Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Dear God,
Create in me a thankful heart.
Develop in me a grateful mind.
Give me an appreciative spirit.

I confess feelings of jealously toward the actions of others.
I confess feelings of envy toward the possessions, attributes, and skills of others.I confess feelings of greed that have caused ungratefulness in my life.
Create in me a thankful heart.

I have focused on what I don’t have rather than what I do have.

I have taken for granted many of your blessings.

I have wanted more than I have needed.

Create in me a thankful heart.

For your fellowship

For my family

For my friends

I give you thanks.

For a warm bed to sleep and good food to eat

For clean water to drink and a clear mind to think

For comfortable clothes to wear and a life to share

I give you thanks.

For your grace for my mistakes

For your power when I am weak

For your love when I am alone

I give you thanks.

For your presence and promise in times of grief and trials

For your hope and light in days of despair and darkness

For creating the unique person I am

I give you thanks.

For laughter and smiles and hugs and most tears

For the ability to embrace and to be embraced

For recovery, restoration, repair, and reconciliation

I give you thanks.

Give me an appreciative spirit.

Develop in me a grateful mind.

Create in me a thankful heart.

Amen.

This Morning's Message - Self-Serve: Prayer

This morning's message about prayer.

Prayer for Palm Sunday

Dear God,

It’s Palm Sunday. 

Jesus arrived to a defiant city on a donkey to people shouting “Hosanna.”

       Enter my disobedient heart.

       Replace my pride with humility.

       Release me. Rescue me.

Form in me a deep desire to trust You more fully.

       Give me a faithful obedience to follow You whenever and wherever.

Forge in me the strength to listen to and respond to Your voice.

       May I say “yes” to Your plans and promises.

       May I say “no” to the competing shallow securities of this world.

Eliminate prideful attitudes that separate me from community with others 

       and distance me from closeness and intimacy with You.

Eradicate my behavior of constantly comparing myself with others 

       and teach me that my worth and value in life is a gift from You.

Rescue me from the double standard of singing “Hosanna” in worship 

       and shouting “crucify him” at work, with friends, and even at home.Release me from the hypocrisy of worshipping You with my words at church

       but denying You with my actions in the community.

Prevent me from holding on to habits that are harmful to me and hurtful to others.

       Let the destructive parts of my life die and disappear.

Prepare me for resurrection and new life that comes as a gift from You.

       Let reconstruction begin and make me alive again!

You entered a holy city to people waving palm branches and waiting for a King.

Enter my life to make me holy, victorious, and obedient to the King of all Kings.

Amen.

Prayer of Acceptance

Sunday morning worship and WE at Night this weekend is about rejection. We all have dealt with it, deal with it, and will deal with it. Jesus did too. If you are feeling rejected -- here is a prayer we are going to pray this Sunday -- A Prayer of Acceptance.

Dear God,

I search for acceptance. 

     Acceptance from others.

     Acceptance from You.

     Acceptance from myself.

David. Imperfect, but accepted by others and by God.

During the daylight I feel unaccepted for who I am.

     My appearance. My age. 

     My beliefs. My body.

     My color. My creed.

     My disabilities. My dysfunction. 

     My education. My employment.

During the nighttime I feel unaccepted for what I have done.

     My failures. My flaws.

     My guilt. My guile.

     My hurts. My hopelessness.

     My iniquities. My indignation.

     My jealousy. My juvenileness.

Let me not consume myself with earning the acceptance of others.

     I want to strive to please You.

When others don’t accept me for one reason or another,
     Remind me that my worth doesn’t come from an imperfect person.
     Remind me that my value comes from You.

Accept me for who I am. Accept me for who I am not.

     Seek me out and invite me to hold close Your acceptance.

     Save me from not accepting Your grace.

Help me accept myself for who I am and who I am not.

     Despite my past. Despite my shortcomings.

     Despite my mistakes. Despite my faults. 

Give me the grace to accept myself and the wisdom and 
     the strength to change the things about myself that I cannot accept.

As I have been accepted by You, make me accepting of others.

     Not to judge, but to welcome.

