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Prayer for the Week 8.19.18

 

 

This week’s prayer:

Almighty God,

you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life:

Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of this redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

 

Wow, this week’s prayer is full of wonderful theology, focused on the work of Christ in our lives.

Jesus offers us forgiveness and redemption, and shows us what it means to live a holy life. 

You might say it sums up what the Christian life is all about.

Christ’s gift of salvation is free, but often it takes special grace to receive the fruits of His work. Maybe we don’t believe we deserve to live free of regret or guilt or sin. Maybe we can’t believe that God loves us so completely and deeply. It’s hard to simply receive His love and compassion. Yet it’s there for us...just waiting for us to open our hearts to it.

We need His grace, too, to follow in His footsteps. Jesus walked in love and gentleness toward others—and listened for His Father’s voice in all He did. What would our lives look like if we did the same? How would it change our decisions, and affect our relationships? 

Something tells me that miracles might happen.

This week, let’s focus our hearts on both receiving His grace, and living out His grace. It’s simple.....and it’s everything.

Blessings,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 8.12.18

 

This week’s prayer:

 

Grant to us, Lord, we pray,

the spirit to think and do always those things that are right,

that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

Sometimes the idea of “doing God’s will” seems burdensome, like it’s a list of do’s and don’ts that never ends. Oh, the drudgery! But this week’s prayer is a reminder that in order to do what’s right, we’ve got to begin with right thinking.

In other words, we need to get our heads on straight!

Right thinking leads to right actions.

We need God’s spirit to guide our thoughts before we can expect Him to guide our ways.

And what’s the first mind-shift the Spirit brings to us? The understanding that our very being is found in Him. We cannot live without Him! He holds every breath, and every moment of our lives in His loving hands.

We cannot exist without Him.

”In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

When we start here, it’s amazing how everything else begins to fall into place. What before seemed burdensome is now a delight. What was once impossible to do, is now an offering of gratitude to Him. 

This week, I will be praying for you: that you will have a deeper understanding of God’s sustaining power in your everyday life. May you come to recognize and know His presence with you, so that living according to His will will be nothing but unspeakable joy.

Blessings,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 8.5.18

 

 

I’ve missed posting prayers for a couple of weeks, but I’m back with a good one to pray and meditate on.

 

This week’s prayer:

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church;

and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

One thing I just love about praying the Prayers for the Week from the Book of Common Prayer is how it helps shift my focus from ME to WE. I’m “forced” to remember that I’m part of a family, a community, a church, and a world.

As I pray these words it occurs to me how often we feel the responsibility to cleanse and protect God’s church on our own. We criticize, we send anonymous letters, we tweet, we gossip, we call down fire...usually without stopping to ask the Holy Spirit to do His work in the way that He wants to do His work.

I don’t usually think of God’s “continual mercy” as the means by which He would cleanse, protect and govern, but this prayer causes me to slow down and consider that God’s ways are higher than our ways. Mercy, after all, isn’t weak; it’s powerful, it’s at work, and it always points us to Jesus. 

We are governed by His goodness — oh, what a thought!

Experiencing His goodness means that we can rest in the knowledge that He is watching over us at all times, helping us to fulfill His purpose in the world: to bring about the renewal of all of creation for His glory.

Have a great week,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 7.15.18

 

 

This week’s prayer is one I’ve prayed a lot, but in a different style of words. Here is how the Book of Common Prayer puts it:

 

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you,

and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

 

My words usually sound something like this:

 

O Lord, are you listening? Please hear me. I need You.

Help me know what I’m supposed to do. I just want to do Your will but I don’t understand what it is. Help me to see it, and know what to do next. I feel so lost sometimes.

Give me the grace and power I need for today. Let me depend on Your Spirit to accomplish what You’re asking of me. Sometimes it feels hard, and my steps falter. I know You’re the only One who can give me strength to do Your will.

Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for what He has done for me, and for His reign with you, Father. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who fills me and empowers me, and who directs me to You.

Amen

 

Often, it helps to rephrase the words of an old prayer to make it come alive. Then I see clearly, “Oh! This is just what I’ve been praying for all along!”

What is on your heart?

Are you asking God to show You His will?

I will join with you this week, as we pray this simple prayer together.

I know that He will be faithful to show you the next step He wants you to take, and will give you the grace and power to accomplish it.

Blessings,

Rachel

I'd love to speak at your next event!

 

"Rachel Anne Ridge is a wonderful storyteller, and inspiring speaker. She brought a fresh perspective to our retreat weekend on living out our "purpose", while connecting with our women by getting to know them and their stories. Rachel's love for Jesus, and her example of being obedient to living out his calling on her life is evident and motivating."

