Dear God,

I am very grateful to have a relationship with you. I've been feeling down lately, and it's because I neglected to stay up on my meds. I'm grateful to have the meds now, and I pray that they do their job. I've felt so many negative emotions lately, largely as a result of being off my meds over the weekend.

Today at the therapist's office, I felt so angry, frustrated, upset, and tempted to fly into a rage. I didn't feel like taking responsibility for stuff I was responsible for. I wanted to be a victim, but I am thankful that I could see the foolishness of it.

Lord, our circumstances suck right now. They are really awful. I am grateful for what you have provided for me and for my family, but I really wish that the other stuff would be much different. I don't like not being able to pay bills. I don't like having to screen our phone calls so much. I don't like being rude to these people.

I'm having a hard time seeing how any of this will turn out for good, but I know that you will. Maybe not as I would like it, but you will nevertheless. I really pray for peace and motivation to continue doing what I need to do. To be proactive and take responsibility for what I can control. Please help me to surrender and help me with my lack of surrender. I know that Satan wants to trash me and destroy me. Please keep him at bay.

I realize that trials help to strengthen me, but geez, this sure hurts. I would like things to be so much different, to have better financial security, to be able to save money and be generous. Perhaps that is not your will for us right now. Whatever the case, please continue to provide for us. Help me not to be prideful but to ask for help and use the resources you've provided me.

Thanks for hearing me pray. Help me to be attentive to your will. I want to be a good listener and to be ful of your Spirit. Lord, I love you and I thank you for making such an incredible sacrifice for me in giving up your Son Jesus.

Please help me to not take this for granted.

Love, your son,
Danny

Dear God,

Good morning, and thank you for letting me have a relationship with you.

Lord, I've been tempted to be unlike Jesus in dealing with spam email. I've been tempted to reply to the spammers and swear at them.

Also, I know that you will take care of us during our time of need. Lord, I feel very needy. I long for your peace mostly, but more importantly, I want to see that our family's physical needs are being met. I can deal with creditors who call and send threatening letters to us; we've been doing that for some time now. It just seems that our lives have turned upside down financially within the last year. Help me to be humble and lead our family so that we can get the help that we need.

Thank you so much for my mom. I am so glad that we can have her live with us. For that matter, I am truly grateful for my entire family. Over the last couple days I've been able to bond better with Keisha. And my respect and love for Jennie just continues to grow. I care so much about her, Lord. I really want to help her spiritually. I am a little concerned that she may be putting you on the backburner as she tends to other things. Lord, help me to lead my family spiritually.

I love you God, and I am so thankful again for Jesus' sacrifice. I am so grateful for your patience and undying love for me. Thank you for hearing my prayer.

In Jesus' name,
AMEN!

God,

This totally sucks! I don't like this at all. I feel so hurt because of all the sickness we're all going through. I'm crying and upset right now because I just learned that Jennie has some serious female-related health problems. I cannot control it, and that frustrates me.

I don't want to lose my wife, God. Not now, and yet hearing about the seriousness of these health problems... well, it scares me. I love Jennie so much, yet I know you love her too. Way more than me. Knowing that helps me to trust in you.

I'm also tempted to worry about how we're going to make ends meet. I don't have any income, and when Jennie doesn't work, neither does she. You have provided for us in so many ways

• My mental medications and doctor/therapist appointments
• Keisha has insurance
• Mom has medical insurance

So I can see how you're providing for us. Yet, additional medical tests that Jennie needs are going to cost more money... money that we don't have.

Please help us, God. Help us to trust in you and to keep a sense of humor. This doesn't feel good right now, yet I am confident of your love and that ultimately, we're going home to a better place in heaven.

I love you!

Your son,
Danny

Valentine's Day Haiku

Dear God, it's Valentine's Day
You loved us first by giving us Jesus
I give my love back to you

Dear Lord,

Today I'm reminded of your promise that when I am weak, you are strong. Not only I, dear Father, but nearly my entire family with me - we all are ill. The doctors say it's a sinus infection we've caught.

My body hurts when I cough. Initially in my ribs, then my chest, then my throat. I'm taking medicine to help clear this gunk out, and I can tell that it's working. Moreover, my head is stuffed up. But I think the big thing is the lethargy.