     Not to exclude, but to embrace.

     Not to reject, but to support.

     Not to ignore, but to notice. 

     Not to disregard, but to value.

     Not to hurt, but to help.

You have accepted me during the moments of my life I have been least acceptable. That is Your grace.

May I give others the same grace You have given me.

May I give others the same acceptance You have given me.

Amen.

A Prayer for Lent

If you are seeking to grow in your prayer life during this season of Lent, I invite you to use this prayer. It is great to use in the morning or to take a few minutes in the middle of a hectic day to center and re-focus.

Dear God,

It is Lent. A season of renewal.

Days of reflection.

Nights of replenishment.

Weeks of repairing and refocusing.

Ending in resurrection and rebirth.

Lent is a journey that begins with a look at our mortality
and ends with God's 

Grant me discipline. 
Discipline to be faithful. 
Discipline to hunger for Your Word. 
Discipline to thirst for conversation and quiet time with You. 
Discipline to love what You love and to love like You love. 
Teach me again that discipline yields a rich harvest of grace and peace. 
Remove any obstacles between us and move me closer to You. 

Bless me with repentance. 
To turn away from anything that distances or distracts me from You. 

To turn from lust to love. 
To turn from fear to freedom. 
To turn from jealousy to justice. 
To turn from selfishness to service. 
To turn from haughtiness to humility. 
To turn from gluttony and greed to goodness and grace. 
To turn from doubting and depression to depending fully on You. 
To turn from worshipping counterfeit gods to worshipping You and You alone. 
Help me repent of my sins and turn to You, so that my sins are wiped away. 

Remind me of my mortality. 
I was created from dust and to dust I shall return. My time in the world You have created is limited. 
Help me make the most of it. 
Let Your dreams for me be my dreams for me. 
Make my purposes clear. Give me a passion for my purposes. 
And let me know this world is not my permanent home. 
Your Kingdom and Your heart is my true and eternal dwelling place. 

You are faithful to me. 
Recreate me in Your image so I am faithful to You and others. Do something in me during this season. 
Do something small and do something big. 
And as You do something in me; do something through me. 
Bless me and a make me a blessing to others and to the world. 
Let me experience the resurrection of Christ. 
Resurrect me. Give me a rebirth. Raise me to new levels of life. 

Amen.

A Christmas Prayer

Almighty God, 

You have given us your Son. You have given us Yourself. 

Emmanuel. God is with us. 

When we are angry, afraid, alone, and anxious. 

You are with us. 

When we celebrate, are courageous, live in community, and are calm. 

You are with us.

Let this Christmas be our yearly reminder of your grace: 

You give us the Hope of the World. 

Bring hope to the world and to our world. 

With a baby, you brought joy into the world on this day so many years ago.

Help us accept this gift and share it with others. 

You give us love in the person of Jesus. 

Help us to experience your love and to be more loving to others and to ourselves. 

You give us the Prince of Peace. 

Bring peace to the world and to our world. 

You give us the Resurrection and the Life. 

Raise us to new levels of life. 

Through the piles of presents – remind us of your presence. 

You are with us. 

In our brokenness and busyness – remind us who you are and whose we are.

You are with us. 

Jesus is the Light of the World! 

Thank you for lighting our path. 

Help us to be a reflection of his light to the world. 

You have given us your Son. You have given us Yourself. 

Emmanuel. God is with us. 

Encourage us to accept and embrace this most wonderful gift. 

Teach us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. 

Christmas. This day and because of this day. 

You are with us. 

Amen!

Soren Kierkegaard's Prayer for Inner Peace - Translated for Today

Fifty Days of Prayer

The Water’s Edge is entering into a season of prayer beginning on Sunday, July 21st and ending on Sunday, September 8th. We will devote 50 days to praying, learning, and growing. WE will pray as individuals, families, friends, and as a church.

Fifty days is significant. Pentēkostē is the Greek word for Pentecost which means fiftieth day. In the church calendar, Pentecost occurs fifty days, or seven weeks, after Easter. It is specifically the day the Church was given the Holy Spirit. 

