Category Archives: Let us Pray

Links to daily prayer with occasional comments

Let us Pray

Prayer, Thursday September 3, 2015

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St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Thursday – The people of Bondeau, Haiti, especially Pere Phanord, the school teachers and medical clinic volunteers, for our Cursillo community.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

From Psalm 37:

4Take delight in the LORD, *
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.

5Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.

I used that text in giving the Baccalaureate address for my oldest daughter’s graduating class at her high school. Hard to believe it was 12 years ago! While I am sure (if they were listening) those in the audience liked the “God will give you your heart’s desire” part, what I tried to zero in on was the “Take delight in the Lord” phrase which precedes it. It looks to me like a cause and effect.

How do we take delight in the Lord? What do you think? I think once we figure that part out, then our heart’s desire might shift, shift to something the Lord would love to give us. And sorry Creflo Dollar and other Prosperity Gospel preachers, it has nothing to do with material things.

Today I am praying about how to delight in the Lord, more and more each day.

Let us Pray

Prayer, Wednesday September 2, 2015

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St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Wednesday – Paul’s Place after school program and the St. Paul’s Day School

From Psalm 38:

14I have become like one who does not hear *

and from whose mouth comes no defense.

15For in you, O LORD, have I fixed my hope; *

you will answer me, O Lord my God.

16For I said, “Do not let them rejoice at my expense, *

those who gloat over me when my foot slips.”

17Truly, I am on the verge of falling, *

and my pain is always with me.

18I will confess my iniquity *

and be sorry for my sin.

19Those who are my enemies without cause are mighty, *

and many in number are those who wrongfully hate me.

20Those who repay evil for good slander me, *

because I follow the course that is right.

21O LORD, do not forsake me; *

be not far from me, O my God.

22Make haste to help me, *

O Lord of my salvation.


Those who are my enemies without cause. What an interesting phrase in this Psalm which speaks of one facing grave danger and much persecution. Enemies without cause are the most difficult to understand. I find myself relating well to this passage today. Make haste O Lord, make haste.

Let us Pray

Prayer, Monday August 31, 2015

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Monday – Children, youth, and family ministries of St. Paul’s and those who teach and work with our youth. Our music program and choirs.

(click Prayer Instructions for links to Morning or Evening Prayer for today)

My focus on the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this past week has been challenging, exhausting, and fruitful. Saturday and Sunday I preached on Katrina and gave presentations to the congregation after each service. I am grateful to the outpouring of love and support from the people of St. Paul’s, and for reconnecting this week with many of the people who were a big part of our lives in the months and years after the storm.

Today it was good to get up early and read Morning Prayer. These words from Psalm 25 were perfect for what I needed to hear following a difficult week:

3Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.

4Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.

Stay tuned to the blog, I will post a link to my sermon and to the video slideshows I used in the presentations. In the meantime, let is remember – God’s love and compassion are from everlasting.

Let us Pray, My Main Blog

I need your help

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I have not neglected my prayer time, just my prayer blog. I apologize for not posting for a couple of days. But instead of posts on the Daily Office readings, for a few days going forward I am going to post some thoughts about Katrina, with the 10th anniversary looming on Saturday and a named storm out THERE with my current location right dead center of the “cone of uncertainty”, I think it’s appropriate.

For those of you who weren’t part of St. Patrick’s, I want you, REALLY WANT YOU, to read the words I am linking to below. It is a reflection by my friend Bruce Colville, who discovered us at Camp Coast Care and moved from volunteer to staff, lending his heart to us in life changing ways. Bruce, as you will see, is a brilliant writer and captures our first anniversary of Katrina service so well, far better than I could.

Let me set the stage, then encourage you to follow the link. Our church sat right on the beach highway (Beach Blvd or Highway 90), four lanes of concrete that seperated the church building from the man-made sand beach and the Gulf of Mexico. The church occupied the front part of about 8 beautiful acres of land. Behind the church was a creek and across the creek was St. Patrick’s Park, which the church had allowed the city to maintain as a green space. There was a walking track and a baseball practice field, and at the north end were two buildings where we housed our youth ministers and where our youth group met. The park was shady and beautiful and included an outdoor chapel – a few benches (pews) and an altar under the trees.

On the first anniversary we gathered at the outdoor chapel. Across the creek, we could see where the church buildings once stood, now covered in nature’s green, only the footings remianing. Sunday the 27th we gathered there, joined by our Bishop, Duncan Gray III, my deacon, Lynne Hough, and I led worship which included baptism of two children (as Bruce says, of course, baptism – let’s reclaim water as a sacrament instead of a destructive force) and Eucharist and also healing prayers with the laying on of hands and annointing with oil by myself and the Bishop. It is a day I will never forget.

Would you do me the favor of clicking the link and reading Bruce’s words? Then let me know in the comments what thoughts are triggered by them.

God bless and thank you. Here is the LINK.

Let us Pray

Sunday, August 23, 2015

St. Paul’s Cycle of Prayer – Sunday – Clergy, Staff, Wardens and Vestry and the Rector Search (click HERE to read the Rector Search prayer)

There is something magical about sitting quietly on this balcony in the early morning. The sun has not yet risen, yet the sky is beginning to lighten in the east, where although I cannot see or hear it, I know, less than a mile away dawn is breaking over the vastness of the Atlantic, waves strumming the heartbeat of God in swells small and large, eternal, beautiful, powerful. I look across at the condos nearby and not a light is on to disturb the darkness, only the promise of the sun.

It’s Sunday, y’all. I hope you are going to your place of worship today. If you don’t have one, and you live in the Delray Beach area, we would love to see you at St. Paul’s.

And since it is Sunday, I leave you with Canticle 21, my favorite and one most appropriate for the Lord’s Day. Blessed Sunday to all.

Canticle 21 You are God

Te Deum laudamus

You are God: we praise you;

You are the Lord; we acclaim you;

You are the eternal Father:

All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;

Father, of majesty unbounded,

your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,

and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,

the eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free

you did not shun the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death

and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

bought with the price of your own blood,

and bring us with your saints

to glory everlasting.