Eliza's Prayer Box

A Short Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation

2012-01-12T04:09:00.002Z

Lord, give us all things that are joyful and bring people together as opposed to things that bring pain and separation. Let those who are at home be merciful to those who are strangers and those who are rich be generous to those who are poor. Let our words and deeds bring peace and comfort through the Holy Spirit. Mend broken relationships and straighten love and faith in ourselves and our neighbours. For you are the father of the orphan, the protector of the widow, the friend of the stranger, the help of the poor and downcast. Let our life reflect your unconditional love as the river reflects the sun. For you are our hope and in you alone we put our trust now and forever.

Amen

A Short Prayer of Thanks

2011-12-16T23:18:00.000Z

Lord, we praise you and we thank you for the wind that blows in our souls… the wind of the Holy Spirit carrying your whispers to us from eternity. For each trial through which we keep our longing for you unscathed. For being and remaining ever the same, even though our imperfect eye often distorts your image. For becoming wound for us to heal our wounds. For not leaving us hungry and frozen in the cold, but warmly inviting us all to your dinner table. For, by your living, you sanctified life. By your dying, you conquered death. By your suffering, you gave a meaning to suffering. By your loving, you showed us the true measure of love. For becoming a spring of living water in our hearts, so that we no longer have to thirst again. For you will complete the work you've started in our lives.

Amen

The Royal Way

2011-12-06T12:03:00.001Z

When people hate you and despise you
And distort every word you say,
Don’t fight or curse them, don’t get even,
Forgiveness is the royal way.

When burdens are too hard to bear
And pain knocks down your house of clay,
Don’t moan, don’t give in to despair,
Endurance is the royal way.

When you see suffering and fear,
When others turn their face away,
Tend to the wounds and wipe the tears,
Compassion is the royal way.

And whether you meet kings or beggars,
Great saints or sinners gone astray,
Serve all as if they were your brothers,
Humility’s the royal way.

Whatever this world has to offer,
And in your journey come what may,
You’ll conquer all if you remember
That Jesus walked the royal way.

Don’t Let Your Love Grow Cold

2011-12-06T11:58:00.000Z

When conflict’s in the air
And hatred rules the world,
When no one seems to care,
Don’t let your love grow cold.

When people curse and scream
And tragedies unfold,
When hope seems just a dream,
Don’t let your love grow cold.

When clouds darken the sky
And evil calls good old,
When everyone cries “why?”,
Don’t let your love grow cold.

When faith crumbles like glass
Remember we’ve been told
These things will have to pass,
Don’t let your love grow cold.

And even if they tell you
There is no God above,
Cling to your highest value.
Fear not and choose to love.

Our Greatest Treasure

2011-12-06T11:52:00.001Z

You taught us not to be afraid,
And what great strength we found in you!
Today, when all things have been said,
Your words are still so deeply true.

You promised you would be with us
And never let us walk alone.
Now, when two thousand years have passed,
Your faithful promises still hold.

For us you prayed, you cried, you died
Though mercy was your only crime,
Now, after all things have been tried,
Your love still stands the test of time.

Kingdoms and rulers come and go,
And nation rises against nation,
But when most things have said their ‘no’,
Your ‘yes’ is still our sweet salvation.

The world is older, but no wiser,
As we move closer to the end,
But when we seek you in our trial
Today, as always, you’re our friend.

Today we fly across the sky
And we invent the world anew,
But when it’s time to say goodbye,
We still have no one left but you.

We dream and learn, and go astray,
We gather riches beyond measure,
But when all things have had their say,
You still remain our greatest treasure.

Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

2011-08-17T17:42:00.003+01:00

A prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I 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

Short Prayer of Surrender

2011-05-20T14:21:00.000+01:00

Father God, to you we give everything we've got, everything we are. We already belong to you, but we surrender ourselves again, so that we can honor you with our choice just like you honored us with the gift of free choice. Help us use this gift wisely - always as a return ticket to you, for whom our hearts long, who gave us life and being and in whom our souls can find perfect peace. Amen

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Prayer for God's Strength

2011-05-20T13:11:00.004+01:00

Lord God, it is in our weakness that your strength shines through, for nothing reveals your power more than the way you deal with our brokenness. For you do not discard what the world has discarded and you do not despise what the world has despised. You take the broken vessels and put the pieces back together and you fill them with living water until they overflow, and from their abundance they quench the thirst of many souls. Father, because you love us in our weakness and your love never fails, let your strength in us be our foundation for a new life and a new beginning. Ground us in you, so that from you we can draw our nourishment and never become hungry again. AMEN

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The Prayer of Jesus for Us

2011-03-12T15:40:00.000Z

From the series "Bible Prayers" or "Famous Prayers in the Bible"

Nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus prayed for us. In actual fact, he was the first one who prayed for us, long before we were born into this world. Even if no one else had ever prayed for us ever since, his prayer would still be enough. All we have to do is acknowledge it, recognize it is for us and ask God to listen to it.

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

John 17 (NLT)

Prayer for Financial Blessing

2011-03-11T10:52:00.001Z

Note: Many people have requested prayers for financial blessings and help for coping with financial difficulties. This prayer is for them and for all those who turn their eyes to the Lord in their time of need.

Great God of love and mercy, you know not only the depths of our hearts but also every situation and turn of circumstance in our lives. You know your children who are struggling with financial difficulties, inability to pay their debts, unemployment, frustration for not being able to provide for their families, and painful uncertainty as to what tomorrow might bring. You know their tears and their prayers and none of them is forgotten before you.

For all these people I pray, and especially for those who read this prayer and feel it is for them. Bless them, Father, bless them with prosperity and abundance, so that their heart can rejoice and be grateful. Bless them with a miracle, so that they can praise you wholeheartedly and tell everybody what an amazing God you are. Take the burden of worries and struggles off their shoulders, so that they can enjoy and share the full blessing of having a perfect Father like you.

Lord God, you know each and every one of those whom I am praying for. They are your children and you love them dearly. Provide for them and for their families. Provide in wonderful ways, for you are a God of miracles and the source of all goodness. Bring before them the right people and the right circumstances so that they can get the help they need and make best use of the gifts you have given them. Bless them generously, for out of your infinite richness you give and your treasures never end.

Lord God, look upon your children who are struggling with financial problems, look upon the person who is reading this prayer right now, and provide for their every need. Work in their lives in ways full of power, in ways that reveal your glory and love. For wherever you outpour your blessings, there is fulfillment and every good work is made complete.

Do not let your beloved struggle for too long, for you delight in being good and giving good gifts to those who seek you. Do not let anyone in need walk away from this prayer without fruit, without a positive change in their lives. Let their voices be heard. Let their faith be rewarded. Let their tears of frustration and sorrow turn to tears of gratitude and joy. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN

Jonah's Prayer

2011-03-09T20:55:00.002Z

From the series "Bible Prayers" or "Famous Prayers in the Bible"

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, "I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

“I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Jonah 2:1-10 (New Living Translation)

Prayer for Overcoming Temptations

2011-02-23T19:58:00.000Z

Lord God, you know the temptations I'm facing. You know how they weaken my will, distress my heart and wound my conscience. For my temptations make me so painfully aware of my own weakness that sometimes I find it difficult even to come before you in prayer, knowing how unworthy I am of your goodness.

But you are a God of love and forgiveness, a God of strength and hope, and our faith in you is our rock in times of trials. That's why I lift my eyes to you and I pray with David: "From the end of the earth will I cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

Though the waves of temptation threaten to overwhelm me, bear with me, faithful God, strengthen my heart and sharpen my will until the storm passes and the sea is calm again. And even if I stumble on the way, do not let me fall, but stay by my side until all my stumbling blocks are torn to pieces and I can find peace in my soul again.

Just like you were with your son Jesus in the wilderness, be with me in this trial and use this temptation for my growth. You have the power to turn even evil into good. It's not in my own strength, but in yours I trust, my Lord. This is your battle, not mine. Fight it for me and let me rejoice in your victory.

AMEN

Prayer in time of Depression, Doubts and Confusion

2011-02-23T12:17:00.001Z

Father God, in this world of conflict and confusion, my mind is torn apart by questions and doubts that steal my sleep at night and rob me of my peace during the day. But you are my light, the One who lights my flickering candle and keeps it burning. You know all the darkest corners of my soul, the things I try to hide even from myself, and you love me as I am. The stench of my sins did not drive you away from me, but you filled my heart with a strong desire to be healed and a deep longing for you.

That's why I come before you today and I pray with all my heart: show me the way out of this labyrinth, don't let go of my hand, so that even if I walk through a dark tunnel, I can still feel the warm touch of your hand guiding me. You are the light that gave light to my eyes, the love that gave love to my soul. In you I lack nothing, in you nothing can harm me, in you my victory is complete. Bring me to you and keep me by your heart.

Father, I know I am weak. My weakness is my pain and my torment. I can feel it every day, it's like a poison coming from inside and I am so weary of fighting it. But I am yours and that is my only consolation, the thought that gives me rest and strength to carry on. I am yours and to you I pray: Father, take care of what is yours. Take this burden off my shoulders, don't let me carry it alone.

I have put my soul in your hands, keep it safe. Release me from the grip of my own mind, protect me from my own destructive thoughts. I cannot do it without your help. You have walked this way of thorns yourself and you have carried the cross until the end. Help me do the same and never forsake me. You alone know what lies ahead. Remain in me, so that I can overcome the world and taste the joy you have prepared for your beloved.

In the name of our beloved Jesus Christ.

AMEN

Prayer for Guidance and Meaning

2011-02-17T05:36:00.003Z

My Lord, to you we surrender our souls and everything we've got, guide us safely to a place where love casts out all fear. Fulfill your work in us and bring your kingdom in our hearts. Stir us and awaken us from our deep sleep and help us remember who we really are. I do not ask you to take away every pain and worry in our lives, but to show us their meaning and with every new meaning, to help us love you even more. I do not ask you to grant us our every wish, but to bring us to a point when our wishes coincide with your will. Keep our candle burning in any weather and never let us forget what a great treasure we have in you. Amen

Prayer for Worry and Anxiety

2011-01-21T23:17:00.005Z

Dear Lord, my worries overwhelm me and their burden presses hard on my shoulders. The future seems clouded in uncertainty and any attempt to predict it fills my heart with painful anxiety. But you know all these things, Father. You hold the strings of my life. That’s why I turn to you and I place my present and my future in your hands. Take the burden of my worries off my shoulders and renew your love in me.

You have taken care of me so far and you have protected me from all devastating evil. You’ve fulfilled my needs and comforted me in every pain and trial. Today I put before me the words of your Son, Jesus Christ, who told us not to worry, for nothing happens on earth or in heaven without your knowledge and your will. Let me never forget this lesson and live my life in accordance with it.

When I look at my past with the eyes of the present, I realize how much suffering I would have been spared of, had I listened to these words and followed your advice. I know it is too late to change what has already been but, starting from this moment, I choose to put everything in your hands and live as you want me to – in faith, hope and love.

I know that sometimes I will be tempted to fall back to my old ways and the spirit of fear, worry and anxiety will try to take possession of my soul once more. In those moments of grievous temptations, remind me I am yours and bring me back to you. Never let me forget that I am a new man in Christ, that in him my soul has peace and salvation - heavenly treasures that nothing and nobody can take away from me. Help me to live my life in the light of this truth and never let anything separate me from your love.

AMEN

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

2011-01-17T21:14:00.000Z

by George Matheson

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Prayer for Christmas

2010-12-25T09:36:00.000Z

Heavenly Father, we come before you at this special time to thank you, above all else, for the One who gives meaning to Christmas, for your most precious gift to us - your beloved son, Jesus Christ. We thank you because he came into this world of suffering and death to set us free, to transform us from slaves of fear to children of love and heirs of eternity.

Help us understand and never forget the true meaning of Christmas, so that we can rejoyce and spread your light to those in desperate need of it. Once again, we surrender our life to you. We put all our worries, needs and longings in your hand. Stay with us this Christmas.

Work in us and through us in ways full of power and wonder. Fill our lives and the lives of those around us with hope, peace, joy and love. Free us from the daily run for survival and bring magic to our celebration.

Help us forget our differences and arguments, heal our old wounds and bring us all together in unity and harmony. Fill us with the spirit of Christmas - a spirit of giving, sharing, joy and compassion.

Let us spread and share the good news not only through our words and actions, but also through our thoughts, attitudes and feelings, through our whole being.

Help us fill our little corner of the world with the light of the Holy Child born in Bethlehem.

AMEN

Dream High

2010-09-30T11:55:00.003+01:00

A poem by Eliza Wilson

Some dreams are too cheap,
Some hearts are too small,
Dream high, wide and deep,
Give all to gain all.

Forgive when it hurts,
Let go when you cling,
Be free like the birds,
And joyful like spring.

Hold God in your heart,
And make love your treasure,
Be light in the dark
And give without measure.

There is a Light

2010-09-29T14:59:00.003+01:00

A poem by Eliza Wilson

There is a light that shines upon the light,
There is a day no night could ever hide,
There is a sea to which all rivers run,
There is a Father waiting for His son.

There is a dream for which all dreams athirst,
There is a last that is before the first,
There is a song where silence holds its breath,
There is a life above all life and death.

There is a heart that every heart calls home,
There is an all that knows, yet is unknown,
There is a One for which the many ache,
There is an eye forever wide awake.

There is a Love that kindles love in all,
There is a tear for which all tears fall,
There is a timeless core where time can hide,
There is a Bridegroom waiting for His bride.

Just Because You are My God

2010-09-28T21:46:00.000+01:00

A poem by Ignatius of Loyola

Oh, my God, I want to love you
Not that I might gain eternal heaven
Nor escape eternal hell
But, Lord, to love you just because you are my God.

Grant me to give to you
And not to count the cost,
To fight for you
And not to mind the wounds,
To labor and to ask for no reward
Except the knowledge
That I serve my God.

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

2010-09-28T15:14:00.002+01:00

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

AMEN

Prayer in Times of Spiritual Dryness

2010-09-27T14:19:00.005+01:00

My Lord, I’m completely dry inside but I know that even out of that dryness you can bring fruit. Even if my soul is a desert and my thirst is not quenched, I know you haven’t abandoned me. So out of my wilderness, I raise my voice and my heart to you, not to make my will known, but to surrender to your will, not to get what I want, but to learn to be open to what you want for me.

I know, my Lord, that you can grow trees out of rocks and flowers out of sand, that nothing is impossible to you and there is no evil that you cannot turn into good if you will so. Take me to that point of perfect faith when I can surrender to you wholeheartedly even if you choose to hide your face from me. Help me trust in your almighty hand even when I cannot feel its warm touch, for I know you are faithful to your words and you will not abandon those who seek you in honesty and persevere in their love for you.

Use this time of trial and aridity to break the boundaries of my weakness and plant the seed of your strength in me. Let me die to my self, so that I can be born again as a new being filled with your spirit. Teach me the power of love that conquers all and overcomes all and keeps burning in spite of all the storms that try to extinguish its flame. Give me eyes to see the first signs of the dawn while the night is still dark and ears to hear the faint whispers of hope in the midst of the greatest silence. I ask you that in Jesus’ name.

AMEN

Prayer in times of trials and temptations

2010-08-21T14:17:00.001+01:00

My Lord, this is by no means an easy battle for me. I am taken deep within my soul to places I’ve never been. I am forced to face my worse fears, to confront my darkest demons. But I do feel your presence even as I walk through these valleys of shadows. And even when I don’t, I know you are with me, holding my hand through it all, and I am safe.

Dear Lord, do not withdraw your light from me. Do not let the winds and the rains put out my flickering candle. All my life I have been trying to guard it as the most precious treasure I could ever have. Let your Holy Spirit be the flame of my candle, so that no storm can put it out.

I know this path I’m walking is not one of happiness, but one of trials, temptations and suffering. I also know it is for my own evil deeds I have to go through this. Let me pay whatever I’ve got to pay and learn whatever I’ve got to learn, but don’t leave me alone in this battle. Be with me all the way to guide me and comfort me through the grace of your son Jesus Christ.

AMEN

2010-08-06T12:07:00.003+01:00

"Let nothing trouble you,
let nothing make you afraid.
All things pass away.
God never changes.
Patience obtains everything.
God alone is enough." (St. Teresa of Avila)

Dreaming of Siberia

2010-07-27T17:49:00.000+01:00

Ever since I read Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, I have been dreaming of a place that for most people is mainly associated with extreme weather, heavy snows and prison camps. Siberia. A place in Russia situated between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. A land of endless snow and ultimate coldness. A scary place. At the end of the novel, the protagonist, Raskolnikov, confesses his crime and is sent to a Siberian prison for punishment. Sonia, his girlfriend, follows him because she had promised to follow him up to the end of the world.

Siberia has got a special significance for me. I often dream of it at night and secretly long for it during the day. It means so much more than all the things that make people dread it. It is the land of endless snows and heavy frosts, but also a land of redemption, the symbol of a fresh start, of a new life and a new beginning. Although associated with prisons and exile, it is, in a way, a symbol of freedom. Spiritual freedom. The freedom Christ has promised us. “The truth will set you free”.

