Forest Lake Talks

Good morning. For today's devotional, here are the steps:

Step 1: Listen to this

Step 2: Read the prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Step 3: Reflect on times you've BEEN a listening ear for someone

Step 4:  Reflect on times you've BENEFITED from a listening ear

Devotional:

In last night's Stephen Ministry, we discussed how Forest Lake Presbyterian Church is full of wonderful listeners. Many of us have benefited from having spiritual companions and mentors at FLPC or other places, which is truly indicative of the Body of Christ at work.

However, what if you're still seeking a listening ear? Did you know we have a group of trained Stephen Ministers at Forest Lake who will walk alongside our church family members who are experiencing hard times? Grief, job loss, sickness, and life transitions are all experiences that "qualify" for the listening ear of a Stephen Minister.

Stephen Ministry is a FREE resource for our church family, and many of our Stephen Ministers are waiting to be matched with someone.

In a recent meeting with a local non-profit counseling center, the director mentioned the heavy growth of counseling visits the center has seen over the past three years. It is likely that COVID has played a major role, but I also believe there's a growth in society's willingness to be vulnerable. Asking for help is OK. There are times when things are beyond our control, times when we cannot "fix" something, and times when we simply need someone to say, "I understand."

If life has not been the best for you, please let me know. I would love to put you in touch with one of our awesome Stephen Ministers.

Thanks be to God for the gifts of our Stephen Ministers!

Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Work cited: https://www.cathedralstm.org/about-our-catholic-faith/expressing-our-faith/treasury-catholic-prayers/prayer-st-francis-assisi-prayer-peace/