Day Fourteen Photo Prayer

Thank you lord for this new day

help me use it wisely for your will and purpose

take me safely through to night

so that I may delight 

in new mercies ever reigning new again tomorrow

Amen

Day Thirteen Photo Prayer

Lord I walk this lonely pathway 

with different companions by my side

However I delight in only one so greatly 

and that would be you my guide.

Amen

Day Twelve Photo Prayer

Lord melt my heart

Help me to see you more clearly

to do you work fearlessly

to be your completely

Amen

Day Eleven Photo Prayer

Lord welcoming into your presence

Draw me into your secret dwelling place.

Let me be with you Lord all my days. 

To sit among your very being.

Amen

Day Ten Prayer Photo

Lord God

Help us be a holy people our eyes fixed upon you. 

Help us to be a community that reaches out to your people in need.

Makes us a body that is courageous and willing.

Send us Lord.

Amen 

Day Nine Photo Prayer

Lord, 

Lead me by still waters,

Allow me to drink in your presence 

to be refreshed and renewed

Give me peace that can only come from you

Peace that then will flow from me like a mighty river,

Your love to flow from me

Your grace and truth, a mighty river. 

Amen

Day Eight Photo Prayer

Father God, 

wash me as white as snow,

forgive me for all that I have done wrong,

Move me to live a life more like you

To give everything to you.

Except me

Forgive me

Amen

Vision

I hope many people have been enjoying the photo prayer daily, for me its been a really good opportunity to focus my mind specifically and have a focal point.

Another focal point in my life has been the idea of Vision, appropriate in many ways.
The weekend just gone has been an incredibly interesting one, I was leading some sessions, workshops, discussion groups (call them what you will,) for a friends church. Their where 15 women from the north (much further north than I have ever travelled) sat here in college who dipped out unlucky as I was the only speaker they could find at short notice.

I looked at three things over four sessions. Women with voice, Women with vision, Women with Mission - did I mention it was a women's weekend away.

So with Women with voice, I looked at the importance of our own stories, how Christ was working in their lives, how that was the stuff that great hero's and heroines come out of.

Women with Mission looked at what these women were doing practically as individuals and as a church to further the Kingdom of God.... and it was a lot.

Women with Vision was the most challenging for me personally, its something I've been thinking about a lot recently. We looked at two types personal vision, and corporate vision of their church.

So I wrote my own personal vision statement. The short version went like this:

Lord make a tent maker, a wanderer, a washer of feet, 

Help me to lead the lost, and bind the broken.

Yeah I know quite vague and it generally seems more like a prayer. But thats what I feel called to be. 

So how about you what are your dreams and visions for life?

Day Seven Photo Prayer

Lord I wish to enter in to your Holy Presence,

You have called by name, 

I knock at your door,

and you allow me to enter into your courts.

Lord I pray that you would make me a gate keeper for your Kingdom.

Amen

Day Six Photo Prayer

Father, Please, 

Give me faith so I can walk on water. 

Help keep my eyes on your light. 

Help me share amongst those I live with.

Be courageous and loving to be more like you.

Amen

Day Five praying in photos

Lord of my heart

I thank you that although the path is narrow

You have blessed me with life all around me. 

I pray that you help me to walk this way

In the tread of your footfall. 

Amen

Photo Prayer Day Four

God, Jesus, Holy Spirit.

Work in my life, 

Create in me a beauty that comes from you,

Set my heart to focus only upon you.

Let your light shine through me.

God, Jesus, Holy Spirit,

Make me yours, yours completely.

Amen

Photo Prayer Day Three

Lord help me see past the things that hold me back, 

help me to gaze unashamedly upon your beauty 

to focus and rely upon your light.

Amen

Photo Prayer Day two

Jesus, 

Help me to be your light that shines on a hill,

Help me to be your love in this community, 

Help me to see your grace and mercy in the place,

Help me to know more of your mystery,

Help me to walk closer to you each day

Help me Lord as it is only in your strength I stand.

Amen

Praying through Photo's

I've been inspired by some new friends this week, and I really love my photography and taking photos, I'm really not great at it, but that doesn't matter.

Whats more as I often use my camera as a way of prayer, and I'm currently unable to do this. So I have a folder of currently 90 photo's I really love, that I have taken, so I plan to write a short prayer with them and post them here each day.

Today is the start!

Father God, I look out to my future and it all seems so blank. 

It all seems so hidden, 

I've know what you beauty and promise looks like Lord, 

You've shown me beauty, mercy, grace and love all before. 

Please remind me

Help me to find beauty in this situation.

and to cling ever on to you. 

Amen

We are:

We are a movement.
Bounded by love and grace,
held in the palm of hands that
Reach out tenderly.

We are a community.
One that is not ashamed,
Learning out spoken an spirit filled.
Learning to cling to the cross,
Walk the narrow path,
and to be bold in the name of our Lord.

We are a fellowship.
Our mission outwards
Our journey heavenwards.
Our guide unfailing.

We are many.
Gathering moment
mixing our gifts and talents
One bright colourful quilt cover.
Being sewn into a great artwork.
Pleasing to the creator

We are united
In love,
In grace.
In Christ.

We are sent
singing praises,
Enduring lament.
Joyous
In awe

We are a movement
We are a community
We are a fellowship
We are many
We are united
We are sent.

All in Christ

Being transformed can be a painful experience and certainly challenging.

So being transformed by the power of God. I'm sure for most of you, at points (and often they're few and far between for most people) it feels like he's transforming you with sand paper and a chisel... essentially a painful process. As I was discussing with a friend the other day (he has a new blog walkinginthegrey.wordpress.com) how I think at the moment God is working a small bit on the transformation thing. Painful emotionally in some ways and phyiscally painful as he seems to have chosen to administer this transformation through my inability to stay on my feet! 

So I'm bad at many things. I'm very independent, reliant on myself and God I suppose, but the community, well they always look so busy and I can do it myself. But no this week has been a movement into allowing others also to help me. I'm incredibly thankful to as many of my friends have truly been amazing here! Maybe I need to allow people to support me as well. Especially God - Challenge one.

Secondly its been a movement into accepting prayer, I'm quite happy to run away from people if they wish to pray for me, but being on crutches means two things firstly people wish to pray with you more, and secondly you just cant run away! Maybe I should be more accepting of people wishing to pray with me and for me - Challenge two.

Finally I was really moved by this scene in Call the midwife on BBC one that showed a nun seeing the frivolity of the nurses and then going back to her rome and taking of her head cover, showing her in a completely different light. This has inspired and challenged me is maybe I need to more truthful, the naked honesty of who I am. Challenge three.

Maybe in a few weeks time we shall see where these transformations (or attempts) have led to. 

Please ask me how I'm doing over twitter or FB or by commenting here!