7#$N8FFFFFFFF FF4F4FxFGD GdM@*Mj`FM@GdM@M@M6M@M@M@M@M@M@nn u90 0x9 9 5p9Ы090 >  >( >0 >4: P%7>> @ ,-S_3`  ; s t B C s    * + , R q r s t  ? ~ E U&'\ S6t'M3qOzc The Lord's Psalm Our Lord, God Almighty and Father which art in heaven We know that Thou are holy and hallowed be Thy name. It is our desire to be with Thee and for Thy kingdom to come quickly Our only desire is to worship Thee and that Thy will be done. Touch our hearts and bring harmony in earth as it is in heaven In the name of Your Son Jesus give us this day our daily bread. Our sins are constantly before us so ask You to forgive us our debts Even as we respond to others as we for give our debtors. So Lord, our faith rests in Thee to lead us not into temptation To fill us with Thy Spirit and to deliver us from evil. Lord of all, we bring our praise for Thine is the kingdom And we acknowledge your sovereignty and power and glory forever. Amen Collegedale, Tennessee August 31, 1985 A Prayer of Thanksgiving Our Father, and Eternal God in Heaven Our Creator, and giver of all life We bring before You our gifts in recognition of Your sovereignty We have brought that which would purchase bread to acknowledge that it is You who sustains life We have brought that which gives us security to symbolize our acceptance of the life of Jesus We have brought that which would clothe us to recognize You as the source of all we possess Please accept these small tokens of our love and have dominion in our lives For we bring these gifts in the name of Jesus Your exalted son and our elder brother Amen Dedicated to Cherilyn and David Smith Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church March 1, 1986 Psalm of Thanksgiving Oh God, who is from everlasting; whose days have neither beginning nor end. How marvelous are your ways; how mysterious and simple your methods. I felt battered and abused, my name was dragged through the courtyard. My bitterness deepened and spread like cancer, it bubbled forth, yea, like a geyser. In my anguish I heard a voice, one tender and filled with compassion. I cried out my plight, and expressed the secrets of my heart. On that very day you answered, I faced my anger in the vineyard. Oh Lord, Thou knowest me like a twin; my secret needs I cannot conceal. That which seemed impossible yesterday, became but a fading memory today. That which rent and tore me asunder, has stitched and healed. That which dragged my soul, has become a soothing balm. Oh Lord, Father, Son and Spirit, hot intimate are your attentions. Oh God, majesty of the universe, how marvelous are your ways. Dedicated to Adeny Schmidt November 12, 1993 Riverside, California A Psalm of Science Oh, Lord God, Creator of the universe be praise and honor forever The works of Thy hand are before me reminding of man's feeble efforts The computer has given the ability to calculate but it does not help one meditate The telescope probes the edges of the universe but it has not revealed Thy face The microscope explores an invisible world but does not reveal man's soul Oh, Lord God be praised forever. The mightiest instruments have extended sight but added nothing to man's wisdom For in extending one aspect of knowing others have been allowed to atrophy Man has become efficient in transmitting but remains feeble in receiving So in Thy hills I come to meet Thee to refresh my spirit and listen Praise be to Thee, Oh my God my strength and my redeemer Dedication: Mary Elam September 12, 1986 Gatlinburg, Tennessee From John V. Taylor, The Go-Between God quoted in In His Image, Paul Brand and Philip Yancey A Prayer Our Father who art in heaven Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace Worthy of honor, awe and praise our Creator, Sustainer, and Savior; Hear oh Lord, our Prayers and renew a right spirit within us; Forgive use wherein we have been arrogant, self-centered, and self-righteous insensitive to the needs of others for acting on our own and not depending on Thee Forgive us for being harsh, judgmental, and unforgiving for not feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty, inviting in strangers, clothing the needy, and visiting the sick and enprisioned for not sharing the light of the world to those in our midst; Yet, even in our unworthiness, Jesus, has taught us to come boldly before You; We are thankful for the life you have given each of us for supplying our daily needs for food, clothing and shelter for the forgiveness of our sins Thankful for Your mercy and understanding of our human condition for companionship, fellowship, and families for salvation so freely offered We await the words of him, You have ordained to address us this hour Grant him clarity of thought, and crispness of expression Unplug our ears to hear, granting us understanding Send your Spirit to infiltrate* our souls