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. -Acts 2:1-4 

We will pray that God fills us with the Holy Spirit and gives us the ability to do things we have never done before, to accomplished goals we have never completed, and to dream new dreams. 

The Hebrew Scriptures talk about the significance of fifty days as well—bringing their best offering to God after fifty days. 

Keep counting until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days later. Then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. –Leviticus 23:16 

Although only a few people at The Water’s Edge are farmers (I know of two!) who can actually bring grain, we all have an offering we can bring God. For some it may be time, for others it may be energy, for others it may be a skill, and for others it may be a new level of commitment to discipleship. 

The fifty days begins on one of the most important days of year for The Water’s Edge—the first day of Vacation Bible School. The fifty days ends on one of the most important days of the year for The Water’s Edge—the launching of our new Sunday evening worship experience. Each day will be different. Some will focus on the church. Others will be deeply personal. Some will be comforting and pastoral. Others will be challenging and prophetic. 

My prayer is that after these fifty days, WE will have a much deeper understanding of prayer and a much richer experience of prayer. My prayer is also that God will use this understanding and experience to fuel our ministry this fall and for years and decades to come. 

I am blessed to be taking this journey of prayer with you, 

Craig

Pray. Plan. Prioritize. Prepare.

Most good things in life come because of planning. Not all, but most. Praying and planning help us prioritize and prepare. I have seen people obsessively plan for things like vacations and weddings. And the results were amazing. A near perfect week or a night they will never forget. 

Life is a lot like a vacation or a wedding. Better planning usually means better results. Some of life’s most important questions are questions like this:

• What do I want my relationship with God to look like one year from today and how am I going to get to that place? 
• What do we want our marriage to be like in five years and what steps are we going to take to make this vision a reality? 
• What can I do to invest in my children today so that they will have a better future tomorrow? 
• What is a dream or a goal I have that hasn’t come to fruition yet and how can I accomplish this goal or make this dream come true?

1. Pray. Listen. Discern. Dream. Vision. 

I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. 
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
 Your old men will dream dreams,
 and your young men will see visions. -Joel 2:28 

2. Make a plan

A goal without a plan is just a wish. -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

3. Prepare to work the plan

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. -Abraham Lincoln

4. Work the plan 

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
 but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. -Proverbs 21:5 

5. Keep working the plan 

The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare. –Juma Ikangaa 

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince
 or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. -Proverbs 6:6-8

Dream. Pray. Plan. Pray some more. Prepare. Work. Pray some more. Keep working. Succeed. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Prayer Circles

Last Sunday we began a new series: The Circle Maker. It is about dreaming big, praying hard, and thinking long. Last week’s message was about dreaming big dreams and praying bold prayers—things in our life that can only happen with God’s help. I encourage us to clearly define big dreams in our lives: personally, family, and in ministry to the world.

I want to share a few things I am praying hard for regarding our congregation:

Sunday Evening Worship 

Last week our leadership team and staff unanimously voted to start a Sunday evening worship experience beginning on September 8th. We will worship at Palisades Elementary School on 168th Street between Cornhusker and Giles. This will be one of our biggest endeavors as a congregation so far. Our aim is to reach new people and lead them into a growing relationship with Christ. The message will be the same as Sunday morning, but the worship experience will most likely be different. I ask you to join me in praying for this new service. If you are interested in serving on the leadership team for this service an informational meeting will be this Thursday evening, April 18th. Email jennie@watersedgeomaha.com if you are interested in attending. 

Leadership Development Academy 

Our Easter attendance was 1,300 people—up 45% from last year. That is great news! During that same time our leadership hasn’t grown 45% so our current leaders are carrying a heavier load. The Leadership Development Academy will train and equip new leaders at The Water’s Edge so that our growth is sustainable, to prevent the burnout of existing leaders, and grow committed followers of Jesus. The Leadership Academy will start in August and I’m already so excited! It will be an 8 month program that meets once or twice a month. Participants will learn about prayer, discipleship, financial and personal stewardship, how to lead small groups and serving teams, how to share our faith in authentic and non-threatening ways, and how to serve outside the church in the larger community. If this is something you are feeling led to participate in, pray about joining us in the fall. If you are ready to register—we will probably limit this to 25 people—you may do so by emailing jennie@watersedgeomaha.com.  

