Lord, help me be open and present
To your will and your love
Even when I only hear silence
Grant my soul peace and my mind calm
As I am before you, open and present
And still, I know you are with me
I know you are near
You are faithful now and always you will be
I will remain faithful to you
It has been thirty-four days on this journey to you
And somehow, I'm still blown away even though I knew
That it could happen that it would happen:
Forty-six days forty-six brand new writings
With twelve days left and Holy week fast approaching
Help me continue to be open and present
That you for this gift that is heaven sent
That you for the trial and transformation of Lent
That you for the preparation and peace of Advent
That you for this daily living
For the breath that you keep giving
For the bread by which we're fed
For the light by which we're led
Thank you for the gifts you bring
Thank you, Lord, for everything
Lord, help me be open and present

Amen

The art of humility is to take the bad with the good
It is being able to see ourselves as only Jesus could
It is accepting us for who we are: darkness and light
It is through embracing both the day and the night
It may not always be what we want, but it's what we need
And in embracing the cross that we find ourselves freed
Our view of life is often narrow and clouded
We see things too close and things are shrouded
From our view. We must step back to see clearly
But finding the truth can cost us quite dearly
For when we see as God sees us
When we take in the bigger picture
We see with the eyes of Jesus
In the lens of the living scripture.
When we are honest about ourselves
And we know that he loves us and always will
We feel the depth of that Amazing Grace
And what we see changes everything
Amen

Come enter into this sanctuary
Come to the place of bended knee
Approach the inner courts humbly
You come before the God the Lord of Host
Before Him who loved us the most
Come into the most sacred place
Where we meet Jesus face to face
The sanctuary is a safe place, a haven
A place to go when you need savin'
In the shadow of the cross
Life is found in what once was lost
In the shelter of His wings
We find peace, hope, and holy things
Come enter into the secret hideaway
Where all your troubles just melt away
Take a few minutes of each day
To enter the sanctuary, to stay and pray

"I think I know the right thing for me
I think I know what will make me happy
I think I know why and when and how
And I think that this is what I need right now
Lord you must be mistaken. Surely, I know best!
I got this Lord. You just take it easy and rest".

But it turns out that I wasn't completely right
Not completely no. Pretty close, but not quite
I don't ever like to admit that I was wrong
That you really knew what was best all along

"Maybe I should listen a little more when you speak
Maybe I should try to be more humble and meek
You come when I need it most, at just the right time
And the feeling when you come to me is simply so sublime
Let Your Will be done Oh Lord in me, with me and through"

"Be open to my love and let me work miracles through you
My timing is perfect, my plan, definitely divine
Everything has a purpose everything is by design.
When the time is right trust that you will know
But until then, be content to live in my love and grow
I hear your prayers and answer you
But not always how you thought
This relationship requires not one, but two
It takes some skills that can't be taught
But with work, with patience, and with care
We create something beautiful beyond compare.

Oh! And there is one more thing... I know it's challenging
But child, I need you to have patience with me
I promise you, you'll love it! Just you wait and see!
Trust me when I say that what I have in mind is worth the wait
It will arrive just in time. I guarantee it won't be late
So take my hand and come with me as we walk for a while
By your side is where I'll be. I love to see you smile!"

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes to see
How many great things you are doing in me
The sign of faith, the sign of peace, the sign of the cross
They all point me to a final destination
Like guideposts to give me direction
You are a sign for you have Christ within you
The work that you do, the success that you have
Jesus is the source of your many blessings
The one who gives and takes away
Be a sign for others and point the way to Him
Let your transformation be witness to the love
All the God given gifts that he meant for us to use
But whether you exercise the is for you to choose
I pray that my gifts would not so much reflect me
Not I, but Christ that lives within me
That these writings would point to God
To his love, his mercy, his goodness
You are a gift God gave to the whole human race
You have the chance to make this world a better place
"Do what is necessary, then do what is possible
And before long you will find you are doing the impossible"
Do your best let God do the rest and then don't stress it
Even in the smallest things do it with love and humility
And I promise it is something that even the blind can see
You and I are signs of God's love and faithfulness
Let them see his light reflected in your eyes
And to all who see you, bear no false disguise
You may be a miracle someone desperately needs
Be the blessed sign that points to the divine
The seeds of faith and grace
Have now been sown
Their one and only encounter with God
May have been you, with God, alone

May your lives be the Star; constant and bright
Leading others to Christ in the darkest night
May your lives be the Sign; pointing the way
Every hour, every minute, every second of the day

Amen

Be patient
Be kind
Be generous
Be loving

Be helpful
Be merciful
Be slow to anger
Be quick to forgiving

Be peaceful
Be prayerful
Be hopeful
Be cheerful

Be not afraid
Be amazed
Be bold
Be gentle

Be meek
Be mild
Be saved
Be reconciled

Be found
Be healed
Be on solid ground
Be sealed

Be soil
Be sun
Be rain
Be the one

Be builders
Be makers
Be movers
Be shakers

Be you
Be true
Be genuine
Be mine

Be faithful
Be trusting
Be reaching
Be preaching

Be walking the walking
Be talking the talking
Be walking the talking
Be talking the walking

Be humble
Be blessed
Be remade
Be at rest

You work all things for the good of those who love you. You don't waste anything Lord: there is nothing that you won't or can't use. Suffering being chief among them. Perhaps our suffering will lead us to even more amazing graces and take us to greater unimagined places. Maybe our sufferings (at least some of them) are truly blessings in disguise and later we will see the purpose. Maybe we ask for the wrong things, maybe we aren't asking the right questions. We can't know your mind Oh Lord, but in your mercy, help us begin to understand: the reason for the suffering and the glory you have planned. In all things, help us have the right attitude and adopt a proclivity for profound gratitude. Hear us and help us Oh Lord of all to carry out this (Be)Attitude call.

Amen

You are loved far beyond measure
You are the Father's greatest treasure
More beautiful than diamonds, more precious by far
In His loving eyes, you outshine the brightest star
The world rates your value with fancy graphs and charts
But God looks deeper into your very heart of hearts
He has loved you from before time ever began
He has carved you into the palm of his hand
You may be small; you may be weak or insecure
But all that He sees instead is a loving heart so pure
He sees someone He can use, someone He can build
A masterpiece in the hands of a master so skilled
He thinks the world of you: in fact, He gave you the world
Lean into the wind and fly on wings of hope unfurled
If you ever doubt my love look upon that cross which I, dying, lay
I poured out my heart, my love, my life for you that fateful day
Not even death would keep me from loving you
The only thing I ask is that you love me too
I love you for always, I love you forever
And I hope one day we will be together
But for now, just know, I am always very near
When you kneel to pray you will find me here
I am close as your heartbeat, your very next breath
My love will follow you beyond life to life eternal after death
I love you; I love you; I love you. I love you and you are mine
And by this wondrous love you will be, for the world, a living sign