Diagramming Fun

Challenged by a grammarian to diagram a sentence, I gladly agreed.  Below is my rendition and this link is for my friend's ~

Let's you and me pray about it. (an imperative)

(You) let us (you and me) (to) pray about it.






(You) implied subject of let.

let is the main verb.

us is the direct object of the verb

you and me  compound direct object explaining *us*

(to) pray is an infinitive phrase acting like an adverb and modifying the verb let

about is an adverb modifying pray;  alternately, it could function as a preposition, but I prefer adverb since that enhances the way we pray ;-)

it is the direct object of pray

Vocation

Heavenly Father,
Thou hast placed me in the church
which thy Son purchased by his own blood.
Add grace to grace that I may live worthy of my vocation.

I am a voyager across life's ocean;
Safe in heaven's ark, may I pass through a troubled world
into the harbour of eternal rest.

I am a tree of the vineyard thou has planted.
Grant me not to be barren, with worthless leaves and wild grapes;
Prune me of useless branches;
Water me with dews of blessing.
I am part of the Lamb's bride, the church.
Help me to be true, faithful, chaste, loving, pure, devoted;
let no strong affection wantonly dally with the world.
May I live high above a love of things temporal,
sanctified, cleansed, unblemished, hallowed by grace,
thy love my fullness,
thy love my joy,
thy precepts my pathway,
thy cross my resting place.
My heart is not always a flame of adoring love,
But, resting in thy Son's redemption,
I look forward to the days of heaven,
where no langour shall oppress,
no iniquities, chill,
no mists of unbelief dim the eye,
no zeal ever tires.

Father, these thoughts are the stay, prop, and comfort of my soul.

The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Athanasian Creed

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the catholic faith.
Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally.
Now this is the catholic faith: We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another.
But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.
What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit.
Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit.
The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite.
Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is eternal;
as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is uncreated and unlimited.
Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit:
And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one who is almighty.
Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is God:
And yet there are not three gods, but one God.
Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord:
And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.
As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords.
The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten;
the Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten of the Father;
the Spirit was neither made nor created, but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.
Thus there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.
And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other;
but all three persons are in themselves, coeternal and coequal; and so we must worship the Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.
Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.
It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.
For this is the true faith that we believe and confess: That our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man.
He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father, and he is man, born in the world from the being of his mother --
existing fully as God, and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body;
equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity.
Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ.
He is united because God has taken humanity into himself; he does not transform deity into humanity.
He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures.
For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man.
He suffered death for our salvation.
He descended into hell and rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life,
those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith.
One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

Prayer
Curtsy: Carol

Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day rejoicing.

Teach me that I labor to Thee,
that I eat and drink to Thy glory,
that I think and plan to the ends
which Thou hast laid before me.

Do Thou strengthen me that I may
become willing to sacrifice for others.

Teach me to look upon my life today
as given me to help my fellowmen.

Let me see in my profession,
in the need of those who depend on me,
in the want and struggle of the world about me,
my field for loving service.

Remind me again that my life,
my speech, my faith
is nothing without love.

Grant that I be ready to forgive,
quick in sympathy,
earnest in my rejoicing with those who are happy,
and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellow-men.

In Jesus's name, Amen.

~ from the Lutheran Prayer Book

Marriage Mondays













December 27, 2006

O God of love, Thou hast established marriage for the welfare and happiness of mankind. Thine was the plan, and only with Thee can we work it out with joy. Thou hast said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a help meet for him." Now our joys are doubled since the happiness of one is the happiness of the other. Our burdens now are halved, for when we share them, we divide the load.

Bless this man. Bless him as provider of nourishment and raiment, and sustain him in all the exactions and pressures of his battle for bread. May his strength be her protection, his character her boast and her pride, and may he so live that she will find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.

Bless this woman. Give her kindness that will make her great. Give her a deep sense of understanding and a great faith in Thee. Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades, that is found in holding fast the things that never age.

Teach them that marriage is not living merely for each other; it is two uniting and joining hands to serve Thee. Give them a great spiritual purpose in life. May they seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the other things shall be added unto them.

May they not expect that perfection of each other that belongs alone to Thee. May they help each other in their weaknesses, be swift to praise each other's points of comeliness and strength, and see each other through a lover's kind and patient eyes.

Now, Gracious Lord, bless them and develop their characters as they walk together. Give them enough tears to keep them tender, enough hurts to keep them humane, enough failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in Thine, and enough success to make them sure they walk with Thee.

May they never take each other's love for granted, but always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims, "Out of all this world you have chosen me!"

When life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then, as now, hand in hand, still thanking God for each other. May they serve Thee happily, faithfully, together, until at last, one shall lay the other into the arms of God.

This we ask through Jesus Christ, great lover of our souls. Amen

Louis H Evans


What a great prayer for our marriages, as we celebrate others who have sons/daughters marrying this June/summer.


A few more photos are available at the photographer's blog.

National Day of Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the great sleeping giant, the church, who even now has begun to shake herself from her sleep. I pray that she would awake to righteousness and holiness in every denomination, in every body of believers, and slumber no longer.

I pray we would begin to unify under the blood-stained banner of the Cross and preach the gospel of the kingdom clearly and boldly in every highway and byway of our nation.

