Move Toward the Light – And Carry It Forward (continued)…

Posted on March 20, 2023 by stevelong

In a continuation of the last CP post, we think of the Dorothy Day effect in the larger community. Not only did she share personalism with those living in the NY area, her witness and legacy grew 70 x 7 (and more!)

An MWPC friend shared a Dorothy Day experience that touched his extended family and ultimately thousands of Cincinnatians.** Over-the-Rhine Kitchen – now called Queen City Kitchen – was established because of the energy and light that Dorothy shared at House of Hospitality in New York City (more details at the website HERE.)

Isn’t it nice to know such efforts can have such an amplification effect? Bet it’s happening based on your life too, though perhaps at a little smaller scale than for the Dorothy Days of the world (but no comparisons allowed!) 🙂

As we continue Moving Towards the Light, it’s nice to have beacons like Dorothy Day…

Enjoy this day, perhaps with a personalism perspective, loosening life’s self-focus and allowing more strengthening and spurring of the Spirit in the process!

NOTES: Want to know more about Dorothy Day?

** thanks to MWPC member Bill R. for sharing about Dorothy Day and for some source materials!

Little Pantry location in Cincinnati, OH

POTENTIAL ACTIONS: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

share financial and/or food offerings with a local** food pantry
check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry, community dinner
find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items

** for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 26, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

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Personalism – Move Toward the Light (continued)…

Posted on March 17, 2023 by stevelong

The Lord is my light and my salvation – why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger – why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1 NLT

Dorothy Day has come into several conversations over the past few weeks.** She definitely fits the mold of “Move Toward the Light” from the last CP post (HenriNouwen.org contributions)

Looking for examples of those willing to Trust God, Dorothy Day seems a model. CP can’t do justice to her in one post so a follow-up will be forthcoming.

Church scholar David J. O’Brien has called Dorothy Day “the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism.” One of Dorothy’s major contributions was founding the Catholic Worker Movement which resulted in millions of meals being served, among many other good works.

Today’s CP focus is on Dorothy and the Personalism approach. According to the webpage HERE

Personalists believe you can change the world by changing yourself, but also that we are morally responsible for one another. People ought to be self-governing, sincere, determined to harmonize means and ends, and bent not just on personal conversion but on shaping law, policy, and institutions, all of which in turn shape people.

Dorothy’s focus was on individual “guests.” Getting to know them, their issues, what they thought about topics and more. She ACTED, and with such action made it possible for millions to be positive affected and effected by altruistic egoism efforts of personalism.

As we continue Moving Towards the Light, it’s nice to have beacons like Dorothy Day to follow!

Enjoy this day, perhaps with a personalism perspective, loosening life’s self-focus and allowing more strengthening and spurring of the Spirit in the process!

** thanks to CP participant Chris for sharing about Dorothy and for some source materials!

POTENTIAL ACTIONS: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

share financial and/or food offerings with a local** food pantry
check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry, community dinner
find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items

** for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 19, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Move Toward the Light…

Posted on March 14, 2023 by stevelong

Move Toward the Light. Ah, that we might do as the Henri Nouwen post HERE describes…

I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands. All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God.”

Trust God.

Why is that so hard? Could it be that society’s focus on being self-sufficient has hardened our hearts to a God moving through us? If so, what a pity to miss the inspiration of new heights.

Let’s think about loosening our grip on our hearts and spirits in a variety of ways…

POTENTIAL ACTIONS: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

share financial and/or food offerings with a local** food pantry
check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry, community dinner
find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items

** for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

Enjoy this day, strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 19, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Thanksgiving aspects – Lenten Prayer* by Rev. Dr. LP Jones…

Posted on March 10, 2023 by stevelong

Wonderful images of thanksgiving invade while reading LP’s Lenten Prayer,* including:

special people – their embrace, welcoming eyes

exuberant melody of the songbirds

ability to laugh (including at ourselves!)

a new face in the crowd

hand in need of a touch

open arms waiting to receive us

WOW! As we experience this day, let’s be intentional. Consider taking time to sit and be surrounded by thanksgiving moments, many we miss because of our focus on “what’s next?”

May you enjoy a thanksgiving-filled day, strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

* In the early 2010s, Rev. Dr. LP Jones prepared and shared a Holy Week prayer with the MWPC community as part of his weekly newsletter column [read or listen to the entire Lenten Prayer HERE]

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 12, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

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Ready to Wade?

Posted on March 7, 2023 by stevelong

God’s a gonna’ trouble the water…

Wading in the water is not always a positive experience or a guarantee of an easy life, is it? Avoiding slave catchers comes to mind in particular. Even the less negative examples like Jordan River and baptismal waters still have associated challenges (HERE is a little Wikipedia history if you’re interested in more.)

Worry can come along for the ride. Yet such wading can also produce important perspective and wisdom.

ACTION: Consider listening to traditional versions of Wade in the Water or those with Wade in the Water influences for important perspective

Sistah Lala’s “Troubled Waters” version is HERE – a really nice combination of traditional and faith-filled message in this one
Chapel Folk’s “Wade in the Water – a Stoned version” is HERE
A few more traditional versions HERE

Ready to “wade in the water” today? [at least figuratively, if not literally? ]

Creator ~ help us wade effectively in this world while worrying less; balancing many aspects of life; and doing a continuous re-centering on you. AMEN

May we be willing to wade in the water regularly while staying Christ-centered, strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 12, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Shift Your Point of Gravity…

Posted on March 4, 2023 by stevelong

The Henri Nouwen Society website posting HERE can be effective on several fronts. First, the visual. Can you relate to balancing based on that Unsplash.com picture?

