Deus Misereatur

  Holy Father, who sends sun and rain on the just and the unjust, who provides food for the good and the evil, thank you for your tender mercies enjoyed by so many.   O God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom the whole heavens adore; let the whole earth also worship you, all nations obey you, all tongues confess and bless you; and men, women, girls, and boys everywhere love you and serve you in peace through Jesus Christ. We ask this especially for families, neighbors, co-workers, and friends we know (…).  Almighty God, we pray for churches in the greater OKC area, especially Midwest Blvd Christian Church, Mustang Church of the Nazarene, 1 st Nazarene of Yukon, and Nehemiah Baptist Church. We pray that their work, toil, patient endurance and rejection of evil would flourish; that they would not abandon their first love; and where they may have fallen into error or co...

  In good style Stephen Ambrose takes a moment in history and makes it readable, intelligible, and retainable. Written in 1975, the narrative is still relevant on so many different levels. It's not just about two fearless men, but a development of clashes and backgrounds through the decades up to the fateful moment, and a little beyond. Teens interested in history to the oldest adults will find it accessible. The two "downsides" to the book, for me, primarily relate to the author. First, the author seems to approach the Sioux with the "noble savage" mindset in the earlier chapters. That will begin to fade as he draws nearer to the clash at the Little Bighorn, but it's quite clear and obvious up front. Next, Ambrose's own social ethic comes out as he addresses Libbie Custer. He seems embarrassed that she didn't (or couldn't) become more, and was held back because the cultural customs of the day which he seemed to think pushed women back. In my min...

  This is a 5-Star book by Dale Ralph Davis, now retired Presbyterian minister and professor of Old Testament. It's readable as a devotional work, it's scholarly for research, and it'll preach! The author's easy manner can almost be disarming because he doesn't slack off from the harder details. one who picks up this volume and dives in will not be disappointed, and will walk away with a better comprehension of Joshua, and greater appreciation for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Davis does a masterful job helping readers, teachers, and preachers grasp what's going on in the scroll of Joshua, and why it matters. He helps students to see the big picture of each section, and then draws their attention into the specific features of every episode. Afterward, he often turns the caring eyes of his searching analysis on the hearts and lives of those reading, until you come to actually believe that the scroll of Joshua is God speaking to his people in every age, ev...

  (This is the congregational prayer at Heritage Presbyterian Church OKC on 12 September 2021) Glory be to God on high: And on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give thanks to you, for your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. You that take away the sin of the world, receive our prayer. You that sit at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy on us. For you only are holy; you only are the Lord. You only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, are most high in the glory of God the Father. O God, heavenly Father, by your Son Jesus Christ you have promised to all those who seek your kingdom and your righteousness that you will care for their necessities. Look on those who are strapped by disease, ailments, depression, mental or physical afflictions; those...

  O God, you created all things very good, by the word of your power; and your works of providence are your mostly holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing of all your creatures and all our actions (WSC 9 and 11). Therefore, our hearts are full of thankfulness because we have been richly endowed with your goodness, such as health, strength, hope, stamina, happiness, sustenance, homes, and satisfaction. And even when in your good providence these are withheld from us, we have you our greatest good and deepest joy! Thank you! O God, there are people we love and know who have never embraced your Son Jesus Christ, trusting in him for their salvation and repenting of their sins (…). There are those we love and know who seem to have become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (…). There are whole tribes, gangs, and countries; there are Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Iraqis, Afghanis, Nigerians, Somalis, Hans, Yomatos, Koreans, Tibetans, Kazakhs, and truck loads of others that ...

  Father, who by your almighty and everywhere present power, upholds – as it were by your hand – heaven, earth, and all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, come not by chance but by your fatherly hand: In grateful solace and solicitous gratitude, may we be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future have good confidence in you, our faithful God and Father, that nothing in creation will separate us from your love; for we are convinced that all creatures are so completely in your hand that without your will they can neither move nor be moved (Heidelberg Catechism 27-28).  We ask you to strengthen those who are fighting against the carnage, inhumanity and evil in their lands. Please stop human trafficking; please stop the harassment of your Church. May all nations come to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus, and goodwill and wel...

  Our Father, you are the LORD, and there is no other. You form the light and create darkness; you make peace and create calamity (Isaiah 45:7). You, O LORD, do all these things that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides you. It is to you that we come and pray, in the strength of the Spirit and dressed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Mighty God, rebuild and refurbish peace, order, and justice in the nations of the world, especially Afghanistan, Cuba, Ethiopia, Haiti, (…) so that the peoples in these lands may live safely, thrive soundly, and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Bring relief to those in our own country who have been hit hard by financial woes, lost all of their belongings in wildfires and by severe drought, or been knocked down with sudden grief. Give our elected and appointed leaders prudence and perseverance in governing our debt that we may not misuse or misspend our future. Preside over the decisions of our judges to...