2022 June

 

Ask of God and Pray Today

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/1/22  

 

Ask of God and pray today,

For eyes that open wide.

Take the time to look, and may,

God's Spirit be your guide.

Chorus:

Some only see what they see.

Some miss quite a lot.

Others can see what might be,

When a vision’s caught.

 

Long ago Joel decreed,

That we would all dream dreams.

How might we address a need?

God will show us, so it seems.

Chorus:

 

As the prophets long ago,

And the disciples too,

God will reveal where we might go,

And show us what to do.

Chorus:

 

With One Voice to God We Sing

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/2/22  

 

With one voice to God we sing,

Retelling God's love story.

With grateful hearts our gifts we bring,

All for God's great glory.

 

With penitent hearts we pray,

All of our sins are confessed.

God listens to always say,

With forgiveness we are blessed.

 

With open ears God's word is heard,

And by grace taken to heart.

Convicted by God's holy word,

We are blessed as we depart.

 

We Come Before You, Lord, Today

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/2/22  

 

We come before you, Lord, today,

And to you we sing and pray.

We give thanks for all you do,

By it we are blessed by you.

 

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise,

Which we offer you always.

May you be blessed forevermore,

For you're the one we adore.

 

Speak to us your holy word,

That our souls may be restored.

With a benediction let us go,

Out to others, your love to show.

 

Holy Spirit Come to Us

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/2/22  

 

Holy Spirit come to us,

Like you came to Jesus,

As a dove resting upon,

When he was baptized by John.

 

Fill us with your gifts and grace,

Here and now within this place.

Send us forth empowered by you,

To do all you'd have us do.

 

Without a breath we would die.

Without you our souls would dry.

Come now and refresh us,

To serve our Lord Jesus.

 

Breathe Upon Us, Holy Spirit

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/3/22  

 

Breathe upon us Holy Spirit,

Your most holy breath.

Breathe upon us Holy Spirit,

You give life over death.

 

Nudge us onward Holy Spirit,

As you let Jesus.

Nudge us onward Holy Spirit,

Where you might lead us.

 

Empower us Holy Spirit,

That we may be bold,

Empower us Holy Spirit,

That good news be told.

 

Move upon us Holy Spirit,

Fill us with your grace.

Move upon us Holy Spirit,

Send us from this place.

 

Come, Holy Spirit

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/4/22  

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

Fill our lives again.

In the beginning,

You moved and all began.

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

Sages spoke your word.

For today good news,

Again needs to be heard.

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

Bring your holy power,

Give us strength for this day,

For each and every hour.

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

Breathe into our lives,

Your life-giving breath,

Which our souls revives.

 

God of All Compassion

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/6/22  

 

God of all compassion,

We pray for those in pain.

For a world that's hurting,

We come to you again.

 

You have been there for us,

Whenever we're in need.

Be with those who hunger,

Their souls and bodies feed.

 

Give us your compassion,

Deep within our hearts,

That as your loving hands and feet,

We might do our parts.

 

God, Today We Pray for Peace

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/7/22  

 

God, today we pray for peace,

For others and for us,

That turmoil and war may cease,

By the peace of Jesus.

 

There is high anxiety,

Everywhere we turn.

May we with holy piety,

Peace with justice learn.

 

The disciples received your peace,

When Jesus on them breathed.

Their hope and faith did increase,

Their worries were relieved.

 

Give us your strength and hope,

And fill us with your grace.

We know that with you we can cope,

No matter what we face.

 

We Sing unto the Lord

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/8/22  

 

We sing unto the Lord,

With hearts filled with love,

To the One to be adored,

Who reigns in heaven above.

 

O God, we sing today,

Of your mercy and grace.

To you we humbly pray,

Together in this place.

 

We celebrate that you are here,

When gather two or more.

Help us always to draw near,

Now and forevermore.

 

When Things Are at Their Worst

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/9/22  

 

When things are at their worst,

and life overwhelms us,

remember to put God first,

and put your faith in Jesus.

 

Stress can often be too much,

overwhelming it can be.

Be strengthened by the Master's touch,

reaching for you and me.

 

Give thanks, God's got your back,

seek and ask and pray,

God makes up for what we lack.

rely on God today.

