Prayer for Balance - Legible

A few of you had a tough time reading the prayer from yesterday. I have never been accused of having good handwriting and it was a full page of words. I hope you find this prayer helpful.

Hectic. Rushed. Worried. 

Stressed. Cluttered. Burdened. 

Lonely. Tired. Complex. 

It is my life but not Your plan for my life. 

By your grace, become the priority and passion of my life. 

When I lack – You sustain. 

When I am alone – You are present. 

When I am overwhelmed – You are my help. 

When I am defeated – You are my hope. 

You provide my needs. 

Faith. Family. Friends. 

Work. Wellness. Wealth. 

Sleep. School. Spending. 

I am pulled in all directions. Pull me in Your direction. 

I confess I have made choices that have caused me to lose balance. 

Forgive me when these choices have been intentional. 

I live in an imperfect world that makes balanced living difficult. 

Give me wisdom not to conform to the patterns of the world but to be transformed by the Gospel. 

I pray for organization in the details of life. 

My distractions on non-essentials are many. I pray for focus on the essential things of life. 

Help me give my time, energy, and resources to the important – not the urgent.

Help me say “no” to mediocre or even good things so I can say “yes” to the best.

Let me embrace simplicity and flexibility rather than complexity and rigidness.

Give me clear purposes in life. I want to love and be loved by You. 

Make my relationships be life-giving and joyful for me and for those I relate to.

Help me love like you and extend my hand in service to those around me. 

I am a sinner. Lead me to experience your forgiveness and to share forgiveness with others. 

I am jealous and envious. Fill me with thankfulness and gratitude. 

I have neglected my body. Help me take care of myself through exercise, nutrition, and rest. 

I have let my work become my life. Allow me to see that my value comes from You. 

I am unbalanced. It is my life but not Your plan for my life. 

I am pulled in all directions. Pull me in your direction. 

Give me harmony and peace. 

Give me grace and balance. 

In the name of Jesus I pray, 

Amen.

Prayer for Balance

Saying No and Saying Yes

A video of Sunday's sermon. Part 2 in a series on balance in life.

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Pastor

I am a pastor. Some people even call me pastor. It’s kind of a strange word and a holy word. A word used only in church circles. St. Augustine came up with the job description for a pastor about 1600 years ago and it hasn’t changed much.

Disturbers are to be rebuked, the low-spirited to be encouraged, the infirm to be supported, objectors confuted, the treacherous guarded against, the unskilled taught, the lazy aroused, the contentious restrained, the haughty repressed, litigants pacified, the poor relieved, the oppressed liberated, the good approved, the evil borne with, and all are to be loved.

Not a bad job description as far as job descriptions go. At least the parts of it I understand. 

I am about as blessed as a pastor can be serving The Water’s Edge. The people at The Water’s Edge share God’s dream and the responsibility of being the church with me. Plus, you all are fun to share life with. 

Two women dreamed up and implemented a girl’s night out to connect women in the church. Nearly fifty women attended the outing. I wasn’t invited, but heard it was great! 

Over sixty people are running the Lincoln Marathon or Half-Marathon to raise money for hurting and marginalized people in Omaha, the United States, and throughout the world. 

Thirty households are excited to serve as organizational, relational, and spiritual leaders for our upcoming capital campaign this spring to raise the level of discipleship and purchase land for our future home. 

These are a few examples of the many things happening at The Water’s Edge. As a pastor, nothing brings me more joy than to see people connecting and growing. And, I want you to know the growth I am most interested in is yours. As a pastor, I will do my part to create environments and to help others and give permission to others to create environments where you can grow and connect. 

I want to encourage you to place yourself in environments where you will grow and connect. New small groups will be starting this February and many existing groups will be welcoming new people. Give one a try for six weeks! Our capital campaign will also be an excellent place to connect and grow. We will all be asked to pray and serve. All of us! We will have several opportunities to connect in small gatherings at people’s homes and all together as a congregation at the school and the property. The goal of the campaign will not be to raise a bunch of money. The goal of the campaign is to connect us to God, each other, and the world. This will be a great and exciting season for us! 

I’m blessed to be the pastor at The Water’s Edge and I look forward to growing with you and connecting with you in the future. 

The best it yet to come… 

Craig

Focus and Priority

A video of yesterday's sermon. It was the first message in the three part series on balance. Jesus says to seek put God first and trust in God's provision. As we seek balance in life, the first step is making God our focus and priority.