Deus Misereatur

[Recently I have started using again these forms of prayer in my times of prayer. I thought it would be good to draw your attention to them. These are taken and adapted from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. MWP] Forms of Prayer to be used in Families MORNING PRAYER. ¶ The Master or Mistress having called together as many of the Family as can conveniently be present, let one of them, or any other who may be appointed, say as follows, all kneeling, and repeating with him the Lord’s Prayer. 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 trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. ¶ Here may follow the Collect for the day. Acknowledgment of God’s Mercy and Preservation, especially through t...

Our Father, you are our rock of safety and in you is no unrighteousness at all. Grant unto us the grace we desperately need, so as to withstand the temptations and avoid the infections of the world, the flesh and the devil, so that with pure heart, sound mind and holy delight we may serve you in perfect liberty all our days. O Lord, hear our prayer. We remember those who are wrestling with and being wrestled down by, specific misfortunes, misadventures, and mishaps….may it please you to console and relieve them according to their particular needs; giving them enduring patience under their sufferings and a happy ending to all their afflictions.  O Lord, hear our prayer.  With Your watchful, caring eye preserve our U.S. Military people and those from our congregation who are in other countries… O Lord, hear our prayer. Please uphold our republic, as well as all other nations in our world, and direct the hearts and minds of all the leaders to do justly, love mercy and w...

First, Second, and Third John by George L. Parsenios My rating: 4 of 5 stars Sometimes, as they say, dynamite comes in small packages. Three of the shorter books of the New Testament, 1, 2, and 3 John, are that way. At first their small size gives the impression that they can’t contain much of significance – especially 2 and 3 John, each of which are only one page in length – yet once one dives into them attentively it becomes quickly obvious that there is more here than first meets the eye. Then if a student of the Scriptures will pick up a commentary on those three, their depths and enormities become clearer. George L. Parsenios, associate professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and sessional professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, has recently penned a 208 page paperback commentary on these three New Testament writings. It has recently been published in the Paideia Commentary series at BakerAcademic. The treatise is a fa...

Our Refuge and Strength—Psalm 46 Over the past several weeks we have been hit hard with bad news, gloomy prognostications, and disconsolate prognosis. We’ve been faced with shocking deaths, and calamitous events all over the world. On top of these are the dark stories of potential national fiscal failures, racial tensions, governmental corruptions. As you and I stare down the near future – say the rest of 2015 thru 2016, we have no clue what’s coming from the other end of the dark tunnel, but we have a creeping suspicion it might be a freight train. So this Psalm ought to be one of the first places you go whenever the dark clouds of doom begin to brood over your soul. Verse 1 is the main point of the Psalm, and all the rest flesh it out. The sentiment is echoed in 7 and 11. So, here is the declaration – no matter what else may follow, no matter what else may befall you, no matter how you feel: God is our refuge and strength, a very present (very accessible) help! 1....

Sunday Morning Our Father, you who are a father to the fatherless, helper to the helpless, defender of those who are defenseless; you see that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves. Please keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, so that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to our bodies and from ALL evil thoughts that may assault and hurt our souls! We remember these who are tackling and being tackled by specific misfortunes…may it please you to console and relieve them according to their particular needs; giving them enduring patience under their sufferings and a happy ending to all their afflictions.  Please safeguard our country from all enemies foreign and domestic; preserve our industry; strengthen our educational attainments; rebuild civility, lawfulness, and courtesy; turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of the children to their parents (Malachi 4.6); come and be a swift witness agai...

Active Defense: Guidelines for Building a Security Plan by MS Kathy L Gaynor My rating: 5 of 5 stars On the one hand, this 95 page paperback is an over-sized product pamphlet for Lighthouse Investigators of Norman Oklahoma. Throughout the material some of the services Frank and Kathy Gaynor provide are mentioned and explained. Both authors are private investigators who have worked in legal, insurance and investigation fields for years. On the other hand, this is a simple textbook on the whys and hows of security and safety for a congregation. The authors take the time to carefully explain the importance of churches conducting background checks, setting up emergency plans for several situations, preparing for violent crimes on church property, giving security tips, examining ways survive violence at church, and conducting risk management. The material is not overwhelmingly technical. The Gaynors have presented the main information in short chapters that stay on task. "Active Def...

War in Heaven by Charles Williams My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oftentimes the mundane and material are perceived as swimming in a closed system, performing and progressing along well defined tracks to a clearly predictable destination; unless the mundane and material are seen through the eyes of the mystically minded. Charles Williams, long-time friend and confidant of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, is such a one. “War in Heaven,” originally published in 1930, and recently republished as a 260 page e-book (Kindle), is an ideal example of Williams’s ability to see the commonplace and corporeal through celestial senses. This particular edition has a new introduction written by admirer Jonathan Ryan. “War in Heaven” seizes the reader’s interest in the first line, “The telephone was ringing wildly, but without result, since there was no-one in the room but the corpse” (11). From there the story takes the reader from London to Fardles, city to country, and back again as we follow the steps of...