Kindle devotions: Five Minutes with God by John Stuart

My latest devotional e-book is published today. It's called "Five Minutes with God" and contains 52 short devotions. The devotions can be used as personal daily meditations or opening devotions at church meetings. They can also be used as discussion starters for small study groups.

Each devotion is inspired by a Bible verse and includes a personal reflection, story, or description of the context of the verse. Questions for reflection/discussion are also part of the devotion, which finished with a community prayer.

Throughout the book, examples of my artwork can be found, all of which relate to the chosen devotion. I enjoyed writing this book and believe its my best work to date. Click on the boxed link below to check it out on amazon.com. At only $1.99, it's a great spiritual investment, especially for busy Christians!

The book is published for Kindle and Kindle fire, but I-Pad, PC users, and tablets owners can download the free Kindle app to read it on their own mobile devices too!

Sunday Worship Prayers - Easter 6C - May 05

Approaching God

Welcome & announcements

Prelude

Gathering

Call to Worship

Youth:                   Loving God, we freely gather to worship You this day. Bless our prayers and praises.

All:                         You are the One, True, and Living God. May our songs of faith and words of worship honor and glorify Your sacred Name.

Youth:                   May our hearts be cheered and our spirits be uplifted. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.                               

Hymn

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                  Almighty God, whose power upholds the Universe and whose Kingdom never ends, we humbly approach You as servants and children of Your grace, as seekers and followers of Your ways.

People:                 Merciful Father, sometimes we neglect our faithful commitment to You. We omit to support the needs of other people. We forget to set aside time to worship You each day. We follow our own selfish impulses and to choose to fulfill our sinful desires. Be patient with us and pardon us for the mistakes that we make, the faults that we have, and the sins we commit. Hear us now as we silently make our confessions.

- SILENCE -

Guide:                  Compassionate Lord, You graciously allow us to seek forgiveness from Jesus Christ, Your Holy Son. His mercy endures forever through His sacrificial obedience to You, making us thankful for His grace. In Christ's Name, we pray and with His own precious words, we unite our hearts saying, “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Christ is our shelter from sin and we abide in His mercy. He deletes our past mistakes and opens our lives to the love of God. He calls us by name, so that we may celebrate, feast, and rejoice in His goodness, grace, and glory. So let us be truly glad and worship our Savior forever.  Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                 The LORD reigns over all the nations. He sits enthroned above the Earth. Great is the LORD throughout the world. He is exalted above all others. Let us praise the great and sacred Name of God. We seek His holiness and healing. The LORD is our mighty King. We pray for His favor, help, and strength

People:                 As we praise the LORD, may He hear and bless our prayers. As we worship His ways, may He heal us by His love. O LORD our God, we ask that You will answer our heart-felt requests. Release us from our restless ways. Save us from sickness. Deliver us from distress and disease. Heal us and all our loved ones from all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit

Pastor:                 Let us praise and worship our God in this holy sanctuary, for He is gracious and merciful, benevolent and compassionate. In Jesus' Name, we ask. Amen.                (Healing Prayer based on words and phrases from Psalm 99)

Singing of ‘Sanctuary.’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:                 Holy Spirit, may we take our stand with Jesus, the King of all the Earth. May these scriptures help us to gather our thoughts together, so that we can focus on His Teaching, His Truth, and His Life. In the Name of Jesus, our Lord and Anointed One, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message and the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering and Offertory

Dedication: (unison – led by pastor):     Lord Jesus, You have spoken to us through Your gospel. We have interpreted Your words and seek to apply Your ways in our daily lives. In response to Your love, we bring You our gifts and tithes. We humbly ask that You will bless these tokens of gratitude for the purposes, works and ministries of Your Kingdom in this community and throughout the world. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Communion

Benediction(unison):     May Christ enable us to give our lives to Him alone; may the Father keep us accountable for all that we seek to do in His Name; and may the Holy Spirit lead, guide, and counsel us each day, so that we may glorify God both now and always. Amen.

