St. Patrick's Breastplate

I love the REAL St. Patrick, who interestingly was neither Catholic, nor a leprechaun!  He was a godly man who gave his life to serve God and led many to Christ.


I also love being reminded this time of year of his beautiful prayer which he wrote, called "St. Patrick's Breastplate," as well as sometimes being called the Lorica, and Deer's Cry.  It has been turned into hymns, and gone through various translations over the years, so it sounds a bit different from time to time, depending on which version one is familiar with.  I love it's depth and scope and comforting power, as it keeps our riches in Christ before us in every line and stanza.  Every time I read through it (and also when I recall the parts of it I have memorized), I am blessed with the awareness of God's overwhelming Presence and power in, around, and for me.


Here are two videos that each share St. Patrick's Breastplate in different ways. The first video is of a beautiful song based on it.  You will see as you watch it through that it has not only lovely idyllic scenery, but a powerful everyday application as well!


(NOTE: before you play the videos, disable the sound on the worship music player to the right by hitting pause)




The second video is a reading of my favorite version of the whole prayer-poem.  It's nice because you can see the words as they are read.  I have come to love the rhythm and power of reciting this out loud, which is easy enough to do by reading along with the sound on this down.  You will recognize parts you may be familiar with, but many of us do not realize the grand whole that they come from.  What a rich heritage those who have belonged to Christ and gone before have left us.

Enjoy!  And Happy St. Patrick's Day!


(NOTE: remember to disable the worship player to the right by hitting pause)

Our WEEK OF 24-7 PRAYER is coming soon!

It's coming!  In fact, it's almost here -- our annual week of 24-7 non-stop prayer.  We clear most of the chairs out of our sanctuary, and set aside a whole week, 24 hours a day, to come and be with Jesus.  This year our theme is "Pilgrimage".  Check out our 24-7 page here for more info.  We will be updating with more about the theme, how you can join our community of prayer-hearted friend to help prepare before, and also help during the week of prayer, and for info on signing up for an hour slot.


MARK YOUR CALENDARS for April 15-23!!!  One week, one thing -- Jesus!



WEEK of 24-7 PRAYER page

UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE . . . Sacred Space this Friday

SACRED SPACE this Friday, March 11, 6-10pm

A safe place to seek His face and spend time in His Presence.  Simple prayer stations and special worship in a meditative atmosphere.  Come and go as you like.  We will have a special prayer station and prayer circle focusing on Arizona CityFest.

What does social justice look like in MY TOWN?

Prayer connects us with God's big heart and the compassion of Christ, as He encourages us to see, pray, and reach beyond ourselves.  Because of this, we are exploring together the issue of social justice (more on that in a future post).  I got a kick out of, and also really was encouraged and inspired by, this recent post on the 24-7 Prayer blog regarding Alana Wiens’ and how God worked in her heart as He transformed her passion for social justice into a size and shape to make a difference right where she is.  Read about her story here: My Town: Justice is local 

PRAYING TOGETHER - for physical and spiritual hunger

This Wednesday, January 26th at 7pm in B1, we will be "Praying Together" for the issue of physical hunger, which is one of the Arizona CityFest's focus points.  We will also be learning about how we can pray for friends and family to come to know Christ - and of course actually praying for them!  Everyone is invited to come, pray, and also if you are able, bring an item of canned food to support our Open Door Food Bank and bless others.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY - BIGGER

Lord, I am overwhelmed today with the bigness of so much frailty and need - mine and all around me.  Help me to trust You to the point that I am overwhelmed even more by how so much bigger You are.

A New Year - A New Way to Pray?

 

Have you ever heard the expression “praying the scriptures” and wondered what that actually means? How do you pray the scriptures? Do you just repeat the verses to God? What does it mean? How do you do it?

Praying the scriptures is not as confusing or intimidating (or, frankly, as tedious) as it might sound. The first step for me is to simply slow down a little as I read through a passage. As the words on the page describe events in someone's life (such as in the Old Testament or Acts), I can think about their responses to God, His responses to them, and what my responses might be in similar circumstances. My circumstances are different but might the same challenges be present? What are my needs and desires regarding the challenge? When I pray for those needs and desires, I am praying the scriptures. When the verses I read are words that reaffirm God's love for me or remind me of the freedom He died to give us, and I linger there awhile, I can imagine how my life would change if I truly believed that in every corner of my heart. It's then that I'm led to pray for that depth of belief to be true of me, and suddenly I'm praying the scriptures.

I could try to explain it some more but sometimes it's just better to see it. When I was at a recent writers' conference, I met a writer who is doing just that for us. Diane Guthmuller is showing us through her blog what it looks like to pray the scriptures. It's her 2011 Prayer Journey where she's reading through the Bible and posting prayers based on what she's read. It's a perfect time to jump on board and subscribe to her prayer posts. She lists the Bible passages from which her prayer comes so we can see how she turns her scripture reading into prayers. I've subscribed to her posts and they arrive in my email every day. I'm enjoying the life, and depth, and personalness that she's bringing to Bible passages for me. It gives me keener eyes to see my own life in the lives, needs, and challenges written about in the Bible. If you've ever wondered about “praying the scriptures” give this blog a look.