It is the centre of the labyrinth, where we suddenly realize the monster we’ve been chasing is within ourselves, but also a chance to defeat that monster, to prove we are stronger than it.

It is about reaching a higher spiritual level, free from the chains of guilt and remorse, from a tormented conscience and a torn heart. The point when we become a new being, as pure as Siberian snow. The wind might roar, the frost might bite, but nothing compares to the liberating feeling in our hearts, the revelation of divine love within us.

In the middle of his punishment, Raskolnikov found the three most precious things in life: peace of mind, true love and a reason to go on. The endless white has turned into a symbol of the infinite, reminding us that, although we are limited as human beings, we can overcome our limits and follow that deep longing inside telling us to go further and deeper.

Siberia is the symbol of suffering, but not a destructive suffering. One that builds us and takes us to new spiritual levels. It reminds us that God has astounding way of reaching to us, and suffering is one of them.

When I was studying the methods of teaching in college, I came across the idea that the key to improving and learning is setting your goals a little higher than you can reach. Pushing further, trying to exceed your limits is the best way to find out who you are and what you’re capable of.

To someone used to the modern western philosophy, this might sound weird. We have been taught to seek the easy way out. But the shortest route is not always the best. We talk about exotic islands, palm trees and people lying on the beach. Yet, each one of us carries a Siberia inside.

Short Prayer for This Morning

2010-07-10T06:30:00.001+01:00

Lord God of all, thank you for this brand new morning, when everything seems so pure and fresh and another chapter in the book of my life is ready to unfold.

Open my eyes to see your greatness, open my ears to hear your voice, open my heart to surrender to your will and my mind to learn and understand your truths.

Make me a part of your great plan. Take me to places and situations where I can grow in faith and love and to people in whose lives I can make a difference. Use me to bring comfort and inspiration to those in need.

Amen

Prayer for Those Who Cry

2010-07-09T13:26:00.000+01:00

My Lord, thank you for the gift of tears, for with tears comes surrender, and only in surrender can your work be made complete in our hearts. Please bless all those who cry and be with them every single moment of their journey, every step of the way. Hold their hand and when the pain becomes unbearable, carry them in your arms and let them find peace in your comforting embrace.

Take them to a point where they can grasp the hidden meaning of their tears; make them mature enough to see the whole picture and understand that everything works for their good and even bad things and situations are a blessing in disguise. Turn every tear that falls from their eyes into a drop of living water, cleansing them and setting them free. Teach them that surrendering to your will is the only real treasure they can have and help them grow in this understanding, so that they can let go of all the false treasures they are clinging to.

Let each and every one of their tears be a gate into new dimensions of faith, hope and love. Turn them into real people, with their hearts widely open and ready to receive your blessings. Make their faith stronger, so that it can turn their tears of pain into tears of gratitude and overwhelming joy. Let their heart be set free from all their worries and torments.

Blessed are those who can cry, for no flower ever grows in a dry desert and the soil needs rain to turn the seed into a tree. Let our tears water the soil of our hearts and make it fertile for the good seeds we bear within. And when the flowers bloom, and when the trees bring good fruit, let us remember you and the wonderful ways in which you work in us.

AMEN

The Candle

2010-06-30T17:17:00.002+01:00

She woke up one night, her eyes were in tears,
She felt cold inside, tormented by fears.
The thick woolen blanket would not keep her warm.
The wind seemed to carry the seeds of a storm.

She was on her own, with no one around,
She trembled and jumped at each little sound.
Old nightmares rose from the mist of the past
To fill her with terror: “This night is your last”.

She tried to be brave, but a voice in her head
Was screaming in anguish: “Give up! You are dead!”
A sense of negation was sinking in all
The forces of darkness were huge; she was small.

“My Lord, I am frightened, will this be my end?
I’ve no one to save me, no lover, no friend.
My dreams come to haunt me. It’s all déjà vu.
I’m so lost and lonely. My Lord, where are You?”

She looked at the candle, its flame seemed to say:
“My child, don’t be frightened, I won’t go away.
No demon can touch you, to Me you belong.
No evil can harm you, with Me you are strong.

You see? It’s so simple. Just look at the flame.
The shadows are shifting but I am the same.
Wherever my light is, the darkness is gone.
For never can darkness and light be as one.

When one is within you, the other’s no more
One walks in, the other walks out of the door.
When dawn fills you deeply, the night falls apart,
For never can both be contained in a heart.

Just keep the door open and let my light in
No demon can face Me, out there or within.
Your candle is burning, there’s nothing to fear,
Just call Me, beloved, and I will be here.

The darkness seems endless, but it is not so.
Its trick is to make you believe it won’t go.
But once you have called Me, its power is lost,
When summer is blooming, there’s no room for frost.

When faith says its prayer, no demon can stay,
For night cannot cover the light of the day."

Prayer for Inner Change

2010-06-30T09:29:00.000+01:00

Father of all, true living God, ever-loving, ever-forgiving, open the door of our hearts, so that they can be filled with your love up to the brim. Your love is light and wherever light is, darkness cannot be. Let your love flood every corner of our being and cast the shadows away. Clean us from inside and let the outside be a reflection of our inner transformation. Let our light shine like a candle in the night, silently testifying to the new beings we have become.

Let us be born again, not to death, bondage and decay, but to freedom, truth and everlasting life. Let our hearts be pure like those of little children, overflowing with trust and surrender. Dear Lord, teach us to be guided by your will every moment of every day and night, let your Holy Spirit work in us and through us to achieve miracles for your glory and the benefit of our neighbours.

Change us in wonderful ways, in ways full of power, beyond our imagination, beyond our wildest dreams. For you are so much greater than our hearts, so much wiser than our minds. Take us to new realms of peace and joy, to new dimensions of love and faith, to a place where our trust in you is so strong that we can move mountains.

Take us further than we ever thought we could reach and teach us never to be afraid, for you are always with us, in life as well as in death, here and beyond, forever and ever.

AMEN

Prayer of Surrender

2010-05-19T17:26:00.007+01:00

My dear Lord, wherever you take me, I will go. Wherever you lead me, I will follow.

In your loving hands I put my life, my heart and my mind. Let nothing separate me from you. Let no one take me away from your sweet embrace. Let nothing stop me from surrendering to your will every hour of every day and night.

Let your love be my candle in the dark. Let your constant presence be my strength.

Teach me how to live and how to die. And above all, teach me how to love with a love in which there is no worry or fear, a love that defies death because it springs from the Creator of life himself.

AMEN

New Prayer Requests Blog

2010-04-30T17:25:00.004+01:00

Due to the increasing number of prayer requests sent to Eliza's Prayer Box, I have created a new blog dedicated exclusively to your prayer requests. The address of this blog is http://your-prayer-requests.blogspot.com.

Please use the form provided on the blog to submit your prayers and prayer requests and take a moment to pray for other people in need of help and support. Thanks and God bless you.

Love & blessings,

Eliza

Prayer for Peace

2010-03-16T23:06:00.005Z

My Lord, every day we hear news of violence and war. We witness aggression beyond words and cruelty that sickens the soul. Our hearts long for peace and bleed for those whose precious life is lost or marked forever in futile conflicts and useless fights. We are told peace is a utopia by those who adopt cynicism as a way of life and hide their own shattered dreams behind a scornful attitude. But our eyes look up to you and our soul seeks you in the darkness of the night. We dare to hope against all hope because we are yours and we know your love is stronger than death.

Lord God, our loving Father, to you we turn and we pray: bring comfort to a world in flames, heal the wounds of so many bodies and mend the spirit of so many broken hearts. Dry the tears of pain and bring tears of forgiveness in the eyes that are too dry to cry. Help the victims forgive their persecutors and teach the persecutors to seek the way of love, in which there is no terror and no judgement. We see that, sometimes, even the people who are meant to represent you are judgemental, prejudiced and unforgiving. Open their hearts and teach them that you are greater than their thoughts.

Help us all find our peace in you and teach us to reflect your unconditional love in all our thoughts, words and actions. Give us the strength not to pay evil with evil or hate with hate, but to love our enemies and find the hidden beauty in any human being. Help us cross the barriers that divide us and realize we are all your children. Make us love each other in faith and truth with an ever redeeming love.

AMEN

2010-02-28T20:28:00.001Z

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." (Victor Hugo)

Prayer for the Restless

2010-02-25T17:56:00.007Z

My Lord, you know the pain and the torment of every heart, have mercy on those who seek you without knowing it and long for you without realizing.

Stretch out your hand and invite them to your dinner. Show them how close you are to them and how easily they can find you if they open their hearts.

Fill them with your peace and love. Comfort their troubled souls and heal their hidden wounds.

Show them how to love you, so that they can find the strength to love themselves and their neighbours.

Don't let any of them be lost, but go looking for them like the good shepherd and bring them home.

Carry them in your arms, comfort them and make them feel your blessings every day.

Bring them from darkness to light, from the cold endless searches to the warm certainty of hope-giving faith.

AMEN

The Serenity Prayer

2010-02-21T20:47:00.005Z

The Serenity Prayer is a short inspirational prayer written by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the 30's. Niebuhr wrote it with the intention to integrate it in one of his sermons and initially gave it no title. Later, it became known as The Serenity Prayer and it inspired lots of people with its power and wisdom. It is still one of the most popular and appreciated prayers of our time.

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen."

Reinhold Niebuhr

Short Prayers for Strength

2010-02-21T20:07:00.002Z

For all who need refueling to face the battles of life, here are two short prayers for strength that I hope you'll find useful.

Lord God, you are my strength. Hold my hand in my weakness and teach my heart to fly. With you, there's nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. Hold me tight in your embrace, so that I can be stronger than the challenges in my life. Amen.

When the problems of this world try to drag me down and the angry waves of life go over my head, I turn to you, my Lord. You are my rock, my place of refuge and my hope. Never leave me alone in the battle. Protect me from my weakness, free me from my fears and give me strength to carry on. Amen.

Related Posts
Prayer for God's Strength
Prayer for Strength, Hope and Faith
Prayer for Strength

Prayer for Parents

2010-02-19T21:02:00.003Z

Almighty and most merciful God, who in Your infinite goodness have committed us unto the charge of loving parents, who are to watch over us and provide for all our wants of body and soul, we pray to You, protect and prolong their life, that we may continue to enjoy their loving care, and strengthen us that as obedient children we may be subject to their will and hold them in love and esteem; through Jesus Christ, our Lord Amen.

From Little Folded Hands. Prayers for Children

Short Prayers for the Sick

2010-02-19T20:41:00.006Z

These short prayers for the sick are taken from the collection Little Folded Hands. Although it was initially designed for children, this collection contains many prayers that can be used by grown ups, too. After all, we are all God's children and we talk to Him like we would talk to a loving father.

The prayers in this book were written in old English, so I took the liberty to make little adaptions or replace some old terms with their modern version.

I hope you'll find these simple and heartfelt prayers useful and that they will comfort you and your loved ones in times of sickness and trials.

O God, from whom all blessings flow,
I lift my heart to Thee;
In all my sorrows, conflicts, woes,
Dear Lord, remember me. Amen.

*****

Dear Father, Your child is sick. Look upon me in tender mercy, and if it is Your will, raise me up and grant me health and strength. Amen.

*****

Heavenly Father, it has pleased You to visit me with sickness, I know that You are too kind and good to send me anything but for my blessing. Help me to bear my illness and grant that I may soon recover, through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

*****

Lord, gracious God, I cry to You,
Still bless me with Your favor,
Forgive my sins, and let me live,
Your child remain forever.

You have redeemed me with Your blood,
You are my only Trust and God
In every need, my Savior. Amen.

*****

Lord Jesus Christ, my best Physician, I come to You in my sickness. I pray You to look upon me in tender mercy. Send Your guardian angel to watch over me and soon make me well. Amen.

*****

Lord Jesus, look down from heaven upon my loved one (name) and soon make her (him) well again. For You can do all things; hear my prayer! Amen.

*****

Other refuge I have none;
My helpless soul hangs on Thee:
Please never leave me alone,
But support and comfort me.
All my trust on You is stayed,
All my help from You I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing! Amen.

Short Prayer for Today

2010-02-19T19:30:00.006Z

Now I awake and see the light;
Lord, You have kept me through the night.
To You I lift my voice and pray
That You will keep me through the day.
If I should die before it's done,
O God, accept me through Your Son! Amen.

From Little Folded Hands. Prayers for Children (adapted for modern English)

Lord's Prayer in Latin

2010-02-15T11:08:00.005Z

I can remember one of the first things I've been taught during the Latin classes, apart from the noun declensions and verb conjugations, was the Lord's Prayer in Latin. It wasn't hard to learn by heart and it seems to have sunk in quite well, for I can still recite it today as I did then. It seems to me that Pater Noster (Our Father in Latin) is one of those things that, once you've learned, you won't easily forget.

Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Prayer for Today

2010-01-21T22:36:00.001Z

My Lord, today is just another day of my life, but like all the other days I’ve left behind, it is a precious gift from you, for which I’m thankful. I know you’ve been with me ever since I was born and you’ve never abandoned me. Even in my mother’s womb, I rejoiced in your gentle presence. I also know that, whatever the future has in hold for me, you’ll always be there to protect me and love me unconditionally.

Let today be another day spent with you – moved by your love, guided by your wisdom, healed by your light, transformed by your power. Let your will be done today in every aspect of my life. Hold my hand and walk me through every moment, so that I do not stumble. Teach me to rely on you and surrender to you completely. Teach me to distinguish your voice among so many voices that try to capture my attention in this world.

Let this day be a spring of joy and a fountain of peace. Take away my burdens, so that I can praise you with an open heart. Set me free from my fears, so that I can serve you with the courage of a warrior. Turn my soul into a vessel of love, so that others can drink from it and be comforted. And at the end of the day, let me go to bed with the knowledge that your love will see me through the night into the dawn of each new tomorrow.

AMEN

Prayer for a Job

2009-12-07T13:42:00.002Z

My Lord, my Creator, I believe you have a purpose for every human life. I believe you want all your children to achieve complete fulfilment by making the best of the gifts you’ve given us. You’ve endowed each of us with a unique set of talents and abilities that we can use for your glory. So many times we miss opportunities. So many times, our talents are wasted. So many times, we are in the wrong place doing the wrong things.

But from now on, I surrender everything to you and I ask you to take care of my life. Search my heart. Help me discover what I’m good at and make me grow in the things I do best. Give me the opportunity to fulfil my potential and to use my talents and abilities for the glory of your name and the benefit of other people.

By surrendering my whole life and being to you, I also surrender you my needs, which you know very well. Give me a way to fill them through honest work and commitment. Bring together in harmony my interests and the interests of the people I work for, so that we can all gain from what we’re doing. Let no one be exploited, but teach us to be kind and honest to one another and co-exist in peace and love.

My Lord, I put my prayer and my wish before you. Help me find a job in which I can make the best of what I am and I can do. But not my will, but yours be done. You know better what’s right for me and when is the right time for everything. Complete the great work you’ve started in my life.

AMEN

Prayer for the Sick

2009-11-14T22:32:00.005Z

Lord God, our light and our hope, to you we run when our body and our soul hurts, for you are our doctor and our healer, and the comforter of those in heavy grief. You know the depths of our being and with a single word you can heal us.

Have mercy, Lord, on those afflicted by illness and infirmity, on those who cannot live their life with joy because of the evil in the flesh that's tearing them like a worm day and night. Examine each of them and pour your blessings out of your never-ending spring of love.

Heal them and alleviate their suffering. Open a gate for them, so that they can enjoy the life they have received as a gift. Show them how great you are, as you have shown Job, so that their hearts can soar with joy, and they can find a new purpose and a new meaning.

Hold them by the hand every moment of their journey and when the pain is too strong, carry them in your arms as a shepherd carries a sick lamb. Give them the faith to move mountains, so that, by their faith, they can be healed and saved.

Lord, do not forget thy sick. Bring to them the people they need, so that they are never short of support in their misery. Teach them to love and to offer help and support even when they themselves need them, thus discovering the way of wisdom and love.

Give them the power to fulfill their dreams or to shape new dreams in spite of their pain. Teach them to rise above the circumstances and, through faith and spiritual strength, with the support of your love, to come out victorious in the struggle with disease and suffering.

Short Prayers Series (Coming Soon)

2009-11-13T15:33:00.006Z

I've been considering starting a new series of posts dedicated to short prayers for different needs and occasions. Short prayers have several advantages: they are powerful in their condensed form, they are deep and meaningful; they are easy to remember; they require no special preparation, they can be said at any time during the day or the night, and in any circumstances; they can be like a strong cry coming from within and making its way like a bridge of fire to the One they are addressed to.

A short prayer can consist of just one line or a few words. We use short prayers every day, sometimes without even realizing. We often say things like: "God, help me", or "God bless him", or "Lord, forgive me". When they come from the heart and not only from the tips of our tongues, they are as good as any other prayer. God doesn't require us to remember long prayers or to spend all our time on our knees. In fact, He doesn't care if our prayers are long or short, as long as they are honest and true.

If you have any suggestions or stories related to short prayers, please contact me.

Jesus said: "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:7, 8)

Quotes About Prayer

2009-11-13T10:18:00.005Z

***

Prayer travels faster than light.

***

Even silence can be a prayer, and a most powerful one.