Doxology and Postlude

Sunday Worship Prayers - Easter 5C - April 28

Approaching God

Welcome and Announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

Hymn

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                  Everlasting Father, whose deeds throughout the generations have sustained our people; whose ways across the centuries have enhanced our faith; we worship and adore You forever. Living God, whose purposes are never thwarted and whose plans are always fulfilled, we look to You for favor and blessing, mercy and grace.

People:                 Immortal Lord, we know that we are weak and human; our bodies are frail and our minds are constantly distracted. Forgive us when we allow our wants and desires to overcome our souls, causing damage to our spirits. Deliver us from deceitful and dishonorable deeds; pardon us for making poor choices and persistently opposing Your power over our lives.  Hear us now as we silently confess our sins.

- SILENCE -

Guide:                  Almighty God, refresh us with Your loving kindness; restore us through Your Holy Son. May Christ claim authority over our lives, by cleansing our souls and renewing our faith in You. For we make our requests in Jesus' Name and with His own holy words, we continue to pray, saying, “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:                                  Our Lord Jesus placed Himself in harm's way and died upon a lonely Cross, so that we may be forgiven and restored to God's love. We deserve God's punishment for our mistakes, yet Christ shields us from God's wrath and brings us back into His Holy Presence and Everlasting Favor. Let us rejoice and glorify our Savior forever.  Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                 Let us come to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving, for He has done marvelous things. The Lord has made His salvation known to us and revealed His righteousness to all our people. May the Lord remember His love for us as we present our petitions; may His faithfulness to us grant us courage and hope. May we jubilantly proclaim God's healing amongst us; may we shout for joy when He answers our prayers.

People:                 O Lord, take our prayers and reshape our lives. Take our sicknesses and reclaim our health by Your gracious love. Be near to us and all our loved ones. Heal us from all that harms us in body, mind, heart and spirit. Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit

Pastor: Let our hearts resound in faith; let our hopes be realized through God's favor and blessing. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.       (Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 98)

Singing of ‘Sanctuary.’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:                 Holy Spirit, may Christ speak to us through the words of the Gospel. May all that You inspired long ago to be written about Jesus become holy and sacred, meaningful and mighty in each of our lives today. In Jesus' Name, we ask. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message and the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison – led by pastor):       Lord Jesus, may we excel in faithfulness, as we give these gifts to build up the church. May we eagerly serve You with our time, talents, and tithes, as we contribute our resources, treasures, and money to You this day. Bless these gifts and guide us to use them wisely for the life, work, and ministry of Your Kingdom here on Earth. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Hymn

Benediction (unison):  May Christ write His ways across our hearts; may the Father teach us to worship reverently; and may the Holy Spirit empower us to confess our faith in the One, Triune, and Eternal God, both now and always. Amen.

Doxology and Postlude

Sunday Worship Prayers - Easter 4C - April 21

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

Call to Worship

Youth:                   Almighty God, we come into Your Holy House to praise and glorify Your Everlasting Name.

People:                 We have been called to be here today, to sing our songs of praise and make our loving prayers.

Youth:                   May we please You with our praises and be blessed with Your Sacred Presence. Amen.

Hymn

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                  Immortal God, who brought Life into being and whose will sustains the entire universe, we approach You as the children of Your Grace and as servants of Your Kingdom. Your ways are mysterious to us, and yet Your love is known by all. Today we glorify Your greatness and magnify Your Holy Name.

People:  Merciful Father, You know that we struggle with temptation and wrestle with sin. You know all of our weaknesses and can list every mistake that we have ever made. In Your patience and benevolence, have mercy upon us. Forgive our foolish and selfish ways. Hear us now as we silently pray.

- SILENCE -

Guide:                  Everlasting God, we cannot earn salvation for ourselves. We depend upon Jesus to grant us complete forgiveness. Only He can save us from our sins. Only He can restore us to Your eternal love and favor. Hear us now as we unite our hearts with His, through the saying of Christ's own words: “Our Father…THE LORD’S PRAYER” (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:  Christ forgives us, even when we betray and deny Him. He has the power to cleanse us of the past and can restore us to the riches of God's grace. May we be thankful and rejoice in the Lord, for He has saved our souls and returned us to the eternal love of God.  Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

 Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                 The LORD reigns, let us all be glad; let those both near and far rejoice. Our prayers and petitions are made to Him, for righteousness and justice are the foundations of His love.

