The Long and Winding Road: Thursday Thoughts

We, that is the family and I, are in the midst of an unexpected move. Our house is old and needs significant upgrades. But the decision has been made by those who own it, that it is time to be done.

So we had to find a new place to live.

We were in shock at first and have done some grieving. But while we are grateful for the eleven years we have been here, and the memories that come with those eleven years, we are ready for a move and our new home, while smaller, is warm and cozy.

This move taps into my melancholy side and reminds me of the passing of time and the changing seasons of life. When we moved here, the boys were, respectively, a year and three years away from starting school.

Now we are less than five years away from the youngest graduating from High School.

The title for today’s Thursday thoughts is linked to my oldest’s Beatles’ CD that features all their number one songs. The Long and Winding Road was their last number one hit in 1970. They broke up after that never to be together again.

This is not true for us. We are still together and will be. But one day it will be, God willing, only my wife and I as the boys strike out on their own.

Life is like a long and winding road, but I am grateful for a God who walks with me on that road.

these… Are my Thursday though

Hump Day Prayer for January 19, 2011

Image by Swedish National Heritage Board via Flickr

Father God, we sing at Christmas ‘In the bleak mid-winter’ but, for the most part, we sing it during an exciting and joyful time of year.

But Lord, we are in the middle of winter and it is bleak. We have been snowed in and flooded out. We have been overwhelmed with depression and wearied through conflict.

We need the warmth and brightness of your love and your grace within our weary souls and hearts. Empower us through your Holy Spirit to so live this day and this season in the midst of bleakness with your joy in our hearts. A joy that is not manufactured or plastic but that comes out of a heart warmed by your grace and mercy. Grant that it be so.

In Jesus’ Name

Amen.

“My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,

All I have to do is follow, strength for today is mine always

And all that I need for tomorrow.

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness

All I have to do is follow.”

~Sidney E. Cox

(Via
http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/RHC/486
)

A Thursday Prayer for Those Moving

Father on this day there are thousands of people moving. Some are moving down the street, or across town. Others are moving across the state or country. Some are moving to another country and a new language and culture.

Grant them Father, a safe and complete move.

Some are moving because of work. There is a new job at the other end of the route. Be with them as they arrive, unpack, settle in and start in a new place. Grant them peace and hope.

Some are moving because of death. A spouse has died and they can no longer stay where they are. It is a tough move for some and a relief for others.  Envelope them in your love and peace and for the family members who are moving them, help them deal with all of their feelings, including the guilt they may feel for such a move.

Some are moving because of divorce. There are moms (and dads) who are moving with the kids (or some of them) back home. The pain is great. The sense of failure is deep. There is anger. There is relief. Be with the children Lord during this time, place good (and Godly) friends and adults in their path. Remind them that you travel with them in all of their journeys – inward and outward.

Finally Lord be with those who are moving to get away from something that they need to address. Some have painfully learned that ‘geographical cures’ are no cure at all. The move some need to take is a move inward, with you alongside, to deal with pain, dysfunction, and sin that has caused life to fall apart. In your firm and honest grace, love them back to a place of wholeness.

Amen.