More honesty, honesty...

Lord, help me to be patient with Dena* who annoys me...

Show me what it means to love her with genuine affection and take delight in honoring her. I know I cannot do this out of my own strength and ability; I also know loving those who aren't necessarily easy to love is a large portion of the Spirit-filled life.You would have me to love her (and others) as Christ would love her, in a manner which is natural and not contrived, false, or somehow forced. For the sake of our common good, you would have us look toward the goal of unity with one another. 

 You would have me exercise much grace toward her, remembering that when I seek to refresh her, I also refresh myself. (Matthew Henry).

How I respond to those around me is a definite mark of my commitment to Christ and His church. Whereas an unsaved and sinful person looks to the satisfaction of selfish needs and desires; the person who is being sanctified looks toward the needs and desires of others in a non-self-promoting fashion. (adapted from www.bible.org).

Help me not to see Dena as a rival or person against whom I need to compete Help me not compare my gifts with hers. Instead, may I use my gifts in a way which complements her gifts and allows us both to be used of You. 

It would be so easy for me to get envious or irritated when You would have me be humble and considerate. Enable me to be both thoughtful and gracious, not prideful or overly concerned with me.. 

As you put Yourself and your reputation aside to serve those who have otherwise have been apart from You, help me to do likewise. If you want me to help Dena in some way by behaving wisely toward her, enable me to display a godly attitude and act as You would act. 

Thank You for Your Spirit who makes this life-walk possible and prosperous, 

To You alone be glory...

* Dena is a real acquaintance, but her name is confidential.

Something worth voting for and striving toward...

 True inclusion of people with disabilities is inclusion which doesn't seem like inclusion. It's the comfort and familiarity which stems from being one of the gang. Nobody has to mention belonging because everybody just does. There are few worries involved with being late to class because the backpack is too heavy and the left shoe is falling off. There are few worries about arriving late to work because your transportation failed to come. Joy comes and anxiety dissipates when true friendship walks in the door and shows up because it wants to, not because it has to. It's "let's go have coffee" and "Hey, I know you like tacos"  It's "May I help you with your meal?" and "I'll still care about you even if you never quite manage the task of doing your own laundry."

The love which accompanies true inclusion is not a love which is easily can be expressed with mandate terminology. It's not a should, a must, an ought to, or even an "I'd appreciate it if..."  It's a willing spirit which connects with another willing spirit in the hopes of mutual edification and growth. It's the recognition that both parties have something to give and something to gain. It's a   "stick to" thing which may ask about the obvious, but also cares enough to look beyond. It's a bond which communicates "we're better off together than we would be apart" .True inclusion sees an opportunity not taken as an opportunity lost. It welcomes the idea of thinking outside the box because it abhors the notion of God-given potential and gifting being ignored and under-utilized. 

At one level, I can tell you without reservation I really am so glad I'm a part of the family of God. 
I'm very grateful for the people who have accompanied on my journey of loving and being loved, of including and being included.

At another level, I realize more and more there's still work to be done in our functioning well as joint-heirs of Jesus. 

We're still traveling this sod and we're still needing each other....even though your needs may look very different than mine.

Let's be humble enough to admit that as long as there's earthly life, there's space to learn. 
Let's take time to love each other by continuing to get to know each other.
I vote to put more time toward things which really matter and less time toward all the selfish pursuits which really don't.

There's been an us thing going on since before time began...why not look to pattern our lives after that community?

That would be heavenly! 

Ser Fiel...Ahora y Siempre

Heme aqui, yo iré señor 
heme aqui, yo iré señor 
enviame a mi 
que dispuesto estoy 
llevaré tu gloria a las naciones.

Father, I do want to bring Your glory to the nations...even if You're not sending me to the nations right now.

Help me to be faithful here at home, right where I am. May I be faithful, contented, and prepared as I walk with You from day to day in the calling You are providing for me. I don't need to have a walk like anyone else's in order to follow You and serve You well. I need to listen for Your voice and be open to the nudges and promptings of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for both the assurance and reassurance You give to me.

Help me to be prayerful here at home, right where I am. Thank You the opportunities You put in my pathway; thank You for those who do labor on Your behalf in far-away places and foreign lands. May You order their footsteps according to Your Word, so that sin may not have dominion over them (Psalm 119:133). 

