May 6 was the World Day of Prayer. We must be a world that lives a life of prayer. Calling on His name one day out of the year, then setting Him aside, is what has gotten us to this desperate point. We must live a life of prayer if we want to see real change, if we want to be people of prayer, people of God. There are two expressions of prayer, openly and quietly.
At UMW Assembly 2010, we sang a song using the words and music from the South-Sudan, Africa, Shu-ku-ru Al-lah, nih-na-kul-lu moras-sa-lat - “Let the people know: witnesses are present here,” based on Hebrews 12:1-2. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and we ARE witnesses to the work of Jesus Christ in our lives. If we do not bear witness in the court of the world, to all the wonders of God we have experienced, no one will speak for God in us. We must speak His name through prayer and witness. My witness is, during this present day economy of need, the Lord has blessed me with two opportunities I had not expected. My April experience as Lead Psychologist at the New Castle Correctional Facility followed immediately by an opportunity to work as a visiting psychologist in a nursing home, one for now with the potential of others. I had not planned nor sought either opportunity for work and service. The Lord simply called me there. Praise be to God for His gifts, grace, mercy, and love!
Today, let us also commit ourselves to a wonderful adventure, the life of an intercessor. Our talk with the Lord must not only be an annual event. We must lead a daily life of prayer, for our families, others, our country, the world, and yes, for ourselves, for guidance that we may live our lives for Him. Both expressions of praise and prayer, Witness and Intercession, are our only reasons for being and the secret for living that has been sought! Let us pray:
“Father God, how precious is your name above all names. May Your kingdom blossom in my life that I may live and move in You and You in me. For this very day, oh Father, I pray to step outside my place of comfort and speak up for you, to witness truthfully to all you have done for me because my experience is the only non-hearsay testimony I have to offer. I also lift up in intercession, our country and our world. Forces have been boiling beneath the surface of this freedom loving land you gave us to erode the strong foundation it was built on, Your Word. Your name has nearly disappeared from conversation in Europe but You are still there and Your people still pray in Your name. We lift them up to the bosom of Your loving arms. Forgive us all when we have neglected to honor You. For this we are utterly ashamed and re-pledge our oath of loyalty and love to you. To You we attribute all honor and praise, Father God. We can do nothing of Kingdom-value on our own, for we do not hold the key to the door of Heaven, Your son Jesus Christ does. Through his name and by the power of his son-ship to you we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
SOULS SPRING FORTH LIKE FRAGRANT BLOSSOMS
Have you seen the color? The brilliance of God’s good earth is everywhere! His blessing of beauty is like a reward for the plain and dull winter we have just come through. Do you remember the first snow of the 2009 season? Wasn’t it wonderful and clean and bright? But, soon the white turned to dirty gray and the slush pilled up like rubble heaps in the corners of shopping malls, marring the reflecting pools near by. That is so much like many of our lives. The precious infant that began life with the promise of all that would be good and beautiful, as adults sometimes turns black and gets pushed to the margins of life, unloved and unwanted. While that is all true, the miracle of a reborn Spring is a yearly reminder that life can be brought back to a hopeful beginning again. No matter how dark the stain, how cold the heart, or how sluggish the mind, the soul can spring forth again to a new beginning, with a new meaning, and a fresh purpose - to love Him and to spread that love to all those around us. Let us pray
“Holy Father, God of all there is, we stand in awe at the beauty you share with us in the Springtime of our lives. Thank you that Spring can come at any age, under any circumstances, and regardless of any secret ice that has chilled our hearts. Your holiness can melt any cold shoulder and clean any blot on the beautiful garments of life you have given us. Like ladies of old, holding their heads high as their skirt tails drug through the filthy streets, the garments you give us come clean each new day when our head and heart remain above the slush and swill of the world. Dirty shoes only means we have labored in your streets. Filthy hearts mean that the streets have found their way inside our souls like a cold wind that snaps through the cracks around us. You, oh God, have blessed us with the beauty of Spring, a visible witness to your grace and forgiveness. Forgive us when we only see the dirty dark caves of life and not the diamonds that glitter in the walls. With gold comes the mining, with fragrant flowers comes the rain. Thank you Father for all your precious blossoms that bloom all around us, which we forget to take the time to see, and are not humble enough to bend low to touch the petals. Thank you for the Spring of our lives that comes after every bitter season. May we always look for the sweetness of each new day, which follows a time of night. We pray in the name of your precious son Jesus, who sprang up again like the lilies of the field from a night of death and a time of sorrow. To you of God be all glory and honor and praise. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week . Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
“Holy Father, God of all there is, we stand in awe at the beauty you share with us in the Springtime of our lives. Thank you that Spring can come at any age, under any circumstances, and regardless of any secret ice that has chilled our hearts. Your holiness can melt any cold shoulder and clean any blot on the beautiful garments of life you have given us. Like ladies of old, holding their heads high as their skirt tails drug through the filthy streets, the garments you give us come clean each new day when our head and heart remain above the slush and swill of the world. Dirty shoes only means we have labored in your streets. Filthy hearts mean that the streets have found their way inside our souls like a cold wind that snaps through the cracks around us. You, oh God, have blessed us with the beauty of Spring, a visible witness to your grace and forgiveness. Forgive us when we only see the dirty dark caves of life and not the diamonds that glitter in the walls. With gold comes the mining, with fragrant flowers comes the rain. Thank you Father for all your precious blossoms that bloom all around us, which we forget to take the time to see, and are not humble enough to bend low to touch the petals. Thank you for the Spring of our lives that comes after every bitter season. May we always look for the sweetness of each new day, which follows a time of night. We pray in the name of your precious son Jesus, who sprang up again like the lilies of the field from a night of death and a time of sorrow. To you of God be all glory and honor and praise. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week . Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
Monday, April 12, 2010
WHEN DID WE SEE YOU IN PRISON?
