I overheard two women chuckling over a mutual friend’s long text. “She always has plenty to say,” one told the other.
What would your friends say about you?
What do your own words say about you? What do your words say about God?
“There is something very wrong with a system that makes it easier to arrest a homeless person than to get him the treatment he needs.”
Marjorie L. Baldwin, PhD
Homeless, Mentally Ill and Neglected
Estimates are that 20-30% of homeless people suffer from severe mental illness. That’s not just a social problem. It’s a spiritual problem. Even if we could get them all under a safe roof today, most would still be dwelling in an unsafe space spiritually.
I don’t have a quick-fix answer, but I know that Jesus loves them. We may not know how to help, and they may refuse our help. But we should never drive or walk past without offering up a prayer for their well-being.
Lord, these are your children. Watch over them, wrap them in your love, silence the voices in their heads, heal the hurt in their hearts. Restore their souls.
What would you have me to do?
Your heavenly Father is good. Are you a good child?
Hebrews 12:10-11 (MSG)
My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.
This is your chance to learn from the best.
Fathers are important.
God made sure his Son had one.
Matthew 1:1,10 (NIRV)
This is the written story of the family line of Jesus the Messiah . . . Joseph was the husband of Mary. And Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
“Train up a child in the way he should go-
but be sure you go that way yourself.”
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
How do you remember your father?
Different fathers, different images.
If you base your image of God on an earthly father, you’ll get it wrong. Our God is consistently, unchangeably perfect.
James 1:17 (NIV)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
On Father’s Day, SHOCKWAVES (Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion) offers this prayer for fathers who lost a child to abortion. It is a beautiful prayer. I offer it here for all men who have missed their opportunity for fatherhood–via abortion, divorce, distance or even their own bad decisions:
You are the Father of all,
And the source and pattern of all fatherhood.You are our Provider, our Protector, our Encourager,
And you enable us to do the same for others.
I thank you for your mercy and healing,
Of which I stand in need
As I grieve my own lost fatherhood.
I turn to you, the Eternal Father,
And ask to be renewed
And to start again.
by Fr. Frank Pavone
I passed the tissues as a friend described her daughter’s abusive marriage and nasty divorce. “I wish I’d started praying for her husband when she was just a baby,” my friend snuffled, “instead of waiting for it to be a crisis.”
It’s never too soon to pray for your child’s future. Just think, your prayers might divert a crisis.
Micah 6:8 (MEV)
What does the Lord require of you,
but to do justice and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
You don’t have to be a good reader, a great speaker or a strong leader.
Play fair, be kind and follow God. You can do this.