Women’s and Men’s Ministry 

Teams are being created for both men’s and women’s ministry. We have a number of men’s and women’s small groups, but the time has come for encompassing men’s and women’s ministries to enable men and women grow in their faith development, to help men and women deal with issues specific to their gender, and to allow men and women to develop healthy relationships with others. If you are interested in leading or serving in one of these ministries, email ron@watersedgeomaha.com (men) or jill@watersedgeomaha.com (women). 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

But It's Easter

A prayer for Easter Sunday

Dear God, 

The morning begins with darkness and despair. 

     My transgressions. The sin of the world. The hatred of many. 

     Fear is widespread. Satan delights in Christ's death. 

     My worries. The helplessness of the world. The hopelessness of many. 

But it's Easter.

     Satan’s party has come to an abrupt and amazing ending. 

     The once broken and lifeless man has emerged from the tomb. 

     Christ is alive again! 

It’s a new day. 

     Faith calms fears. Love replaces hate. 

     Goodness repairs evil. Light overtakes darkness. 

     Grace forgives sin. Life resurrects death. 

I celebrate this day. 

     It is a day You have made. I rejoice! 

     The day Jesus rose from the dead. 

     Neither death nor life will ever be the same again. 

The day death died. 

     Death is swallowed up in victory. 

     The tomb couldn’t hold Jesus. 

     Nor can it hold those who follow him. 

You redeemed the world. 

     The cross was once a symbol of disgrace. 

     It now represents restoration and hope. 

     Erase my mistakes and fill me with Your grace. 

You comforted the world. 

     When the fatality and fragility of Friday comes into my life - 

     Remind me of the sweetness and salvation of Easter morning. 

     Heal my brokenness and let me begin again. 

You entered the world. 

     To seek out the lonely and lost. To serve the least and the little. 

     To save the sinner. To send out the saints. 

     To show humanity how to live and love. 

You changed the world. 

     You gave direction to the searching. 

     You forgave the prostitute of her sin. 

     You raised Lazurus from the dead. 

Enter my world and change my world. 

     Give me focus and direct my path. 

     Forgive me of my failings and sins. 

     Resurrect me to new levels of life – now and forever. 

Amen.

Palm Sunday Prayer

Forgiveness Prayer

Accepted. Accepting.

A Prayer for Lent

WE Fast

Here is a guide to fasting modeled after John Wesley's fasting habit. I am encouraging people at The Water's Edge and beyond to fast weekly during this season of Lent - which starts tomorrow and ends on Easter Sunday, March 31st.

Turning Up the Silence

We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. –Mother Teresa 

Noise is a sound that causes disturbances and disorder. Restlessness is constant motion and activity that occurs as a result of anxiety or boredom. Disturbances. We don’t like them, but for some reason we live with them. Disturbances are normal and normal isn’t working because God isn’t found in noise. Anxiety is the lonely and scary place between “now” and “then.” Boredom is the hidden enemy who slowly and steadily steals the very thing God gives.

Noise. Restlessness. Disturbances. Anxiety. Boredom. This is not God’s plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11) Some things can only happen in silence. Other things best happen in silence. 

The Bible doesn’t give a whole lot of details about the prayer life of Jesus, but the few details given are more than enough to make the case that connection to God doesn’t come from noise or restlessness or disturbances or anxiety or boredom, but from solitude and silence. 