Most of you know that I am serving as an Interim Psychologist at a men’s prison among 2,500 offenders. But, my friends, the look of emptiness I see in some of their eyes is not unlike the vacant expression we can see on the streets in the desperate faces of some of our friends and neighbors. What is prison but a separation and isolation from society? Many free-souls are incarcerated behind the bars of their own pain, their own fear, and their own separation from love and the giver of love, our Lord Jesus. They may believe that they no longer hold the key to their freedom and salvation. Because of you, my friend, they do not have to know the way from darkness to light. You can hold the lamp for them and lead them to the door of Heaven through your caring, your patience, your love, and your willingness to shine on them. How? The God of the Heavens shines through you, the believer, not for your own sake alone, but that you may be a light to others. Shine believer, shine for those in darkness need to see the glow in order to move toward the brilliance that awaits them. Shine believer, shine! Let us pray:
“Oh Lord God of Light and Love, holy, holy, holy is your name. May your kingdom of perfect peace shine through the vast nothingness of this life that we may see the truth of the golden city that awaits above and within. We pray this very day that we may be a light for someone who stumbles in the darkness. We do not even have to have any awareness of the brilliance of the glow that emanates from us, your children, for the light is not for us but for those we lead. We can reach out our hand at any time and you will walk us through the greatest storm or the darkest night or the saddest day. Oh Lord, you have given us two hands, that we might hold onto another and guide them through the night. Together, we will walk in the brilliance that glitters from the path you have blazed across the sky before us. Let us shine, not in the mirror, but in someone’s night of grief and sadness, pain and loneliness. We thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and light, and your son our savior, Jesus the Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week . Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
“Oh Lord God of Light and Love, holy, holy, holy is your name. May your kingdom of perfect peace shine through the vast nothingness of this life that we may see the truth of the golden city that awaits above and within. We pray this very day that we may be a light for someone who stumbles in the darkness. We do not even have to have any awareness of the brilliance of the glow that emanates from us, your children, for the light is not for us but for those we lead. We can reach out our hand at any time and you will walk us through the greatest storm or the darkest night or the saddest day. Oh Lord, you have given us two hands, that we might hold onto another and guide them through the night. Together, we will walk in the brilliance that glitters from the path you have blazed across the sky before us. Let us shine, not in the mirror, but in someone’s night of grief and sadness, pain and loneliness. We thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and light, and your son our savior, Jesus the Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week . Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
Sunday, April 4, 2010
HE IS RISEN!
Some people awakened on Easter and said, “So what?” Other greeted the day with, “So what now?!”
