“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
Reconciling God, guide us in deciding when, if, and how to pursue the art of restoration in our relationships. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
Excerpted from onliner Bill Schultheis with gratitude —
As the season of gratitude settles in, we’re embracing the warmth of tradition, the joy of giving, and the occasional surprise at the grocery checkout. Whether you’re planning a cozy dinner or thinking ahead to year-end generosity, this week’s stories offer thoughtful ways to navigate the holidays with heart—and a little financial wisdom.
Turkey Prices Are Up — keep your feast affordable.
Holiday Costs Unwrapped — tariffs may be quietly shaping your seasonal spending.
The Boomer Hand-Off — families are sorting through more than just memories.
Give Now, Save Later — 2025 might be the ideal time to make charitable contributions ahead of next year’s tax changes.
— Like him, I hope you celebrate with clarity, kindness, and confidence. Happy Thanksgiving.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
God, teach us to recognize our privileges and learn how to share them with those who are at a disadvantage. Prepare us to be channels of your blessings every day. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
With gratitude to John Alexander Wright —
THE REAL THANKSGIVING TABLE
As Thanksgiving approaches, I’m always drawn to Hyatt Moore’s contemporary painting of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:16-24] and to this quote:
“Charis always demands the answer eucharistia (that is, grace always demands the answer of gratitude). Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning.” (Karl Barth, quoted in Eugene Peterson’s “A Long Obedience.”)
That I am here at all is by sheer grace. It evokes a gratitude far deeper than thanksgiving for this or that particular blessing. There wells up in me a more profound gratitude for “nothing,” i.e., for no thing in particular, a gratitude for “being itself.”
Father Michael Dwinell’s words come to mind: “If for a moment we can catch a glimpse of what it is like not to have to worry about justifying our existence, then we will catch a vision of how everything is a miracle, how everything floats in and upon a vast ocean of tender grace. The miracle is that we exist at all. . .It’s an ongoing, incredible miracle. In the excruciating humiliation, pain, and presence of [grace’s] ego-destroying judgment, we can then come to desire God as much as God desires us.” [“Being Priest to One Another”]
Then we realize that no one, including ourselves, “deserves” a place at the Thanksgiving Table. Every one of us is, in one respect or another, “poor and maimed, halt and blind.” And our only proper response to God’s amazing grace, besides our profound eucharistia and alleluia, is, as “one blind beggar showing another blind beggar where to find bread” (D.T. Niles), especially when it’s at our own table!
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
God our healer, give us the courage to lend our hands to provide a healing touch for someone in need. May our sense of touch be used as a channel of your healing mercy. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
Dear God, thank you for calling us and planting us where we can reach you as a source of strength and where you can lead us to bear fruit. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
Dear Lord, our source of sustenance, help us to keep our roots connected to you. May we learn to make every day an opportunity to trust your ways. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
God of grace, help us to use the gifts you have given us with love. Amen.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook
will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness
was not from lack of time.” — John Piper
With that in mind….
The rest of November I’d like to direct our attention (maybe that should be “our attentions” or even “our intentions” — you tell me, please) to prayers from a series that’s benefitted me longer than I’ll admit.
Its current version is The Upper Room Disciplines2025: A Book of Daily Devotions. Each week’s material is written by a different author from one of the widest smatterings of traditions I’ve ever seen.
Each day follows a familiar format of Scripture, reflection, and a prayer, just like The Upper Room series itself. Over the spread of 7 days and following the ecumenical lectionary, Disciplinesxxxx gives each writer space to dig in more deeply and share the connections of the texts.
And then there are the prayers! For example —
You are the God who calls your children to join you in serving people. More than anyone, you know how fickle humans can be. Help me to stay faithful to your calling in my life regardless of the results.
Meet me back here tomorrow.
COPIED and shared with gratitude to several friends, drenched in truth, regardless of details’ veracity —-
In 1976, Hollywood. Jackson Browne walked into the Elektra Records offices carrying a reel-to-reel tape he had spent the night mixing and said, “This album is not finished. I need one more song.”
His producer, Jon Landau, reminded him that the label had already printed the first run of vinyl sleeves.
Browne did not sit down. He placed the tape on the table and said, “Then they will print new ones.”
Browne was twenty seven, exhausted, and grieving. His wife, Phyllis Major, had died that March. The album he was delivering, The Pretender, was supposed to be done. Instead, Browne kept tearing the project open.
He walked through Hollywood in the early mornings with a yellow legal pad, filling lines while street cleaners washed the sidewalks. He told friends that if the songs felt safe, they were wrong.
The missing piece arrived at a piano bench in a small room at the old Sound Factory studio on Selma Avenue. Browne sat for hours hitting the same four chords until Landau walked in and asked what he was doing. Browne said, “Trying to tell the truth without destroying myself.” That moment became the spine of the title track.
He refused studio tricks. He told engineer Greg Ladanyi to record the vocal straight through, even the parts where his voice cracked. When he reached the line “I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring,” the control room fell silent. Ladanyi later said that no one breathed for ten seconds.
The label pushed him to cut verses to make the single radio friendly. Browne refused. He said, “It costs too much to lie.” Elektra delayed the album and ate the cost of reprinting sleeves.
When The Pretender was released in November 1976, it climbed to number five on Billboard and stayed on the chart for more than a year.
People later called the album a classic breakup record. Browne knew better. It was a record about survival, written by a man learning to stand again. “You write what you can live with,” he once said.
That is why The Pretender endures. It was not made for the charts.
It was made to keep him alive.
joescheets 