Windswept – January 2016

Download — January 2016

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^“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the   Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” John 14:13-1

Happy New Year! This seems to be the time of year when many of us think about what was and what may come, and we resolve-sometimes successfully and sometimes not so much-to try to “better ourselves”, quite often in the area of living a healthier lifestyle. Recently I acquired a little Christmas book written in 1970 by Harold E. Kohn, a pastor and artist who clearly loved God and loved nature. In it is this poem titled     Refresh and Revive Us, and this is just what I am inspired to pray for 2016: that God would give me the gift of seeing God’s wonderful works and a heart of     gratitude and awe to go with it!

Peace and Joy in 2016!     LJP

 

O God, our Father,

Refresh and revive

our wilted sense of wonder.

It has become tired and dull

while beholding daily miracles

of dawn and darkness

sunset and starlight,

seed time and harvest,

the whole pageantry of life

and

above all else

the wondrous mystery

of Thy patience and mercy,

until

everyday miracles seem

wonderful no longer.

Grant us the gift

of seeing all things

as if for the first time

so that

wonder and delight

may not fade in us

with the passing years.

Let daily life be punctuated

and adorned with exclamation points.

Convert our casual “So what?”

to glad astonishment.

Keep our souls awake

to the excitement of existence

in Thy world,

Aware of Thy nearness

and

Alert to all the dealings

we have with the Eternal.

No matter how long or short

our lives may be,

Give them great depth, and towering height:

Depth of insight,

understanding and

appreciation

and

Height of aspiration,

Until we see every place

as holy ground

and

All of life a sacrament.

Through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.