With the salvation story of Easter comes the mission message of the empty tomb. What he has done for us is not ours to selfishly hold but is for us to give away. We live in mission times. The last several decades have seen the rise of the me-generation. “I am entitled to whatever I want and whatever I can get.” As we look around at our neighbors’ economic/work situations, we must accept a new label, “The Christ-generation, the new mission-generation. With the fragrance of Easter lilies still clinging to our Sunday clothes, let us turn our attention to his children who are afraid, are sick, are in economic crisis, and are longing for someone who knows their friend Jesus, who will come and give them encouragement and love. He is Risen indeed, so what is now asked of us is that we take him from the tomb and out into a frightened and lonely world. Let us pray:
“Our father God, who sent your only son our Lord, Jesus Christ, to die and rise again for even me, holy is your name and precious is the blood of your son, our brother Jesus. May your kingdom fill the void where selfishness had taken root in the rich soil of too much, too soon, too self-focused. Let me hear my brother’s cry; let me see my sister struggle to feed her family; let me touch your children with your words and guidance while their parents try to meet their earthly needs. We will survive this difficult time if we will but put you first in our lives. Forgive us when we have whined about not having enough so that we may share what you have given us with extravagant generosity. Keep your children safe within your arms and held close to your beating heart, that we may feel the sweetness of your presence. In the name of your son Jesus Christ our Savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
With the salvation story of Easter comes the mission message of the empty tomb. What he has done for us is not ours to selfishly hold but is for us to give away. We live in mission times. The last several decades have seen the rise of the me-generation. “I am entitled to whatever I want and whatever I can get.” As we look around at our neighbors’ economic/work situations, we must accept a new label, “The Christ-generation, the new mission-generation. With the fragrance of Easter lilies still clinging to our Sunday clothes, let us turn our attention to his children who are afraid, are sick, are in economic crisis, and are longing for someone who knows their friend Jesus, who will come and give them encouragement and love. He is Risen indeed, so what is now asked of us is that we take him from the tomb and out into a frightened and lonely world. Let us pray:
“Our father God, who sent your only son our Lord, Jesus Christ, to die and rise again for even me, holy is your name and precious is the blood of your son, our brother Jesus. May your kingdom fill the void where selfishness had taken root in the rich soil of too much, too soon, too self-focused. Let me hear my brother’s cry; let me see my sister struggle to feed her family; let me touch your children with your words and guidance while their parents try to meet their earthly needs. We will survive this difficult time if we will but put you first in our lives. Forgive us when we have whined about not having enough so that we may share what you have given us with extravagant generosity. Keep your children safe within your arms and held close to your beating heart, that we may feel the sweetness of your presence. In the name of your son Jesus Christ our Savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
THE LORD BLESSES THEN HE IMPRESSES
“Father, God, I don’t know where we are going to get those extra dollars.” Many of us have prayed my prayer of last week. Times are tighter than they had been. I had also added an addendum to my prayer: “Lord, it will have to come totally from you because I have no clue what to do.” I opened the door, and like the loving Lord God that he is, he stepped through. As if taking me at my word, he impressed me into his service. Less than a week later I got a phone call for an agency I had never heard about with an offer that had never entered my mind.
“Dr. Rapp, would you consider an interim placement, for the month of April, at a men’s prison there in Indiana?”
When the Lord blesses, he may then impress us into his service. Is the answer, “Yes Lord I asked for an opportunity, but you must have made a mistake on this one or you didn’t hear me clearly.” He has blessed and he has impressed and I leave tomorrow for my placement. I will stay the week in a hotel, arranged by the placement people, then home on weekends. Doesn’t God just blow your mind sometimes?! The really wonderful thing is, he calls us into his service all of the time, but we often believe that we must have misunderstood. Surly he didn’t say to go there, or speak here, or touch a life in a place as foreign to our own way of life as possible. The walk with the Lord takes many turns. What an adventure! Let us pray:
“Father God, you meet our needs for daily bread each time we call upon your name. Forgive us when we expect cake instead. When you call us out of the world, we are your servants, you are not ours. We ask that you will give us courage to take up the tasks you give us, that you will give us strength for the job, and safety for your mission. Holy is your name and we wrap our entire body in your love like a large tunic or precious swaddling clothes. There are so many who call out for your help, may they hear your answer and follow your calling. The path is long but the journey is magnificent. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, your son and our savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
“Dr. Rapp, would you consider an interim placement, for the month of April, at a men’s prison there in Indiana?”
When the Lord blesses, he may then impress us into his service. Is the answer, “Yes Lord I asked for an opportunity, but you must have made a mistake on this one or you didn’t hear me clearly.” He has blessed and he has impressed and I leave tomorrow for my placement. I will stay the week in a hotel, arranged by the placement people, then home on weekends. Doesn’t God just blow your mind sometimes?! The really wonderful thing is, he calls us into his service all of the time, but we often believe that we must have misunderstood. Surly he didn’t say to go there, or speak here, or touch a life in a place as foreign to our own way of life as possible. The walk with the Lord takes many turns. What an adventure! Let us pray:
“Father God, you meet our needs for daily bread each time we call upon your name. Forgive us when we expect cake instead. When you call us out of the world, we are your servants, you are not ours. We ask that you will give us courage to take up the tasks you give us, that you will give us strength for the job, and safety for your mission. Holy is your name and we wrap our entire body in your love like a large tunic or precious swaddling clothes. There are so many who call out for your help, may they hear your answer and follow your calling. The path is long but the journey is magnificent. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, your son and our savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, March 22, 2010