***

Turn each thought into a prayer.

***

Contrary to what some skeptics may believe, prayer is not lack of action, but active involvement. It is not an act of laziness, but one of courage and responsibility.

***

Prayer is a river of energy flowing from your heart straight into the heart of God.

***

Prayer is a bridge over the abyss.

***

Prayer is the courage to look up when everything seems to be dragging you down.

***

Prayer is not affected by gravity.

***

Prayer is both a miracle and an adventure. A miracle, because it defies the laws of physics; an adventure, because it requires courage to believe in what you cannot see.

***

Prayer does not take you away from reality. On the contrary, it takes you to the very core of it - the heart of the Creator.

***

Learn how to pray and God will take care of the rest.

Prayer for Freedom

2009-11-06T21:41:00.003Z

Lord God, You created us for freedom, not for bondage. Let us break free from our old patterns and discover a new way in You. You taught us to look beyond our worries and struggles for a deeper meaning and a treasure that can't be taken away from us.

Help us grow in faith, love and wisdom until we are spiritually ready to receive the gift of freedom you've prepared for Your children. Hold our hand all along the way as we walk into the light of Your glory and teach us to surrender to Your redeeming love.

Teach us that in love, there is no fear and a life free from fear is a life of freedom. And as we follow You with all our heart and our soul, leaving our burdens at the feet of the cross, help us recognize Your will for our lives and fulfill it in a way that brings honour to Your name - not as slaves, but as free children.

AMEN

Prayer for Blessing

2009-11-06T16:10:00.004Z

My Lord, I kneel before You in prayer, my heart like an open book, my soul thirsty for Your blessings. Like You bless the land with merciful sun and rain and make the seed germinate in the bosom of the Earth, bless my whole being with the rain of Your mercy and the sun of Your love. Bring out good seeds of faith, hope and love and help them grow into fruitful trees.

The man who is blessed by You has nothing to fear. The man whom You bless is richer than the richest kings of the world. For Your blessings are like a spring of living water, forever flowing, never running dry. Bless me and my family and all my loved ones, so that we can feel Your loving presence everywhere, in and around us, like a warm breath of air breaking the cold winter, like a circle of light breaking the darkness of the night.

Bless me with health, comfort and joy, but above all, bless me with love, peace and wisdom, and with the strength and courage to face everything this life brings. Bless me and my loved ones in countless ways, in ways full of power and wonder, in ways worthy of Your glory. And never let go of our hands, but see us through the journey of our lives and beyond, into Eternity.

AMEN

Revelations From A Dream

2009-11-05T16:47:00.003Z

Can a dream reveal the ultimate mystery of life and death?

As Charlotte Bronte states in one of her novels, there are dreams that bring “the hue, the mien, the terror, the very tone of a visitation from eternity.” That’s exactly how my last night's dream felt like. A secret was revealed to me in a strange, but meaningful way. A secret I would like to share with you. I might not succeed in conveying its intensity and its unreal tone, but I can try to make you aware of its significance.

Sometimes, when I go to bed I put my headphones on and I fall asleep on the rhythms of music. It is always an incredible experience. Music seems to melt into my dreams, becoming one with their substance. Last night I went to sleep on Christian music. Next, I found myself travelling on paths no one has walked before, looking for an answer. As I went on deeper and deeper, I realized what the question was. What happens to us after we die? Almost in the same instant, the answer came, too, as clear as a whisper into my ear.

It was like someone said to me: “Don’t you know? It is all written there.” Nothing more. No other explanations. There was no need for any. In the glimpse of a moment, the answer started growing within me. I understood everything and it all made perfect sense.

The key to the riddle is in two symbols found in the Bible: the vineyard and the wine. What happens to us after we die is somehow similar to the process of turning grapes into wine. The difference between life and death is the difference between the vineyard and the wine. Grapes are alive, like we are alive. They are connected to the ground, they receive the sun’s blessing and the sweet touch of the rain. They are growing things.

Then the farmer picks them up from the vine and crushes them into a mixture that has little to do with the fruit of earlier days. Dying is like that. We are taken from this life, we go through moments of agony as we linger between two worlds, but in the end, we become something more meaningful. Wine is not alive in the sense a plant or a tree is, but it’s got a richer significance. Its symbolism is stronger, and so is its power of transforming both the physical and the spiritual. Wine has a great significance for Christians. It symbolizes Christ’s blood, which is poured for us to give us eternal life and fellowship with the Father. But there is no wine without the grapes having to die first.

The idea can be found in another passage of the Bible, too : “The seed you plant doesn't come to life unless it dies first.” My dream is on the same wavelength, but it uses different symbols to illustrate the truth that death is a necessary step in the process of reaching a higher spiritual level.

The Quiet Change

2009-11-05T16:44:00.001Z

What is beyond this life? What is the meaning of existence? Is death a gate to another dimension?

With every day that passes by, I become more and more convinced that we'll find out the truth in the end. This life wouldn't make much sense otherwise. In one way or another, in one form or another, we must find out the answers we've been chasing for a lifetime. There are secrets that shall be told and mysteries that shall be revealed. Everything in this universe has a meaning. Although the logic seems strange sometimes, it is there, it proves there is a huge brain behind it all, coordinating every possible aspect of existence.

The sound of rain, the trembling of the grass, the stars on the summer sky, they all tell a story... They all seem to know more than we do. And - from what we know - they don't ask questions. It seems like we are the only creatures in this universe that ask questions and for this reason the only ones who don't get an answer. Maybe the answer will come only when we stop asking the questions.

I wish I could describe the feeling that some day we shall know. It is a steady certainty that grows within me like a tree, with its roots pushing deep into the ground, stronger and stronger every day. I look around me and everything seems to bear a new meaning. New dawns are born, new mornings arise, glorious and true. The night of the world is coming to an end. The scarlet curtain stands ready to be torn.

I have dreams about the end of the world and the beginning of a new era. I have visions about things turning into something else or becoming more than they are. I am lost in a labyrinth of feelings and sensations I can't control. They are coming from within and make me see the world in another light. They are a part of me and yet so alien, as if coming from another dimension.

Every morning I wake up, I look around and say: "one day..." That day is not far off. My heart is full of joy and my soul dances like the flame of the candle in the dark. There are things I cannot see but my soul can. I learned to listen to all the voices, to all the echoes. I am not scared anymore. Life is not about fear. Death is far beyond our pale emotions.

One day I'll close my eyes and go with the flow. I can already feel the change occurring in me. Death begins with life. Death is just another word for change. The ultimate change…

When Selfishness Turns Into Selflessness

2009-11-05T16:40:00.001Z

Are people selfish by nature? If so, is there anything we can do about it? A different perspective on selfishness.

Some people believe humans are selfish by nature. According to this theory, everything we do is ultimately motivated by selfishness, even the acts that are classified as ‘selfless’ by society. Before we go any further, let me make a distinction between two different ways of understanding this concept: in everyday speech, ‘being selfish’ has a negative connotation, often meaning to ignore others people’s needs in order to satisfy your own.

However, from a psychological point of view, ‘selfishness’ simply means that, as a species, we are self-centred beings, therefore we find it humanly impossible to ignore the voice of the self. We perceive the world via our senses. No matter how hard we try, we cannot physically become somebody else. Even when we share other people's thoughts or ideas, we still see the world through our own eyes and filter reality through our own emotions.

If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that even the good things we do for others can be traced back to a deep selfish motivation. We help someone in distress because the sight of suffering causes us physical and psychological discomfort or simply because we prefer to see people happy and smiling. We make charitable acts because it makes us feel good with ourselves or because we want to pay for something we have done in the past. It is a more ‘refined’ form of selfishness and it takes some subtlety to recognize it, but in the end that’s what it is.

Selfishness in this context is not a negative concept. In fact, it is closer to selflessness that we can imagine. It’s just a question of choosing how to use it. We all have a lot to give and a tremendous potential for the good. All we have to do is focus on the positive side of the self and find the things that can make both us and those around us better, happier and stronger. If we train ourselves to rejoice in the good we do, our selfishness becomes our selflessness.

People Are Beautiful

2009-11-05T16:29:00.001Z

‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Train your eyes to recognize the hidden beauty that makes every person special and unique.

It is an exercise I've tried time and time again and it always leaves me with a positive feeling of hope and comfort. Try to imagine what a person would look like in a perfect world, in a world free from old age, disease or deformity. Try to see that person just as he or she was designed by God in the first moment of creation, when everything was at its best and the worm of decay hasn’t started its destructive work yet.

Rather than seeing a person as the result of external circumstances, try to visualize their ideal prototype, to see them as they would be if none of those circumstances had occurred. Imagine what that person would look like in an ideal world. No wrinkles, no overweight, no scars, no makeup, no tiredness, no worries in their eyes.

You will notice that with some persons it's very easy. With others, it takes a bit of effort and imagination. That is because some people are closer to their prototype than others. Some will make the task almost impossible, while others are so close to their natural unaltered charm that imagination has to play a minimum role.

Discovering the beauty behind any makeup and decay - the essence behind appearance - is relaxing and therapeutic. It's like filtering everything and everyone through your own conscience and what remains is that little something that makes every person beautiful and unique – the sparkle of life, the real thing, their evasive but true spiritual profile.

Sometimes you have very little to work with. You have to recreate that image, like an artist, out of bits and fragments: a trembling smile, a soft look on somebody's face, a sparkle in their eyes. Any of these isolated elements can become a key to that person's beauty shining from inside.

My own experience has taught me that it helps if you have a brief glance at a person, then turn your eyes away and focus on the image printed on your retina. The features become sweeter, the lines softer, and you can visualize a sort of aura that you miss when you look squarely into that person's face.

In a way you restore something reality has stolen. You put back a softness often lost in too much detail. It's an artistic work, like that of a great painter trying to capture the essence of the human soul on canvas. Only this time the canvas is your mind.

The Importance Of Developing A Flexible Mind

2009-11-05T16:25:00.001Z

Why it is important to develop a flexible mind and how you can attain this goal by aiming towards spiritual maturity.

If there's one thing life has taught me, it's that we have a lot to learn from the elastic: the more flexible you are, the less chances you have to break. When you can stretch and bend, you are more likely to resist the shocks than when you are rigid. Flexibility is one of the most important human qualities and one of the basic keywords for survival. It is what we call in common terms the power to adapt to the unexpected and adverse circumstances. Life is full of challenges that we cannot meet with a rigid heart and mind.

Some people have a natural inclination to being flexible. Without a doubt, they are the lucky ones. Others struggle to learn it after they’ve realized how important it is. And there is a third category of people who never learn and never understand. The second category deserves our admiration the most. These are often people who have to fight their natural drives and tendencies and engage in a constant battle with the self. The battle wears them out for a while but they come out stronger and spiritually enriched.

Even if nature hasn’t blessed you with a flexible mind, you can still develop it as you reach spiritual maturity. The ability to achieve spiritual growth is man's weapon against pure instinct and a way to silence the 'call of the wild' coming from within. Animals have the power to adapt, too. They possess instincts that can help them survive in a tough and unfriendly environment. But it is only man who can achieve this goal by exploring new realms of the spirit and new dimensions of the thought. It is only man who can pass beyond his tiny world of 'here and now' into the vast universe of unexplored possibilities and mysteries untold. Man is the only animal who realizes it is an animal and longs to be more.

You may ask: what does all this have to do with flexibility? The answer is: a lot. The more spiritually mature you are, the more flexible you become because your world becomes larger and larger. Life does no longer feel like a tight collar against your neck. You are no longer threatened by the dangerous and the unexpected, because your whole perspective on them has changed. There is no dangerous and no unexpected, only experiences that can make you stronger by taking you one step further on your journey to the ultimate reality.

Judging People - Arrogance or Ignorance?

2009-11-05T16:19:00.002Z

Is judging others a proof that we are missing something somewhere along the line?

So often we make judgements on people, stating that 'X is better than Y', 'Y is smarter than Z' and 'Z is nicer than T'. We assume that we know enough to decide who is good and who is bad. We take it for granted that we have the right to compare and give the final verdict. We are convinced in our own little minds of our own little truths and never hesitate to let others know of what we believe. There is a sort of arrogance in our habit of judging people that can become quite annoying. But is it only arrogance or does ignorance play a role as well?

What we don't know and we don't even bother to find out is that Y, who is so bad according to our judgements, has much more to struggle against than X, whom we appreciate as good. We often ignore the three main factors contributing to human personality: heredity, environment and education. Perhaps 'being good' is a natural gift for X, while Y has to make double efforts to achieve the same goal. Maybe if Y had been born with X's advantages, he would have done much better. But who really knows?

The point I’m trying to make is that it's very dangerous to make judgements. The quality of our lives would increase so much if we stopped this silly judging game and we became aware of our own ignorance. Experience has taught me that sooner or later I'll do the same things I judged and hated in others. Every time I thought I was better than somebody, I ended up in circumstances that made me act the same, or even worse, than that person.

Life can be very treacherous, and so can be the human mind. Some borders are almost invisible and we can cross a bridge in as little as an instant without even realizing we’ve done it. We can become the opposite of what we are in a mere second, we can go from being normal to being insane and from deep meaning to complete and utter absurdity. We can lose everything or gain everything in the time it takes a butterfly to flap its wings.

Life is a gift, indeed, but so often it is like giving a car to a child or to somebody who hasn’t got a driving license. So many times we live it without being aware of its most basic rules. Or we think we know the rules but when it comes to facing a real challenge, we realize in fact we know nothing. The other driver we judge - our fellow being, our neighbour - could be simply caught in a bigger traffic jam or drive a car that is less powerful than ours.

Before giving in to the natural temptation of judging people, we should make an effort to learn the truth about ourselves, to find our own limitations and deal with them. Only when we realize how hard it is to be how this world expects us to be and how pointless it is to try and please everybody, we can appreciate what others are doing and the effort they are putting into things.

10 Facts That Can Increase Your Self-Esteem

2009-11-03T13:34:00.000Z

Some of these statements might sound a bit philosophical but at a closer look, you’ll find they are very real. Life is a fascinating journey and the ultimate goal of any journey is learning and gaining experience. Don’t let your negative feelings keep you away from contemplating the great spectacle of life.

1. You are unique in history. There wasn’t and there’s never going to be another you. You are as unique as any great figure humanity has ever boasted with.

2. You are beautiful. People often used the wrong criteria to judge beauty. They are influenced by mass media and tend to forget what beauty is all about. Despite their many mistakes and failures, people are beautiful. Humanity is a strange race, fascinating in its fragility and you are part of it.

3. Everything you do is important. If you feel you haven’t achieved enough in your life, remember the butterfly effect. You will never know what you really achieved in the grand scheme of things and how much your most insignificant action has changed the world.

4. You are a survivor. You came into this world as a helpless baby, you struggled through the first confusing years, with so much to learn, so much to overcome. Yet you survived through all the struggles. And here you are now, reading this article on the Internet, which is more than many people can say.

5. You can read. We tend to take some things for granted and the ability to read and write is definitely one of them. You are intelligent enough to look at some weird signs that mean nothing in themselves and see a whole world of concepts and ideas. In some ages, that would have turned you into a symbol of wisdom, one of the few chosen ones.

6. You are complex. Everything you’ve ever heard, seen or felt, all the experiences you’ve been through are recorded by your brain. You are like a huge computer loaded with lots of information. Most often you are not even aware of it. But if you saw yourself from the outside and realized how complex you are, you would say a big “wow”.

7. You are rich. Think of a person you love dearly. Now think of three things you could give that person to make him or her happy. If you have found three things to give, you are very rich. If you have found only one, you are still richer than you think. Even if you can’t think of anything to give, the very fact that you thought about a person you love makes you rich, because you possess the most precious treasure a being can have - the capacity to love.

8. You are more. No matter how well you think you know yourself, there will be always things you are unaware of as far as your body, mind and soul are concerned. And as long as you don’t have the whole picture, you can’t judge yourself. It’s like judging someone you don’t know. Have confidence in the parts of yourself you haven’t discovered yet. There’s still so much to explore. One day you might be surprised.

9. You have patience. If you've got this far and haven’t abandoned this article yet, you are more patient than you think.

10. If you can understand and relate to these facts, you’ve got something else to be proud of: you have the ability to see beyond the obvious and to put things in perspective. Opening your eyes doesn’t mean only looking around, but also looking up and down, above, below, beneath and beyond.

God and Science

2009-10-24T10:23:00.003+01:00

For some of the most interesting disputes between theology and modern science, I recommend the series of articles entitled Faith and Reason, inspired by the TV programme with the same name. You will be introduced to the religious or non-religious points of view of a number of scientists on subjects like God, the beginning of the universe, the rules of quantum physics, the purpose and meaning of our existence, etc.

The ultimate question remains the same: Is there a conflict between science and religion or do they secretly support each other? Will the long-expected and well-acclaimed `theory of everything` solve this mystery or will it pose even more questions? Are science and religion two different ways of trying to explain the unexplainable? Is quantum physics a peep into God's secret laboratory? And if it is, how much more will The Creator of the universe allow us to know?

