Curtis Dahlgren
How would you like to be Rick Warren's 'ghost writer' today?
By Curtis Dahlgren
"I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow cast into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?" — Luke
ONE OF MY MOST VALUABLE POSSESSIONS IS A FAMILY PRAYER BOOK ABOUT 100 YEARS OLD. If I were giving the Invocation in Washington today, these would be the words, a combination of excerpts from January 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st:
"May the meditation of our hearts and the utterances of our lips be acceptable in Thy sight, and may the gracious promise be fulfilled on our behalf: 'As thy day, so shall thy strength be.' May we realize this day, as never before, the truthfulness of the promise that 'the path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day.'
"O GOD, Who knowest our necessities before we ask, and the manifold temptations we meet with day by day, help us to put our whole trust in Thee when despair and misgivings assail us. Allow us not, we beseech Thee, to become prey of useless forebodings, nor to lose the things which belong to our peace, through the habit of morbid and sinful worry.
"SO GUIDE US, in all our way, that we may keep our faces always toward the light, that our shadows may lie behind us. All we have comes from Thee, including our Freedoms and Liberty, so enable us to perceive Thy blessings, and to show our Gratitude. If adversity be better for us, make us patient and faithful in trials.
"HELP US in all our perplexities to know Thy will, and bless the work of this day. Fit all of us for our duties and responsibilities, and let us never utter the words, 'There are some jobs that Americans won't do.'
"AND please be with our leaders, including those in far-flung places who represent us, that the high hopes placed in us by peoples in distress may not be shattered. Let us not put our hope in man, not at all, but let Thy People, who are called by Thy name, turn to Thee like photo-sensitive plants, that Thou mayest turn again to us, and allow the sun of righteousness to arise with healing in its wings.
"May Thy Word be a light unto our path, and a lamp unto our feet, that we may come through the Valley of Darkness unto a more perfect Union, we pray, in the name of our Designer, Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ, our one and only Hope.
© Curtis Dahlgren
January 20, 2009
"I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow cast into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?" — Luke
ONE OF MY MOST VALUABLE POSSESSIONS IS A FAMILY PRAYER BOOK ABOUT 100 YEARS OLD. If I were giving the Invocation in Washington today, these would be the words, a combination of excerpts from January 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st:
"May the meditation of our hearts and the utterances of our lips be acceptable in Thy sight, and may the gracious promise be fulfilled on our behalf: 'As thy day, so shall thy strength be.' May we realize this day, as never before, the truthfulness of the promise that 'the path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day.'
"O GOD, Who knowest our necessities before we ask, and the manifold temptations we meet with day by day, help us to put our whole trust in Thee when despair and misgivings assail us. Allow us not, we beseech Thee, to become prey of useless forebodings, nor to lose the things which belong to our peace, through the habit of morbid and sinful worry.
"SO GUIDE US, in all our way, that we may keep our faces always toward the light, that our shadows may lie behind us. All we have comes from Thee, including our Freedoms and Liberty, so enable us to perceive Thy blessings, and to show our Gratitude. If adversity be better for us, make us patient and faithful in trials.
"HELP US in all our perplexities to know Thy will, and bless the work of this day. Fit all of us for our duties and responsibilities, and let us never utter the words, 'There are some jobs that Americans won't do.'
"AND please be with our leaders, including those in far-flung places who represent us, that the high hopes placed in us by peoples in distress may not be shattered. Let us not put our hope in man, not at all, but let Thy People, who are called by Thy name, turn to Thee like photo-sensitive plants, that Thou mayest turn again to us, and allow the sun of righteousness to arise with healing in its wings.
"May Thy Word be a light unto our path, and a lamp unto our feet, that we may come through the Valley of Darkness unto a more perfect Union, we pray, in the name of our Designer, Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ, our one and only Hope.
© Curtis Dahlgren
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