksgivings to you O Lord . Amen.

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Dear God we pray on this election day eve that we may be good citizens and take time to vote tomorrow.

May we view voting as a sacred privilege not to be squandered but prized.

May we educate ourselves on the various issues and pray for your guidance  in these matters and that we always remember the least of these and those who are on the margins especially for those whose rights may be violated and not made equal to that of our own.

We pray for our leaders at all levels of government.
We pray for our courts and the judiciary.

We pray for all governmental agencies at the local, state, and national level.

We pray for all new citizens who will be voting in their first election.

We pray that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you O God and may justice roll down.

We pray that our voices may be as we vote and may we remember the voiceless who can't vote.

We pray for all lawyers, paralegals, court clerks, bailiffs, sheriffs, justices of the peace, law enforcement personnel, judges, District Attorneys and all those who help administer justice in our land.

We pray for those who work in our prisons and jails. We pray for prison reform and those who are in prison.

We pray for compassionate immigration reform. 

We pray for peace in our country and and end to violence of any kind.

We pray for an end to human trafficking and abuse.

We pray for the protection of our most vulnerable family members.

We pray for peace in all troubled and war torn areas of Your World O God. Take time in this time of silence to call these places and situations to mind.

We pray for all those who have asked us to pray for them and others on their behalf. 

We add our own prayers, thanksgivings, celebrations, and remembrances_________.

God we lift up these prayers to you in your Name. Amen.

****************

Have a blessed night dear family! I love you, you matter, and I'm blessed and give thanks that we are family!

With love, prayers, peace, blessings, and thanks for you always,


Sara

Let us now praise the least of these, Standing Rock, and all who are striving to make a difference.

Good Evening Dear Ones!

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday. We as a community are approaching 199,000 page views. I give thanks to go for you and our time today. Today we are going to make this a holy day in thanksgiving and remembrance for the least of these. We are the least of these. and our recent addition of Stories from the window tells us this. As we continue to pray for and stand in loving solidarity with a wide range of diverse family members we must love one another and the most important thing in loving one another is this, WE MUST STOP THE HATE AND DIVISION. Tonight I want us to spend time in prayer and vigil for the least of these as a kind of additional All Souls day. Our focus must never stray from the least of these and our solidarity must be solid and  true.


Tonight I would like us to meditate upon this passage from the 44th Chapter of Sirach . Take your time and let this soak in. 

44 Let us now praise famous men,
and our fathers in their generations.
2 The Lord apportioned to them[a] great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
3 There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
and were men renowned for their power,
giving counsel by their understanding,
and proclaiming prophecies;
4 leaders of the people in their deliberations
and in understanding of learning for the people,
wise in their words of instruction;
5 those who composed musical tunes,
and set forth verses in writing;
6 rich men furnished with resources,
living peaceably in their habitations—
7 all these were honored in their generations,
and were the glory of their times.
8 There are some of them who have left a name,
so that men declare their praise.
9 And there are some who have no memorial,
who have perished as though they had not lived;
they have become as though they had not been born,

and so have their children after them.

10 But these were men of mercy,

whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;

11 their prosperity will remain with their descendants,

and their inheritance to their children’s children.[b]

12 Their descendants stand by the covenants;

their children also, for their sake.

13 Their posterity will continue for ever,

and their glory will not be blotted out.

14 Their bodies were buried in peace,

and their name lives to all generations.

15 Peoples will declare their wisdom,

and the congregation proclaims their praise.

Let us light our candles, smudge, make vigil,  and be at prayer!

A Smudging Prayer

 Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.

Grandfather Great Spirit
All over the world the faces of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out of the ground
Look upon your children that they may face the winds
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spririt
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand, and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives to all that live.
 - Sioux Prayer


God we pray this night that we may lovingly stand in solidarity with the least of these and have the courage to care for them even though others may look down upon us.

God we give thanks for the least of these who teach us many things and give us courage to live lives that we would otherwise not be able to.