Prayer for Love

2009-10-08T10:59:00.002+01:00

God, fill us with your love, so that we can become love. Help us understand that love is the driving force of the universe and the essence of all creation. Help us understand that love is You. Touch our hearts with its warm comfort, make us stronger with its healing touch. Help us grasp the meaning of the words 'where there is love, there is no fear'. Let us live our lives in full understanding of this truth and make the best of it in our everyday experience and in our relationships with one another.

AMEN

Crossword Puzzles

2009-09-11T21:37:00.000+01:00

To introduce your word in the puzzle, click OK. To find out the correct word, click Solve. To verify yourself click Check Puzzle.

ENJOY AND HAVE FUN!!

Choose a puzzle...
Unique Animals | Bible Characters | Internet-Related

Teach Us, Lord

2009-09-11T10:43:00.000+01:00

Teach us, Lord, to be humble. To put the spirit above the letter. To give you thanks for every little thing you offer us. To thank you for the priceless gift of life.

Teach us to be faithful. Faithful to each other, faithful to ourselves and faithful to you.

Teach us to have a positive outlook on life, to see the rose rather than the thorns, and the rainbow rather than the storm.

Teach us to love and to forgive. Show us a new kind of love - selfless, kind, willing to give rather than receive.

Teach us to have no fear. Cause love conquers fear.

Teach us to dare, cause daring is the emblem of faith.

Teach us to open our eyes and our ears to the miracles around us.

And teach us to search your will in everything.

AMEN

Caramel Cream

2009-09-11T09:12:00.002+01:00

So often, caught up as we are in the cobweb of life, we forget to thank God for all the gifts He's given us. So many times we ignore the simple things, the little joys He has prepared for us. So often we take them for granted. Today I want to thank Him for something very simple and easy to make but very... delicious...Caramel pudding. It's amazing how such simple ingredients can be combined into something so special. If you haven't tried it yet, here is my recipe:

CARAMEL CREAM

Ingredients:
1 pint of milk
5 eggs
5 tbspoons of sugar + 7 tbspoons for the caramel syrup
vanilla sugar

1. Heat the 7 tbspoons of sugar in a saucepan, stirring continously until it's fully melted (it becomes brownish and liquidy). Pour the syrup in an oven-proof bowl and turn it around to coat inside the bowl.
2. Mix the milk with the 5 tbspoons of sugar and the vanilla sugar and bring it to the boiling point.
3. Beat the eggs and pour the hot milk gradually
4. Pour the composition in the bowl you coated with the caramel syrup.
5. Put water in a tray and place the bowl on the tray in the pre-heated oven.
6. Cook at 180 degrees for about 35-40 minutes (or until the composition becomes like a pudding).
7. Let it cool down a little and put it in the fridge.

Enjoy cooking it and eating it!

The Little Girl Who Wanted To Save The World

2009-09-01T13:26:00.001+01:00

The confession of a girl whose daily routine included praying for everything and everyone.

When I was a little girl, my greatest wish was to bring everything inside, where it was nice and warm. Every night after going to bed, I used to close my eyes and pray for all the people and the objects I could think of, begging God not to leave anything out in the cold. The very thought that I might have forgotten something was unbearable. I desperately tried to think of everything – people and trees, dogs and street lamps, grass and buildings, toys, cars, elephants and birds.

It was like an exercise of memory. I did it with passion and conviction, as if it all depended on me, as if it was my duty to make sure everything was fine. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes, because once the door was closed, it would never open again. There were no second chances. I had to make sure nothing was forgotten. I can still remember the anguish coming with the realization that it was humanly impossible to think of everything, that it took just a little flaw in the memory, a little gap in the mind to lose something forever.

The world was a huge place and I loved all the things and the people in it. I didn’t want any of them to be lost, no matter how little and insignificant. The night out there was cold and lonely and the wind was blowing like a restless soul, but in my room it was warm and cosy. In my room, there was love.

As I grew up, I started losing more and more. The old anguish of leaving things out in the dark has never really left me, but it took another form. Every time I lost something or someone, it kept creeping back into my soul, as sharp as a knife, tormenting me. It spoke of unknown tortures like the power of remorse, the blow of despair and the thought that, no matter how hard we tried, it was not within our power to save the ones we loved. The world became a scary place, where everything seemed out of control.

Even now, after so many years, I’m still fighting in my mind to save as much as I can of the people and the objects around me. To protect them from the wind and the cold. It is so important to become aware of things, to touch them, to love them, to redeem them. In many ways, I’m still the anxious but determined little girl who wants to bring everything inside. The thought of leaving anything out still hurts me, and so does the realization that one day the door will close forever and there will be no second chances.

My Earliest Memories

2009-09-01T13:21:00.000+01:00

The first objects and people, tastes, sounds and dreams I can remember.

My earliest memories go back to the time when I was two or three years old. The first thing I can recall is a vague, indescribable sensation that I later associated with my conscience. The best way to describe it is a huge tasteless and shapeless sea I carried inside, the virtual space where all the future shapes and concepts were going to be formed.

The first objects: My toys. The plastic bear in a pushchair. A white rubber puppy seal with a red ball on its nose. A little doll dressed in red – later my mother said it was Little Red Riding Hood. A clown lifting weights. A Chinese cyclist on batteries (my dad’s favourite). Those toys do no longer exist. Or if they do, I don’t own them anymore.

What happened to them? The bear in a pushchair: I threw it out of the window of our second floor apartment. By the time I went down to get it, it had already gone. The puppy seal (a lovely toy): I lost it on a snowy winter day. I took it with me on a sleigh ride with my mother. By the time we returned home, we realized it had mysteriously gone.

The first sounds: My mother’s high heels on the pavement – music to my ears. The fairy tales on my old vinyl disks – ‘Puss in Boots’ and ‘Diamonds and Toads’. My father’s voice singing old folk songs. The sound made by the clown when he was lifting weights – a horrible crunch. My father trying to teach me to say 'r'. A dull, repetitive sound I kept hearing in my ears after going to bed. Later I found out it was my own heart.

The first people: My mother gently rubbing my forehead when I was lying in bed with fever. My father letting me walk on his back –a good massage for his rheumatism, he thought. The two little girls next door. The younger so sweet, the elder a monster – she used to terrorize both me and her sister. The nurse coming in to give me penicillin injections.

The first tastes: the rubber taste of the teat – one day I suddenly decided I hated it. Semolina pudding. Spinach. Effervescent Vitamin C.

The first book: “Mother and child”, a huge book with red hard covers – a guide for young mothers.

The first nightmare: a man with a black hat trying to break in.

And many, many more – but I will stop here before I get too carried away. The one thing they all have in common is that they arose from the same shapeless sea... If I asked myself how much that sea had changed over the years, it would be very hard to answer. I can still feel it inside, the way it was then, but I can’t tell whether it belongs to the present or to the past, whether it is still there or it's just the memory of it haunting me from times long gone.

21 Books of Bible Crossword Puzzles

2009-08-15T23:09:00.022+01:00

Bible crossword puzzles are a good way to become more familiar with the Bible and improve the knowledge you've already got, while keeping your brain active and fulfilling your need for entertainment at the same time. This list contains 21 books of biblical crossword puzzles you will definetely enjoy solving. They are suitable for both children and adults, and can be used in learning activities, social challenges and competitions, Bible quizzes, etc. If you are both a dedicated Christian and a passionate crossword puzzle solver, you might find something here to keep you happy for a long time.

1. Bible Puzzles: Crosswords

2. The Big Book of Bible Puzzles (Big Book Series)

3. World's Greatest Bible Puzzles - Women (The World's Greatest Bible Puzzles)

4. World's Greatest Bible Puzzles - Stories (The World's Greatest Bible Puzzles)

5. World's Greatest Bible Puzzles - Men

6. Bible Crossword Puzzles: 200 Crossword Puzzles to Enhance Your Bible Knowledge

7. 101 BIBLE CROSSWORDS VOL 1

8. 101 BIBLE CROSSWORDS VOL 2

9. Bible Crossword Puzzles

10. Bible Puzzles: Crosswords

11. Classic Bible Crossword Puzzles

12. Fun With Scripture: Lectionary Word Searches & Bible Crossword Puzzles

13. A BOOK TO LEARN WHO's WHO IN THE BIBLE CROSSWORD PUZZLES

14. Bible Crossword Puzzles Daily Planner-1997 Calendar

15. Crossword Puzzles Bible Characters from the Old Testament (Puzzle Books)

16. The Complete Book of Bible Trivia Crossword Puzzles

17. Itty-Bitty Bible Verse Crossword Puzzles (Itt-Bitty Bible Activity)

18. Criss Cross Your Way Through the Bible: 40 Bible Crossword Puzzles for Kids (Little Library)

19. Chapter & Verse Crosswords and Other Puzzles

20. Bible Crossword Challenge: Big Print Bible Puzzles #23

21. Bible Quotations Crossword Puzzles

5 Things That Make This Moment Unique

2009-08-04T13:29:00.001+01:00

Have you ever wondered what makes a moment unique? What makes it different from all the other moments? Moments have a short life, they come and go, being replaced by others. But as you learn to cherish their magic, you realize that, rather than being just one among many, each moment is special and has a life of its own. Here are five tricks that can help you.

1. Look at your watch. What's the time when you're reading this? It's 7:13 PM GMT when I'm writing it. What's the date today? Probably my date is different from yours. (We share different moments and yet somehow it feels like sharing the same. We've already crossed the barriers of time.) So look at your watch and think of the current date. Now consider this: it's a combination that occurs for the first and the last time in history. And you are the witness of it. It is your combination. Your special moment.

2. Have a look around you. Where are you? What can you see? Probably a place you're familiar with. But this place has never existed in the presence of this time combination before. It is a brand new place. Your own very special place. Different from all the other places in the universe. Unique. Just like you. Can you feel the magic of “here and now”?

3. The third element that comes into the equation is… YOU. You make this “here and now” unique. If Time and Space had been enough, God wouldn't have created Man. You make this “here and now” so special. Think of what would happen to this time and space combination if you were somewhere else right now. It would die. You make it live. By being here now. By being who you are. And last but not least, by being aware of it...

4. Coming back to space now… When you looked around you, all you saw was what your eyes allowed you to see. But your knowledge and experience tell you there's much more than that. What you can see is the smallest of the concentric circles. Your mind can draw the other ones. A room. A building. A street. A city (or maybe a town, or a village). A state, a county. A country. A continent. The Earth. The Milky Way. The Universe. Maybe there are more, but we don't know them all. Now make the return journey, starting from the biggest concentric circle towards the centre of the smallest one. Can you visualize where you are? You're part of something great, something magic, something extraordinary. Think of all the other things that are happening right now in the other parts of the world. Of all the computers that are turned on. Of all the languages that are spoken. Of all the planes that are taking off or landing right now. Of all the people who are eating, or sneezing, or making love. Of all the babies who are born. Of all the people who are dying in accidents or on a hospital bed. Right this moment. Think of all the stars and the black holes in the universe. Of all the planets that are light years away from us. And think of you having the chance to live this moment, to be a part of all this, here and now.

5. To this combination of elements, you can add countless others. The more elements, the more magic. It could be the sun shining through your window. Or the sound of the rain. Or you biting your lip. It could be a fly on your monitor. Your nose itching. A thought that has just crossed your mind. A memory. The fragment of a song that's playing on your CD-player. A film promo on TV. Your cat playing with a toy mouse. The smell of your girlfriend's perfume. They are all so precious. Because they all have something in common: they belong to this unique moment in history. Your own very special moment.

Fragile Emotions or Coping with Grief and Loss

2009-07-17T09:27:00.005+01:00

I lost my mother when I was 19 years old. I was no longer a child, but that didn’t make it any easier. In so many ways, I was still the little girl longing for mom’s cuddles. Her death wasn’t unexpected, it came after a long period of suffering and confinement to bed.

When she died, everybody said: “It’s better for her there than here.” In spite of my Christian beliefs, my heart and mind rebelled against that: how can it be better there, when we don’t even know if there is anything there? At least here, she had the conscience of herself, that indescribably warm feeling inside, an array of familiar things, beings and beliefs that she could always turn to. And she had us, the people who loved her and whom she loved.

All I could see in front of my eyes was the dark grave, with the horrific chills it gave me, and the image of the body left alone in the ground to rot and be eaten by worms. How can that be better than this life?

While she was still alive, I used to think I’d never be able to get over her death. However, another thing I experienced is that in the first few days after, God gives you a kind of strength you never thought you’d have. It’s like an anesthetic. You go through the motions, you do what you have to do, but it’s like somebody else were doing it and you were just a remote witness, watching from somewhere in the clouds.

You experience what they call “third person transposition”, you become your own witness from the outside. The pain is there, but it seems remote and diffuse like everything else, filtered through a lot of other immediate sensations. The power of “here and now” becomes so overwhelming that all you can do is go with the flow.

I can remember the very moments before they put her in the grave. I knew people were looking at me, expecting to see me cry. I couldn’t. All I could do was pray in my mind that the sun came out of the clouds, because my mother loved the sun and she would have been very unhappy to know she’d been buried on a cloudy day. The sun did come out, just a few seconds before they laid the coffin in the ground. I guess that was one of the moments in my life when I felt God’s presence more than ever.

One thing I’ve learned after my mother’s funeral is that the real pain always strikes a little later, and when it does, it stays for a while, following you like a shadow for weeks, months and years to come. It becomes weaker as time goes by, but it never really goes away. The wound heals, but the scars remain until the day you die. It’s a little like rheumatism. In some days, it upsets you more than in others. And what it hurts the most are always the little things, the little memories that you didn’t even think you would remember.

That day in hospital when she looked so frail and innocent in her white woolen jumper.

The day when she was doing the washing and I was hanging the wet clothes on the rope outside, and we had such a great time together, making plans of moving to Australia, living on a farm and having a little cute kangaroo as a pet.

That day, before Easter, when she said to me – and she had tears in her eyes: “I still can’t understand why he had to die.” She was talking about Jesus.

Her little thin hands after she lost almost 50 kilograms.

That summer morning when, being already ill, she listened to the songs of the birds and cried. Later, when she was telling me about that, she explained: “I was so impressed to hear the little birds singing. I could feel their happiness as they were preparing to welcome the sun.”

Even now, when I remember those words, I have tears in my eyes. How could a woman like that die? There are other things I can remember, other memories that once were unbearable and now still make me cry, but I would need a volume to write them all.

A few weeks before she died, she wrote me a letter, a sort of good bye letter. I found it on her bed when I came home for the weekend. It starts like that: “I’m writing you this because you aren’t here with me now...” Imagine the impact those words had after she was gone. “I’m writing you this because you aren’t here with me now…” Here… Where?

Every time I read it, it sounds more and more like a message from another world, a sign from far out there, from the mysterious lands awaiting us at the end of our journey here on Earth…

Don't Cry, My Child

2009-07-05T22:00:00.001+01:00

Don’t cry, my child, the night is over,
And all the shadows fade away.
Lift up your face, my weary rover,
There’s no more need for you to stray.

Once you were lost in a dark forest,
With the cold tombstones of the dead.
You had no friends to share your sadness,
You had no place to lay your head.

The weight of life was overwhelming
And so was the pain in your heart...
Your only treasure was the longing
That secretly tore you apart.

Your dreams were more than you could handle,
As in your dreams the demons came.
With nothing but a smoking candle,
Your nights were more or less the same.

But then I called you from the distance.
You heard my voice, my silent cry.
I made you question your existence
And raise your eyes towards the sky.

I put you on the highest mountain,
Where fir trees shine covered in snow.
I turned your heart into a fountain
Where living waters ever flow.

From now on, you can face tomorrow
With a new light shining inside.
As I will take away your sorrow
And keep you always by my side.

Prayer To Help Me To Forgive

2009-06-29T21:47:00.005+01:00

My Lord, help me forgive when everything inside me tells me not to. Help me let go when my heart is so wounded that I feel it’s breaking. Open my eyes to things that can heal me, things that can comfort me and make me stronger. Hold my hand and let me cry on Your shoulder. Take me to places I’ve never been, let me stand on the highest mountain, so I can see how foolish I am for clinging to my anger. Show me a glimpse of Your greatness, so that I can make it my treasure when everything else seems to crumble around me.

Teach me to make the best of all the painful circumstances in my life and help me love the people who hurt me as You love us all, although we hurt You every day by our words, thoughts and actions. Give me the wisdom to see beyond this moment, to understand and accept the deepest motivations that make people hurt other people. Give me the inner strength to heal and not to break, to comfort and not to destroy, to repay good for evil and love for hatred.

And last, but not least, make my faith stronger, so that I can cope with moments like this in the future. Turn every experience into a magic well, from which I can always draw drops of strength and wisdom. Teach me the alchemy of love, which changes dust and mud into gold and makes everything worthwhile. For You are the only help I’ve got and in You I put all my trust now and forever.

AMEN

Prayer for Healing

2009-06-03T21:18:00.006+01:00

Lord my God, here I am in front of You, bringing my cry before Your throne of glory, let my voice be heard. You are my Creator and the doctor of my body and my soul. You know the deepest and the most hidden parts of me. You know how each and every one of them functions and how they all work together to maintain the gift of life and make me who I am: a living being, a miracle of creation.