People:                 Let us place our prayers before God, knowing that He receives them from all of our hearts. O Lord, light up our lives with Your favors and blessings; let us see Your compassion and know that You care.

Pastor:                  Our fears melt our courage and our worries meddle with our faith, yet we will continue to ask the Lord for the healing of all that harms us in body, mind, heart, and spirit. Heavenly Father, we proclaim Your righteousness and ask to see Your glory in the lives of our loved ones who are suffering from sickness and injury, unease and fear, worry and discomfort.  Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit

Pastor:                 The light of the Lord's love is shed upon us; His joy is showered upon our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

                                (Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 97)

Singing of ‘Sanctuary’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:                 Holy Spirit, may the words of our Sovereign Lord. who made the Heavens and the Earth, penetrate our minds and enter our hearts. May we gladly receive the blessings of Christ as He teaches us through His life and ministry, both now and always. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message and the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison – led by pastor):       Lord Jesus, we have grasped the meaning of Your giving through the preaching of Your word. In return, we gather before You our tithes and offerings. We do this to please You, asking that You bless all of these resources for the building up of Your church, the proclaiming of the Gospel, and the praising of God's Name.  Amen. 

Hymn

Benediction (unison):    May Christ keep us from judging other people's mistakes by helping us to remember that He has forgiven our own; may the Father bless us with tolerance and compassion for one another; and may the Holy Spirit bring us to God's judgment seat as faithful and dutiful servants, both now and forevermore. Amen.

Doxology and Postlude

Sunday Worship Prayers - Easter 3c - April 14

Approaching God

Welcome & Announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

Call to Worship

Youth: Living Lord, we call to You; come quickly to us. Hear our voices as we cry out to You.
People: May our prayers and praises be acceptable to You, O God of our hearts.
Youth: May the lifting up of our songs and spirits be pleasing to You, Almighty God. Amen.

First Hymn

Prayers of Adoration & Confession
Guide:                        High King of Heaven and Maker of Earth, we gather as stewards and servants, disciples and followers of Your holy ways. From the comfort of our homes, we have come to this sacred place to hear Your words and honor Your glorious Name.

People:            Loving Lord, in the midst of our lives, there are moments of sin. Our days are full of good intentions, but our deeds display our faithless ways. Instead of keeping Your commands, we make selfish choices. Instead of holding on to Your precious words, we hurt others with our bitter talk and personal grudges. Forgive us for pandering to our pride and nursing our wrath. Hear us now as we quietly confess our sins to You.

- SILENCE -

Guide:                         Living God, let Your justice prevail over our lives, and may Your Son’s mercy cleanse our souls. May His blood restore us to Your righteousness. May His sacrifice reclaim our lives for You.

In Him, we are saved from Your wrath, and with Christ, we are returned to Your favor. Hear us now as we pray, saying His sacred words: THE LORD'S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

 

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:                         Christ brings us back into the loving courts of God and sheds us of our shame. He takes away our sins and renews our lives. We are no longer held captive to sin. He releases us from our guilt and redeems us for God. Let us rejoice and glorify Him forevermore. Amen.

Gloria Patri (in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

 

Encountering God

Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:            Hear us, O God, as we voice our concerns; bring peace to our troubled souls. Keep us safe from sickness; shelter us in the midst of all our worries.

People:            When we are beset with problems, and hard pressed with fear, be our strength and shield. When life suddenly strikes us with grief and sorrow, carry and comfort us. O Lord.

Pastor:            Encourage our hopes and heal our illnesses. Look after our loved ones and strengthen them in body, mind, heart, and soul. Hear us now as we silently pray for ourselves and for all those who are in need of healing.

Silent Prayers for ourselves and others. A candle is lit

Pastor:            Let us rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

(Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 64)

Singing of  ‘Sanctuary.’