Thank You for the diligence and vigilance provided to us by our military service-people. Thank You for ambassadors, messengers, and missionaries who proclaim saving love and enduring hope by sharing Your Word with those who need desperately to hear it and believe it. 

Help me to be available and obedient at home, right where I am.Thank You for the people You are calling me to share with even though I may not know them yet. Go before me to guide and protect, to enable and to bless. May I consistently regard Christ as holy and may I ever be ready to give an accounting for the Hope which is in me. Help me not to be prideful, but to declare Your greatness with reverence and respect....en dondequiera que estoy y en cualquier momento...

Time is precious and fleeting,,,,Help me to spend it wisely revealing You.

Having my say....

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver, so is a word skillfully spoken." (Proverbs 25:11).

^{I am a witness to the fact that the right word at the right time can be a beautiful thing; I am also a witness to the fact that the wrong word at the wrong time can be a disastrous thing. Some people walk around wounded for years because they cannot forget words which were spoken to them by friends, relatives, acquaintances, or lovers in their past histories. Many people acknowledge the concept of letting go without being able to fully engage in the process of letting go.  The idea that words can never hurt us is a lie.} 

As an attractive ornament used in decoration brings delight to the eye of the discerning person, so an attractive word spoken at an appropriate moment brings delight to the ear of the discerning person (adapted from Matthew Henry).

As believers in Christ and family members in the home, we can start banishing words which wound through the practice of using discretion before we speak. Let's step back and employ good judgment before we say things which could be hurtful, harmful, distressing, or cause unnecessary offense. Let's do our best to avoid gossip by focusing on relationships present and current, not on relationships past or absent. 

Anytime before I speak, may I consider the knowledge base from which I speak. Little knowledge probably equates to little authority. Pity for me, I'm often too stupid to recognize this! I frequently fall prey to speaking without much sense!

As believers in Christ and family members in the home, we can also practice using discretion while we speak. We can monitor our words more carefully and pay attention to the effect our words are having on others. We can monitor the tone and pitch of our voices while we are speaking and be on the look-out for words and phrases which tear down instead of build up. Experience has taught me that both children and people with disabilities can be hurt by thoughtless, careless speech. Cynicism, undue criticism, sarcasm, and vulgarity can be easy to notice and hard to miss.

As believers in Christ and family members in the home, we can even practice using discretion after we speak if we become aware that our words have been spoken rashly, harshly, insensitively, or without wisdom. Sincerity in relationships which carries through to apology and admitting of errors is better received than neglectfulness or pretended naivete.

May God cause us to be skillful in our words so that we might more skillfully reveal Him and not cause others to be repelled or repulsed by us!

His Holiness, My Imperfection

Father God, I want to worship You as a God who is distinct, set apart, and unique …

Forgive me, for those times when I fail to honor You with the awe, reverence, and humility You seek from me. Help me understand more of what it means come before You and respect You for who You are. You are still sovereign and in control of life’s events Help me to know who I am in comparison to who You are so that together we can experience the interplay which exists between the personal and the majestic.

You are worthy, O Lord God, the God of generations past and present! May I not bring offense to Your kingship through casualness of mind or indifference of heart. May I not belittle Your purity and righteousness by approaching You with my worldly concerns in my dusty shoes. Remove clutter from my life, intentions, and thoughts so that I can provide an affirmative answer when I hear You call my name.

Let me not so familiar with You that I become insincere in my adoration of You. Forgive me when I turn to assumption and presumption in our relationship rather than relying on pause, investigation, and submission.

You are a promise-keeping God who is without equal in regard to Your seeing, hearing, and knowing; You are also a God who ever communes with men and women choosing to use them as mediators of Your presence, hope, and deliverance. You call people to stand before You, to know Your thoughts, and to mirror aspects of Your divine character (www.bible.org).

Like Moses, and your servants of old, I desire to be used of You despite my imperfections and past failures. I may not glimpse You face-to-face until I reach eternity with You, but I long for You to reveal Yourself to me so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, I might help set people free from shame, bondage, and oppression in the name of Jesus.

You are aware of grieving people who cry out to be rescued from long-tern misery and distress. In compassionate mercy, provide means of intervention and reconciliation on their behalf for Your glory and the sake of Your name.