You also know when something doesn't work as well as it should and all the pain and suffering caused by the flaws in my frail body. You made me fragile and vulnerable but You also gave me an inner strength beyond words and a stubborn will that does not yield to the challenges of life. Let me use what I have got good in me to overcome the bad. Let me discover new ways to fight the pain and overcome the suffering.

My Lord, my Father, put Your allmighty hands on me and touch me with Your healing touch. Repair old damages, clear old wounds, heal, cure and restore. You are my only hope and I will not let go of it. As long as I have got a glimpse of faith, let my voice raise up to You, let my cry pierce the sky and break the barrier of time and eternity. Forgive me if I am too daring, but my heart urges me to come boldly before You and ask You for a miracle.

Make me whole again. Let me enjoy the beauty of Creation, the miracle of every day, the joy each moment brings. You have offered me this precious gift of life, don't let me waste it without making the best of it. Don't let me leave this world before I have tasted all the joys You had created for us mortals. Let my heart soar once again, let my soul be at peace, let my body be comforted by Your loving touch.

For You alone can heal me and restore me. You alone can make me enjoy life again. Help me make the best of the time I've got here, on Earth. Hear my prayer and come to me as a loving Father. For in You I trust and to You I bring all my burdens and my sufferings. You know what's best for me. Work in wonderful ways, so that my heart can praise you day and night and I can tell everybody what an amazing God You are.

AMEN

We Will Meet Again

2009-05-14T20:23:00.007+01:00

For all those who have loved and lost. Death is not the end of it all. The bridge is only broken for a while but it will be restored when time loses its grip and our souls find their way to the haven we've always secretly longed for. A song interpreted in English by the talented Romanian singer Vali Pentea.

Short Inspirational Poetry

2009-04-05T10:06:00.007+01:00

Poetry doesn't have to be long to touch the heart. Sometimes a truth conveyed in four lines can be as strong and deep as a truth revealed in a book of one thousand pages. For this very reason I wrote this little collection of Short Inspirational Poetry, hoping that all and each one of the poems will bring inspiration and joy to at least one person who reads them. There are 11 short inspirational poems in total, each one consisting of four lines. They were initially published on a separate blog that I especially intended for Short Inspirational Poetry but, since my spring of inspiration has dried quite quickly and I couldn't keep my promise to supply one inspirational poem a day, I decided to move them here. My only wish is that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. God bless. Eliza

NOT ALL OF US MOVE MOUNTAINS

Not all of us move mountains
Or touch the stars above
But we all can build fountains
Of hope, peace, joy and love.

THANK YOU, MY LORD

Thank you, my Lord, for all my friends,
For all the people who shake hands,
For all the words that lift and heal,
For all the love a heart can feel.

WE NEVER PRAY AND LOVE TOO MUCH

We never pray and love too much.
Our prayer brings God's healing touch.
Our love makes silent rivers flow
Through empty desserts of the soul.

WHEN YOU ARE SAD

When you are sad and things go wrong,
A simple heartfelt prayer
Can lift you up where you belong,
In God's fatherly care.

A FAITHFUL FRIEND

Two eyes that cry with you,
Two lips that speak the truth,
A hand that holds your hand,
This is a faithful friend.

OH, TELL ME FATHER

O, tell me, Father, who am I?
Why am I here? Where do I go?
Why did you make me wonder why,
If I am not allowed to know?

WHEN YOU ARE COLD

When you are cold, put on your coat
Of woolen hopes and dreams so bright
And wrap up warm in your life boat
As you'll be home by morning light.

THE HOUSE WITH BROKEN WINDOWS

The house with broken windows is hit by heavy rain,
By raging storms and tempests that make it shake in pain.
But then the light comes flooding from the great healing sun
The house with broken windows is you, me, everyone.

ON THE HIGHEST ROCK I STAND

On the highest rock I stand
Reaching to the highest star
My feet are planted in this land
But my soul can fly so far.

THE MORE YOU GIVE

The more you give, the more you own,
As all you give comes back to you
In secret ways, to man unknown,
To fill your heart with treasures new.

BE FREE LIKE THE WIND

Be free like the wind and strong like the fire,
Be deep like the water and firm like the earth.
Let your word be your vow, let it heal and inspire,
Never doubt, never fear, death is just a new birth.

THE STRANGER

2009-04-03T21:45:00.007+01:00

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Revelation, 3:20, King James Version

He's standing in front of her door,
He climbed the stairs to the sixth floor
The staircase is dark and cold
The air is stale; the silence old.

Burned ends of smoky cigarettes
Give him a mocking smile.
"Give up", they say. "There is no way
You can go there tonight.

She's doesn't need a sermon.
And God is miles away.
She's got a bad hangover
She doesn't want to pray."

He sighs and pushes on again
His tired feet are sore.
"She is my child. She needs a friend.
I will knock at her door."

The shadows casting off the light
Start mocking at him too.
"Just go away, get out of sight!
She hates the likes of you!"

He sighs and pushes on again,
His eyes conceal a tear.
"She's still a child. I know her well.
Her heart is full of fear."

A step or two and he is there
His hand knocks at the door.
A gentle sound of steps he hears
His heart begins to soar.

She's standing there on her tiptoes.
She peeps through the spy hole.
Her eyes are red and in her head
She tries to gain control.

"It's just another beggar",
She says and walks away.
Her eyes are red, she goes to bed
And pain kicks in again.

He knocks and knocks, with stubborn hope,
And love tears off his chest.
"I've come to you to help you cope,
To give you peace and rest."

His voice is covered by the noise
Of music playing loud.
A song she no longer enjoys
Enfolds her like a shroud.

"There must be more to life than this,
There's too much grey, where is the blue
That can turn life into a bliss
And make our dreams come true?"

He longs to hold her trembling hand.
His fiery eyes are burning.
"Your heart - that is the Holy Land,
And Love your secret yearning."

Then something moves her very core,
A flicker turns to flame,
She runs like frantic to the door.
"Who are you? What's your name?"

He smiles and joy shines in his eyes
"I'm Hope without an end.
I'm Faith and Love that never dies.
And you can call me 'Friend'."

Bible Crossword Puzzles

2009-03-09T21:42:00.015Z

Fun with Scripture is a very useful and entertaining book of crossword puzzles for mothers and teachers who want to develop their kids' intelligence and perspicacity and familiarize them with the Bible in the same time. Whether you're looking for Catholic Crossword Puzzles, Protestant or Neo-Protestant Crossword Puzzles, this book is for you. All the 74 crossword puzzles are Scripture related, with answers provided, and each one can be reproduced and used as a printable Sunday Crossword Puzzle.

Read also my list of 21 Books of Bible Crossword Puzzles

Related Keywords:
Catholic Crossword Puzzles
Protestant Crossword Puzzles
Bible Crossword Puzzles
Printable Sunday Crossword Puzzle
Print Bible Crossword Puzzles

Prayer for Strength

2009-02-20T13:02:00.003Z

It wasn’t until I was crushed in the middle of despair that I knew how sweet Your comfort was and how warm Your embrace. It wasn’t until my heart broke in agony that I knew how strong I was in You. But now I know and this knowledge makes my heart soar. I also know that my tears burn You and my pain makes You cry, because You want the best for me. You made me for victory, not for failure. And Your victory is love. Through love, You hold me tight and warm me and fill my heart with joy even when I’m sad.

Give me strength in the knowledge that with You I can move mountains. Give me strength in the belief that Your love is stronger than anything. Evil stands no chance against a force so great and so wonderful. When I was a kid, my mother’s arms would hold me tight and her kind hands would dry my tears. Now You are my mother and my father. To You I talk, to You I confess, to You I seek help in times of trouble. You answer me every time and every time Your answer is so special.

Give me strength in the knowledge that You are always with me, that I’m never going to go through life alone. Give me strength to know You and seek You even more. Give me strength in the awareness that, although Evil seems overwhelming at the moment, the storm won’t last forever and the sky won’t be always covered by clouds. Give me strength in the faith that Your hand keeps my candle burning and no wind can blow it off. As long as the candle is burning, my eyes can find the way and I can’t get lost.

I know, my Lord, that I am not the only one who needs strength. There are so many people in this world who are struggling in fear, pain and uncertainty. There are so many people who, right at this moment, are surfing the Internet, hoping to find a word of encouragement or a glimpse of inspiration. It is not only for me I pray, but also for them. Look at each of them individually, hold their hand and give them comfort. See their problems, see their struggles and help them find the strength to raise above them, to see beyond the 'here and now' into something deeper and more meaningful. Let each of them draw inspiration and encouragement from the very source of life and show them how great and wonderful You are.

I’m praying for all those who ask „Why?”, „Why me?”, „Why the one I love?”, „What’s the point?”, „Where are You now, when I need You most?”, „Why have You abandoned me?” Turn their questions into prayers and let their anguish cry pierce the sky. Open a new channel of communication with each of them. Build a bridge. Build a relationship. Turn their doubts into faith and their pain into victory. Soothe and comfort. Touch and heal.

Let Your love be like a warm blanket on a cold winter night, like a friendly hand on a weary shoulder, like a fresh breath of wind in a room that has had its windows shut for too long. Please, Lord, make Your presence felt in the lives of all those who need You today and give them strength by the very change Your love can bring into their own hearts.

AMEN

Related Posts
Prayer for God's Strength
Short Prayers for Strength
Prayer for Strength, Hope and Faith

Two Short Poems Of Hope

2009-01-16T15:12:00.002Z

Hope Is A Warm Blanket

Hope is a warm blanket
In the winter night.
Heavy winds might shake it
But you'll hold it tight.

If they ever took it,
You would feel so cold.
Hope is a warm blanket
Left for you to hold.

Once There Were Two Peddlars

Once there were two peddlars
Walking up and down
Shouting their business
In a busy town.

One was selling rope and soap
The other was selling hope.

"Go away, you steal my clients!
They should send you to the lions!"

"They have and they will,
But I'll be here still."

"To be honest, I can't see
Why they turn to you, not me."

"Cause you sell death for a fee,
I give life and hope for free!"

Written by Eliza

Life-Changing Books:

2009-01-14T22:58:00.016Z

"The Shack" by William P. Young

How can a man forgive his father who has abused him as a child? How can a father forgive the serial killer who murdered his 6-year-old little daughter? What revelation can turn the bitterness of a broken heart into joy and peace with the world, God and the self? What amazing experience can heal such painful wounds and replace the horror by faith and love? It must have been something great, something deep, with a huge impact, something coming from far beyond the boundaries of this world. You can find the answer in William P. Young's novel "The Shack", a book that combines a skillfully woven plot with such depth and wisdom that it can't but make its way to the most intimate part of the reader's soul.

Unconventional and fascinating, captivating and profound, straightforward but subtle and delicate, this novel has all the attributes of a life-changing book. It deals with an old controversial topic and attempts to provide answers to the most burning questions of humanity. But it does it in such an original and charming way that, whether you are a convinced Christian or not, you feel you are taken one step forward on your spiritual journey.

"The Shack" attempts to reveal the secret face of the true living God and the Holy Trinity. God is not what people have made of Him in their attempt to control their own destiny and protect their vulnerabilities. His image is built gradually around His own words "I am Who I am". Suddenly God appears to us surprising, fresh and new. Ideas we've been used to, things we've been taught to believe for such a long time lose their grip, and other things we've never thought of come into the equation to bring new light to the matter.

Is God a male or a female? Is God really the stern master portrayed in the Old Testament? Does God have the sense of humour? Does God intervene in human existence? What is the truth about heaven and hell? Why does God allow evil? Can the Holy Spirit alter the dimensions of time and space? These are just a few of the questions that are dealt with in this novel.

"The Shack" is much more than a best seller or an enjoyable read. It is a living book, one of those inspirational writings you remember and treasure for a long time. There is nothing rigid in it, nothing ostentatious or preaching-like. It teaches without sounding like a sermon. Nothing near. It is a book that opens hearts and minds by challenging the very prejudices that stand in the way of our relationship with God and with one another.

Links:

The Shack Book Website

Author's Blog

Faith in God

2009-01-05T21:50:00.001Z

Is faith in God the rock we are basing our lives on? Is faith in God the pillar that makes our house stand tall when hit by the heavy storms of life? In more simple words, is our faith in God strong enough to suffice? Before answering the question, let's define the terms. What is faith? What does it involve? Here are seven statements we can use in relation to our faith in the Lord.

1. Faith is believing in the things unseen and unconceived by the human heart. If everything you rely on is here and now, how can your heart find the realm where everything melts in the universal love of the Creator? If your faith is in what your eyes can see and in what your mind and heart tell you it's right, how can you go beyond reason, instincts and sensations to find the hidden beauty behind the curtain, the secret song that makes the angels cry?

2. Faith in God is letting go. Letting go of the worries, letting go of the problems, letting go of our vain ambitions and our empty little world. Life is what it is, we say. But more than that, life is what we make of it. If you look at the sky, the sky is reflected in your eyes. Your eyes become as pure as the sky. You don't need to look at all the dirt this world sells you. You are stronger in letting go.

3. Faith is going beyond your limits. They say that you can find out who you really are only when you find your limits. Walking with God is about crossing the borders and barriers of this world, pushing limits, daring to hope you can achieve more, moving mountains. Faith is believing you can do more than your powers allow you, because there's a greater Power guiding you and achieving wonderful things through you.

4. Faith in God is surrendering everything. We've already mentioned letting go, but surrendering is slightly different. When you let go, you accept that some things are not as important as people want you to think and you give up on them. When you surrender, you take everything, including the really important things, and place them in God's almighty hand. Surrendering involves offering both the happy and sad aspects of your life to God. That includes the people you love, the moments you cherish, the memories of yesterday and the dreams of tomorrow.

5. Faith in God is our link with eternity and our victory over here and now. Faith leads to revelations and through revelations we can catch glimpses of the light and glory of the realm our heart longs for. Faith is self-fueling, cumulative and ever-growing. First we believe in what we can't see, then we learn to see what we believe in and we believe even more.

6. Sometimes faith in God can be clouded by doubts and fears. That doesn't mean it is gone. Jesus himself had moments when he felt betrayed and abandoned. Our victory is in knowing that the clouds will go away and the storm won't last forever. The sensations of a moment can be strong and overwhelming but they are not stronger than the One who looks after us and whose love will never fail us.

7. Faith is only one of the three Christian virtues mentioned in the Bible. The other two are hope and love. Faith and hope are as close as twin sisters and they work to help and support each other. Faith and hope are the gifts we have here, on Earth, to make our journey easier. Love is a little more and that makes it the most precious gift of all. When this earth is gone and our life on it over, there will be no need for faith and hope, because we will see what we believed in and come to the haven of all our hopes. But love will survive, as God is Love and He was there before any beginnings.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-03T21:29:00.003Z

2008-12-19T22:43:00.002Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!

Audio Prayer Sites

2008-12-19T16:07:00.008Z

First, what is an audio prayer? For those who don't know, an audio prayer is a prayer that comes via an audio channel. In other words, rather than having to read it, you can listen to it in a sound file format like you listen to a song or to an audio book. Common sound formats are MP3, WMA and others. Here are some sites where you can find audio prayers:

Pray As You Go - a site where you can download audio prayers in both MP3 and WMA format.

Prayer To Go - a site where you can listen to short audio prayers and read the words at the same time.

Audio Prayer Book -listen to or download prayers for morning, evening, families, etc.

And don't forget about YouTube. You can always convert YouTube videos to mp3 files using the software available online. I use the one from DVDVideoSoft.com.

Prayers on YouTube

Prayers for Strength

Prayer for Hope

Evening Prayer

Morning Prayer

Prayers in Songs

Prayer for a Friend

Prayer Of The Children

A Mother's Prayer

Mathematical Prayer

2008-12-15T20:12:00.009Z

A mathematical prayer is a prayer that uses mathematical terms and formulas. When we think that God is the creator of the universe and of everything in it, it is easy to assume that He also created the principles of the science we call today Mathematics. Ever since the beginning, He added, subtracted, multiplied and divided, and I'm sure He even used advanced Mathematics formulas in His work of creaction. So there is no doubt He can understand a mathematical prayer.

Mathematicians might find it easier to pray using mathematical terms, because it is their familiar ground. Everyone who likes Maths can experiment with it. Maybe there are things that can be said easier in a mathematical prayer than in just simple words. Mathematics is an exact science, it has strict rules. 1 + 1 = 2. There are rules we follow in our Christian life, too.

The question is: can a mathematical prayer express human feelings such as love, gratitude, worry or fear? A mathematician would probably answer: if you are good enough at it, it can. And he might be right. For the rest of us, the non-academic lot, it is probably better to stick with the old words.

***

A Simple Mathematical Prayer

Lord God∞, fill our hearts with Faith + Hope + Love.

Help us forgive 70 * 7 times a day.

Let us live our life – (Sins + Doubts + Fears).

Remind us every day that God = Love & Your Will = Love / All

I + He + She = Your Children

Make our Faith > doubts, our Hope > Dispair, our Love > (Hatred + Resentments).

Never let us forget, God, that You = [(Power + Mercy + Wisdom) / (Me + He + She)]*Love∞

AMEN

Don't Give Up!

