Deus Misereatur

Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 121.2). Hear us, O Lord our help, and for Christ’s sake answer us. O Lord of the Harvest, have regard to the prayers of your servants in this church; send us forth as laborers into your harvest; fit and prepare us by your grace for our vocation and ministry; increase in us the Spirit of power, love and sober-mindedness; strengthen us to endure hardships as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and grant that your Holy Spirit may prosper our work, that by our life and doctrine we may show forth your glory and be instrumental in the salvation of many. Look upon your Church throughout the world, including these congregations in the greater OKC area; Santa Maria Virgen Episcopal Church, Ascension Lutheran, Lord of Life Lutheran and Our Lord’s Lutheran Church. Give your church your comforting, courage-inspiring aid. Strengthen your people in their longing to serve you more faithfully, cause them to succeed in genui...

I have given a sample of this before, but it is worth offering another. The picture is part of my prayer journal. You can see that I date it, and list what passages of Scripture I read this morning. One of the passages I read was Hosea 8-12. Inside those chapters are several warnings, encouragements, and enticements to draw near to Yahweh in repentant faith. The verses that stuck out to me are the following: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors (Hosea 10:12-13). My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all (Hosea 11:7). the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name: “So you, by the help of your ...

God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology by Steven J. Duby My rating: 5 of 5 stars The role of natural theology does not always get a good rap among some Protestants and Reformed camps. But just the other day Steven J. Duby, associate professor of theology at Grand Canyon University, and author of “Divine Simplicity: A Dogmatic Account,” came out with a dense and demanding 352-page paperback that seeks to give the subject its due! “God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology” makes bold to present a way “theologians today can appropriate Reformed orthodox insights on matters like the nature of theological knowledge, the viability of natural theology, and the theological use of metaphysics” (8). This weighty work, part of IVP Academic’s “Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture,” methodically and meticulously treks its way through theologians, esoterica and substantial loci of natural theology, metaphysics and the i...

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 2020. 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...

God Sings! by Douglas Bond My rating: 4 of 5 stars Most Protestants no longer realize that one of the major rallying points of the Reformation was the return of worship, especially congregational singing, to the parishioners. For centuries only the professionals (priests, monks and cantors) sang and chanted the divine service, up front, close to the altar. The congregants rarely knew the music or the songs, and thus, seldom sang. Then came the Reformation with the Reformers reading not only sacred Scripture, but also the early church pastors and theologians. To their surprise they found it was standard fair for the congregants to sing and engage in the liturgy. And so, the Reformation included congregational singing and involvement in worship. But slowly, especially over the last several decades, the descendants of the Reformation are returning to the up-in-front professionalization in worship. Therefore, I was interested to receive the 270-page paperback “God Sings! (And Ways We T...

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 thru 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, have mercy. We pray you to safeguard your Church in every land by granting each country a wholesome tranquility, healthful affluence, and honest government. Almighty God, hear our spoken and unspoken discomforts, worries and fears about the fiscal, political and governmental future of our country. To have a President being impeached is not a trite and trivial affair, but a weighty and worrisome situation. Have mercy on our country, our President, the House and Senate, and bestow and bring about what is best for the good of the populace of this nation and the health of your Church. Compassionate Father, we remember these who are in n...

Bullets, Badges, and Bridles: Horse Thieves and the Societies That Pursued Them by John Burchill My rating: 4 of 5 stars While my wife and I toured the Dalton Gang Hideout in Meade, Kansas, walking through the underground tunnel, and touring the gift shop, we happened upon "Bullets, Badges, and Bridles: Horse Thieves and the Societies That Pursued Them." Here, I thought, was a part of the frontier that I knew little about. And so I was delighted to pick up this 192-page softback, penned by John K. Burchill, associate professor of Criminal Justice at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas. It was almost like sitting down with the author and allowing him to tell you the fascinating stories and accounts he had found in his studies. Sometimes a bit disjointed, but always informative, and at times downright fascinating. Most of his material revolves around the ascent and exploits of anti-horse theft associations in the late 18th to early 20th Century. These secretive c...