Category Archives: Uncategorized

Morning Offering: 01. 10. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love. —Attributed to Sir Francis Drake, c. 1577

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 01. 09. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Slow me down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations—of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise,
that I may know that the race is not always to the swift—
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak
and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.
Amen.—Wilfred Arlan Peterson

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m. 

Morning Offering: 01. 08. 25

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Today’s Reflection: If you see someone falling behind, walk beside them. If you see someone being ignored, find a way to include them. Always remind people of their worth. One small act could mean the world to them. —  Author Unknown   

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 01. 07. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Blessing

May the whisper

of the Father

be the one that wakens you;

the open hand

of the Son

be the one that raises you;

the prompting

of the Spirit

be the one that sends you this morning,

and all mornings,

and leads you safely home.  — Author unknown 

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.               

Morning Offering: 01. 06. 25

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 Today’s Reflection: The Work of Christmas Begins

When the carols have been stilled,
When the star-topped tree is taken down,
When family and friends are gone home,
When we are back to our schedules
The work of Christmas begins:
  To welcome the refugee,
  To heal a broken planet,
  To feed the hungry,
  To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,
  To share our gifts,
  To seek justice and peace for all people,
  To bring Christ’s light to the world. — by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman’s ‘When the Song of the Angels is Stilled’ 

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 01. 05. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun will shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace. — Native American Prayer for Peace 

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.               

Morning Offering: 01. 04. 25

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Today’s Reflection: We walk on sacred ground. The holy land is everywhere. It is wherever you are and in every step you take.— Bodmin Hermit

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.               

Morning Offering: 01. 03. 25

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 Today’s Reflection: I Am The New Year

I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have – these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.”   — Author Unknown

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.  

Morning Offering: 01. 02. 25

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 Today’s Reflection: God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.

Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.

Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead. — Vinita Hampton Wright

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 01. 01. 25

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Today’s Reflection: A Wish For The New Year 

Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value, without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. —  Author Unknown   

Morning Offering is a daily post by Joe Barkovich who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Note from the editor: My best wishes for health, happiness and peace to readers and followers of Morning Offering. Hope to see you in 2025!