Then there is Nouwen’s text including

Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.”

Reading that commentary is an important reminder. It can also bring a smile for viewers of the movie City Slickers. In the scene HERE, Curly talks about The Secret of Life and the ONE thing.

Also on the web posting is this Biblical reminder:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10: 41, 42 (NIV)

Creator ~ help us journey effectively in this world, worrying less and balancing so many aspects of life while also doing a continuous re-centering on you. AMEN

May we be willing to make a suitable number of tries while attempting to stay on “the Christ-centered log,” strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 5, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Lenten Prayer* by LP Jones (aspects of confession)…

Posted on February 27, 2023 by stevelong

Sometimes as Christians we enjoy a reawakening and/or recharging. For many in the Mt. Washington area of Cincinnati, the pastorate of Rev. Dr. LP Jones was such a blessed experience.

Regular readers of CP will recognize this Lenten Prayer as a regular part of this season’s postings. In the early 2010s, Rev. Dr. LP Jones prepared and shared a Holy Week prayer with the MWPC community as part of his weekly newsletter column [read or listen to the entire Lenten Prayer HERE]

This week we’ll focus on these lines relating to confession.

…We know our sins are many, but why must we confess them so often? Remind us, gracious God, that you call us to confession not to burden us, but to free us. Help us to offer you every fear, failure, and sin, so that your forgiveness can calm and cleanse us and your steadfast love can draw us to new beginnings…

The first two sentences feel like part of the human experience – confessing sins AGAIN this week. Really? It’s easy to get that burdened feeling relating to confession.

LP brings it to a great spot just like the song Amazing Grace does for many – “to free us.” Though making plenty of mistakes, we can be inspired by the forgiveness of our Creator!

Let us then go out, willing to make a suitable number of mistakes – strengthened and spurred by the Spirit!

[author note: Anne Lamott’s 3 word prayer book title comes to mind in such situations – HELP (us take these words into our lives.) THANKS (for the inspirational aspects that LP’s ministry shared with MWPC, and other inspirational messengers share to various communities in the past, present and future.) WOW (let these words surround and inspire us to love and good works.) ]

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, March 5, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **
Lenten Prayer by Rev. Dr. LP Jones HERE

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Oh Lord We Bless Your Name…

Posted on February 25, 2023 by stevelong

“Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul.” ~ Psalm 103:22

“Oh Lord We Bless Your Name” is a song by Pastor Gregory Chandler and performed by The Chandler Family. You can have a listen HERE. It’s a wonderful composition with vocals that lift praise and honor.

Blessing God’s Name in the Cincinnati area is a passion for Pastor Gregory Chandler. He is Founder of Whole Again (details HERE), an important non-profit group working to alleviate childhood hunger in the Cincinnati area for the past 17 years.

On this day Whole Again leadership will be brainstorming next steps for strengthening and growing that ministry. May the results of those efforts only further God’s very apparent blessings to the community…

Enjoy the day while blessing our Creator’s name, filled with the Spirit!

Manitoba Drive sidewalk chalk art – nice reminders…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, February 26, 2023:

POTENTIAL LENTEN PRAYER ACTIONS: Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

Longer…

Posted on February 22, 2023 by stevelong

According to the Guideposts webpage HERE regarding the Lenten season:

The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word lencten, meaning “spring.” The word is also connected to the Germanic word for “long.” According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word most likely refers to the lengthening of days during the springtime. Therefore, it is called the Lenten season because it always begins in the spring.

While not pretending to know Dan Fogelberg’s religious leanings, perhaps we could adopt his song “Longer” when thinking about Lent? 🙂 Listen HERE. Certainly lots of good imagery there that fits whether with human relationship or Lent! 🙂

Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there’ve been stars up in the heavens
I’ve been in love with you

As we consider the lengthening of light during the days of this Lent 2023, perhaps it offers the opportunity to spend those extra minutes of light in gratitude with our LIGHT, the Creator? Whether in the enjoyment of nature and/or other Lenten practices, this season can provide time for wonderful reflection.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS: many providers share “prayer a day for Lent” approaches. Perhaps one of these will stir an opportunity for prayer enhancement during Lent 2023?

Guidepost FREE Lenten prayer daily email HERE
With all that’s going on with refugees in our world, “40 Prayers in 40 Days” HERE **

Enjoy the day, stirred by the Spirit!

** thanks for making us aware of this one, Steven!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, February 26, 2023:

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CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

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Ambassadors…

Posted on February 17, 2023 by stevelong

When international tragedies occur, groups like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) come to the scene in various ways. It’s inspiring to know what people around the world are doing to bring lightness during such dark times.

The prayer HERE by PDA’s Director Rev. Edwin González-Castillo** shares a wide scope perspective regarding the Turkey/Syria earthquake. The closing shares empowerment

We pray that you may guide us as we look for ways to share your compassion and hope with those who suffer. That we may be ambassadors of your peace, your mercy, and your abundant love.

Through Jesus, who weeps with those who weep and heals every heart, amen.

PRAYER: Creator God, as we continue our individual journeys, empower us to indeed “look for ways to share your compassion and hope with those who suffer,” loving recklessly in Christ-like manner…

Enjoy the day, stirred by the Spirit!

** thanks for making us aware of this one, Toni!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, February 19, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving Christian Playbook messages like this? If so, please forward this message and they can sign up WITH THIS LINK

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – periodically updated

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