 

There Are Things We Cannot Know

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/9/22  

 

There are things we cannot know,

Eternal mysteries,

And things forgotten long ago,

Throughout our histories.

 

Other things we hold onto,

That give our lives their purpose,

And teach us what we should do,

Like the words of Jesus.

 

Beatitudes he shared with us,

And parables as well.

We share the love of Jesus,

When we his story tell.

 

Thank God for Another Day

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/9/22  

 

Thank God for another day.

Thank God for making you.

Thanking God one way to pray.

It's one thing we can do.

 

Thank God for your abilities,

That God has given you.

All kinds of possibilities,

In God's name can come true.

 

Thank God for the good and bad,

For all things, more or less,

Thank God for all blessings you've had,

Looking forward, may God bless.

 

Holy God, You Set Us Free

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/10/22  

 

Holy God, you set us free,

Free from sin which you forgive,

No longer who we used to be,

A new life to us you give.

 

We were mired deep in sin,

Bound by anger, hate, and strife,

When we let Jesus come in,

We received eternal life.

 

We received God's love and grace,

Our burden lifted we could feel,

We were blessed by God's embrace,

To us God's promise became real.

 

God of Wondrous Glory

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/11/22  

 

God of wondrous glory,

God of time and space,

We all love to hear your story,

Of your love and of your grace.

 

In the beginning you,

Made all there is to be,

And in the end made humans too,

And blessed humanity.

 

It seems that for some days,

All was peaceful and good,

Then paradise saw sinful ways,

Move in the neighborhood.

 

To overcome all sin,

A savior to us came.

The way to paradise again,

Was in his precious name.

 

Today we praise Jesus,

Who came to set us free,

To show God's love and to teach us,

To follow faithfully.

 

When Tragedy Comes Our Way

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/13/22  

 

When tragedy comes our way,

Rely upon Lord Jesus,

Hour by hour and day by day,

Allow him to comfort us.

 

When others need comfort,

In their times of need,

Help us be there for support,

As a friend indeed.

 

When evil gets in our face,

And things look awfully grave,

Rely upon God's grace,

Knowing Jesus came to save.

 

Patience Always Comes Too Slow

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/14/22  

 

Patience always comes too slow,

When things are hard to bear.

Like Job we have come to know,

Sometimes life is not fair.

 

Job was blessed and had it good,

Or so the story goes,

Then Satan tried all he could,

To bring Job's highs to lows.

 

Job’s friends came to help him out,

They listened then they spoke.

They talked of what they knew about,

God punishing sinful folk.

 

In the end Job was healed,

To him God's will was shown.

And to Job God was revealed,

And by grace God was known.

 

In the Stillness of the Morning

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/16/22  

 

In the stillness of the morning,

A new day begins,

And in our personal book of life,

A new chapter opens.

 

In the busyness of the day,

And everything it brings,

Be sure to take time for God,

Over all other things.

 

In the quiet of the night,

As each day unwinds,

Pause and take time to relax,

And settle down your minds.

 

Sing and Praise the Lord

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/16/22  

 

Sing and praise the Lord,

For all the Lord has done,

To be worshipped and adored,

The almighty One.

 

God is always there,

Wherever we may be,

Always ready with us to share,

Forgiveness and mercy.

 

Today take time to pray,

Say all that you need to,

Listen to what God has to say,

But God wants you to do.

 

Lord, We Cry out for Mercy

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/16/22  

 

Lord, we cry out for mercy,

And we cry out for grace.

For you are always with us,

Through the struggles that we face.

 

A faithful companion,

Walks with us day by day.

Jesus is always with us,

With us all the way.

 

No matter what befalls us,

Whatever it may be,

Jesus is always with us,

For all eternity.

 

Faithfully face each day,

Because God is with you,

Guiding and directing.

Do what God calls you to.

 

Children Come to Learn of You

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/18/22  

 

Children come to learn of You,

By watching their adults,

Watching everything we do,

Especially our faults.

 

May we show our faith in You,

By what we do and say,

That they may learn to have faith too,

Following You we pray.

 

As those before, have taught us,

And shown us how to live,

May we teach children to love Jesus,

And to him their lives to give.

