Sometimes
Miracles
Are friends
Sharing
Pics
Of
Things
Seen
Through
In other
Parts of the world
And you
Feel like
The world
is full of
Magic
Cameras
The Aurora Borealis
Colors of miracles
And sometimes
Miracles
Are
Your
Friends
Checking
On you
After the
Storm
$20 given
Without tracking
A new hobby
That has no
Meaning
Just beauty
Or even
The moments
To collect yourself
I believe in
All the
Real
Miracles
In life
Stormy Prayer
God,
We are so tired
Of
Unnatural Disasters
1, in a 1,000 chance
Hurricane, Flood, Tropical Storm
Things
Holy Spirit
We do not have to tell you
the weariness
the dwells
within
our very Souls
It is the weariness
that aches
as we
try to figure out
Evacuate
or Stay
What path is the storm
taking?
What Path is
Humanity Taking
Sweet Beloved
Peacemaking
Jesus
You know the trauma
that is being wrought
–this is not just about
climate change
Perhaps it has never been
It is humanity
trying to hold
hands with one another
before
during
and
after
these tragedies
And then
crying out
because we realize
we don’t know how
Teach us
to sit with
the Job’s
who have
lost everything
Teach us to
understand the
bitter Mara’s
and the
resourceful
Naomi’s
with their found
families
Teach us to
listen to the
leadership
of the Esther
who stand up
for the marginalized
and forgotten
at such a time
as this
during trauma
and devastation
Teach us to
sing with Miriam
when there are
moments of joy
and triumph
even in the sadness.
Walk with us God
and teach us
how to love one
another
and care for
your world
and all the humans
in it
we pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord”
PHOTO:
MOUNTAIN MULE PACKER RANCH
Photo from: https://www.southernliving.com/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-mules-8721273Prayer in the Aftermath
God
it is devastating
we are all in shock
the roads
simply washed away
the houses
gone
We pray for the people
the communities
towns
all struck
by a hurricane
some the 3rd in a year
a year’s worth of rain
in a day or two
This kind of change causes us
to use words like
resilient
rebuild
tough
But meanwhile
our souls ache
Because nothing
makes sense
And it’s hard to
take in
Is that why
it is called
after-math
Because
nothing adds up
anymore?
God help us to
walk as slowly
as we need to
to remember
to be
community
with
one another
and to invest
in the long term
God help us
For we feel helpless
and alone
Help us to find
each other
To build
into
each
other
Help us to find
ways to attend
to building
safely
to being
energy efficient
and all the things
But most of all
Help us to be
A community
that
cares
for one another
So that
we do not have
to be
so exhausted
Or feel
alone
When
we do
these hard things
we pray.
Amen
Feel free to use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta “KatyandtheWord’
No More
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 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”
No laws, Only Grace
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”
Liberation, a prayer
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”
More like guidelines
You have heard it said posting the law is the answer
But Truly I say to you the law has been fulfilled so that you are redeemed by grace, overflowing and freely given—And that grace is better than the law.
The code is more like “guidelines” than actual rules
By Pastor Katy Stenta “Katyandtheword”
katyandtheword 