LIBERATION FROM MATERIALISM – Peter Marshall

A Prayer written by Peter Marshall (passed on from Jim and Marie Watt)

LIBERATION FROM MATERIALISM

Forbid it, Lord,

that our roots become too firmly attached to this earth,

that we should fall in love with things.

 

Help us to understand that the pilgrimage of this life

is but an introduction,

a preface, a training school for what is to come.

 

Then shall we see all of life in its true perspective.

Then shall we not fall in love with the things of time,

but come to love the things that endure.

Then shall we be saved from the tyranny of possessions

which we have no leisure to enjoy,

of property whose care becomes a burden.

Give us, we pray, the courage to simplify our lives.

 

So may we be mature in our faith,

childlike but never childish,

humble but never cringing,

understanding but never conceited.

 

So help us, O God, to live and not merely to exist,

that we may have joy in our work,

In Thy name, who alone can give us moderation and balance and zest for living,

we pray. Amen

 

Praying in the Streets of Halifax

by Richard Long,

Here’s a great report from a bunch of folks in Halifax who are taking prayer to the people.

From 24-7 Prayer Canada

Church amongst the People

  Jesus got downright venomous with religious leaders who put obstacles between people and God.  I believe that He would be cheering on loudest those who make a point of connecting people on the outside with Him. 

 “What are you doing out here?”

 Late Saturday nights in Halifax, Nova Scotia now sits a corporate type tent in the middle of the city’s public square with a few beach chairs, some lights and a sign that says “How can we pray for you?”  The time and place are strategic as the city is well known for abundant night life, with partiers starting at the bottom of the hill, on the harbour, working their way up the hill, from bar to bar, as the evening progresses.  Parade Square sits in the middle of the progression, within earshot of one of the most notorious of the bars.  It is nicknamed the Liquordome.  No kidding.

 My house shall be called a house of prayer

 There at the tent are a team of volunteers.  Not a big team, mind you,…  … but a handful of volunteers ready and willing to pray for matters trivial and weighty.  Each prayer made at the request of a passerby includes not only the matter at hand, but also a petition that God would reveal Himself to the person in their life and through the situation.  Their act of requesting prayer taken and offered as an invitation for God to work in their life.

 Read the rest of the report …

Innocent Prayers from Kids

by Richard Long,

  This YouTube comes courtesy of Alpha Canada resources.

 

 

Amazing Answer to Prayer for 40 Days for Life

by Richard Long

(Following on with yesterday’s theme, let’ s pray for the Queen Charlotte Islands and also the city of Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory today, that the Lord would bring a revelation of his son to them in this special season.)

Today I want to encourage your hearts with an amazing answer to prayer.  This story was publicized on The Drudge Report (possibly the most popular website on the whole internet) yesterday.  That’s getting the word out!

Most of you know that today is the last day of the Forty Days for Life campaign, so this is one of the best stories of answered prayer coming out of that effort.

Here’s the opening paragraphs from the Lifesite News website.

“By Kathleen Gilbert

BRYAN, Texas, November 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The director of the Texas Planned Parenthood abortion mill where the 40 Days for Life campaign began has resigned, saying she experienced a conversion after watching an ultrasound video of a child being killed by abortion.

“I just thought I can’t do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that’s it,” said Abby Johnson in an interview with local news network KBTX 3.”

Read the whole story here.

Celebrating All Saints Day with St. Benedict

  by Terry Long

              Who said that the ancient mystics didn’t know how to party?  One of their favorite feast and celebration days was All Saints Day on November 1st each year.  They acknowledged a joyful day where they joined with all the saints to celebrate the Lamb of God.   The Monastic Diurnal according to the  ancient Rule of St. Benedict celebrates All Saints Day every year (for the last 1400 years)  with these words at the Lauds hour of prayer in the morning:

         ”Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord.  And be joyful all ye that are true of heart.  Let the saints be joyful with glory.  The     glorious company of the Apostles praise thee, the goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee, the white-robed army of Martyrs praise thee; with one heart and voice do all the elect acknowledge thee;  O blessed Trinity, one only God.

      O Almighty God, who has knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in  the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord;  Grant us grace to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou has prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee.  Let the righteous rejoice before God.  Let them also be merry and joyful.   Blessing, and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honour and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever. ”

Let the Feast begin!!

My Glorious Enough

My Glorious Enough – Ruth Harms Calkin

Oh, how I love You, my Lord

But not enough.

How I hunger and thirst for You

But not enough.

How I rejoice in Your inimitable goodness

But not enough.

Pour Yourself lavishly, dear God

Into every vacant hollow

Into every cluttered chamber

Of my longing heart.

Free me from every shallow substitute

From every hidden pretense

Until I shall know

With deep, consuming conviction

That You are Glorious Enough.

