“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

- Luke 15:8-10

Not for Granted

My God, what a morning! Thank You for light, bright, warm, speckle color - full, new / good / this day. Help us to take it not FOR granted but AS granted; open our eyes to this season, to every season, to winter, storm, suffering, ice.

We thank You that life is not easy, that it costs and matters, that joy and faith are possible, in season and out.

We are delight-ed that You are God enough for all of life--for all its serious / funny / tragic / comic / up / down / in / out variety. We are glad for change, for fresh winds blowing, for Your good spirit stirring, here / there / every where.

And we are glad that some things DON'T change, like the seasons, growing up / growing old, the need for love, the church's maligned / inadequate / good service, Christ's persistent love, Your incredible patience, friends to be needed, children and grandchildren to be worried over, work to be done, wounds to be healed, ignorance to be outgrown, truth to be discovered, death to be overcome.

Deliver us, O God, from past worship, present apathy, future shock. You have given us the birthday gift of this day; we give You the weak and fragile gift of our gratitude. It is too little, too flawed, but it is OUR gift. Please take it--for our soul's sake, amen.

- from Better Than Nice and Other Unconventional Prayers by Frederick Ohler

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Please keep the following people in your prayers this week:

PRAYERS OF HEALING AND SUPPORT for Hollis Butterworth; Stan Houck and Ann Hirschy; Linnie Girdner; Edie and Richard Budd; Christina Nelson’s grandmother, Pat Dole; Mike and Charlotte Davie’s son-in-law, Jim Peters; Chip Burnett; Kelly Burnett’s nephew, Justin; Debbie and Bruce Arey’s daughter, Allison; Dot Forloines; Wendy Wellington’s mother, Janet Morgan; Greg and Diane Makar's cousin, Michael Makar; Declan Steward’s father, Daryl; Lewis and James Shorter; Judy Cooper’s sister, Barb Eardley; Janet Dabbs’ sister, Diane Maloy; Archer and Honor Bauman’s grandfather, Larry; Lori Kronser’s father Cliff Corn; Pat Sise’s grandfather, Ed Sise; Amy Tardiff’s father-in-law, Richard Tardiff; Brian Boudreau’s cousin, Valery Householder; Margaret McGillivary’s friend, Kim Nolet; James Franklin’s father, Homer; Kameron and Kamarii Miller; Cheryl Walcutt’s mother, nephew, and sister, Judy Walsh; Amanda Wehage’s father, Dave; Jon Nelson’s aunt, Linda, and grandmother, Peggy; Ylonda Fauntleroy's aunt, Bernice Taylor and friend Jawahn Clark; Brooks Emrick and her sister, Susan; Vaughn Brown; Frances Keyes; Laura Willoughby's father, Norman; Julia Kirby's mother, Margaret Floyd; Erika Sealing's son, Trip, and grandmother, Margaret Schade; Sue Hanburger and Sue's grandson, Enzo; Amy Benson's family and Amy’s friend, Brian Shriner; Lisa Mezaache’s friend, Pearl McNamara; Thomas and Judy Kochis; Clarence Duffy; Wess Marr; Ellie Brown; and Doug Mattingly’s mother.

THE LOVE AND PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION go out to the McGillivray, Stubbs and Boyd families on the death of Margaret McGillivray’s uncle, Bill Boyd.

PRAYERS OF SUPPORT AND SAFETY for those affected by Hurricane Dorian.

If you have prayer concerns or blessings that you would like to share, please contact Deacon Patriceo Green at patriceobgreen@gmail.com and he will add your concern to the prayer partners email chain.