satisfying our individual needs; These things I pray for myself and on behalf of this congregation As I have been trained from a child in the Name of Jesus. La Sierra University Church August 17, 1996 *My friends chided me about this word, perhaps I should have used permeate. Was this a Freudian slip, or insight? Garden Meeting A flash of light caught my eye, a ruby iridescence drew me. Oh so suddenly you appeared, unexpectedly there you were. Your presence heralded spring, the dawning of a new era. Oh how petite you are, so much compact life. Flower after flower you examine, extracting the secrets of each. Daily I yearn to see you, and watch your charming ways. You draw near and examine me, seeing through me, I'm sure. You study me intently, but what do you learn? Back to your nest you return, back to your private world. Oft, I'd reach out and touch you, to draw you near to me. But in different worlds we live, only this secret garden we share. So I must be ever satisfied, refreshed by your fleeting sight. What daily brings you back again? what attraction lures you? Could it be that you too are drawn? that you too yearn for closeness? What thoughts does your graceful head contain? what secrets could you reveal? Alas, the citrine sun has gone, the season of change has come. Your nestling has grown big, he's larger than you by far. What will the autumn bring? where in winter, will you go? The emerald shades that clothe you, the ebon accents of your crown, are in memory growing dim, fading, fading with the sun. Will I but a minuscule memory be, of a moment in the garden shared? You are gone with the flowers, and the garden wears a wintry coat. Alas, we couldn't span the chasm, and bridge the void between. Ah, but the memory does remain, thoughts of what might have been! Yet, in that twilight memory, of those moments spent together, A warm reflection has remained, a sense of the mystery we've exchanged, I, a better man have become, a richer, deeper life I've lived. Bioprayer Oh God Almighty, high above all creation Our Creator, Sustainer and Salvation How wonderfully You've sculpted our frames How intricately You've assembled our organs designed glands, routed nerves and started systems Weaving each into the tapestry of life Humbly we bow and acknowledge Thee As we accept our daily bread from Your hand. Our thoughts return to our Eden home And recall the origin of human life Of bodies created for walking, skipping and running For sketching, singing and dancing We reflect on ingestion, respiration and metabolism Thoughts of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins Of enzymes, hormones and essential fatty acids Of degradation, catabolism and biosynthesis. But the gift of life is more than body and breath More than being born, maturing and dying You've infused each of us with a need for others For community, female and male, child and adult You've incorporated a need to create and procreate A need for family, colleagues, and friends Specially bless those gathered 'round this table Who will share these earthly bounties. Yet, life extends beyond our social domain To a life that's created within our brains The ability to dream, plan and analyze To imagine, perceive and transcend These nutrients we are about to consume Create neurons and neuro-transmitters Available for complex thoughts and perspectives - An intellectual life beyond our being. Still, life is more than body, community and mind You've created within us an ache for Thee A nagging questioning- a quiet restlessness Drawing us to perceive Your hand at work An attraction to salvation freely offered A yearning for a better today and a life beyond A spiritual window often dim and sometimes opaque Gives glimpses of Your love and action. As we accept from Thy hand our daily bread Humbly we bow before Thee How wonderfully You've sculpted our frames How intricately You've assembled our organs Oh God Almighty, high above all creation Creator, Sustainer and Salvation Bless this our daily bread, we pray and sanctify our lives thus fed - amen. Tao A promise solemly given is soon broken The fruit matures and rots on the ground Riverside, CA October, 1997 Tao-II A spider weaves a web the caterpillar a cocoon One, to annihilate the other, to metamorphose Riverside, CA November, 1997 9`}cX.|cZ8cTK|!|~x8`K-A|x(Axx8H!`xH8!@|N |!|~x|#x|+x5 A8|xKUAxx8KC}A8~8KIAxH MA|dxx8~KC]A88Lb88;8888?8|8P!Q"#$YA4opR9u"GHW01a4N6x  M N m ! !E!]!!"5"6"`""#>#w###$"$U$$$$c$$%T%U%V%W%X%Y%w%x%%& &D&r&&&''1'm''''(7(](((()')[)))*3*4*e**+ +K++++,,V,,,,-+-U----.,.l..//C/D/q//0!0M000000001"1\112)2[22233\334&4d444545t5c566I66677N7778<8}8899H99::M:::; ;C;};;<:=q=r=s=========>">D>{>|>}>>>>>>>>>>>>G8@>$5> !" "U :_d    t #*+Z+[+_,,,,/-/507:;;;;;? 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AllenWilliam M. Allen