Sunday, July 20, 2008

Dearest God,

Lord, I am always asking myself, "What does it take to change a human heart?" I got one of my answers today. Service to others.

Twenty one members of our congregation went to Colorado to serve others and they came back changed. Their joy and enthusiasm were remarkable. Couple that with four members who are going to Lima, Peru to change their own lives along with hundreds of others. Together they made for an extraordinary service today.

How I have longed for this spiritual vitality! To watch with great glee your transforming power, knowing the ways in which you work, the gentle nudges, the "pulling up" and and settling down, the call to action, the whispers from heaven, the song of devotion all serve to change the human heart. My own heart is inspired every time I see what is happening. My greater joy comes in the kind of congregation I will hand over to someone else next year. They will be ready for much, much more by that time. What they will do for you is not yet able to be calculated. Hallelujah to you, Great and Glorious God!

While I am observing your life-changing power in others, I am aware that my own heart is always in need of change. I am still a work in progress, knowing that it is your hand that massages my own heart. All of me still needs changing for I want that challenge that keeps me at the edge wanting more of you, along with a desire to be more fully your servant in service to the world.

How I give
you thanks,
Most Holy One.
I can only
sing you
a song of praise.
My devotion
bubbles up
when I think
of your purpose
in my life.
Unworthy as I am,
I take joy
in your trust
in me.
Keep me
from failing you
for I do not want
one moment
to slip by
without serving you
in love.
Forgive my shortcomings,
my pettiness,
my loss of vision,
my sin,
I pray.
Make me
more like you.

Love, Andrea