Just want to share with you some of my favorite prayers from the Book of Common Prayer. These prayers have made me love "rote" worship and repitition - aka the liturgy. They form the soul and just say things so much better than I can. These are my best of the best.

Confession of sin:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

For the Care of Children:
Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For young people:
God our Father, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

In sickness:
Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant [name], and give your power of healing to those who minister to her/his needs, that she/he may be strengthened in his weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the Morning:
O Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us safely to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity, and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At noonday:
Blessed Savior, at this hour you hung upon the cross, stretching out your loving arms: Grant that all the peoples of the earth may look to you and be saved; for your tender mercies' sake. Amen

At night:
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

For mission:
Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us in thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of thy Name. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thanksgiving:
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A prayer of 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 Prayer of St. Chrysostom:
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen

God answers prayer.

I think we Christians have lived with this truth so long that we are unaware of the scandalous nature of this statement. I mean, think about it.

The Being who created you has created BILLIONS of other people on this planet, not to mention the billions who lived for thousands of years before you ever existed. And this planet is just one little rock in the midst of billions of other pieces of rock in a vast universe. Whoever created all that is huge and powerful beyond all imagining. And you think this Being cares about your petty little concerns? Give me a break. What kind of fantasyland do you live in anyway?

For centuries pagan peoples lived with the view of the gods as powerful, remote and capricious. They offered prayers and sacrifices in hope against hope that the immense and powerful gods who created their incomprehensible world would somehow pay attention to their pleas for good crops and health for their families. Sometimes the gods listened, sometimes they didn't.

And now, here you are all fat and comfortable in the 21st Century telling me you believe that the Being or beings who created this world care about your sniffles? The fact your car isn't working? Or any other little triffle in your life?

I know it's crazy. But this is just what the Bible says -- in the God who revealed Himself to the Israelites on Mt Sinai, in the god-man who revealed in his life and death the self-giving nature of his love, and in the testimonies of all the prophets and teachers throughout the Scriptures. This immense Being has every hair on our head numbered and, like our earthly Fathers, really cares about our little stuff.

Yes, I believe God answers our prayers. And, you may be right- I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic like me that God is looking for. Hallelujah.

The end of July is the last Sunday we will be at Apostles and then we go back to Iowa to visit our old church. Tying up some loose ends before casting the net out in a different direction.

Our new congregation, St Patricks, has its own blog now --complete with various colors of green. Too bad there's not a sound feature available - I could record a greeting in my lucky charms guy voice - "Welcome to St Patricks" --with lilt and all for everyone who came to visit. Below is what I wrote yesterday for St Patricks blog. It's nice to know people are praying for you.

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It's 6 am and I am waiting for the coffee to brew so I thought I would go ahead and get one TO DO taken care of for today. Let me just start by saying that I think whoever invented the feature on the coffeepot where you can get your cup of coffee and don't have to wait for the whole pot to finish brewing should be sainted. Or at least given a really big award. I would probably establish a shrine or something if I knew who it was. Well, okay let's not get carried away, if I see this inventor in heaven, I am going to give him or her a REALLY big hug and say thanks from the bottom of my heart.

My husband has been bugging me to go to our new St. Patrick's blog and post something. I hope y'all aren't expecting anything too spiritual because what I am writing is about the best I can do at 6am. It's Monday and I have an exhausting week ahead of me. Just thinking about it makes me want to get back in bed and curl up in a fetal position. This week is VBS at Church of the Apostles. So every evening will consist of running home from work, grabbing dinner, meeting my family at church, running around and having fun all evening and then rushing home putting the kids to bed and then collapsing myself. I am excited for the kids but it is going to be tiring!

Then there is work. Each day will be filled with trying to make progress on report that is overdue at work amidst all the other things I am on deadline for. I feel like I am carrying a weight on me at work that will not go away - I feel guilty for spending 5 minutes for talking to a colleague - I don't have minute to spare when I am at the office - there is just too much to do. This is no way to live but the only way through it is through it.

I think it's pretty clear that I am not mentally prepared for the week ahead of me. Nor the next few months of church planting life really. So I come to Jesus today with empty hands and am asking him to give them strength and purpose. It is a minor miracle I am asking for. Please pray for me. I am really tired right now -- I know it's 6 am and I haven't finished my coffee - but besides that I really feel overwhelmed by all the tasks at hand. Thanks for your prayers.

I hope Peter isn't sorry now that he asked me to blog on St. Pat's website. That'll teach him. ;-)

Trudi