2008-12-06T20:43:00.005Z

As long as we have the light, let's stick to the light. As long as we can be kind, let's offer kindness. As long as we can change anything, let's grasp each opportunity to turn bad into good. As long as we have love, let's treasure it and share it with all our hearts. As long as the sun rises in the dawn, let's not lose our hope in victory. God is with us. God is victorious, and so are we through Him. Let's keep our hearts clean. Let's dare to believe in Him when everything around us crumbles to the ground.

Every step, every gesture, every word is a way of changing the world. Every prayer is an open gate to eternity. Every tear shed with sincerity before God is a river of living water flooding the universe. We are small, but so is the mustard seed. Through faith, we have more power than we know. Let's continue the fight. Let's hold the flag of peace high until the end. Let's not give up...

Prayer For Help In Times Of Trials

2008-10-26T12:10:00.001Z

Our precious God, help us to grow in a world where the forces of darkness try to keep us small. Fill our souls with a strength that can carry us further when our feet stumble in the mud of life. Let your light shine in us so that no corner of our being is left in darkness.

Help us cope when frustration and worries tear us apart. With you, every walk becomes easy. The struggles of life are put to shame by the greatness of your works. When you are with us, nothing is against us. You can bring out the good in adverse circumstances and turn each trial into a victory.

Help us look up and walk tall in humility and faith. Fill our hearts and minds with the soothing certainty of your presence and the unshaken believe that, no matter what, you are not going to let us fall.

Amen

How To Cope With The Challenges of Life

2008-10-26T09:40:00.005Z

Every day brings new struggles and every struggle seems to make us smaller. People have to deal with illnesses, poverty and stress and all the consequences they bring. Frustration and regrets are silent killers that destroy bits of our soul, leaving us exposed and vulnerable. How can we find peace in adverse circumstances? How can we cope with the rodents of the spirit? It is a question that people have been asking since the beginning of all times and many haven't found the answer yet.

Think of your life as a room. A room can be dark and cluttered, musty and sad. A room can be a confining space where you feel a prisoner and where everything seems to work against you. In fact, a room can shape your own personality in the way a recipient can constrain water to its own shape. You are how you feel.

First of all, it is good to remember that you, like water, are free. You also have to remember that rooms have windows and doors. If you keep them closed, the air will get musty and hard to breathe and it will end up choking you. You might have the feeling that you are in a tight, closed environment but God had put many windows in your room. All you have to do is slow down, open your eyes wide and look for them. There might be a window right in front of you but you can't see it, because you are too oppressed by the atmosphere of the room itself.

Once you have found the window, you can draw the curtains, open it wide, and let the light and the fresh air in. You will see that the whole atmosphere changes. Our small room is surrounded by windows; that is a truth that should fill you with hope.

Now how can you find the windows? If you are so tensed and oppressed that you are most likely to miss them, you can start by praying. In the middle of all your troubles and worries, stop, take a break, close your eyes and let go. Then pray to the One who knows you and loves you deeply. Talk to Him like you talk to a dear friend and say,

"My God, the troubles in my life are choking me and stopping me from growing. I am confined to a small room with no view and no perspective. But you are great. The universe you have created is great and full of wonders. I know you have put many windows in my little room. Help me discover them. Take my hand and lead me to them. Let me feel the soft breeze on my face and smell the freshness of spring flowers. Let me discover the magic of the stars and the beauty of the rainbow. Help me let the light in and fill my black and white universe with color. Show me a world I've never seen, take me to new dimensions and unexplored frequencies. Give perspective to my life, so I don't waste it in pettiness and darkness. Let me discover the hidden magic of every day, the untold beauty of every moment. For you can do that. Amen."

Indeed, God can do that. This is where the fascinating faith journey begins.

Crossword Puzzles

2008-10-25T22:07:00.002+01:00

Crossword Puzzles

Inspirational People

2008-10-25T22:06:00.001+01:00

The Amazing Story Of Helen Keller

Quotes

2008-10-25T22:04:00.005+01:00

Quotes About Prayer
Mother Teresa
Harry Emerson Fosdick
S. D. Gordon
Charlotte Bronte
Victor Hugo

Articles and Reflections

2008-10-25T22:02:00.019+01:00

Dreaming of Siberia
10 Facts That Can Increase Your Self-Esteem
5 Things That Make This Moment Unique
The Little Girl Who Wanted To Save the World
My Earliest Memories
Revelations From A Dream
The Quiet Change
When Selfishness Turns Into Selflessness
People Are Beautiful
The Importance of Developing a Flexible Mind
Judging People - Arrogance or Ignorance?
Life Changing Books - The Shack by William P. Young
Faith In God
Audio Prayer Sites
Don't Give Up!
How To Cope With The Challenges Of Life
Look More, See Deeper
How To Be A Prayer Warrior
What Christ Has Done For Us
Lover Of Mankind
Prayer Boxes
Words About Prayer
Let's Welcome Jesus
Improving Your Prayer Life
Longing For Intimacy
The Job God Gave Me
Two Prayers
The Two Parts Of Prayer
Perseverance in Praying
Prayer Resembles A Flower
How To Pray

Poems

2008-10-25T22:01:00.015+01:00

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
Dream High
There is a Light
Just Because You Are My God
The Candle
Don't Cry, My Child
Short Inspirational Poetry
The Stranger
Two Short Poems Of Hope
The Song Of The Stone Wall
A Prospect Of Heaven
Prayer In Verse
Quo Vadis, Domine?
The Orphans Of This World
The Poem Of The Orphan Child
Let Me Be A Prayer
A Prayer For Purity
If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
The Final Frontier
I've Been A Stranger
The One Who Keeps Our Candle Burning

Prayers

2008-10-25T21:59:00.037+01:00

All Prayers
Short Prayer of Surrender
Prayer for God's Strength
The Prayer of Jesus for Us
Prayer for Financial Blessings
Jonah's Prayer
Prayer for Overcoming Temptations
Prayer in Time of Depression, Doubts & Confusion
Prayer for Guidance and Meaning
Prayer for Worry and Anxiety
Prayer of Sir Francis Drake
Prayer in Times of Spiritual Dryness
Prayer in Times of Trials and Temptations
Prayer for This Morning
Prayer for Those Who Cry
Prayer for Inner Change
Prayer of Surrender
Prayer for Peace
Prayer for the Restless
The Serenity Prayer
Short Prayers for Strength
Prayer for Parents
Short Prayers for the Sick
Short Prayer for Today
Lord's Prayer in Latin
Prayer for Christmas
Prayer for Today
Prayer for a Job
Prayer for the Sick
Prayer for Freedom
Prayer for Blessing
Prayer for Love
Prayer To Help Me To Forgive
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Strength
A Mathematical Prayer
Prayer For Help In Times Of Trials
Prayer to Jesus
Prayer for Friends
Teach Us How To Pray
Prayer for Our Loved Ones
Prayer For Peace and Wisdom
Prayer For Spiritual Healing
Prayer For Comfort And Guidance
Prayers for Children
Prayer for Strength, Hope and Faith
Psalm
Prayer For Every Day
Prayer To Be Part Of God's Plan
Prayer For A Blessed Year
For Those Who Have Prayer For Me
Show Me The Meaning Of Suffering
Save Me From Myself
To Our Heavenly Father
Prayer of Thanks
Prayer For Protection
An Exercise Of Freedom

Look More, See Deeper

2008-10-25T21:38:00.004+01:00

A life can change in an instant. One moment we are walking on our cosy, familiar ways, where we take everything for granted, the next we find ourselves in a strange and alien realm without even comprehending how we got there. We can never tell where life is going to take us. Our small universe can grow or become even smaller over night and we can get robbed of everything we hold dear.

What can we take with us over the threshold of pain, losses and fear? What can we cling to when the crazy waves tear us away from the comfortable shore and throw us into a world of chaos and distress? Where can we find our refuge when all our fortresses crumble to the ground?

The answer is not as far as we imagine. It is, in fact, very close to us. We live in a big world, in the middle of a huge universe, full of surprises and unexpected turns. Yet this universe has a Master. The one who created it knows every single corner and every single step. He can go as deep or as high as he wishes, he can see beyond time and space, through darkness or opacity. Nothing is hidden from his eyes and nothing will ever be. The huge waves don't make him hide nor the tough winds make him tremble.

The God in whom we trust and to whom we entrust ourselves is always there, eternal and true, unchanging and unaffraid, forever faithful to the ones who reach out to him. God is not bound by anything but by his own word. The same word that once said: "Let it be light." He created rules and boundaries but he also created the magic world "beyond". He created the "law" but he also gave an alternative to it, an alternative called "grace".

To God nothing is impossible. He put the mountains in their place and ordered them to stay still but he also created the faith that can move mountains. He created the cycle of life but he also created the spirit that can defy the shadows of death. He created everything and he re-created himself, the one who had never been created, in each of ourselves. And in everything he created, he put a little of the love that surrounds him, the love that defines him.

So how can we be oppressed by time when times bows down in front of our friend and our father? How can the circumstances of this life knock us down when we walk hand in hand with the one beyond life and circumstances? How can we be scared of death when the one stronger than death promised he'd be with us forever?

It is all a question of perspective. If we see only here and now, we let ourselves be swallowed by here and now. If we set our mind on earthly things, we cling to them and make them our treasure. And 'Where thy heart is, there shall thy treasure be also.'

So look above and seek beyond, and see God in all. Where there is trust, there is no worry. Where there is faith, there is no fear. Where there is love, there is no falling.

Prayer to Jesus (in verse)

2008-07-30T09:34:00.002+01:00

Jesus, gentle Shepherd,
Bless Thy lamb to-day;
Keep me in Thy footsteps,
Never let me stray.
Guard me through the daytime.
Every hour, I pray;
Keep my feet from straying
From the narrow way.

Amen

A Little Prayer

2008-06-28T14:39:00.002+01:00

Faithful Shepherd, feed me
In the pastures green;
Faithful Shepherd, lead me
Where Thy steps are seen.

Hold me fast and guide me
In the narrow way;
So, with Thee beside me,
I shall never stray.

Daily bring me nearer
To the heavenly shore;
May my faith grow clearer.
May I love Thee more!

Hallow every pleasure,
Every gift and pain;
Be Thyself my Treasure.
Though none else I gain.

Amen

(From the collection Little Folded Hands. Prayers for Children)

What is Prayer?

2008-06-27T14:27:00.003+01:00

What is prayer? An exercise for the soul, an act of communication? A conversation with God? A journey into ourselves? Where does it take us? To the heights of heaven or to the depths of our own soul? I would greatly appreciate your opinions and comments on what prayer means to you.

By the way, I'm back after a few months of no blogging activity. I appologize to all for the long absence.

The Song of the Stone Wall

2008-04-25T19:55:00.008+01:00

By Helen Keller

Come walk with me, and I will tell
What I have read in this scroll of stone;
I will spell out this writing on hill and meadow.
It is a chronicle wrought by praying workmen,
The forefathers of our nation--
Leagues upon leagues of sealed history awaiting an interpreter.
This is New England's tapestry of stone
Alive with memories that throb and quiver
At the core of the ages
As the prophecies of old at the heart of God's Word.

The walls have many things to tell me,
And the days are long. I come and listen:
My hand is upon the stones, and the tale I fain would hear
Is of the men who built the walls,
And of the God who made the stones and the workers.

With searching feet I walk beside the wall;
I plunge and stumble over the fallen stones;
I follow the windings of the wall
Over the heaving hill, down by the meadow-brook,
Beyond the scented fields, by the marsh where rushes grow.
On I trudge through pine woods fragrant and cool
And emerge amid clustered pools and by rolling acres of rye.
The wall is builded of field-stones great and small,
Tumbled about by frost and storm,
Shaped and polished by ice and rain and sun;
Some flattened, grooved, and chiseled
By the inscrutable sculpture of the weather;
Some with clefts and rough edges harsh to the touch.
Gracious Time has glorified the wall
And covered the historian stones with a mantle of green.
Sunbeams flit and waver in the rifts,
Vanish and reappear, linger and sleep,
Conquer with radiance the obdurate angles,
Filter between the naked rents and wind-bleached jags.

I understand the triumph and the truth
Wrought into these walls of rugged stone.
They are a miracle of patient hands,
They are a victory of suffering, a paean of pain;
All pangs of death, all cries of birth,
Are in the mute, moss-covered stones;
They are eloquent to my hands.
O beautiful, blind stones, inarticulate and dumb!
In the deep gloom of their hearts there is a gleam
Of the primeval sun which looked upon them
When they were begotten.
So in the heart of man shines forever
A beam from the everlasting sun of God.
Rude and unresponsive are the stones;
Yet in them divine things lie concealed;
I hear their imprisoned chant:--

"We are fragments of the universe,
Chips of the rock whereon God laid the foundation of the world:
Out of immemorial chaos He wrought us.
Out of the sun, out of the tempest, out of the travail of the earth we grew.
We are wonderfully mingled of life and death;
We serve as crypts for innumerable, unnoticed, tiny forms.
We are manifestations of the Might
That rears the granite hills unto the clouds
And sows the tropic seas with coral isles.
We are shot through and through with hidden color;
A thousand hues are blended in our gray substance.
Sapphire, turquoise, ruby, opal,
Emerald, diamond, amethyst, are our sisters from the beginning,
And our brothers are iron, lead, zinc,
Copper and silver and gold.
We are the dust of continents past and to come,
We are a deathless frieze carved with man's destiny;
In us is the record sibylline of far events.
We are as old as the world, our birth was before the hills.
We are the cup that holds the sea
And the framework of the peak that parts the sky.
When Chaos shall again return,
And endless Night shall spread her wings upon a rained world,
We alone shall stand up from the shattered earth,
Indestructible, invincible witnesses of God's eternal purpose."

In reflective mood by the wall I wander;
The hoary stones have set my heart astir;
My thoughts take shape and move beside me in the guise
Of the stern men who built the wall in early olden days.
One by one the melancholy phantoms go stepping from me,
And I follow them in and out among the stones.
I think of the days long gone,
Flown like birds beyond the ramparts of the world.
The patient, sturdy men who piled the stones
Have vanished, like the days, beyond the bounds
Of earth and mortal things.
From their humble, steadfast lives has sprung the greatness of my nation.
I am bone of their bone, breath of their breath,
Their courage is in my soul.
The wall is an Iliad of granite: it chants to me
Of pilgrims of the perilous deep,
Of fearless journeyings and old forgotten things.
The blood of grim ancestors warms the fingers
That trace the letters of their story;
My pulses beat in unison with pulses that are stilled;
The fire of their zeal inspires me
In my struggle with darkness and pain.
These embossed books, unobliterated by the tears and laughter of Time,
Are signed with the vital hands of undaunted men.
I love these monoliths, so crudely imprinted
With their stalwart, cleanly, frugal lives.

From my seat among the stones I stretch my hand and touch
My friend the elm, urnlike, lithesome, tall.
Far above the reach of my exploring fingers
Birds are singing and winging joyously
Through leafy billows of green.
The elm-tree's song is wondrous sweet;
The words are the ancientest language of trees--
They tell of how earth and air and light
Are wrought anew to beauty and to fruitfulness.
I feel the glad stirrings under her rough bark;
Her living sap mounts up to bring forth leaves;
Her great limbs thrill beneath the wand of spring.

This wall was builded in our fathers' days--
Valorous days when life was lusty and the land was new.
Resemble the walls the builders, buffeted, stern, and worn.
To us they left the law,
Order, simplicity, obedience,
And the wall is the bond they gave the nation
At its birth of courage and unflinching faith.
Before the epic here inscribed began,
They wrote their course upon a trackless sea.
O, tiny craft, bearing a nation's seed!
Frail shallop, quick with unborn states!
Autumn was mellow in the fatherland when they set sail,
And winter deepened as they neared the West.
Out of the desert sea they came at last,
And their hearts warmed to see that frozen land.
O, first gray dawn that filtered through the dark!
Bleak, glorious birth-hour of our northern states!
They stood upon the shore like new created men;
On barren solitudes of sand they stood,
The conquered sea behind, the unconquered wilderness before.
Some died that year beneath the cruel cold,
And some for heartsick longing and the pang
Of homes remembered and souls torn asunder.
That spring the new-plowed field for bread of life
Bordered the new-dug acre marked for death;
Beside the springing corn they laid in the sweet, dark earth
The young man, strong and free, the maiden fair and trustful,
The little child, and the uncomplaining mother.

Across the meadow, by the ancient pines,
Where I, the child of life that lived that spring,
Drink in the fragrances of the young year,
The field-wall meets one grimly squared and straight.
Beyond it rise the old tombs, gray and restful,
And the upright slates record the generations.
Stiffly aslant before the northern blasts,
Like the steadfast, angular beliefs
Of those whom they commemorate, the headstones stand,
Cemented deep with moss and invisible roots.
The rude inscriptions charged with faith and love,
Graceless as Death himself, yet sweet as Death,
Are half erased by the impartial storms.
As children lisping words which move to laughter
Are themselves poems of unconscious melody,
So the old gravestones with their crabbed muse
Are beautiful for their halting words of faith,
Their groping love that had no gift of song.
But all the broken tragedy of life
And all the yearning mystery of death
Are celebrated in sweet epitaphs of vines and violets.
Close by the wall a peristyle of pines
Sings requiem to all the dead that sleep.

