Sunday Blessings: Awake and Breathe

Writer Maria McKee has a song called 'Breathe '

in which she presents

an offering of herself to Christ.

I will let you breathe through me

I will let you be with me...

My heart beats your blood;

your breath fills my lungs.

The Lord enabled Mama, Sonia and I

to do small acts of kindness

for the people who bear a grudge against us

and hurt us before they

left for a summer trip

this morning.

I know God will change

their hearts if they

listen to His voice.

We awaken in Christ 's body

As Christ awakens in our bodies...

and everything that is hurt,everything

that seems to us dark, harsh, shameful,

maimed, ugly, irreparably

damaged, is in Him transformed

recognized as whole, as lovely.

and radiant in his light.

-Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022)

Storm Tossed

Since the past few days I have felt like a storm tossed boat dealing with
hurts
hostility
sadness
anger

Mama, Sonia and I have taken a battering
mentally
emotionally
and spiritually.
Our faith is being tested.
Goliath looming large on the horizon is challenging the servants of God. A spirit of strife wants to rip us to pieces.
Sometimes I feel as if I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
Please pray for us.

These verses give us courage and strength

Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

1 Peter 3:9

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1 Peter 1:4-7 (New International Version)
4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin

(Hebrews 12)

Prayer needed.