I pray that we will not only stand up and speak up but that we will begin to reap a great harvest in our nation, bringing multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

May the revival of the saints be so all-encompassing that it affects the spiritual complexion of our entire nation and influences our politics, our economy, our media and our entire society.

AMEN

WORSHIP

GLORIOUS GOD,
It is the flame of my life to worship thee,
the crown and glory of my soul to adore thee,
heavenly pleasure to approach thee.
GIVE me power by thy Spirit to help me worship now,
that I may forget the world,
be brought into the fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed.
GIVE me knowledge of thy goodness
that I might not be over-awed by thy greatness;
GIVE me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
but be drawn near with filial love,
with holy boldness;
HE is my mediator, brother, interpreter,
branch, daysman, Lamb;
him I glorify,
in him I am set on high.
CROWNS to give I have none,
but what thou hast given I return,
content to feel that everything is mine when it is thine,
and the more fully mine when I have yielded it to thee.
LET me live wholly to my Saviour,
free from distractions,
from carking care,
from hindrances to the pursuit of the narrow way.
I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus ----
give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain,
and every day be washed anew,
that I may worship thee always is spirit and truth.

Valley of Vision: a colletion of Puritan prayers and devotions

PS Had to look up the word *carking*. It means distressful, worrisome.

Election Day Prayer

Father, I desire to vote intelligently in all elections. I pray that You will bring to light the things I need to know so I may vote in line with Your plan, will and purpose.

May things not only come to light for the Christian community, but may things be made clear to the unbelieving community as well. I pray that what is right would be so clear that even unbelievers would vote using wisdom and demanding honesty and uprightness from their politicians.

Dear Father, in the name of Jesus, may the citizens of our nation become so weary of sin and degradation in our nation's leaders that they will seek out godly leaders to represent them on every level of government. Give such leaders favor with the public and the media.

Father, make our nation a fragrance in the earth, a force to be reckoned with, and a hand extended to those in need.

AMEN.

Borrowed from a booklet entitled Pray for our Nation published by Harrison House. See their website.

Valley of Vision

First Day Morning

O Lord,
I commune with thee every day, but week days are worldly days, and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.

I bless thee therefore for the day sacred to my soul when I can wait upon thee and be refreshed;

I thank thee for the institutions of religion by use of which I draw near to thee and thou to me;

I rejoice in another Lord's Day when I call off my mind from the cares of the world and attend upon thee without distraction;

Let my retirement be devout, my conversation edifying, my reading pious, my hearing profitable, that my soul may be quickened and elevated.

I am going to the house of prayer, pour upon me the spirit of grace and supplication. I am going to the house of praise, awaken in me every grateful and cheerful emotion, I am going to the house of instruction, give testimony to the Word preached, and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear; may it enlighten the ignorant, awaken the careless, reclaim the wandering, establish the weak, comfort the feeble-minded, and make ready a people for their Lord.

Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come. Forget not those who never come, And do thou bestow upon me benevolence towards my dependents, forgiveness towards my enemies, peaceableness towards my neighbors, openness towards my fellow-Christians.

Amen.

Mealtime Poetry

Be present at our table, Lord;
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with Thee.

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
For life and health and every good;
By Thine own hand may we be fed;
Give us each day our daily bread.

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our good,
But more because of Jesus’ blood;
Let manna to our souls be giv’n,
The Bread of Life sent down from Heav’n.

John Cennick

1718-1755

British itinerant evangelist

This is the blessing I said, when it was *my turn* as a child. I found it in The Lion Book of Family Prayers by Mary Batchelor. Post a comment and tell me what poem you prayed.

Marriage Blessing

O God of love, Thou hast established marriage for the welfare and happiness of mankind. Thine was the plan, and only with Thee can we work it out with joy. Thou hast said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a help meet for him." Now our joys are doubled since the happiness of one is the happiness of the other. Our burdens now are halved, for when we share them, we divide the load.

Bless this man. Bless him as provider of nourishment and raiment, and sustain him in all the exactions and pressures of his battle for bread. May his strength be her protection, his character her boast and her pride, and may he so live that she will find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.

Bless this woman. Give her kindness that will make her great. Give her a deep sense of understanding and a great faith in Thee. Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades, that is found in holding fast the things that never age.

Teach them that marriage is not living merely for each other; it is two uniting and joining hands to serve Thee. Give them a great spiritual purpose in life. May they seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the other things shall be added unto them.

May they not expect that perfection of each other that belongs alone to Thee. May they help each other in their weaknesses, be swift to praise each other's points of comeliness and strength, and see each other through a lover's kind and patient eyes.

Now, Gracious Lord, bless them and develop their characters as they walk together. Give them enough tears to keep them tender, enough hurts to keep them humane, enough failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in Thine, and enough success to make them sure they walk with Thee.

May they never take each other's love for granted, but always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims, "Out of all this world you have chosen me!"

When life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then, as now, hand in hand, still thanking God for each other. May they serve Thee happily, faithfully, together, until at last, one shall lay the other into the arms of God.

This we ask through Jesus Christ, great lover of our souls. Amen