A Prayer

God, it’s morning again….the light rises & fills this room….streaks of color adorning the nets, purging the darkness, probing relentlessly into the most resistant corners of our souls. I wonder if a single beam of light will curl into our hearts this time, chasing away shadows left over from too many demanding yesterdays or restless nights.

We watch for You, wondering if there will be one clear, no-mistaking word, addressed to us alone, compelling us beyond any compromise, certain beyond any doubting, assuring beyond any confusion.

There are many out there who are so very sure and there are many here who want to be sure, but not all of us are so sure. We are blessed, yes, beyond all telling…beyond all thanking…beyond all deserving…but still….we wonder why? Why us and not some others who seem to need it so much more? Why us, when we can give you a thousand reasons why we don’t deserve the goodness that has come. Ah, sometimes we are just so weary of ourselves.

Another day comes yet wisps of yesterday still clutter….being there for whoever asks…mouthing more wisdom than is in our heart…offering more encouragement than we truly feel..giving more answers than honest truth allows….Yet, you work miracles with it all, turning the little loaves & fishes that we all are into food for others. Maybe that’s the clearest sign of You…and maybe that is enough.

Is it Father’s Day all over the world? Or just here? In some cultures, Father’s are revered…in others, tolerated…in all places, relationships with fathers are mixed…Some fathers’ bless, some wound, most of us aren’t sure how to do this job…we all want to do it better….somehow mother’s know better how to be mothers than many of us know how to be fathers….but we love our children…we seek to do the best for them…& if we are wise, we will look to You, the One we call Father, for guidance. So hear as we pray the prayer given by Your Son….Our Father….

Our Father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory forever
Amen.

Rev. Dr. Roger A. Paynter
June 20, 2010

My Alma Mater is Famous

While I am not a McDonald's fan, I am a fan of their choice to use the beautiful William Jewell College quad in their new commercial! Check it out!

Whose Fault Is It?

Here is an opinion article from the NYTimes on the oil spill which I have refrained from writing about every day on this blog because, quite frankly, it makes my blood pressure go up too high (and it makes me cry). Below is an excerpt from the article. It's a letter written to a hometown newspaper...

“I’d like to join in on the blame game that has come to define our national approach to the ongoing environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. This isn’t BP’s or Transocean’s fault. It’s not the government’s fault. It’s my fault. I’m the one to blame and I’m sorry. It’s my fault because I haven’t digested the world’s in-your-face hints that maybe I ought to think about the future and change the unsustainable way I live my life. If the geopolitical, economic, and technological shifts of the 1990s didn’t do it; if the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 didn’t do it; if the current economic crisis didn’t do it; perhaps this oil spill will be the catalyst for me, as a citizen, to wean myself off of my petroleum-based lifestyle. ‘Citizen’ is the key word. It’s what we do as individuals that count. For those on the left, government regulation will not solve this problem. Government’s role should be to create an environment of opportunity that taps into the innovation and entrepreneurialism that define us as Americans. For those on the right, if you want less government and taxes, then decide what you’ll give up and what you’ll contribute. Here’s the bottom line: If we want to end our oil addiction, we, as citizens, need to pony up: bike to work, plant a garden, do something. So again, the oil spill is my fault. I’m sorry. I haven’t done my part. Now I have to convince my wife to give up her S.U.V. Mark Mykleby.”

Things that make you go hmm...