 

The Real Thing – Miranda Suddards

by Miranda Suddards (from the Nazarite Call Blogsite)

There have been a few things washing around in my spirit lately. Five weeks as a Nazarite, and I am wondering what “intercession” really is. We’ve had a level of teaching, which is a privilege to receive. I’ve learned more about government than I have ever known. We have had so much fun – more than I could imagine.  Shrieked with laughter and been moved to tears by friendships.  We have become family – built up a spiritual house of living stones, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

And yet what are those ‘acceptable sacrifices?’  How do we ‘do’ intercession?  I’ve never liked the word – it always seemed slightly pompous to me. My construction upon it probably, but I think Jason Upton gives us a stream of truth through his songs.  For me, he catches it.  I don’t think its about  us talking to God about what we want to pray about.  Its not even God talking to us about what He wants to pray about, although, this is better than the first. I think its about being willing to come to Him empty and weak.  With nothing.  Unable.  Knowing, as Marc Dupont says, that God is the great I Am, and we are the great are nots.

Read the rest of this blog …

by Richard Long,

   Most of us Canadians are enjoying time with friends and family this Thanksgiving weekend.  Our family were able to enjoy a morning service at Burlington Alliance Church with some good friends today, which incorporated some great teaching, spontaneous sharing, and a Communion time that felt like a true “eucharist”.

(You knew that eucharistos in greek means “thanksgiving”.)

There is an excellent new book by Margaret Vissers that was published by Harper & Collins in 2008 titled The Gift of Thanks.  If you want a thorough study of this attitude of gratitude from a sociological viewpoint, this will be a treasure vault of ideas.

Here’s the description on the book jacket …

“Whether her subject is the food on your dinner plate or your table manners, Margaret Visser has been able, in five award-winning works of nonfiction, to uncover and explain the intriguing and unexpected meanings of everyday objects and habits. Now she turns her keen eye to an exploration of another custom so frequently encountered that it often escapes attention: saying “thank you.” What do we really mean by these two simple words? What are the implications of gratitude, and why are we so enraged when we meet its opposite?

This fascinating inquiry into all aspects of gratefulness ranges from the unusual determination with which parents teach their children to thank, to the difference between speaking the words and feeling them, to the way different cultures handle the amazingly complex and important matter of giving, receiving, and returning favours and presents. Visser illuminates the fundamental opposition in our own culture between gift-giving and commodity exchange, and the similarities between gratitude and its polar opposite, vengefulness. The Gift of Thanks considers cultural history, including the modern battle of social scientists to pin down the notion of thankfulness and account for it, and the newly awakened scientific interest in the biological and evolutionary roots of emotions.

In Margaret Visser’s hands, gratitude becomes a key to understanding many aspects of everyday behaviour. Enlightenment is drawn from folklore, mythology, and fiction, as well as from common customs such as the wrapping of gifts, Remembrance Day ceremonies, and the “paying” and receiving of compliments. With her engaging combination of curiosity and erudition, Visser once again reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary.”

Special Prayer Request for Wanda Fost

by Richard Long,

If you’ve met her, you will never forget her! 

Wanda Fost is loved all over the nation as a fun-loving, prayer-warrior woman.  She lives in St. John’s NFLD and has among many other things, recently launched a House of Prayer in that province.  She regularly brings teams from the east coast to intercede at our facility in Ottawa.  She has prayed in pretty well every other corner of this nation.

Today Wanda is in the hospital.  She has been there for the last couple of days and is very sick.  Would you consider saying a prayer of blessing over her life today?  We need this dear woman to be raised up again, full of health and energy.  Hundreds of her friends (and you may already be one of those lucky people) are standing together asking the Lord in His mercy to heal her and put her back in the saddle.

New Nazarite Blogs … “Pray What?”

There are 3 more entries from our new Nazarites over at their dedicated blogging site.

Here’s the latest by Natalie McIntyre …

Pray What?

“Because we Nazarites have come to serve at NHOP, it should be safe to assume that we all feel called to prayer.  However, while I do feel the passion to pray, I’ve been struck with the realization that so often I just don’t know what to pray. I know that I’m not alone in this as the disciples had a similar problem.  In Luke 11:1 Jesus’ disciples ask him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” I think the disciples got it right – they knew their prayers weren’t what they should be, so rather than ignoring the problem they took their question to Jesus. It is after this question that Jesus shows them how to pray through what we know as The Lord’s Prayer.

Now the disciples were very fortunate – when they had a question, they could just walk up to Jesus and ask him. Things are a little different now. Or are they? Isn’t it true that we as Christians have the ability to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).  So, if we have a need and don’t know how to pray into it we can ask the Holy Spirit to “teach us how to pray.” If we want to talk to God, but are blanking on what to say, we can be honest and ask the Holy Spirit to lay on our hearts what is on God’s heart. Isn’t that what we want to do when we pray – not pray our will, but pray that God’s will is done? And how do we know God’s will? We ask!

This is what I have been challenged with over the last couple weeks – putting aside my agenda and my plans for prayer so that I can pray ”your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). When I pray, I want to seek the Father’s heart, so that my prayers are in alignment with what he is trying to accomplish. In order to do this, I must develop a greater intimacy with him. As I get to know God better, it is easier for me to know what is on his heart, so that I can agree with him in prayer. In Matthew 6:33 (the same chapter where the Lord’s Prayer is recorded), Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” There is so much in this world to distract us, but God wants us to come to him in deep relationship, seeking him first.”

Natalie

If you would like to read the other entries by other Nazarites go to The Nazarite Call Blog.