+ The Good Life

A Prayer of Confession

Lord, replace my blindness with Your vision

My deafness with Your healing voice

My insensitivity with Your understanding

My sinfulness with Your love. Amen.

(Marion Wright Edelman)

Jesus is Calling Sarah, Patti, you and me!

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, first published in 2004, offers a gentle and comforting daily devotional experience. I discovered this book soon after it was released and found its reflections to be like sweet love letters from Jesus, filled with words of encouragement, peace, and guidance drawn from scripture.

Each entry is concise and fits easily into a busy day, yet carries a depth that invites deeper contemplation. The book fosters a closer connection with Christ, offering a sense of God’s presence in everyday life.

A friend of ours, Patti Smith, recently shared how Jesus Calling has had a meaningful impact on her life. Despite knowing that Jesus is always present, she found herself needing reminders of His closeness in the midst of life’s challenges. As she put it, “He is with me when I’m in the car, when I am at dinner, when I’m walking on the beach, when I’m with friends, He is there to help me And give me comfort. And as much as it makes me sound a little silly, because you’re always told that God and Jesus are with you all the time, it has not always been easy for me to remember that With all the challenges of life that have come my way (Like driving north on 101) 😬”

Sarah Young’s warm and intimate tone throughout the book makes Jesus Calling a unique addition to devotional literature. Whether used personally or shared as a thoughtful gift, it’s a source of daily inspiration for anyone seeking to nurture their spiritual journey.

Prayer as an Entrance into Love

This poem by George Herbert, titled Love (III), beautifully portrays the gentle and inviting nature of God's love inviting us to prayer:

Love bade me welcome:

yet my soul drew back,

Guilty of dust and sin.

But quick-eyed Love,

observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,

Drew nearer to me,

sweetly questioning

If I lacked anything.

When I read this poem as an invitation to prayer, it reminds me that despite our feelings of unworthiness or guilt, God's love is always welcoming and ready to embrace us. The image of Love sweetly questioning the soul about its needs reflects God's desire for a deep and personal relationship with each of us, where we can bring our fears, doubts, and needs into His presence.

A Prayer for those under Medical Care

Mighty and merciful God,

you sent Jesus Christ to heal broken lives.

I praise you that today

Please send healing in doctors and nurses,

and bless those under medical care.

May we claim your promises of wholeness

as we pray for those who are ill in body or mind,

who long for your healing touch.

Make the weak strong,

the sick healthy,

the broken whole,

and confirm those who serve them

as agents of your love.

Through you may all be renewed in vigor

to point to the risen Christ,

who conquered death that we might live eternally. Amen.

(Adapted from Worship Book)

 

 

 

Thank God for the Little Things

Thank you, God, for little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted
but don't mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy,
The thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to touch us
in the time of sudden need.
Oh make us more aware, dear God,
of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never dreamed of places.