        Lisa P. The Orchard, New Hampshire

 

“Rachel was a delight!! Our Women’s retreat was blessed to have her as our keynote speaker.  Her warm, sweet spirit came through her presentations and her message touched our hearts. She captured our attention and helped us to discover God’s presence in all of our circumstances.  A definite “must have” if you’re planning an event."         

        Sue S -Women’s Retreat Co Chair, Village Bible Church, Arkansas

 

"We have had some excellent speakers through the years at our Day for Women event. Rachel Anne Ridge ranks among the best. Rachel’s message and presentation were well received by our audience – as evidenced by the line of people who wanted to meet her and have her sign a copy of her book, “Flash.” Rachel was prepared and engaging. She did an excellent job.”

        Don Cooper, General Manager Temple Daily Telegram

 

One of my greatest delights in recent years has been the opportunity to speak to groups all around the country. From keynotes at luncheons, weekend retreats, civic events and professional workshops, I love being able to encourage and motivate people in ways that make an impact for positive change.

I recently realized that I've not done a good job reaching out to my own readers when it comes to this part of what I do!

Not sure what I was thinking, there.

Of all the people I love connecting with, YOU, my blog-readers are the best and most interested in what I have to say! I can't believe I've missed this.

 

Well, y'all know this about me:

I'm a story-teller at heart.

I believe that stories have the power to stick with you and give you a vision for what "could be." My favorite stories are the ones that make us laugh, and trust me I've provided myself with enough fodder for some doozies. Laughter opens our minds and hearts for deeper truths, and in the end that's what it's all about, isn't it?

 

 

 

I'm perfectly at home in a church setting, sharing my faith and love for Jesus. At the same time, as a creative professional who has boot-strapped and juggled entrepreneurship, I am a confident presenter in a business or community setting. I work with the event organizers to create content that is full of relatable moments and practical takeaways, and did I mention I like to have fun? Presentations should be enjoyable...  and you can quote me on that!

 

I'd love to talk with you about your group's next event!

 

You can find a Request Form here: Request Form

I answer my own emails so it's super easy to contact me directly if you have any other questions. Just drop me a note and/or submit a Request Form and let's get the ball rolling! I still have dates open this fall and next spring (2019) so it's not too late to see what's available.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Rachel

P.S. Here's a media kit for some more info.  Download RachelRidgeMediaKit

Prayer for the Week 7.8.18

 

 

 

This week’s prayer reveals the heart of what it looks like to be wholly devoted:

 

O God,

you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor:

Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

 

One day Jesus was fielding questions right and left, and this one came from a religious leader who hoped to trap him into saying something that could be used against him:

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

I can hear just a bit of snark in his tone, can't you?

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment."

"Okay, all right." The man might have nodded his head and given a small shrug. "You got that one,Jesus."

But just as the man turns to go, Jesus holds up his hand, "Hang on a second, there's more:"

"A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Matt. 22:36-40

 

Wow. Let's just sit with that for a moment.

This week, let’s allow the words of Jesus to sink deep into our hearts. If you've ever wondered what God's will is for your life, this is it! Love God and love your neighbor--and who is your neighbor? Oh, the one who doesn't look like you, agree with you, believe like you, or even vote like you. In short, your neighbor is the "other."

Ouch. This might be difficult.

Just remember, it’s through the grace of the Holy Spirit--as we surrender to Him--that we do this. Through Him, we can love God completely and love our neighbors without reservation. This is truly living in the very center of His will.

What will this look like in your life this week? Are you daring enough to pray this bold prayer?

Let's do it together!

Blessings,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 7.1.18

 

 

This week’s prayer gives us plenty of food for meditation:

 

Almighty God,

you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone:

Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

A glance around at the Church today tells us pretty quickly that unity of spirit is not a hallmark of our character. It’s quite easy to see that we don’t agree on much. 

That’s why this prayer is so very important. It’s a topic that’s tempting to overlook (or look the other way) because disunity is so pervasive and so unsettling.

I love that it gets right to the heart of the matter: we are built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets (you could say the Old and New Testaments) with Jesus Christ being the head over everything.

You know, I spent most of my life thinking that Jesus’ *only* purpose on this earth was to die for our sins. And while His self-sacrificing love does indeed redeem us, there is so much more to Him than this incredible gift.

Jesus upended the “law and prophets” by revealing God’s true character to us. He gave us a clear picture of what God is like! He is the image of the invisible God.

As a friend of mine says, “if you want to know what God is like, just look at Jesus!” It’s a shift that will upend everything you’ve thought about what it means to follow Him.

