"There should be in our prayers an astringent honesty with ourselves, so that we may be honest with God, for God sees the secrets of our hearts, and God well knows when we are conventionally asking for blessings which we have no real desire to receive." Wm. Barclay (click link below for full quote)
Tag: spirituality
Quote of Note #215: God’s Participation in our Lives–Prayer
"God commands us to pray, God participates in our affairs and our needs, our cares and in our distresses, in our expectations, and in everything." K. Barth
Quote of Note #202: The Necessity of Prayer
"[Prayer] is a need, a kind of breathing necessary to life."
Quote of Note #198: Lying to Ourselves & Resentfulness
The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than anyone. You know it is sometimes very pleasant to take offense, isn't it?
Quote of Note #194/Prayer Note #67: A Christmas Prayer
"O Lord, our God, when we are afraid do not let us despair. When we are disappointed do not let us become bitter. When we fall do not let us remain prostrate. When we are at the end of our understanding and our powers, do not let us then parish. No, let us feel then … Continue reading Quote of Note #194/Prayer Note #67: A Christmas Prayer
Quote of Note #191: Motives and the Public Life of Christians
"Often we need to be shocked into an awareness of the motives that really shape our thoughts and actions, and we must respond to these revelations by pleading for the mercy that will allow us to repair our ways. All of this must happen in contexts where the basic issues of sin and grace are … Continue reading Quote of Note #191: Motives and the Public Life of Christians
Quote of Note #171: Jesus Prays our Prayers
"God is the Father of Jesus Christ, and that man Jesus Christ has prayed, and he is praying still. Such is the foundation of our prayer in Jesus Christ. It is as if God himself has pledged to answer our request because all our prayers are summed up in Jesus Christ; God cannot fail to … Continue reading Quote of Note #171: Jesus Prays our Prayers
Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
In my youth, which took place in those dark days before the existence of computers and apps on mobile devices, it was very difficult to say definitively how often, if at all, a given phrase appears in the Bible. These days, of course, it is a matter of a few moments of thumb typing, and … Continue reading Pastor Note #132: Anger and Following Jesus
Prayer Note #62/Quote of Note #156: Made for God
"Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you. Teach us to offer ourselves to your service, that here we may have your peace, and in the world to come may see you face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." The Alternative … Continue reading Prayer Note #62/Quote of Note #156: Made for God
Pastor Note #82: Learning to Hear God’s Voice
From Digital Camera to Bird Songs When I got my first digital camera, photography opened up for me in a new and exciting way. In the old days of film photography, every time you took a picture, it cost you half a dollar for the film and the processing. That could run into money pretty … Continue reading Pastor Note #82: Learning to Hear God’s Voice
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 