Jesus prayed in lonely places. (Mark 1:35) He taught the masses to find a quiet closet, shut the door, and have a conversation with God. (Matthew 6:5-6) He sent the disciples ahead of him and went to the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:45-46) Even in Gethsemane, he told Peter and the brothers to stop and go no further. So Jesus took a few more steps, fell to his face, and began his private conversation with God. (Mark 14:32-35) 

Culture is full of noise and restlessness. Both are common, expected, and ordinary. But, noise and restlessness prevent us from experiencing God and embracing each other. iPads, iPods, iPhones, fifteen versions of ESPN, Twitter, text messaging, busyness, consumerism, email, and eBay provide enough noise to make a jet engine sound like wind chime during a gentle breeze and enough restlessness to turn an exhausted pre-schooler into an insomniac. Being constantly connected to the noise and restlessness of the world ironically and sadly disconnects us from the abundant love of God and the genuine love of others. We confuse busyness with significance, entertainment with joy, and vast connectedness with vital communication. Our basic human needs of genuinely knowing God and others and authentically being known by God and others are being lost in the confusion and complexity of the world. 

God simply says through the Psalmist: Be still, and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10) Unplug. Listen. Say “no” to what isn’t working. Rest. Relate. Turn up the silence. Listen to God. Be fully present with others. Discover and embrace your true self. Be still. Be silent. 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig

Wesley's Covenant Prayer for Today - Video

Over two hundred years ago, John Wesley wrote a prayer for personal renewal and restoration. He encouraged Methodists to pray this prayer at the beginning of the new year. I rewrote the words to this prayer a few years ago. We prayed it in worship on Sunday. Here is an audio version with the text embedded. 

Give Us Your Peace

Dear God - 

In places like Somalia and Sudan – Connecticut and Korea 

Bullets fly - Children die - Parents cry 

Give us your peace 

Broken hearts 

Lives too short 

Fear of life and fear of death 

Give us your peace

Tears fall down our cheeks like rain from the sky 

Knots in our stomach and sleepless nights 

Worries about tomorrow compete for space in our mind with regrets from the past 

Give us your peace 

Restlessness, impatience, annoyances, intolerance, frustration, and anger 

They fill our lives like melted snow floods a fragile river 

Give us your peace 

Prince of Peace – Take our burdens and give us rest. 

Wonderful Counselor – Show us the way to peace. 

Through the deepest valleys 

In the darkest places 

During the times we are completely alone 

Show us the way to peace 

Peace with You 

Peace with others 

Peace with the world 

And peace with ourselves 

Give us your peace 

Dysfunction, dismay, and despair – They exist in the world. 

But you have overcome the world 

Help us to be overcomers who embrace your peace 

We give you our fears 

We offer you our failures 

Our hearts are no longer troubled because of your peace 

You are God and your peace surpasses all understanding 

Guard our hearts and our minds 

Teach us your presence is greater than our struggles. 

Give us your peace. 

Amen.

Prayer on Joy

Dear God, 

Sometimes I feel sad. 

Sometimes I experience regret and remorse. 

Sometimes my life is filled with disappointment, doubt, and despair.

Take away whatever is preventing me from embracing the joy You freely give.
Purify me from my sins. 

Remove the stain of my guilt. 

Make me pure and holy. 

Give me back my joy again. 

          I have been settling for less. Sometimes a lot less. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God. 

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. 

Make me willing to obey You. (Psalm 51:7-12) 

Help me to find joy in all things: (Philippians 4:4) 

          The trials of life where I can grow and depend fully on You. (James 1:2) 

          The victories and successes because of my growth and Your grace. 

          Times of busyness and boredom. 

          And typical, normal, and ordinary days.

Transform dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships into flourishing friendships. 

Don’t let others steal or diminish my joy! 

Place people in my life who will bring me joy. 

Place people in my life I can share my joy with. 

Teach me to rejoice in hope, 

     be patient in tribulation, 

          and consistent in prayer. (Romans 12:12) 

Empower me to keep on asking for more of You 

     and more joy in my life. (John 16:24) 

Help me to trust in Your unfailing love 

     and not things of the world that will let me down 

          so that my joy depends only on You. (Romans 14:17) 

Lead me from any sorrows I currently am experiencing 

     to an abundant and eternal relationship with You— 

          a relationship filled with joy. (John 16:22) 

I give You my disappointment, doubt, and despair. 

I give You my regret and remorse. 

I give you my sorrows. 

Give me joy and help me receive and embrace it. 

Amen.