Affirmations, Blessings, Prayers and Inspired Ideas for Life's Journey
I will breathe.
I will think of solutions.
I will not let my worry control me.
I will not let my stress level break me.
I will simply breathe.
And it will be okay.
Because I don’t quit.
— Shayne McClendon
This post is an excerpt from Prayers for Calm by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
In a time of destruction, create something.
A poem.
A parade.
A community.
A school.
A vow.
A moral principle.
One peaceful moment.
—Maxine Hong Kingston
This post is an excerpt from Prayers for Calm by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
All human beings are limbs of each other,
having been created of one essence.
When time affects a limb with pain,
The other limbs cannot at rest remain.
If thou feel not other’s misery,
A human being is no name for thee.
—Sa’adi, 1210–1290
This post is an excerpt from Prayers for Calm by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
Heavenly Father, what joy fills my heart for the precious little baby you have seen fit to bring into our family unit. I lift up my voice of praise to You with a grateful heart for this little life that has been entrusted to me. Teach me to be a good and faithful mother and to take the responsibilities of motherhood seriously. Teach me also how to bring up my child to know You, Lord Jesus, so that my precious little baby will grow up to accept You as their Savior… And Lord, You Who loved to welcome the little children into your arms—open Your arms of love I pray for us, and keep us all safe from harm’s way under the protection of Your wings of love. As this little bundle of joy starts to grow and develop, give me wisdom to teach and train—to correct and to encourage; and may I be both fair and wise and combine a balance between correction and encouragement. Guide our little family unit in the ways of peace I pray, and thank You, my heavenly Father, for the wonderful blessing that has come from You, Amen.
—Mountain View Moms
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
These simple suggestions should help you and your Circle get started. Remember, nothing is cast in stone, and you can feel free to improvise until you find your comfort zone. We guarantee you will come away from these gatherings feeling inspired and challenged and with exciting new ideas to share.
First, begin by welcoming your guests. Go around the circle with each person introducing themselves. For example, “I am Sally Smith and I live in Ohio. I am a writer, literacy volunteer, and mother of two.” Next read a passage of poetry, a prayer, or quote.
Now, go clockwise around the circle, and ask each participant why she or he is here and what spiritual sustenance he or she is seeking.
Ask a volunteer to read her favorite prayer or quote.
These group gatherings are wonderful, but personal sharing and goal discussion can be intimidating at first, so be mindful of your group, and you’ll sense when you will need to wrap things up. Always end on a high note by asking each person to share a prayer story and a blessing to be grateful for. May your transformation be your inspiration!
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
1. Become a leader
As the organizer of the Circle, consider yourself the host or hostess, almost as if you have invited a group of friends—or people you hope will become friends—to your dinner table. Your role is to help guide conversations and serve up a feast—a feast of interesting stories about gratitude or nuggets of information to share that will keep the conversations meaningful and inspiring, and ultimately bring to life the power of gratitude in all the lives of those gathered in your circle.
2. Create a mission or goals for your circle.
What do you want to accomplish? How will you manifest this in your own life and the lives of those in your circle? Will you share prayers, stories, inspiring quotes, guided meditations? Create a plan for guiding your group through the practice of prayer.
3. Decide whether to meet online or in person.
The exciting thing about the internet is that you can create a Circle and community online and connect friends and colleagues from across the country—and around the world. See our Facebook page for inspiration. Or you may want to create an in-person circle with friends in your neighborhood or town. I recommend meeting in person, but also Zoom meetings online are very effective and can still feel private. Try a mix of both!
4. Send out evites and invites and make phone calls to invite members to your Circle. Ask everyone to invite a friend and spread the word about your new group.
5. Select a meeting place.
Often guides will invite in-person communities to meet at their home. Or you may opt for a local coffee shop or another comfortable meeting place where you can gather regularly.
6. Create a calendar of meetup dates and distribute it to your group.
7. In this book, we have lots of prayers, inspirational quotes, and passages from the Bible to use as prompts for discussions.
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
As the rain hides the stars,
as the autumn mist
hides the hills,
as the clouds veil
the blue of the sky, so
the dark happenings of my lot
hide the shining of thy face from me.
Yet, if I may hold thy hand in the darkness,
it is enough, since I know
that though I may stumble in my going,
Thou dost not fall.
—Scottish Song
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
Are you lookin’ for me?
are you?
are you lookin’ for ME?
well you won’t find me
’cause I’ll be DANCIN’!
I’ll be dancin’ with the THUNDER
and the IRRESISTIBLE RHYTHM of LIFE!
—Orunamamu, Storyteller
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
Jesus taught that effective prayer must be:
Unselfish—not alone for oneself.
Believing—according to faith.
Sincere—honest of heart.
Intelligent—according to light.
Trustful—in submission to the Father’s all-wise will.
—The Urantia Book—144:3
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante,
Toda se pasa,
Dios no se muda,
La Paciencia
Todo la alcanza;
Quien a Dios tiene
Nada le falta,
Sólo Dios basta.
Let nothing disturb thee;
Let nothing dismay thee;
All things pass:
God never changes.
Patience attains
All that it strives for.
He who has God
Lacks for nothing:
God alone suffices.
—Saint Teresa of Avila, Sixteenth Century
This post is an excerpt from The Woman’s Book of Prayer by Becca Anderson, which can be found at Amazon and Mango Media.
Kindness is Your Super Power 