HEALTH CARE CRISIS
Some people were cheering today and others weeping, all over the health care legislation that passed last evening in Washington. Christians will do what they have always done, render unto Washington the things that are Washington’s and unto God the things that are God’s. Those who have fought hard on either side will continue to fight for their cause, but their love and devotion will go to God. Political points of view cannot be our God, neither can a cause, no matter how important and sincerely felt. We may live or die for what we believe in a social context, but we must never worship it. To worship a cause is to see it with blind faith, never questioning its precepts and never opening our ears and hearts to hear another’s point of view. Hold fast to what you believe in, while holding friends and family and their opinions even closer. Some people can be persuaded to your point of view, others cannot. That is when we love with open arms and open hearts those with closed minds and angry hearts. We will take into Heaven those we have loved, not those we have convinced, because we do not hold all truth without our own understanding. Only God’s heart and mind are large enough for that. Let us pray:
“Holy Father, God, precious is your name, the only name that causes man to hush from their babble and bow their head. We confess that we do not know all there is to know about much, and little or nothing about the rest. We trust that you will guide us to carry on the work you would have us do. Open our hearts and minds to understand the causes you place in our care so that we are not just rattling cages to closed minds but springing the locks for those who would not know unless we taught them. But, they cannot hear if we are yelling or smug. They will not change their mind if our volume speaks louder than our love. Forgive us for betraying the trust you placed in us by making your cause an issue to be mocked rather than embraced. We pray that your will may be done in our lives this very day and the lives of those we love. In the name of Jesus Christ your son we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
“Holy Father, God, precious is your name, the only name that causes man to hush from their babble and bow their head. We confess that we do not know all there is to know about much, and little or nothing about the rest. We trust that you will guide us to carry on the work you would have us do. Open our hearts and minds to understand the causes you place in our care so that we are not just rattling cages to closed minds but springing the locks for those who would not know unless we taught them. But, they cannot hear if we are yelling or smug. They will not change their mind if our volume speaks louder than our love. Forgive us for betraying the trust you placed in us by making your cause an issue to be mocked rather than embraced. We pray that your will may be done in our lives this very day and the lives of those we love. In the name of Jesus Christ your son we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, March 15, 2010
I Serve at the Pleasure of the Lord
I watched little Katy and her cousin as they energetically tried to remain still in the nave of the church. Katy was to extinguish the candles and her cousin was to carry forth the Bible. They had bounded up the isle a little too early, then shifted from one foot to the other as they waited to carry the precious items from the altar and, symbolically, into the world.
“Grandpa . . . Grandpa,” Katy called in her best stage whisper. She evidently thought they were waiting too long while the last hymn was sung. I placed my hand on her shoulder and pointed to where we were in the hymnal and she happily sang along. She seemed so excited about executing her Sunday morning tasks as correctly as possible, as she served her God.
Then, I thought of the familiar words from the TV show, The West Wing, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” Evidently, those who work for Republican or Democrat administrations serve in government in that capacity. We, as Christians, serve in the same way, only we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. To truly be servants and followers of the Master, we fulfill his ministry, not our own. We go where he sends us. We speak words he would have us say. We empty ourselves of self and take on Jesus Christ. With great joy and humility, we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. Let us pray:
“Holy Father God, how marvelous is your Holy name. We stand amazed and awed by your glory, the light from which is brighter than the sun. How very silly and childish we are when we think that our efforts alone provide a ministry for others. For good to happen, we must serve you and not ourselves or our own vanity. Forgive us for our self-centered attitudes of entitlement and raise us up as new creatures, full of your spirit, fully human yet touched by the Divine. We turn our lives over to you, oh God, and pray that others will see you in us. We ask for one precious gift from you Father, that we may serve you at your pleasure. We pray that you find joy in your humble servants dear Lord. In the name of your precious son, our Master, our Savior, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week. Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
“Grandpa . . . Grandpa,” Katy called in her best stage whisper. She evidently thought they were waiting too long while the last hymn was sung. I placed my hand on her shoulder and pointed to where we were in the hymnal and she happily sang along. She seemed so excited about executing her Sunday morning tasks as correctly as possible, as she served her God.
Then, I thought of the familiar words from the TV show, The West Wing, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” Evidently, those who work for Republican or Democrat administrations serve in government in that capacity. We, as Christians, serve in the same way, only we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. To truly be servants and followers of the Master, we fulfill his ministry, not our own. We go where he sends us. We speak words he would have us say. We empty ourselves of self and take on Jesus Christ. With great joy and humility, we serve at the pleasure of the Lord. Let us pray:
“Holy Father God, how marvelous is your Holy name. We stand amazed and awed by your glory, the light from which is brighter than the sun. How very silly and childish we are when we think that our efforts alone provide a ministry for others. For good to happen, we must serve you and not ourselves or our own vanity. Forgive us for our self-centered attitudes of entitlement and raise us up as new creatures, full of your spirit, fully human yet touched by the Divine. We turn our lives over to you, oh God, and pray that others will see you in us. We ask for one precious gift from you Father, that we may serve you at your pleasure. We pray that you find joy in your humble servants dear Lord. In the name of your precious son, our Master, our Savior, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
New articles appear every week. Check them out at: www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/dorisrappphd
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