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”
God who fills the world with good things
I am praying for rainbows of peace
As the school year draws to a close
And weary children struggle to make it
And Pride month starts with celebration, “rememories” (as my youngest calls them), and reminders that you are fiercely and beautifully made
I feel all if these emotions that smell like fresh cut lawns, sound like sudden hot thunderstorms, and nuzzle like my kitten at the end of a way over scheduled spring-to-summer season
God sometimes you know that pursing justice and sorting the laundry sometimes feel like that same thing
Mundane
Overwhelming
Vital
And yet
I think of how you continue to promise to fill the world with good things
Tuck a dandelion behind my ear as a symbol of hopeful weeds
And turn my worries into prayers once again
Feel free to use Share Adapt with credit to pastor Katy Stent “Katyandtheword”
Image from https://www.mainegardens.org/blog/for-the-love-of-dandelion/ Two dandelions growing, bright yellow with some blades of grass bright green against a cheerful dark background
Feed my sheep
Jesus said
When the world was ending
when everything was changing
When the intrigue was thick
And you didn’t know who to trust
Again Jesus said, Feed my sheep
And although the end seemed near
And war seemed to be everywhere
And things were apocalyptic
A word that means opening, uncovering
Things that are opening up
As well as everything that is collapsing
Jesus leaned in close to his beloved ones
and remind them
In a quiet, whisper
That their focus should be
not on…all the other things
He just said,
when they thought he might say something else
He repeated for the third time
As though he really meant it
That this should be what we
all should be doing
—Feed My Sheep
Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
“KatyandtheWord”
Here’s a prayer for the Nonbinary
those who are represented
in the Twilight
the Dawn
And all of the beautful shades of gray in the world
which can contain a rainbow of colors within it.
Here’s a prayer for the Nonbinary
Those who are both/and
The ones who feel at home in the Trans* community
and those who are created in the image of God
Male and Female
Here’s a prayer for the children
Who should be safe in their identity
Beloved in their
Zir
Xyr
Eir
Full selves
Able to Name and Claim Who they are
And yes
Use the bathroom
Without peering eyes
questions
or even a second of discomfort
Is that not what we want for all of our children?
Here is a prayer for the Nonbinary
the ones who understand the importance
of a well-placed pronoun
those who ones who live bravely in the thin places
the in-between
for we know that those places are blessed
and Holy
You are Holy
Here’s a prayer for the Nonbinary
For you are Beautifully and Fiercely made
Don’t let anyone tell you differently
For you are a Child of God
Who created you, loves you exactly as you are
and calls you by your chosen name
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
This prayer is in response to the tragic and hate perpetuated death of Nex Benedict in Oklahoma. Details which are graphic can be found here: https://www.them.us/story/nex-benedict-nonbinary-teen-oklahoma-died-attacked-at-school
As the parent of a similarly aged NonBinary Teen, this one really gets me
Addendum: It seems that Nex was not able to come out fully–as articulated in this article and he/they might have been trans https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/vigil-friends-remember-nex-benedict-fiery-kid-rcna140440
Peace tastes like
bubbles being blown
free and never poppin’
soapy clean on the tongue
Peace smells like
dandelions and clovers
Growing wildin’ clumps
across the meadows fresh
to roll across, the better to
catch the minglin’ your nose
Peace feels like cool autumn days
Just crisp enough for sweaters
and everyone to be out
walkin’ jumpin’ crunchin’ leaves
Peace sounds like the hush
after snow–where sounds
are crystallin’, sparkling in clarity
and the hush magicin’ throughout
Peace feels like abundance
enough food for everyone
a safe place to be layin’ one’s head
Kinship and friendship without jealousy
Space to be creatin’ and buildin’
Have you met Peace Today?
CW: war and violence
Good God who is glorious, generous
full of bounty, food and other good things
I feel too exhausted to pray
about pieces of metal
that explode into
messes of blood
tragedy
and annihlation
As the weeping of babies
across oceans
haunt my dreams at night
and the artwork of Banksy
decorates the walls,
the walls of hate
My words seem like a meager choice
the cry of Peace
while those with nothing are crying
in war
Who will share this burden?
The prophets cry
And the artists will paint
with their tears
Call your Congressperson
I pray
Do not tell the story of the downtrodden:
the Palestinian Christian,
the hungry senior citizen
the beaten Black Lives Matter Activist
the forgotten Trans Teen
the shot kindergartener
Do not tell the story after the tragedy has happened
God
I am so tired of praying
about pieces of metal
empty of bullets
emptying lives
emptying souls
Teach me another prayer
Teach me the prayer of
Peace
Because
Because
I am all too familiar with the vocabulary of hate
it contains words like
animals
revenge
and dehumanization
Reteach me the
languages of love
teach me the
me the lexicon of
humanization
Melt our hearts
our weapons
our souls
into another shape
I pray.
Amen.
Feel Free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”
H uman
A nnihilators;
N ihilism
D efender
G et
U s
No-more-no-more-no-more
S hootings
katyandtheword 