God, we need our rest. Yet when all the adults are sick, and our daughter is not, this creates a logistical tangle. For both my wife and I, also Mom, want and desire our rest, but Keisha needs something constructive to do. I emphasize constructive because we don't want her to create a mess that is too big for her to handle. In a way, it's as though we would rather her be with someone else for awhile until we got better. Perhaps we could do that; see if she could spend some time over at a friend's house.

Additionally, I can see how limited my patience is when I'm ill. It doesn't take much for me to get irritated, and I get easily angered at the dog and Keisha. I ask you to please help me to step away from myself during these times, so that I will not sin against those I love.

I am also so deeply convicted at my unholiness. There you are in heaven, perfect in everything, and here I am, sick, dirty, and the best I can offer you are filthy rags. Lord, I feel that even more, now, I need you to renew me, to remake me. In my everyday living I am not focused on being holy like you are holy. Please change my mind and my heart.

I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that you've commanded all of us to love one another, just as you have loved us. Perhaps this is a time when we will be shown much love from those around us. Nevertheless, your love is always there.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want for everyone in our family, during this time of additional stress - this illness, to become even more aware of your presence in our lives. I pray we do not forget you. I pray that we continue to build you up and remain faithful. Help us to be encouraged as we realize that you've not given us more than we can handle. You are making us stronger, you are making us grow. For this I praise you, Heavenly Father.

I long for the day that I may rest in you up in heaven. Please help me to stay on the right path so that when it's my time, I will be ready. Praise and glory be to you, Almighty Father, for the everlasting love you have for us!

In Jesus' name,
Amen!

Get Here If You Can

I've gone through my referrer logs for this blog, and have noticed some interesting things, especially in what people search for and that this blog was present among the results. Here's a sample of the things found from going through the logs:

• yahoo search: letters from god
• msn search: letters to god
• google search, australia: letters to god
• msn search: Letters: Passion for God
• aol search: I am down and need a hug from god
• aol search: letters from god
• google search: "Letters To God"
• yahoo search: letters for god
• alltheweb search: God wants to draw near to us
• alltheweb search: God wants to draw near
• google search: words for song Our God Is A Awesome God
• netscape search: the Judicial Branch in the tear 2003
• google search: spiritual haiku
• msn search: meaninglessness
• google search: Letters to say I am Sorry
• google search: praise letters to daughter
• aol search: letters to God
• yahoo search: God and worry about needs
• yahoo search: prayers to bring in finances
• yahoo search: toddler dear god
• ::Shefa:: How can you upgrade your feelings?
• netscape search: Lord please help my unbelief
• aol search: Dear God I need some money
• aol search: o god help me to buy a home
• google search: God I need some relief
• comet.directhit.com search: How To Pray Get The Job You Really Want
• google search: "dan johnson" covenant
• msn search: godly encouragement if god be for me who can be against me
• sidesearch.lycos.com: god don't make no junk
• aol search: rejection and regretting love poetry
• lycos search: Thank you letters to doctors

So, whether you meant to find this blog or not, I hope that you are encouraged. While this blog is public, I don't normally maintain it as such. It's designed to be more of a one-sided communication between me and God. If you find any encouragement, blessing, or anything else good from it, then Amen.

Dear Lord,

Almighty Father, I praise your name for the greatness you display constantly in my life. I am so incapable of living without you. You have created me with limits on all my abilities, in order to show me that I need you.

I praise you for my work. You are truly incredible in that in everything I do, you display your glory. Because you are so creative, I am able to be creative. You endow me with gifts to bring you more and more glory.

Help me today to serve you with all my heart. Again, I am so limited in my natural ability to love and serve you. I sin so much more easily than I righteously live. I am sorry for the myriad ways I've disappointed you. Help me to rise above my mistakes and sins and press on.

I love you Lord Jesus, for demonstrating your love to me, even though I have had a tough time truly grasping it. I thank you for interceding between me and God. I look forward to seeing you one day in heaven.

Thank you again, dear Lord. May your blessing be on this day!

Love, your son,
Danny

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through your eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive your forgiveness. And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example - to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.

I believe that you change people and things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than you. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer. In Jesus' Name, Amen.