God we pray this night that we may continue to pray and be in loving solidarity with the water protectors.

God we give thanks for all water protectors and those who proactively conserve the natural resources in God's Cathedral of Life.

God we pray for all of our family members who are facing violence of any kind may they be protected and that they may be steadfast models of  right behavior.

God we give thanks for the courageous ones who meet and see violence  every day and seek to speak truth to power and do not shrink back in to fear but forge ahead as social justice advocates.

God we pray for all who are ill that they may receive from you the healing that is in your plans.

God we give thanks for illnesses that teach us how to live, move, and just be.

God we pray for all who are striving to make a difference in this fragile and broken world. May we join them as servants in making peace, being a voice for the voiceless, and that we may help fight against hatred and injustice.

God we thank you for the peacemakers who are making this world a better place.

God we pray for all who have entered into the the Thin Places today and for their loved ones who have now begun to grieve their loss.

God we give thanks and remember the living, the dying, and the dead.

God we pray this night for peace in the words of this Native American Prayer.

A Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.

 - U.N. Day of Prayer for World Peace 2

God we pray that our words, deeds, and thoughts may be cleansed and that all that we do may be acceptable to you. 

Words That Speak 
 

The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of 
forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, 
for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man 
for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild 
sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged.... 


Out of the Indian approach to life there came a great freedom, an 
intense and absorbing respect for life, enriching faith in a 
Supreme Power, and principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equity, 
and brotherhood as a guide to mundane relations. 


You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, 
and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, 
and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have 
heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. 
The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in 
circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.... 


Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always 
come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle 
from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power 
moves. 

-Black Elk (Oglala) 1863-1950





Let us again be at prayer.

God of all comfort be with us who mourn that we may feel your loving arms around us.

God of all comfort help us to serve and come to the aid of  the least of these.

God of all comfort heal all those who are ill and infirm.

God of all comfort help us us to reach out to the lonely and the lost

God of all comfort help us to be kind and loving to all children who are having a rough time this time of year.  May we  show them that we understand and care and are willing to listen to them without judgement. 

God of all comfort help us to listen with ears of the heart, mind, and spirit.

God of all comfort we pray for peace in your fragile and broken world.

God of all comfort we pray for everyone who has been a victim of violence and abuse of any kind.

God of all comfort help families who need to learn to be loving, compassionate , show loving kindness and warmth. 

God of all comfort help us to lovingly respond to all  of our family members.

God of all comfort we add our prayers for ourselves and those on behalf of others especially____________

We pray these prayers and offer them in the Name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Teach us love, compassion and honor ... that we may heal the Earth and heal each other." - Ojibwe

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Good night dear ones! I love you and give thanks to God for you this day and always.

With love and blessings,

Sara

PS. Here his the link to the compilation of the prayers, vigils, and blogs in solidarity with Standing Rock. A compilation of prayers and blogs in Solidarity with Standing Rock.

A compilation of prayers and blogs in Solidarity with Standing Rock.

Good Morning.

Happy Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday. We have been asked by The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. to pray wherever we are at 12:00 Noon in Solidarity with Standing Rock. Here is a compilation of the links to the blogs and prayers we have been using in Solidarity with Standing Rock.

Prayers for Standing Rock and a time with Native American Prayers in solidarity and with love for all indigenous peoples

Time for a virtual prayer vigil to stand with Standing Rock and each other.

Standing Rock and a Story from the Window.

A vigil in solidarity with Water Protectors at Standing Rock

A simple All Hallows Eve Vigil in remembrance ! Our first time praying the names of the Orlando 49 and others on All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day a Day to Speak and pray the names of many who have left their mark. A modern litany of saints.

The sorrows of the heart on this All Souls Day!


The lengthening of days and Stories from the window!


Embracing one another as family members of God.


I look forward to being with you later in the day for another blog. Keep your prayers up and your spirits light.

With love and blessings,

Sara