Deus Misereatur

  I have long ago tired of books that claim to have a Christian fix to civil government. They simply fall flat on me. But "Government in the Gospels: Daily Reflections for Government Officials" is not one of those manuals. Instead, Jonathan M. Craig, a Navy Chaplain, onetime Assistant Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Tallahassee, Florida, and now a Florida State Capitol Minister with Mission to North America’s Ministry to State, has given Government officials a devotional guide that is more personal, and helps them to reflect on their calling without promoting sectarian political schemes. It's simple, but goes straight to the heart! The book covers 55 daily devotions that walk a magistrate through the flow of the gospels. It aims "to facilitate the government official's regular communion with the living God by connecting the reader with every passage in the four Gospels directly related to government." It is an ingenious approach that aids ...

  Almighty God, though a man’s heart plans his ways, it is you who directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9); therefore, we pray – O director of our steps – for this world and your church. Lord God, as we plan our ways for this year, guide us inch-by-inch and mile-by-mile. May our confidence in you increase throughout 2025. May we come to know you more than ever before, love you more deeply than we have in the past, and serve you with greater enjoyment and enthusiasm. May we have eyes to see you doing great things – even in the modest and mundane moments. May we have hearts and voices ready to rejoice in your great goodness, even if the wind gets kicked out of us. May we be known as a people who enjoy making much of you! We ask you to alleviate the suffering, angst and fretfulness of those who are in dire need of your healing or help (…). Please restore them by filling them with your unsurpassable peace to guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and give them rock-hard reasons to hav...

  O our Lord and our God, who has reconciled us to yourself, and to one another, by the death of your Son, having taken away the dividing wall of hostility through his cross (Ephesians 2:14-16), we pray for your World and your Church, and we pray in the name of Jesus who is our peace. We pray for the wrecked and the robust nations of this world, O Lord, have mercy. We pray you to safeguard your Church in every land by granting each country a wholesome tranquility, healthful affluence, and honest government. Have mercy on our country, our President, President-elect, VP and VP-elect, the House, Senate, and Supreme Court, and bestow and bring about what is best for the good of the populace of this nation and the health of your Church. Further, Lord, here in Oklahoma, we beseech you for the rain and showers we need, for our good. Compassionate Father, we remember these who are in need (…). Restore them body and soul, give them peace of mind and joy in the Holy Spirit. We pray for the p...

Glory be to God on high: and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise you; we bless you; we worship you; we glorify you; we give thanks to you for your great glory! O Great King and Sovereign look upon our country and the nations of this world and move over the plans and intentions of our Oklahoma State Senators and Judiciary. May all come to know your peace on earth, becoming men and women of goodwill. O God of armies send forth your hosts to preserve and protect our greater Oklahoma City area firefighters, police officers, Sheriffs, deputies, troopers, and our military members, particularly those who are close to danger, at home or abroad . Yahweh Rapha, Lord our healer, sustain and direct our doctors, PAs, nurses, First Responders, and specialists – especially those who are on call or working now and throughout this Christmas season. Thank you for their help and availability; and may they know they are appreciated. LORD God whose steadfast love is great above the heavens; w...

  Fond memories swirl through my head about reading loads of books to my kids when they were little. We found plenty of material, but when it came to Bible stories and little books that focused on one Bible story or another, the field was antiquated and narrow. Old 1950s and 1960s art work, script that could be a bit corny, crayon marks, and all. Though our children have long been grown, I'm still always looking for good material for parents to read with their youngsters. Sarah Walton, author, wife and mother, has pulled together a pleasant retelling of our Lord's story of the prodigal son and his stuffy brother in the 56-page hardback, "The Long Road Home: A Tale of Two Sons and a Father's Never-Ending Love". The delightful illustrations are provided by Christina Yang, a seasoned illustrator and designer. Between the two, "The Long Road Home" is just the kind of book I look for when thinking about reading to kids and grandkids. The story encompasses two...

  There’s a risk when getting into someone else’s life story. To actually commit yourself to listening as they recount the paths they’ve taken, the dark corners in their lives where lurk wild things, the odd reasonings in their heads, and more. The risk happens at different levels. One risk is that if a person really tunes in to the tales of another’s life, as weird or dark or grief-filled as it may be, there’s a lot of commonality. ‘This person is very much like me, and I find myself thinking the same way they did.’ If you really listen, it can be eye-opening. Ashley Lande, author and writer in rural Kansas, takes a bold step by inviting you into her life story in her award-winning autobiographical narrative, “The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever: Transcendence, Psychedelics, & Jesus Christ”. It’s in both paperback and Logos Digital formats. And it is a page-turning journey through a life looking for the thing that would make everything okay forever. Simply becaus...