Brian Maunder : September 2014

Saturday 27 September 2014

Blue Collar Prayers. (Part 2) by Brian Maunder

Blue Collar Prayers. (Part 2)

I wrote these 10 prayers about 8 years ago whilst working in a sheet metal factory with a bunch or awesome guys making doorframes. I scribbled them onto little pieces of oil stained paper as the thoughts worked through my heart and mind. Peace.

Prayers 1-5 are in the previous Blog.

Father I thank you that you are big enough to take squarely the hard knocks of life. Like when people insult you and take you for granted, or want things from you that you know you cannot give. I pray Lord that today, I can be like you in this regard and if it gets difficult, help me face things squarely. May the struggles of life not negatively influence my heart, my actions, my drive or my passion, but may they spur me on to new levels of adoration of Your greatness.

Father, there are all sorts of people to deal with today, with all sorts of attitudes. Some may rub me up the wrong way. The work culture itself may seem a million miles away from your glory and appear to slam the door on your goodness. It all may seem a bit tough at times. However…Here in this factory, this is where I am and this is where You are, and this is where we all belong for now. My workmates and me, we are all in it together and I’m so glad that by your example, you showed that it’s your intention to hang out with people like us. Lord it’s your good intention for us to know the reality of your presence in the work environment. Raw humanity and truthfulness, jokes and friendly banter, does not scare you off or catch you by surprise.

You’ve seen and heard it all before and you enjoy real people being themselves. You understand the conflict that a human heart must sometimes endure as it deals with human limitations in real life work. You understand that this stress can overwhelm us at times. Lord, thankyou for loving us though it all. Fill us with understanding to realise that whereas human power has limitation, your power doesn’t. May we overcome in your name. Amen.

Father, thankyou that you are always with us, and that your presence permeates creation in every way. Thankyou Lord, that you made me, dust as I am, to live to have my own identity; and you have surrendered your power enough for me to make my own choices and understand the power of these choices. Help me to remember that as I interact with others… that we are all created by you. May even those people who turn away from you, remind me about how great you are. You allow us all free will and the opportunity to choose, and have made yourself vulnerable to be rejected and hurt by us. It is amazing that you care and respect us so much Lord.

With this in mind Lord, I pray that you teach me to choose wisely in the decisions and actions I make today. I pray that my choices do not work against the natural order of things but work in line with your will. Amen

How did a LifeFM sticker end up on this machine? I don't know.

Father I thankyou for the example of your son. I’m so glad that he is one of us, one who knows what it is to use his hands to earn a living. I’m so glad that he provided for his family by the sweat of his brow and through his job. His example showed that ordinary work and the jobs that need to be done go hand in hand with your plan for us, which is constant friendship, reliance and companionship with you in every day things. This is the good life, what it’s all about Lord. Those moments in our day when we are content with who we are and what we are doing because we love you and knowing that you are working in us and through us. Co-workers with you Lord, the divine carpenter. Knowing you are with us fills us with joy Lord. May we have many moments like these today Father, and may we use our job, as an anvil to shape our character into Your likeness.

Lord, your faithfulness to us had created another beautiful sunrise and we thankyou Father that you have given us another day. Lord, we acknowledge the poverty of our fallen nature that is so weak that even those seemingly good aspirations and intentions that we can perceive in our sin weary state, even these things seem way beyond us, beyond our abilities. Father, we need your help, your goodness and purity to permeate our lives and actions to make up for our shortcomings. Help us Lord in our strivings and bless our work. Help us achieve your purposes in our lives. Amen.

10.

Lord, even though life can seem secure and I feel in control of things, for me to think that I am independent and in no need of you reveals the pitiful state of my human nature. Pride can so easily blind me to your reality. There’s no doubt that you created the universe and all in it, and to think that I am something when I’m not is just foolishness. My time here on earth in only a blink of an eye compared to your eternity, yet I am so thankful that you have let me experience this moment. Help me Lord to experience time here, not in pride, but in adoration of you. Father help me this day to be a person who follows the way of the rest of creation, not in rebellion of your laws, but operating within them. This is your good will Lord, as it is the way that works best. Empower me to do it today. Amen.

Brian Maunder is the author-illustrator of the

children's picture book Polly's Little Kite.

