Some days
They will
Not
Hurt
Nor
Destroy
On
My
Holy
Mountain
No
More
Any
More
Evermore
In any instance ever
No mourning
No more, no more, no more
Is all the prayer
I have left to pray.
Divinity in each other’s
Eyes
And mourning
No
More
Guns
No
More
Bombs
No
More
Apartheid
No more
Hostages
No more
Climate
Refugees
In the
Name of
All that
Is Holy
No
(Insert Your Favorite Curse Worship here)
More
Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
God is in the little things
listening ears
true communication
ice cream
(Today is National Ice Cream Day)
God is in the
small things
a woman’s voice
being
heard
acknowledged
supported
(Bria Goeller’s image of Kamala Harris walking with the shadow of Ruby Bridges, who integrated a New Orleans elementary school in 1960, went viral over the weekend, shared tens of thousands of times on social media. Image courtesy of Bria Goeller and WTF America-Good Trubble.)
people working
together
People
stopping and
celebrating
achievements
(Image thanks to John Michael Cleghorn) “Well done Good and Faithful Servant” Gold Rimmed Old-Fashioned Biden sunglasses lying upside-down on a table.
God is in the most important
Small things
dignity
respect
humanity
all those things
we hope
bind us together
God is in these things
And when we sit together
And look at the heavens–
God remind us of the
smallest things
Pic from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/345510602680019192/ Calvin and Hobbes looking at the stars “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll be they’d live a lot differently.”
We pray
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord’
Reminder: please always vote your conscience, no one from the pulpit or a church should tell you who to vote for. I, Katy can celebrate a smooth transition to a new candidate and a black woman as the apparent nominee for president as a historic moment, but no one should tell you how to vote. Especially not a pastor. Vote for the person who will love all the neighbors best and teach forgiveness, grace and respect. Bc those are three values of Christianity.
Breathe
I hear the Holy Spirit whisper
as I try to figure out
what it is I am feeling
Anxiety?
Excitment?
Grief?
Fear?
I am trying to catalogue
Natural Disasters
Wars
Politicians
Name-Calling
Which let’s be honest God,
the last two are the same thing
(usually)
Now this violence
Breathe, I hear God
And I think about
how my family,
where allergies and asthma runs prevalent
says joking
but not
that breathing is highly
Underrated
Breathe, says Jesus
laying down a pillow
Inviting me in
to take sanctuary
to rest
But I don’t have an answer
a solution
I haven’t even figure out
how to tell the story
of what is going on
In the universe
and how to relate to it
all
God nods
And I nod
and sigh
and my eyes begin to droop
And I realize
that God knows all of these things are important
Breathe in: God will see to the humans
Breathe out: It’s ok not to have the answers
Amen
Image of breaths in Blues and slight pinks and yellow “Breathe on me breath of God” “Vene Sancte Spiritus” “Bo Ruach Elohim” Entitled: The Promise of the Holy Spirit from https://boruachelohim.com/tag/breathe/
God,
I just don’t know–
everything seems unstable
We long for leadership
Security
We would like someone
to set us up
to go
like grand leader
or perhaps a master mechanic
It reminds me of when the Hebrew people
just wanted a King
to swoop in and fix everything
and they got David
who was kind of an Ass
God’s ass, but still
God you know
that we know
that there is no perfect leader
to save us right now
that it is time to take
responsibility
and start tending
things ourselves
And maybe
that is why we are so
scared
confused
tired
We would rather be on
auto-pilot
But we are not robots
And the God created us
in a Garden
Growing slowing
and differently
@joynessthebrave “you are not a machine. you are more like a garden. you need different things on different days. a little sun today. a little water tomorrow. you have fallow and fruitful seasons. it is not a design flaw. it is wiser than perpetual sameness. what does your garden need today?”
God teach us to
think
listen
respond
Help us to tend
what needs to be tending
we pray.
Amen
Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta aka “KatyandtheWord”
No laws
Only grace
Some days
I remember
This is how I live
Through a Savior
Who proclaimed
All laws fulfilled
So we wouldn’t
Be able
To Lord rules
Over
Each other
Anymore
Because
That
Ain’t the
Point
Of faith
Anyway
No rules
Only grace
Holy Spirit
Holy
Comforter
Sit with us
We
Pray.
Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
God,
We keep hoping
Let freedom ring
Means our definition of freedom
But we know that your promise of forgiveness
liberation
and justice
is somehow all the same thing–
that in Greek somehow: it is all contained in one word
Gracious God
you gift us
with our authentic selves
reminding us that in the midst of the Kin-dom work
the freeing of captives
the feeding of the hungry
the clothing the naked
Remind us that we are beloved
and that you are present
the work is not ours alone–
you are planting seeds
and tending gardens
and we are not alone
So as we hear bells
and wonder if we should flinch
at the fireworks
Remind us that you promise a liberation
that is not of our hands
but is instead, full of grace
it is the wedding celebration of the overflowing cup
the feast of the prodigal child and coin
it is the finding of a home, where there is a room for each and every one of us
And we are made welcome
out of grace, and true liberation
forgiveness and justice
Thank you God for
the chance to rest in your liberation
instead of our freedom–
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy aka “KatyandtheWord”
The code is more like “guidelines” than actual rules
By Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”
This is a prayer for those
who need
Legislate
posting the ten commandments
and the denominations that need
to
expel women
define “marriage”
in ways the devalue personhood
This is a prayer because
God melt the hearts
of those
who only have
one hardened
understanding of
scripture
God
humanity
God I pray that you melt
their hearts
God I pray that you
sing poetry to them
in their dreams
And show them
the mysteries of the heavens
And
tell them
that it is
ok
not to have a quick
answer
and solution
I pray for children that ask awkward
questions
I pray for elders
with mystical wisdom
I pray for animals
with unspoken relatedness
This is a prayer
for all parts of faith
that are not words
etched in stone
But people
beautifully alive
in community
eating, dancing
laughing in the mystery of faith
this is my prayer
for all those who are stuck
in the “right” Christianity today
feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
The sea
Was
A refuge
A prayer
A different kind of
of liberation
I think about
How
Bones
And shells
The same
And I keep
Hoping
One day
Liberation
Will taste
More like
The freedom
Of the sea
And less like
The salt
Of blood
God here’s a prayer for the church
The messy, institutional church
The one that is dying
The one that is full of too many rules and regulations
and buildings
and other things
Here’s a prayer for this greater church
That I grew up in
and love, and still think
can transform things
I have seen a million churches
God
And through these imperfect vessels
I have witnessed
tears
births
Children giggling in pews
and holy silences
“I don’t worry about the church”
I say God,
And you know,
that most days
I actually mean it
I can love this imperfect thing
even as it is changing to something new
Here’s a prayer for the church
that raised me
and is changing into something
unrecognizable
like a new dawn after a storm
like a movement
Here’s a prayer for church
a thing that happens
in parking lots
breakfasts
phone calls and hugs
May we not get caught up
in “saving it”
That was never our job anyway
And instead catch glimpses of it along the way
I pray
Amen.
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
katyandtheword 