When Prayer Feels Stale
May 31, 2026Pastor Patrick presented today's message, "When Prayer Feels Stale." A video of today's message is here on YouTube. It may help to be familiar with the message but that is not required to enjoy the thoughts below.
Today's message was the wrap-up to a series on the Lord's Prayer.
First, please see For Thine Is the Kingdom (Doxology) from 2021.
And before I forget... If you weren't present for today's message or haven't watched the video... You need to hear/watch the prayer Patrick prayed at the end of today's message as an example of following the model of the Lord's Prayer. I bet you haven't heard one quite like it lately. See timestamps 21:00 through 26:51 on the video (link above).
Modelling how to live a life of faith happens throughout both testaments. Check out this essay: Teach and Model Faith on BibleHub.com.
Bonus
Every Day is a Second Chance
As Joy so aptly put it, "Every day is a second chance," in the movie A Joyous Christmas. This would have been a good Bonus to include with last week's message on temptation. When you do go over the cliff, there can be plenty of chances for making things right. In fact, each new day brings a chance to make things right. To be renewed.
Lamentations 3:22-23, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Micah 7:18-19, "Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."
Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
In fact, every moment of your life is a second chance.
And as you embark on a second chance path, remember Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
Bonus2
"The Christmas Ring"s (two movies)
There are actually two Christmas movies with the same title: The Christmas Ring.
One is based on #1 New York Times Bestselling novelist Karen Kingsbury's recent novel and was produced in 2025. Here's a description from moviefone: "At a 'Christmas in July' sale, military widow Vanessa Mayfield crosses paths with antiques dealer Ben Miller. As Ben works in Vanessa's hometown, their friendship begins to grow into something more. But trouble brews when Ben's father unknowingly acquires a box of antiques containing Vanessa's missing heirloom Christmas ring - a priceless piece of her family's past [her great-grandfather found it on D-Day in 1944]. Planning to sell it, he has no idea of its true meaning. It will take a Christmas miracle for love, family, and the ring to come together." It got a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter. It's relatively heavy with religious and patriotic references. Trailer.
The second by the same name was distributed in 2020 by Hallmark Mystery. From JustWatch: "A reporter searches for the love story behind an antique engagement ring. With the help of the ring's owner's grandson, they learn the legacy his grandparents left behind." The ring was stamped "1948." And the search actually mends some relationships within the 1948 couple's descendants. Trailer.