Website: brianmaunder.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PollysLittleKite

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/20862325-polly-s-little-kite

Review: www.goodbookreviews.org.uk

Sunday 21 September 2014

Blue Collar Prayers (Part 1) by Brian Maunder

Blue Collar Prayers. (Part 1)

Father, thankyou for the gift of another day. Thankyou for giving us another day to experience life. We pray that today, as we work, we remember that there will never be a day quite like this one; it is a one-off, unique experience. May we treasure it as that. Help us to remember your love towards us, and your presence that can empower us. Father, we know we aren’t perfect, we are human and have faults, but we pray that as we do our best, you’ll make up for the difference; you’ll pick up where we fall short and that today will run smoothly. We leave it in your hands. We know that even though we aren’t perfect, we aren’t just forgiven… there’s more to you than just forgiveness. Father, thankyou that you are our sufficiency. We pray that you protect us from injury in our work, be it physical, emotional, relational or spiritual. Give us wisdom and strength for the tasks ahead. Amen.

Lord, sometimes it feels like we’re banging our head against the wall. Even as we do the job well, we get a sore head from the experience. Father we pray today that we recognise that you are bigger than the walls we face, and that in comparison to your incredible universe, our problems are really quite small. However, to us, they are big, and we have to deal with them. Father, we pray that today we sense your presence in our lives as we work, and that we work in partnership with you. We know that not only are you powerful, but merciful, so as we tackle today’s workload, may we treat others, as you have treated us; with kindness and respect, knowing that your power will enable us to do it.

Father, thankyou for another day. We acknowledge that our lives are totally dependent on your goodness to us. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the ground we walk on; everything needed to live is provided by you. However, we also acknowledge that we need to work to make provision available to ourselves and others. Father, we pray that you continue to provide for us the things we need so that we can do our job safely and efficiently. We pray for wisdom and a quick mind to solve problems with creative intelligence. We pray for physical strength and endurance and a healthy body to resist and confront the physical stresses of the day. We pray for emotional and spiritual strength to enable us to feel secure and free in ourselves and our actions, knowing that your presence fills our universe, and your grace and power works in, through and with us as we devote our work to you.

We pray that we maintain our true identity within our work culture remembering that our workmates, although made of the same stuff as ourselves, may tackle similar battles in different ways. May communication lines be open, and hearts strong as we embrace today’s work. Amen.

Father, these early mornings sometimes seem to kill me. My body is still recovering from yesterday’s work and a sleep-in would be just excellent… but here we are again, pushing the grindstone. Lord, give me strength, starting from the inside. Give me strength of mind and will to know that whatever I face today, I am more than capable of fighting it, because you are with me. Thankyou Father that you are with me even now in my sleep weary state, and you are powerful and mighty. Your fresh energy sweeps across the sky every morning and from it reflects the beauty of your creative genius. Father, I pray that your presence fills my heart like that sky, and that fresh energy from you fills my being, and that your glory may reflect in my life. Lord it’s wonderful that I can call you Father. I love you Lord.

Father it’s hard to keep motivated at times. Here we are again, doing what we do, back here at the old familiar, pushing the plough, grinding the millstone. It’s hard to keep motivated at times, because sometimes it seems as if all this hard work is for someone else’s benefit. With all the bills recently, I don’t have much to show financially for all this sweat, and my financial goals seem to be unobtainable. All I do is continue on this seemingly circular pathway of events, trying to make ends meet. It’s wearing me down Lord.

I suppose that I could blame the way of my life on you, on myself, or on the systems of the world. I could get “shirty” with my workmates or my job…but it’s just the way things are. These events that make up my day to day existence are not at fault. However, if I am not careful, all these stresses could culminate into a deadly brew if I see them incorrectly. All these “cares” could poison my heart... towards life and you. Father I don’t want this. Help me see things from your perspective, not from a covetous, fearful, limited or human perspective. I must understand that all my needs will be met by you this day Lord.

Father I want to be pure before you, so that when I look into your sky, or see your creation, I know with fullness, who it belongs to and who I belong to. Father, keep my motivation high. May my work be a work of active devotion to you Lord, and not a way of passive acceptance for the way things are; not just a way to “pay the bills”. Help me Father to remember that you are indeed bigger than all my problems and that in your hands, I am actually living the best life there is. Amen.