 

In Christ You Are Set Free

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/20/22  

 

In Christ you are set free,

From the chains of sin,

That forgiven you might be,

Ready to start again.

 

This is a fresh new day,

A gift from God above.

You are completely blessed today,

Surrounded by God's love.

 

Give to God thanks and praise,

For all God's done for you.

Live for God all your days,

Do all that you can do.

 

Lord, How Might We Serve You Today

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/21/22  

 

Lord, how might we serve you today?

Reveal what will do the most good.

Show us what we might do and say,

Throughout your neighborhood.

 

We know, our neighbors we are to love,

As we love ourselves and you.

Show from your vantage point above,

All the good that we can do.

 

Today open our minds and our hearts,

To see all and not just some,

That each of us might do our parts,

That your will be done, and Kingdom come.

 

In the Scriptures We Can Find

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/22/22  

 

In the scriptures we can find,

A prayer book in the psalms,

To speak to things that are on our mind,

To sooth troubles and qualms.

 

Many songs are full of praise,

For all God is and does,

Others to God confessions raise,

Desiring what once was.

 

To the good old days we'll return,

To the way things used to be,

To obey God's will, we will learn,

And praise God eternally.

 

God of Infinite Wisdom and Might

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/23/22  

 

God of infinite wisdom and might,

You have the power to make all things right.

But you have given that power to us,

The power of love as shown by Jesus.

 

Jesus came down from heaven above,

To teach us your law, your law of love.

Love for our neighbor, and love for you.

That your love would rule all that we do.

 

By your love, may we work to right wrongs,

And share your love in our actions and songs.

Help us to live as you'd have us to live,

As you've given to us, help us to now give.

 

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve (Joshua 24)

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/24/22  

 

Choose this day whom you will serve,

Joshua told the crowd,

And speak out if you have the nerve,

Proclaim your choice aloud.

 

The people were reminded,

Of all that God had done,

And called to be single minded,

For God's the only one.

 

Today the choice is up to us,

We are called to decide,

To follow the Lord Jesus,

Our Savior and our guide.

 

Lord, In Times of Our Worst Grief

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/25/22  

 

Lord, in times of our worst grief,

Only you can bring us relief.

When the world seems so demanding,

Your peace passes all understanding.

 

Without you our lives are lost,

So, through Christ you paid the cost.

We've been saved from sin and death,

We'll praise you with our last breath.

 

Thank you, Lord, for all you do,

To help us each day to get through.

Help us live for you this day,

As disciples, all this we pray.

 

Speak to Us, Lord

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/26/22  

 

Speak to us, Lord, that we might hear,

What you would have us do.

Make for us your meaning clear,

For your word is always true.

 

Help us to fully understand,

Your perfect and holy will,

That we might see what you have planned,

That as followers we might fulfill.

 

Some words are in the holy writ,

But others you impart,

In meditation through your Spirit,

Directly onto our heart.

 

All sacred words come from you,

For us to rely upon.

May they guide us in all we do.

Help us to pass them on.

 

Some Things to Us Are Blessings (Psalm 1.1)

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/28/22  

 

Some things to us are blessings,

Others are not really.

Discover for yourself what brings,

Pure joy to you ideally.

 

Jesus offered the beatitudes,

To help us think and see,

Beyond the world's vein attitudes,

What true blessings just might be.

 

Take time to reflect today,

Seek God's will and pursue it.

What to you does God's word to say?

Then just go out and do it.

 

People May Plot but God Is Sure (Psalm 2.1)

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/29/22  

 

People may plot but God is sure,

Enemies are big but God is bigger.

People may waver but God is secure.

Figures don't lie, but liars figure.

 

God blesses those who draw near,

Approaching the royal throne,

Near to God there is none to fear,

God has claimed us for God's own.

 

We give thanks to God today,

For all there is and what might be.

There is one thing that we can say,

We are blessed for all eternity.

 

Deliver Me, O Lord (Psalm 3.1)

                        Jeffrey B. Childs 6/30/22  

 

Deliver me, O Lord,

From all my enemies.

You are always adored,

For answering my pleas.

 

Morning, noon, or night,

You are always there,

Doing what is right,

Offering me care.

 

To you I do confess,

All my sins and wrongs.

By grace your servant bless,

I'll praise you with my songs.