Published 10-3-11    The Religion Network publishes every Monday

ON TODAY'S SITE:
Black Elk, John Shelby Spong, Book of Psalms, Thomas Merton, Beth Moore
__________________________________________

Photo by Chuck Bowman            All rights reserved


Grandfather, Great Spirit,
once more behold me on earth
and lean to hear my feeble voice.
You lived first, and you are older than all need,
older than all prayer.
All things belong to you --
the two-legged, the four-legged,
the wings of the air,
and all green things that live.

You have set the powers of the four quarters
of the earth to cross each other.
You have made me cross the good road
and the road of difficulties,
and where they cross,
the place is holy.
Day in, day out, forevermore,
you are the life of things.

Black Elk (1863-1950)
Famous Holy Man of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux)

____________

Send us anywhere in this world
You would have us go
Only go thou with us.

Place upon us any burden You desire
Only stand by us to sustain us.

Break any tie that binds us
Except the tie that binds us to thee.

Amen.

John Shelby Spong (1931 - )
Liberal Episcopalian theologian

____________

Come! Let us sing to Hashem, let us call out to the Rock
of our salvation. Let us greet Him with thanksgiving,
with praiseful songs let us call out to Him. For a great
God is Hashem, and a great King above all heavenly
powers. For in His power are the hidden mysteries of
the earth, and the mountain summits are His. For His
is the sea and He perfected it, and the dry land--
His hands fashioned it. Come! Let us prostrate ourselves
and bow, let us kneel before Hashem, our Maker.

Psalm 95:1-6
The Stone Edition Tanach

____________

I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
Trappist monk, activist, author

_______