Prayer of Illumination

Reader:            Holy Spirit, gather our thoughts and help us to focus on Christ. Enable us to lay our spirits at His feet. Teach us life lessons through the power of these sacred scriptures.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen. 

Scripture Readings

The Message & the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (in unison – led by pastor):        Lord Jesus, You have mysteriously affected our lives and penetrated our souls. You have brought us to this holy house of prayer. We gather before You our tithes and gifts, and ask that You bless them for the work of this church, and the glory of Your kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen.

Closing Hymn

Benediction (in unison):        May Christ shelter us from sin and shame; may the Father enlighten our souls and embrace us with His love; and may the Holy Spirit keep us faithfully focused on worshipping the One, Triune, and Living God. Both now and forever. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude

Sunday Prayers - Easter 2C - April 7

Approaching God

 

Welcome & announcements

Prelude

Gathering Song

 

Call to Worship

Youth:             Let us come to the Lord with our praises and prayers.

All:                  We will honor God from our hearts and in our worship.

Youth:             May God be glorified by what we give and bring to Him. Amen.

 

First Hymn:

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Guide:                         LORD God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, and Sustainer of our lives, we come to You with our prayers and petitions, our cares and concerns. You have called us by name to come into Your House. You have welcomed us to this sanctuary of praise and peace, holiness and healing.

People:            Loving God, in the midst of our troubles, we call upon Your Name. We look for Your help and inspiration, Your patience and forgiveness, as well as Your mercy and grace. We have sinned against You and have allowed ourselves to be overcome by temptation. We have neglected our faith and cast aside Your words. Forgive our foolish and arrogant ways; pardon our selfish and faithless choices. Hear us now as we silently pray.

- SILENCE -

Guide: Merciful Father, You could discipline and punish us, or even reject and ignore us. Instead, You lovingly allow us to approach Your Holy Son Jesus to seek forgiveness, absolution, and acquittal for our sins. We praise You for sending Him to us and for His perfect and passionate sacrifice, which wipes clean our sinful past. May we unite ourselves with Jesus, in whose words, we now pray, saying, “Our Father, …THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts/debtors)

Promise of the Gospel

Guide:             We believe and know that Christ is the Holy One of God. His Passion and obedience, His Crucifixion and sacrifice, have given us the glorious opportunity of remitting our sins, renewing our lives, and restoring us to God's favor and blessing.  Amen.

Gloria Patri (sung in unison): Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.

Family Sermon (parents and all children, including Elementary school students come forward)

Encountering God

Choir Anthem

Prayers for Health and Healing

Pastor:                         Come, let us pray for healing from the LORD; let us voice our concerns to the Rock of our salvation. We come before God with our personal pleas; we pray to Him sincerely and faithfully.

People:                        The LORD is the great God, the mighty King above all. He will hear our prayers and answer our needs. From His hands comes the power of healing. Have mercy upon us O Lord, for we belong to You.

Pastor:                         We are His, for He made us; He shapes our lives and has the power to save our souls. Almighty God, we bow down before You; heal us and all our loved ones from sickness and despair; pain and anxiety; suffering and depression. Hear us now as we quietly pray.

Silent Prayers for others and ourselves. A candle is lit

Pastor:             The LORD is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

                        (Healing Prayer based on words & phrases from Psalm 95)

Singing of ‘Sanctuary’

Prayer for Illumination

Reader:             Holy Spirit, let the words and ways of Jesus touch our hearts today. May His miracles and messages challenge our lives so that we may change our church, community, and country. To the glory of God forever. Amen.

Scripture Readings

The Message & the Apostles’ Creed

Serving God

Offering & Offertory

Dedication (unison – led by pastor): Lord Jesus, we express our faith and thanksgiving through these tithes and offerings. Bless them for the life, work, and ministry of Your church and the preaching, teaching, and proclaiming of Your Gospel. In Your Holy Name, we give and pray. Amen. 

Communion

Hymn

Benediction:( in unison)        May Christ be the Lord of our lives throughout our days on Earth; may the Father enhance our faith and life through His loving ways; and may the Holy Spirit keep us serving the One, Triune, and Living God, in this world and the next. Amen.

Doxology & Postlude