I wonder....if the church spent more time looking at Jesus, listening to Jesus, imitating Jesus, maybe we would find ourselves experiencing that unity we are praying for.

“Make them one,” Jesus prayed to His Father, “as You and I are one.” Could it be that if we became more like Him in thought, word, and action, that we would see the fulfilment of this prayer? 

I kinda think it would.

Let’s seek to know Jesus, our chief cornerstone on whom everything is built—and let’s be part of the unity we so desperately need.

 

Have a great week,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 6.24.18

 

 

This week’s prayer is both an “ask” and a “reminder:”

 

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name,

for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

The “ask” seems like it’s for something we would already have: perpetual love and reverence for His holy name. And yet as I think about it, I know that I fall short of loving God fully and completely, and the cares of daily life often crowd out my reverent attitude toward Him.

That’s why I love the reminder that follows: that God never fails.

He never fails to help us.

He never fails to govern us (lead us).

He has set us on a sure foundation of His loving-kindness.

That’s good stuff, right there. 

There are have been times that I’ve felt God has failed me; that He has let me down. In those moments I've felt disappointed with the outcomes of situations I’ve prayed about, or could not make sense of my circumstances. But as I look back on those things (with the help of 20/20 hindsight), I can see that His strength always carried me, and His care never wavered. Through everything, His love was my constant companion.

Sometimes, it’s good to look back and remember the many loving-kindnesses that we’ve experienced. It’s good to ask Him for greater love and more reverence in those times that we forget. When He fills us with love and holy awe of Him, we are once again able to see clearly all the ways He never fails us.

Today, I simply remind you:

God will not fail you.

He has not forgotten you.

He will always lead you forward, cover you with loving-kindness, and set your feet on a firm foundation.

Much love to you, dear one.

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 6.17.18

 

This week’s prayer is incredibly timely for the things going on in our world today, and how we as Christians may engage them:

 

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love,

that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness,

and minister your justice with compassion;

for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

 

As I pray the words of the first line, I’m reminded that everything we think and do must come from a place of steadfast faith and love. It’s tempting to approach our issues from an angry political angle, with self-righteous pragmatism as its core.

Faith and love are never really “practical” solutions to anything, are they? Yet we are called to a different kind of perspective that views our problems through the lens of Jesus.

What would He do in this situation? How would He treat those involved? What would He have to say?

Putting Jesus into the center of the issue is a game-changer. Allegiance to His vision for the world will always be at odds with our allegiance to a political party, system, or solution.

The truth we proclaim must always be full of grace. I admit I can get on my high-horse and let fly some opinions that are anything but graceful. “Bold truth” without grace is mean-spirited and self-serving. It doesn’t bring enlightenment to the hearer, but produces more anger, more animosity; less peace, and less love.

Lastly, how we need our passion for justice to be administered only with compassion! May we never get to a place where we cannot hear the cries of the helpless, or comfort those who mourn, or extend mercy to those who are “less deserving.” I’m praying specifically for families facing separation as they go through our legal process at our borders. May we fulfill the need for immigration security (and reform) in ways that are humane and give dignity to those seeking a better life.

What does compassionate justice look like?

Take a few minutes to ponder the answer.

These are good things, some might say impossible things, to pray each day. Yet I find incredible encouragement in knowing that millions and millions of believers are offering these same words to the Lord this week. I like to believe that there is a unity of spirit in this that will work powerfully in each of us...and in the world around us.

How does praying this prayer change you?

Love,

Rachel

Prayer for the Week 6.10.18

 

 

This week’s prayer is a great reminder to think on God’s goodness:

 

O God, from whom all good proceeds:

Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right,

and by your merciful guiding may do them;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

~Book of Common Prayer

 

Right thinking starts with recognizing that God is truly good. It begins with realizing that His only disposition toward us is love.

Meditate on this for a minute with me:

 

God is good, and He loves us deeply.

 

That’s a really reassuring place to rest our hearts today, isn’t it?

How often I find my thought patterns swirling downward into a negative spiral that refuses to see God’s goodness, which (in spite of me) is always around me, always working.

I love that we can freely ask Him for the inspiration to “get our heads on straight,” and change those thought patterns that distract us from His goodness and from His purposes.

When we align our thinking with God’s, we begin to see where we can be instruments of His love, vessels of His mercy, and bearers of His justice. 

He will guide us along the way. There is no need to worry, no need to be anxious about “missing” His will. When we start with His goodness and seek to share from the abundance we have received, we can’t go wrong.

I’m praying for you this week. May you experience all of God’s goodness, and may your mind be filled with peace.

Love, Rachel