December 7, 2015 SHARE: Praying time: less than three minutes By the mystery of His grace, God has called us into a living and vibrant relationship with Him that will never end. May this prayer be a blessing to you as you walk by faith with our dear Lord and live in love with those near and dear to you! dz O most holy and loving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to You belongs all glory and praise. In the wonder of Your act of creation, You have made me in Your own image, given me person-hood after the manner of Your own, and called me into relationship with You and with others. You created us male and female and have given the gift of marriage and family. You gather us into the fellowship of communities, most beautifully in the communion of the holy Christian Church on earth, and for this I also thank You. I the gift of love shared with others, I find myself as You created me to be, and I see Your love alive among us. From all of eternity, in the mystery and beauty of the Trinity, You have lived the wondrous dance of love, unity and joy. In the Garden, You invited Your children to join with You and with one another in the dance. When we are at our best, we love You and we love one another as we love ourselves. We discover a glimpse of the glory of who You are, for You are love. But I am not often at my best. In my fallen nature, I think only of myself and close myself off from You and from those around me. When things are not right, I am quick to blame, as Adam and Eve did, without recognizing my own fault in breaking fellowship with others through my selfish words and deeds. I confess to You my sin and seek Your mercy and forgiveness. And You heal me. As Joseph forgave his brothers, teach me also to be quick to forgive and committed to love in all my relationships. Teach me to more quickly ask for forgiveness and to cherish my spouse, my family and my friends more highly than I cherish my own pride. The fruit of Your Holy Spirit is patience, Lord. Fix my eyes constantly on the cross to consider my Savior’s unending patience with me. When I receive the blessing of Your absolution, over and over again, inspire me by Your perfect patience to grow in patience with those whom I love. For Your patience with me throughout my life, I do thank You, Lord. For Your grace that covers me even in this moment and which encourages me to continue on in my walk of faith, I do thank You. For the opportunity to begin again each day and to learn to love ever more as I have been loved, I thank You, Father. Fill my marriage, my home, my church and all of my relationships with Your perfect love, shared so imperfectly through my words and actions, for without You, Lord, all hope of living in love would be hopeless. In the blessed name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Thanks for praying. You are in my prayers always. Are you interested in helping bring a Grace Place Wellness Retreat to your region? We’d love to hear from you. Contact our President/CEO Randy Fauser today to begin exploring the possibilities. Let’s have a conversation about bringing our Classic Retreat to your area soon!