Politics – Page 2 – katyandtheword

Childhood, a Prayer

God there are so many
worries I have in
the world

But then I remember
that Ozma**
was restored
to rule
and got
her happy ending
and became a girl***
without any fuss at all

And that stories of
Defying Gravity
for
Different
Divergent
Witches
In not Pink Skins
are inspiring
Songs everywhere

and that Glinda too
realized
she needed a castle
with women

I remember that
Banksy is creating
and recreating
for Peace

I read all the
Science Fiction
and Fantasy
about acceptance

I remember
that people are
upset about
Woke
things
Because they
sell so well

And I take a deep breath
And sing
the Magnificat
Again

With Mary
As
We Advent
(Wait, Long, etc.)
again
for Jesus

*Footnote: Link above Mary Poppins Spoonful of sugar was inspired by the oral Polio vaccine which was given with a square of sugar to help the medicine go down. I am very worried about the discrediting of vaccines in this day of age. I am also worried because I have a child with autism, and although vaccines do not cause autism, time and time again people have insisted they basically would rather risk death then have a child with autism. It is a sobering thought.

**Footnote: Read Ozma of Oz, it is one of the first happy endings for LGBTQIA. Also L. Frank Baum wrote many, many women based upon his feminist mother-in-law, some of them funny, some of them strong, all of them amazing. There is a lot of variation in Oz, because it is fantasy. It is amazing, per usual. Wicked also has LGBTQIA acceptance obliquely within it, however L. Frank Baum’s stories are wide open for interpretation as most fantastic stories are.

***Footnote: “became a girl” is not quite right but it’s fantasy and this is poetry I don’t want to ruin for you…so excuse my clumsy wording for the gist of the mystery of the book that you will now have to read.

Prayer for when you don’t know what you Need*

God,
I don’t know what I need
I don’t know what we need
The world
is not as it should be

My soul hurts
I am hurt
scared

overwhelmed with emotions
and I don’t know what I need

Because
there is no way
to fix this

Trust has been
broken
again

More
has been
uncovered
apocalyptically

And at this moment
the work
seems to be
too much

And so
I make time
to hug by beloveds

To
Breathe In: I Exist
Breathe Out: That is enough

To remind myself
That the very existence
of difference
joy
grace
love
solidarity
Is an act of resistance

So definitely,
today
That is enough
Breathe in: I exist
Breathe out: That is enough

Tomorrow
or Sometime Soon
I will build more community
Maybe figure out more
what it is
we need
Today
I will breathe

I exist
That is enough

Feel free to share/adapt/use with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

*With thanks to Rev. Tawnya Denise Anderson who first posted these words

Waiting for Results, a Prayer

God,
We just don’t know

Picture of the United States drawing scribbled over/colored by a child “What we know so far” Shared by Dan Chan @danchaon.bsky.social on bluesky social app

So many have done
what they can
to sew peace

To establish
humanity
human rights

And
Lord have mercy
because
we are
already
exhausted

“Next Week Has Been Exhausting” by Diane Duane

Anticipatory
Exhaustion
may be the hardest

I remember
when my child
was in the run away
and legitimate
insomnia
(beyond normal)
phase

And I would
wake up
looking forward
to a nap
I would have for
the day
after
today

God
you know
My soul is weary
Is your
soul weary
God?

Because
even after the
election

You know
We know
That no matter
the outcome

There is
hard work
to do

This is about more
than leadership

(I remember
in the Old Testament
When
Hebrew people
wanted a King
and you warned them
That is not enough)

And yet
Breathe in: I am here
Breathe out: God is here

This is true today
This is true tomorrow

This is how I will wait
Because all good work counts

Maybe especially
when
it seems
like it doesn’t

Pneuma
Holy Spirit
Breathe for me
When I can’t

Breathe in: I am here
Breathe out: God is here

Amen

Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

Strategically Undervalued, A Prayer

Via: farmerricshi I tried a new phrase in a meeting today. Instead of “underserved,” “underprivileged” “historically marginalized,”

Try Strategically undervalued.”

I like it because it emphasizes the purposefulness of racism(rather that the historically” which gives a kind of happenstance energy) and uplifts the community, rather than emphasizing the marginalization.

God
Almighty
in
Heaven

This is
definitely a
“Do not put your
trust in princes
powers
or principalities”
week

as the value of
actual human
beings
was strategically
cleverly
humorously
manically
and with
immediate
deniability

undervalued

The weariness of
political clamor
falls away some

God
you understand
that this is
systematic
dehumanization

Bad theology
kills

And that

for us

Christians
imago
dei
is essential
for faith

We
carry God

And that
God contains
multitudes

God is community
To deny
the complexity
of humanity

To make
the human
experience
one

is to
lose
faith

God
I pray for
humanity

re-human-ing
I pray for
peace

I carry
hope
that we
will find
flashes
of true community

Walk with us
in this time of
anger and fear
we pray.
Amen

Feel free to use/share/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”

God and Small things, a prayer after Biden steps back, and Kamala Harris steps up

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, a Prayer in the midst of everything

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/

Gardens, not Robots, a prayer

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”