Beyond the village churchyard, still and calm,
Steeped in the sweetness of eternal morn,
The wall runs down in crumbling cadence
Beside the brook which plays
Through the land like a silver harp.
A wind of ancient romance blows across the field,
A sweet disturbance thrills the air;
The silken skirts of Spring go rustling by,
And the earth is astir with joy.
Up the hill, romping and shaking their golden heads,
Come the little children of the wood.
From ecstasy to ecstasy the year mounts upward.
Up from the south come the odor-laden winds,
Angels and ministers of life,
Dropping seeds of fruitfulness
Into the bosoms of flowers.
Elusive, alluring secrets hide in wood and hedge
Like the first thoughts of love
In the breast of a maiden;
The witchery of love is in rock and tree.
Across the pasture, star-sown with daisies,
I see a young girl--the spirit of spring she seems,
Sister of the winds that run through the rippling daisies.
Sweet and clear her voice calls father and brother,
And one whose name her shy lips will not utter.
But a chorus of leaves and grasses speaks her heart
And tells his name: the birches flutter by the wall;
The wild cherry-tree shakes its plumy head
And whispers his name; the maple
Opens its rosy lips and murmurs his name;
The marsh-marigold sends the rumor
Down the winding stream, and the blue flag
Spread the gossip to the lilies in the lake:
All Nature's eyes and tongues conspire
In the unfolding of the tale
That Adam and Eve beneath the blossoming rose-tree
Told each other in the Garden of Eden.
Once more the wind blows from the walls,
And I behold a fair young mother;
She stands at the lilac-shaded door
With her baby at her breast;
She looks across the twilit fields and smiles
And whispers to her child: "Thy father comes!"

Life triumphed over many-weaponed Death.
Sorrow and toil and the wilderness thwarted their stout invasion;
But with the ship that sailed again went no retreating soul!
Stubborn, unvanquished, clinging to the skirts of Hope,
They kept their narrow foothold on the land,
And the ship sailed home for more.
With yearlong striving they fought their way into the forest;
Their axes echoed where I sit, a score of miles from the sea.
Slowly, slowly the wilderness yielded
To smiling grass-plots and clearings of yellow corn;
And while the logs of their cabins were still moist
With odorous sap, they set upon the hill
The shrine of liberty for man's mind,
And by it the shrine of liberty for man's soul,
The school-house and the church.

The apple-tree by the wall sheds its blossom about me--
A shower of petals of light upon darkness.
From Nature's brimming cup I drink a thousand scents;
At noon the wizard sun stirs the hot soil under the pines.
I take the top stone of the wall in my hands
And the sun in my heart;
I feel the rippling land extend to right and left,
Bearing up a receptive surface to my uncertain feet;
I clamber up the hill and beyond the grassy sweep;
I encounter a chaos of tumbled rocks.
Piles of shadow they seem, huddling close to the land.
Here they are scattered like sheep,
Or like great birds at rest,
There a huge block juts from the giant wave of the hill.
At the foot of the aged pines the maiden's moccasins
Track the sod like the noiseless sandals of Spring.
Out of chinks in the wall delicate grasses wave,
As beauty grew out of the crannies of these hard souls.

Joyously, gratefully, after their long wrestling
With the bitter cold and the harsh white winter,
They heard the step of Spring on the edge of melting snow-drifts;
Gladly, with courage that flashed from their life-beaten souls,
As the fire-sparks fly from the hammered stone,
They hailed the fragrant arbutus;
Its sweetness trailed beside the path that they cut through the forest,
And they gave it the name of their ship Mayflower.
Beauty was at their feet, and their eyes beheld it;
The earth cried out for labor, and they gave it.
But ever as they saw the budding spring,
Ever as they cleared the stubborn field,
Ever as they piled the heavy stones,
In mystic vision they saw, the eternal spring;
They raised their hardened hands above the earth,
And beheld the walls that are not built of stone,
The portals opened by angels whose garments are of light;
And beyond the radiant walls of living stones
They dreamed vast meadows and hills of fadeless green.

In the old house across the road
With weather-beaten front, like the furrowed face of an old man,
The lights are out forever, the windows are broken,
And the oaken posts are warped;
The storms beat into the rooms as the passion of the world
Racked and buffeted those who once dwelt in them.
The psalm and the morning prayer are silent.
But the walls remain visible witnesses of faith
That knew no wavering or shadow of turning.
They have withstood sun and northern blast,
They have outlasted the unceasing strife
Of forces leagued to tear them down.
Under the stars and the clouds, under the summer sun,
Beaten by rain and wind, covered with tender vines,
The walls stand symbols of a granite race,
The measure and translation of olden times.

In the rough epic of their life, their toil, their creeds,
Their psalms, their prayers, what stirring tales
Of days that were their past had they to tell
Their children to keep the new faith burning?
Tales of grandsires in the fatherland
Whose faith was seven times tried in fiery furnaces,--
Of Rowland Taylor who kissed the stake,
And stood with hands folded and eyes steadfastly turned
To the sky, and smiled upon the flames;
Of Latimer, and of Cranmer who for cowardice heroically atoned--
Who thrust his right hand into the fire
Because it had broken plight with his heart
And written against the voice of his conviction.
With such memories they exalted and cherished
The heroism of their tried souls,
And ours are wrung with doubt and self-distrust!

I am kneeling on the odorous earth;
The sweet, shy feet of Spring come tripping o'er the land,
Winter is fled to the hills, leaving snowy wreaths
On apple-tree, meadow, and marsh.
The walls are astir; little waves of blue
Run through my fingers murmuring:
"We follow the winds and the snow!"
Their heart is a cup of gold.
Soft whispers of showers and flowers
Are mingled in the spring song of the walls.
Hark to the songs that go singing like the wind
Through the chinks of the wall and thrill the heart
And quicken it with passionate response!
The walls sing the song of wild bird, the hoof-beat of deer,
The murmur of pine and cedar, the ripple of many streams;
Crows are calling from the Druidical wood;
The morning mist still haunts the meadows
Like the ghosts of the wall builders.

As I listen, methinks I hear the bitter plaint
Of the passing of a haughty race,
The wronged, friendly, childlike, peaceable tribes,
The swarthy archers of the wilderness,
The red men to whom Nature opened all her secrets,
Who knew the haunts of bird and fish,
The hidden virtue of herb and root;
All the travail of man and beast they knew--
Birth and death, heat and cold,
Hunger and thirst, love and hate;
For these are the unchanging things writ in the imperishable book of life
That man suckled at the breast of woman must know.

In the dim sanctuary of the pines
The winds murmur their mysteries through dusky aisles--
Secrets of earth's renewal and the endless cycle of life.
Living things are afoot among the grasses;
The closed fingers of the ferns unfold,
New bees explore new flowers, and the brook
Pours virgin waters from the rushing founts of May.
In the old walls there are sinister voices--
The groans of women charged with witchcraft.
I see a lone, gray, haggard woman standing at bay,
Helpless against her grim, sin-darkened judges.
Terror blanches her lips and makes her confess
Bonds with demons that her heart knows not.
Satan sits by the judgment-seat and laughs.
The gray walls, broken, weatherworn oracles,
Sing that she was once a girl of love and laughter,
Then a fair mother with lullabies on her lips,
Caresses in her eyes, who spent her days
In weaving warmth to keep her brood against the winter cold.
And in her tongue was the law of kindness;
For her God was the Lord Jehovah.
Enemies uprose and swore her accused,
Laid at her door the writhing forms of little children,
And she could but answer: "The Evil One
Torments them in my shape."
She stood amazed before the tribunal of her church
And heard the gate of God's house closed against her.
Oh, shuddering silence of the throng,
And fearful the words spoken from the judgment-seat!
She raised her white head and clasped her wrinkled hands:
"Pity me, Lord, pity my anguish!
Nor, since Thou art a just and terrible God,
Forget to visit thy wrath upon these people;
For they have sworn away the life of Thy servant
Who hath lived long in the land keeping Thy commandments.
I am old, Lord, and betrayed;
By neighbor and kin am I betrayed;
A Judas kiss hath marked me for a witch.
Possessed of a devil? Here be a legion of devils!
Smite them, O God, yea, utterly destroy them that persecute the innocent."
Before this mother in Israel the judges cowered;
But still they suffered her to die.
Through the tragic, guilty walls I hear the sighs
Of desolate women and penitent, remorseful men.

Sing of happier themes, O many-voiced epic,
Sing how the ages, like thrifty husbandmen, winnow the creeds of men,
And leave only faith and love and truth.
Sing of the Puritan's nobler nature,
Fathomless as the forests he felled,
Irresistible as the winds that blow.
His trenchant conviction was but the somber bulwark
Which guarded his pure ideal.
Resolute by the communion board he stood,
And after solemn prayer solemnly cancelled
And abolished the divine right of kings
And declared the holy rights of man.
Prophet and toiler, yearning for other worlds, yet wise in this;
Scornful of earthly empire and brooding on death,
Yet wrestling life out of the wilderness
And laying stone on stone the foundation of a temporal state!
I see him standing at his cabin-door at eventide
With dreaming, fearless eyes gazing at sunset hills;
In his prophetic sight Liberty, like a bride,
Hasteth to meet her lord, the westward-going man!
Even as he saw the citadel of Heaven,
He beheld an earthly state divinely fair and just.
Mystic and statesman, maker of homes,
Strengthened by the primal law of toil,
And schooled by monarch-made injustices,
He carried the covenant of liberty with fire and sword,
And laid a rich state on frugality!
Many republics have sprung into being,
Full-grown, equipped with theories forged in reason;
All, all have fallen in a single night;
But to the wise, fire-hardened Puritan
Democracy was not a blaze of glory
To crackle for an hour and be quenched out
By the first gust that blows across the world.
I see him standing at his cabin-door,
And all his dreams are true as when he dreamed them;
But only shall they be fulfilled if we
Are mindful of the toil that gave him power,
Are brave to dare a wilderness of wrong;
So long shall Nature nourish us and Spring
Throw riches in the lap of man
As we beget no wasteful, weak-handed generations,
But bend us to the fruitful earth in toil.
Beyond the wall a new-plowed field lies steaming in the sun,
And down the road a merry group of children
Run toward the village school.

Hear, O hear! In the historian walls
Rises the beat and the tumult of the struggle for freedom.
Sacred, blood-stained walls, your peaceful front
Sheltered the fateful fires of Lexington;
Builded to fence green fields and keep the herds at pasture,
Ye became the frowning breastworks of stern battle;
Lowly boundaries of the freeman's farm,
Ye grew the rampart of a land at war;
And still ye cross the centuries
Between the ages of monarchs and the age
When farmers in their fields are kings.
From the Revolution the young Republic emerged,
She mounted up as on the wings of the eagle,
She ran and was not weary, and all the children of the world
Joined her and followed her shining path.
But ever as she ran, above her lifted head
Darkened the monster cloud of slavery.
Hark! In the walls, amid voices of prayer and of triumph,
I hear the clank of manacles and the ominous mutterings of bondsmen!
At Gettysburg, our Golgotha, the sons of the fathers
Poured their blood to wash out a nation's shame.
Cleansed by tribulation and atonement,
The broken nation rose from her knees,
And with hope reborn in her heart set forth again
Upon the open road to ideal democracy.

Sing, walls, in lightning words that shall cause the world to vibrate,
Of the democracy to come,
Of the swift, teeming, confident thing!
We are part of it--the wonder and the terror and the glory!
Fearless we rush forward to meet the years,
The years that come flying towards us
With wings outspread, agleam on the horizon of time!

O eloquent, sane walls, instinct with a new faith,
Ye are barbarous, in congruous, but great with the greatness of reality.
Walls wrought in unfaltering effort,
Sing of our prosperity, the joyous harvest
Of the labor of lusty toilers.
Down through the years comes the ring of their victorious axes:
"Ye are titans of the forest, but we are stronger;
Ye are strong with the strength of mighty winds,
But we are strong with the unconquerable strength of souls!"
Still the young race, unassailable, inviolate,
Shakes the solitudes with the strokes of creation;
Doubly strong we renew the valorous days,
And like a measureless sea we overflow
The fresh green, benevolent West,
The buoyant, fruitful West that dares and sings!
Pure, dew-dripping walls that guard
The quiet, lovable, fertile fields,
Sing praises to Him who from the mossy rocks
Can bid the fountains leap in thirsty lands.
I walk beside the stones through the young grain,
Through waves of wheat that billow about my knees.
The walls contest the onward march of the wheat;
But the wheat is charged with the life of the world;
Its force is irresistible; onward it sweeps,
An engulfing tide, over all the land,
Till hill and valley, field and plain
Are flooded with its green felicity!
Out of the moist earth it has sprung;
In the gracious amplitudes of her bosom it was nurtured,
And in it is wrought the miracle of life.

Sing, prophetic, mystic walls, of the dreams of the builders;
Sing in thundering tones that shall thrill us
To try our dull discontent, our barren wisdom
Against their propagating, unquenchable, questionless visions.
Sing in renerving refrain of the resolute men,
Each a Lincoln in his smoldering patience,
Each a Luther in his fearless faith,
Who made a breach in the wall of darkness
And let the hosts of liberty march through.

Calm, eternal walls, tranquil, mature,
Which old voices, old songs, old kisses cover,
As mosses and lichens cover your ancient stones,
Teach me the secret of your serene repose;
Tell of the greater things to be,
When love and wisdom are the only creed,
And law and right are one.
Sing that the Lord cometh, the Lord cometh,
The fountain-head and spring of life!
Sing, steady, exultant walls, in strains hallowed and touched with fire,
Sing that the Lord shall build us all together.
As living stones build us, cemented together.
May He who knoweth every pleasant thing
That our sires forewent to teach the peoples law and truth,
Who counted every stone blessed by their consecrated hands,
Grant that we remain liberty-loving, substantial, elemental,
And that faith, the rock not fashioned of human hands,
Be the stability of our triumphant, toiling days.

See also The Amazing Story of Helen Keller

The Amazing Story of Helen Keller

2008-04-25T11:17:00.027+01:00

Helen Keller was born in Alabama, U.S. on June 27, 1880. An illness diagnosed as 'brain fever' at the time left her deaf and blind when she was only nineteen months of age. She spent the first years of her life in isolation, cut off from the world and having little understanding of what was going on around her. However, in March, 1887, when she was less than seven years old, she met the person who was going to change her life. Anne Mansfield Sullivan, a 20-year-old graduate of the Perkins School for the Blind, came to their house and undertook the difficult task of teaching Helen. Soon the little girl grew attached of her teacher and the two became inseparable. The bond between them became stronger and stronger as time went by and it could only be broken by Anne's death in 1936.

The amazing methods Anne used to help the little blind and deaf girl overcome her disability and become aware of the world around her are described by Helen in her autobiography entitled The Story of My Life. Soon the wild uncontrollable child grew into a wise and responsible woman who had a lot to say to the world and still has a lot to say to us today.

By her personal example, Helen Keller revolutionized people's outlook on disability and revealed the amazing potential of the human being. She learned Braille and used it to read not only English but also French, German, Greek and Latin. At the age of 24, she was the first deafblind person in history to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree after graduating college with Magna cum Laude. She became a prolific writer and a world-famous speaker. She campaigned for various progressive causes, such as women's suffrage, workers' right and birth control.

Helen Keller wrote several books and articles. At the age of 23 she published her famous autobiography, The Story of My Life. Other works include The World I Live In (1908), Out of the Dark (1913), Light in My Darkness (1927) and the poem The Song of the Stone Wall.

To download the free e-book The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, click here.

A Prayer for Friends

2008-04-18T09:32:00.004+01:00

Lord God, as somebody so beautifully put it, 'friends are the family we choose for ourselves'. In a world where everything seems so unstable and brother turns against brother, there is nothing more comforting than the thought of having faithful friends who are always ready to offer us their help and support.

You taught us, Lord, to love one another as you had loved us and that there is no greater love for a man than to give his life for his friends. Through your life and personal example you gave us a lesson on what true friendship means. Help us follow you and be good friends to our friends. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we can find the right words to pray for them and to thank you for bringing them in our lives.

And as we pray, from the depth of our heart and mind, we say to you: Lord God, watch over my friends. Protect them from all evil and harm and never leave them when they are in need as they have never left me when I was in need. Be their helper and comforter as they have been my helpers and comforters in times of trouble.

Never let any of their prayers return from you unanswered. Never let them feel the sting of loneliness or the bitterness of despair. When hope is gone, bring it back to them. When faith is lost, restore it and make it ten times stronger. When they face challenges, hold them by hand and bear their burdens all along the way. Let them feel the power of your unchanged love renewed with every step they take.

Work in their lives. Be strong in their hearts. Heal their bodies and souls and help them make the best of this life as they prepare for eternity. Reveal to them the beauty of your creation and the miracle of your love. Give them a faith so strong that it can move mountains. And as they acknowledge you in their lives, come and sit at their table and dine with them. Make room for them in your eternal kingdom and keep their candle burning until the end of times. AMEN

Teach Us How To Pray

2008-04-18T09:25:00.004+01:00

Lord God, my mind is too small to understand the miracle of prayer. All I know is that it's the best way of communicating with you we've got so far and I thank you for it with all my heart and my soul. Teach us how to pray in an efficient way. Teach us how to pray so that our prayer is heard and answered. Work in our hearts, make our lives worthy of you, so that when we pray, we do it in such a way that is pleasant in your eyes.

