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Sunday, May 07, 2006

Island Meditation

God’s my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.
Psalm 32:7 (the Message)

Along the island shore, I walk with uneven steps.
Rocks and shells and wind and sun,
And thoughts and soul,
And God . . .
Unite.
~dho

Friday, May 05, 2006

Shelter of His Wings

Let me live forever in Your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of Your wings!
Psalm 61:4 (NLT)

Faithful Father,
You are our firm foundation, the Truth on which we build our lives. There are times whenYour Glory shines from the snow covered mountain tops, from the sun-reflected oceans, from the starry night skies. There are times when Your Glory cannot be seen through foggy mornings, through stormy afternoons, through dark clouds. There are times when Your Glory seems lost in the empty silence, in the path-free wilderness, in the endless uncertainty. Yet, at all times You can find us. You are the unspoken beauty in everyday, the unseen in every hour, the unknown in every moment. Because You love us so unconditionally, You find us in all the unlikely places the world takes us. It is in the moment that You reach out for us, that we become aware of our needs. It is in the moment that we reach out for You, that we become aware of Your presence. In such holy moments, You hold us, wrap us in Truth and Light.
Oh, Father, I pray my soul will never forget these holy moments. Faithful Father, that You always find me where I am, restores and renews my longing for You. Let me wait quietly for Your holy whispers. Amen.
~dho

Everything comes from Him; everything happens through Him, everything ends up in Him. Always glory! Always praise! Romans 11:36 (the Message)

Monday, May 01, 2006

God Almighty

Genesis 43:14 [ Jacob's Prayer] ~ I pray God Almighty will cause the governor to be merciful to you and that he will allow Simeon and Benjamin to come back with you. If I am robbed of my children, then I am robbed of them.
El Shaddai -
You are the God of Possibility. Protect us
from ourselves. Show us Your Grace, for we are
incomplete without You. Release us from our prisons
of doubt and fear and disappointment. We surrender
our desires to your Divine Intentions for us. In the
name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
~dho

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The Cross

"Christ Jesus came to earth for one reason - - to give His life as a ransom for you, for me, for all of us. He sacrificed Himself to give us a second chance. He would have gone to any lengths to do so. And He did! He went to the cross, where man's utter despair collided with God's unbending grace. And in that moment when God's great gift was complete, the compassionate Christ showed the world the cost of His gift." (from Max Lucado's book The Gift for All People)

Friday, April 07, 2006

GRACE

Lent has provided us time to empty our souls of the unnecessary so that we might be filled with the essential. In the moments when we found ourselves most barren, we discovered what Edna Hong called "a passionately felt need for grace." Philip Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace, ends, "When grace descends, the world falls silent before it." Holy Father ~ We come to You full of the world and empty! Our human hearts cannot offer Perfect Love. Our finite minds cannot comprehend Eternal Glory. Our barren souls cannot know Everlasting Peace. Father, reveal our needs. Fill our hearts with Your Desires. Fill our minds with Your Wisdom. Fill our souls with Your Joy. In Your Holy presence, when grace descends ~ let us fall silent! "Let it be to me according to Your word."** Amen. ~dho (**Luke 1:38)

In the Temple

Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) wrote The temple God wants to be master of is the human soul, which he created and fashioned just like himself. We read that God said, “Let us make man in our own image.” . . . He made each soul so much like himself that nothing else in heaven or on earth resembles him as much. . . God wants the temple to be pure, so pure that nothing should dwell there except he himself. And that is the reason why he is so pleased when we really prepare our souls for him.

“Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were buying and selling there.”
Matthew 21:12

Eckhart continued If Jesus is to speak and be heard the soul must be alone and quiet. And what does Jesus say when the soul has been cleared? . . . He reveals the Father’s majesty with unmeasured power.

“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, all the city was filled with excitement. The people asked, “Who is this man?’
The crowd said, “This man is Jesus, the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:10-11 (NCV)

As Holy Week begins, allow Jesus to enter the temple, clear the soul. Listen for the Father’s majesty with unmeasured power. ~dho

Monday, April 03, 2006