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In the new year I do not wish for you
that God will bless you,
since God already intends
only the deepest blessings for you.
I don’t wish that good things will happen to you,
since I don’t know
what will most beautifully shape your soul—
in what losses you will receive grace,
in what challenges you will gain wisdom,
in what struggles you will become more truly yourself.
Instead, I hope for you this blessing:
that your heart be at peace,
that your mind be open
and your will be lovingly present;
that you live each day this year with love, courage and beauty,
with gentleness, trust and gratitude.
that you speak and be the truth,
that you find joy and wonder in your life,
that you be deeply mindful
of God’s indwelling presence,
God’s deep delight in accompanying you
in every breath.
May your work be fruitful,
your hope vibrant,
your voice clear,
and your friends faithful.
Whether you feel it or not,
deep blessing will be yours this year.
May you know it, and rejoice,
and live in harmony with God’s grace.
At our recent 3rd Thursday dinner, we started a new activity with our dinner guests. During our time of prayer, I invited them to use an index card on the table to write out what weighs heavy on their heart, what their deepest needs are, what they would like each of us to pray for with them. A few guests responded quickly and sincerely. I share with you here, anonymously, those prayer needs. Please keep our dear friends in your daily prayers, and be thinking of ways we could respond with positive solutions to their needs.
*T. just retired from a good job with the county criminal justice center and is seperated from her husband. T. has an apartment, but not living there yet. T. is in need of a queen mattress and a couch set with a recliner. T. and R. wish us a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! They want to come to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services. They are Baptist.
*J. needs a place to live right away. J. asks that we pray for J's mom, C., who has COPD and needs meds.
*C. shares that they just want everyone to kow how much I love everyone. Thank you for understanding everything going on in our lives. Love you! C.
*A. just needs our prayers. Thank you that God keeps blessing me, for I have no one else. Okay, thank you.
*S. is going to school and needs a stable place to live. S. drew a picture on the back of the index card with a Christmas tree and some candy canes, and wishes for us for a Merry Christmas.
*C. is in chronic pain due to a back injury when C. was twenty. C. is now 49 and did not graduate from high school. C. had a manual labor job and it hurts him too much to continue doing manual labor. C. only receives a small amount of disability. C. wants an incomed-based place for himself and a young relative to live. The home C. lives in now has a lot of tension with the people living there. C. has a daughter living elsewhere, but it is bad and dangerous.
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