So many times we ask for irrelevant things, thinking that we know what's best for us. Help us understand that you know better, because to you nothing is hidden and you know all the things we don't know. Teach us to surrender to your will and pray like Jesus in the Lord's Prayer: 'Thy will be done'. Give us inner peace and comfort as we come to the realization that everything works out for our good and that, as long as we stick with you, nothing wrong can happen to us.

Fill our whole hearts and minds with faith, hope and love and let the spring of everlasting joy flow within us and from within us all around, as we acknowledge you as our father, friend and comforter; our one and only treasure that can never be taken away from us.

How To Be A Prayer Warrior, by Michael Heindel

2008-03-31T18:22:00.002+01:00

A prayer warrior is an individual who is willing to prayer for others out of the goodness of their heart and with no expectations of reward or payment. Prayer warriors may not personally know the individuals they are praying for but they pray for them as if they were a beloved family member or friend. The prayer of a prayer warrior is specific to the needs of the individual in need of prayer, filled with love and compassion for the individual in need of prayer and made with complete faith that God will answer the prayer according to His divine plan.

Being a prayer warrior is not always easy but it is something that everyone has the capabilities to achieve. The requirements of a prayer warrior include understanding the importance of prayer, believing that all prayers are answered, desiring to open your heart to all of God's people and most importantly being available to pray for others each and every day. The need for prayer never ceases and prayer warriors should be willing to offer themselves in prayer at all times. The duties of a prayer warrior do not necessarily have to be time consuming but the time spent in prayer for others should be a time of sincerity and earnestness. It should also be time that is devoid of other thoughts and obligations.

Advantages of Being a Prayer Warrior

While prayer warriors are truly selfless individuals who desire to offer their prayer for the good of others, there are distinct advantages to being a prayer warrior. Spiritual growth is the most significant advantage to being a prayer warrior. In daily prayer for others with no expectations of reward, the prayer warrior grows spiritually in several ways. The first aspect of spiritual growth that comes from service as a prayer warrior includes learning how to pray effectively. Like everything in life, prayer takes practice. As prayer warriors become more experienced they learn to open their hearts and connect with God in new ways. Another aspect of spiritual growth that results from service as a prayer warrior is a heightened inner peace. Praying for others can be just as spiritually rewarding as offering prayers of thanksgiving. Finally, helping others is an enlivening feeling that is difficult to achieve in other ways.

About the Author

Michael Heindel is the owner of PrayerRequestBox.com, a website for posting prayer requests and for praying for those in need.

Prayer for Our Loved Ones

2008-03-28T20:52:00.003Z

My Lord Jesus, you taught us that faith can move mountains. You also taught us that we should only ask and we will be given. While you were here on Earth, you cured ailments and diseases the doctors had given up on and you raised people from the dead. You taught us the power of prayer and belief and that we should pray with confidence, as if we've already received the thing we are asking for.

To you, Master, I turn today, with my heart full of hope and confidence, knowing that no prayer will return from you unanswered and no request unresolved. Also knowing that all things work for our good and that you always choose what is right for us. In your name I pray to the Father of all, Creator of the Universe, and cry in the middle of the night: Father, watch over the ones I love! You know the depth of each one of them and you love them all with a love as fresh as roses and as unchanged as eternity. Never walk away from them. Never leave them struggle alone. Be their friend and comforter and let them feel with every fibre of their being that they are loved and cared for.

Our life is in your hands. I entrust their lives to you. I entrust you all their thoughts, all their worries and concerns. Guide them on the way. Lead their steps and help them always take the right decisions. Be strong in them, so that they may be strong in you. Surround them with your love like with a warm blanket, so that they may never feel cold, deserted or neglected. Help them grow and bring good fruit, enrich them spiritually, so that they can find the power to handle all unexpected or undesired situations.

Bring the right people in their way, so that they can get the help and support they need. Forgive them when they make mistakes and bring them home when they go astray. Let them experiment your love and goodness in every aspect of their lives, in every possible way. For you are the father of those whom I'm praying for today and I know that as long as you remain by their side, nothing bad can happen to them. Work in their lives, so that your name may be glorified in each and every one of them. AMEN

Mother Teresa Quotes

2008-03-26T08:36:00.006Z

Words that touch the heart and enlighten the mind. Words that speak of a life dedicated to loving and caring beyond any human boundaries. Words of wisdom and of a faith that defies reason.

Rather than reading these quotes as separate statements, read them as a whole, as the creed of a lifetime, the testament of a beautiful soul for the generations to come.

''Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.''
Mother Teresa

''God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.''
Mother Teresa

''We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.''
Mother Teresa

''Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start. ''
Mother Teresa

''Jesus said love one another. He didn't say love the whole world.''
Mother Teresa

''If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.''
Mother Teresa

''Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.''
Mother Teresa

''If you judge people, you have no time to love them.''
Mother Teresa

''Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.''
Mother Teresa

''Be the living expression of God's kindness.''
Mother Teresa

''Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.''
Mother Teresa

''Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.''
Mother Teresa

''Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.''
Mother Teresa

''We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.''
Mother Teresa

''The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.''
Mother Teresa

''The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.''
Mother Teresa

''One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.''
Mother Teresa

''Loneliness is the most terrible poverty.''
Mother Teresa

''Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.''
Mother Teresa

''Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.''
Mother Teresa

''I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.''
Mother Teresa

''I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.''
Mother Teresa

''I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.''
Mother Teresa

Prayer Requests

2008-03-25T14:02:00.042Z

Stephanie: Please pray that my husband comes back to me. He recently filed for divorce and is with another woman. Please pray that this woman leave his life. Pease pray that he doesn't hate me and has forgiven me of any wrong doings I may have done to cause him to leave me. I still love him. I'm praying for a miracle that he comes back to me.

Dawn: Please pray for my son Kyle, who is only 21 and suffers from anxiety and self destructive behaviours of drug and alcohol abuse. Although he wants to do the right things, he lapses and is unstable. Please ask the Lord to heal him and give him strength so that we may have peace and harmony in our home.

Roger Harnden: My wife and I are going through really difficult financial problems in that both our business's are failing to supply our needs (rent, food etc.) I have applied for a job and informed that my application was approved and advised that I have the job but they can not confirm the start date. Each month the hole of debt is getting bigger. I ask you to pray that this job comes through so that I can go out and work to cover the bills and take the financial pressure off the business. I prayed to our Abba Father - even wrote a letter in my bible asking the Lord to help me find a job which would allow me to keep my business while working for the company, praise the lord a few weeks later I received a phone call to come for the interview, they have no problem with me keeping my business while working for them, this is the same company who has confirmed that I have the job but have not confirmed the start date. Please fellow christians pray for us and the company that the company can start their expansion and I can start working for them taking financial pressure off the business and try and start to re-build. Praise the Lord, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoseever believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life, Amen

Jugmeet: God, I want permanent residency in Australia. One and half year passed i left my son in my home country. Every night I am crying. I can't go back because I had taken a big amount when I came. Please, help me, otherwise I want to die.

Marike: I am very unhappy in my current job. It is a place where I do get the chance to use my abilities and gifts as a designer. But I am not where I am suppose to be. I surrender my life, my gifts and talents to You. I want to be in Your perfect will to do exactly what You want me to do. I want people to see You working in my life and not myself. My Lord, please put me in the place where I can do your Good works to Glorify Your name.

Iris: Please pray that God will heal my gums and teeth, they are hurting. Please pray that my boyfriend will step out on faith and ask me to marry him. He has been hurt many times and he is thinking that I may do the same, and God knows that I would never. Please pray that God will continue to get me out of debt. Pray that our Centers her at work will thrive and that there will not be any layoffs, in Jesus name. Thank you so much for praying for us. Merry Christmas.

Myrna: Please pray for me and my daughter Jennifer, that the Lord give us the strenghth to overcome all our trials and to always love God more, but most of all we need peace in our hearts and home... I have a man that I have lived with for 21 yrs, everything is not lovely but i have tried my best, the only beautiful thing that came out of this relationship was my 18yr. old son. This man verbally abuses me, especially when I'm praying. All I ask is for u to please pray that i can find a job, so that I can leave him and find peace, because it's affecting me and my son how he humiliates me. Thank u so much. God Bless U All

Pat: Charlotte is going through extreme emotional stress and depression. That God will counsel Charlotte and give her Inner Peace and remove this burden from her. That God will heal Charlotte and give her Peace and calm to protector her from any and all harm. Also that Charlotte and I will strenthen our relationship. And that God will guide myself and Charlotte to do His will. That Charlotte and I will happily marry with His Blessing to do his work for life.

Kara: Please pray for my cousin Austin. He is lost up on the mountain right now and it is dark and cold. They have radio contact with him but there is a storm coming, they are expecting 2 feet of new snow tonight. Please pray that he stay safe and warm through the night and that they find him soon. Pray that God give him the strength to make it through this night and that God and his Angels be with him protecting him through this ordeal. Thank you, your prayers are appreciated.

Sarah: Please pray with me for the salvation of a man named Bill, and for those in his family who don’t know Jesus, or how much He truly loves them. I am not in a position to witness to this man personally, but 2 Christians (one being someone who Bill knows) have been contacted to this regard. Please ask the Lord to extend His spirit to facilitate and lead a conversational witness through these men, and by way of anyone else whom He may choose. Please ask God to extend His grace toward Bill, doing everything needed to chase him, lift the veil from his eyes, bring conviction to his heart and show him his need for a Savior. Like us all, Bill has made some mistakes, and has unfortunately had some tragic things to happen in his life. He and his family need knowledge about God's love, His grace, His glory, His offer of forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and protection--especially now because at this time Bill is in danger of influence by unbelievers (who also need prayer) whose worldly beliefs stand in opposition to God's word. Please ask the Lord to surround Bill with believers who can minister to him, and that He may use the challenges Bill has endured to further the kingdom and lead him to salvation; then, that others will see and also be pointed to Christ by what God does in Bill's life. I thank you sincerely, for your prayers and time.

Shana: Please pray for me. I have been battling many demons. I have a self infliction problem. I cut myself constantly to release emotional pain. I am 26 yrs old and I have two daughters (2&4). Their father is currently incarcerated and will be for the next year and half to two years. I have been financially stressed and i know my babies feel my pain. I don't want my disorder to affect my kids. I am scared that if I seek professional help, I may be forced to stay at a mental institution and lose my daughters. Please help!
Vic: Please pray for strength and hope and that the Lord will guide me in the path that He has chosen for me. Pray for my relationship, that the girl i love before all else loves me in return as much as i love her.
I too have lost my job through retrenchment and i am on the verge of suicide. Please pray that the Lord will bless me with a position that is better than the one i lost according to His will. I have hurt too many people in this life and at the moment i have no direction and no desire to get up in the morning to face another day of job hunting with all the rejection that goes with it. So therefore i humbly ask that a prayer be said for me to re discover the faith that the Lord wants me to have.

David: Please pray for God to bless me with a wonderful job of His choice. I lost my former job through retrenchment. I have a family which I should provide for. Thanks

Sara: Please pray for me to stay strong and give me faith in you lord, as my faith is doubted at the moment.

My gran died over a year ago, and i recently have moved into her house that she left to me and my children, my two children are also living in her old house.I have been so busy since she died, with dealing with her funeral and having a college course to do administration and having to gutter the house im now living in that loosing my gran has not hit me badly untill today.

Today i realised that i have been focusing in a carear so badly to maintain the house that my gran left as so if she could look down on me she would be proud that i have decorated and worked hard on it so my children would ejoy in it. But i have been woundering as the house is so peacefull and calm that almost no shred of evidence almost that my gran had ever exicsted and i keep wishing her to be home with me and my grandfather as they both brought me up.

But i feel that i will never see them again and that really frightens me and i feel like i wish i was dead, but then i think i cant do anything like that because my children need me and i love them so much. Ihave a horse that i deeply love too and he is lame, he has kept me going by his unconditonal love and i pray that he shall be ok and that his lameness will go away and he will not be in pain anymore.

I have a job interview tomorrow and i really hope i have some luck soon either a job or part time studing in college as if i am not busy i know i will become so upset of the lost of my gran and that this house will just make me feel worst as my mind will be constantly be on my gran and wishing her back. i keep asking but what if i never see my gran and then i really panick inside.

I also have no boyfriend, i would love to find love again in a relationship, i have been feeling very unloved lately. I think of how i use to feel when i was in love before and I just cant see me ever being with somebody ever again.

Please prayer for me to stay strong and to keep my faith and i would like to prayer for my children to keep them from any harms way and for my love to shine through to them and keep them strong especially over the xmas period as my daughter nadia was especially close to my gran and i dont want my daughter ever to feel as low as what im starting to feel, also prayer for my horse lad, to get better and to heal him of his lameness and for me to find my soul mate and to be complete. I just want this emptyness feeling to go and fill it with love instead,

Amen

Thank you for helping me pray,
Sara

Wanda: I have two adult children who know about God since they were brought up in a Christian home. They have chosen to walk away from their faith. I ask for prayer that God will show them His great love and that they will seek the blood of Jesus to wash them of their sins. I feel great urgency right now as a mother. Please pray for them.

N: Praise the Lord!

I'm a born-again believer of Lord Christ. Got married Just 3 months back after 10 long years of prayer but... My husband and I have been having major marital problems and we are now on the verge of breaking up. After marriage I came to know that He has got all bad habits and beats me everyday. I came out from My husband as he is putting lot of false and base-less allegations on my behaviour and character. He has cheated me by having illegal relatioship with other women before marriage with me and in the process of marrying her... Everyone of my well-wishers,church members suggest that I end this relationship. Pls do pray for me as he is creating lot of legal problems in giving Divorce from his end now,though initially he wants to divorce me. Let Lord guide me in this matter.

Kindly pray for me in relation to my marriage as the case is in court now. We also need a financial blessing. I am now weary and fed up and frustrated. I need divine intervention. Thanks for your prayers as I wait in faith.

Yours sister in Christ..

Kevin: I have just gone through a deep and painful place in my life which inlcuded some really painful emotions from a past divorce and a past rejection, that seemed like a box with all kinds of springs in it. I eventually opened the box so to speak and realized it was empty all along but in the process I have deeply hurt two people, I feel as though I have lost all my integrity and only God knows how to put me back together. Please pray that God will give me peace as he rebuilds me and that as it says in Job that When he's tried me, I will come forth like Gold.

Mindy Aki: Please pray for me to find work with God's help as I go through these terrible times. Please also pray for my husband for his job to be blessed, protected and saved during these trying times.

Denise: Please pray for the Wood family who has gone through many difficult times, also Poppy, the family dog, who has been very poorly. Thank you.

Jayakabra: Please pray for me. I'm broken , dreams didn't get fulfilled ... i'm dying slowly and slowly .. I wanted to study further and wanted to do work, as these days i'm doing nothing .. at home only from 3 yrs. I have wasted my valuable time . What 2 do?? Please pray 4 me ... 4 my dreams. Yhank u. God bless all. Amen. And forgive as u said.

John: Please pray for me. I need a job in Aviation/aerospace industry. I am a fresh graduate and lack experience, which makes it difficult for my entry to any company. Please pray that any of the company\'s that I have posted my CV might notice it and respond. It's going to be two months that I am waiting and no interview till date. Also, pray that God might give me good hope and comfort while I am forced to wait. Thank you for offering this service, I will also remember this organization in my prayers. God bless.

Michael: I have an urgent prayer request.

I am a missionary of evangelism, intercession and church planting. I have been able to reach an island of one million in Asia in fifteen years.

My daughter, Micah Bailey says “Souls are her passion”. She is 24 and desires to be a pilot missionary. She is working for the money to get all of her training.

I have been invited to go to different countries and I need to hear from God as to which one. This is very important.

I have a friend named Jim Brouse, whom I have been praying for around ten years. He has a business deal that has closed and the ships have sailed. He needs to receive payment. I would ask that you pray for this business deal and for him to receive this payment. This will be a great advance for the Kingdom of God. This is for billions of dollars.

Thank you very much for your time and your prayers.
P. Michael Bailey
www.globalrevivals.org
www.globalventuresnow.org
michaelandevangelism@gmail.com
205-375-2511

Eliza: Thank you for all your prayers. My surgery went well and I'm recovering quickly.

Johny: Please pray for the success of our office building construction . This is a government work. Please pray so that there is no hindrance and liability issues. Please pray so that the building is safe and long lasting. We work for it sincerely.

Jeffrey: Please Pray that Jesus will protect Mrs. Nishrin and her seven year old son Hyder Ali, and deliver them from all the powers and bondages of the Devil.

Trey: Please pray for my getting accepted to USC.

Jennifer: Please pray for Jennifer, she is going through hard times, she has 2 children. Pleases pray that the city approves her application. Due to a domestic violence that she went through she had to leave her apartment to another and she needs help to paid part of her rent because it's 900.00. She is a caring person always helping others and now there's nobody there for her but God. Thank u so much.

Eliza: Please pray for all the people who live in fear and anxiety.

Eliza: Please pray for me, as I'm having a surgery next Friday (24 July) and I feel very apprehensive about it.