John Wesley’s Saturday Evening Prayer for Families

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins

Wesley’s written prayer for families for Saturday Evening. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class

Lord, our God, You are infinitely good and You show us what is good in our world. You send Your light and truth, so they may guide us and make quite plain Your way before our very faces. You give us many opportunities and advantages to encourage and empower us in Your service. We have instructions and commands, Your messengers all day long, to help us open Your word so it can patiently invite or warn, direct and exhort us.  Yet look how little we have improved all the precious abilities You have placed into our hands! Lord, You might be justified in taking away the good news of Your Kingdom from us and giving it away to another, more fruitful, people. Because You have called, yet we refused, You might just leave us to our own perverse, stubborn, ways till our sins become the ruin of us all.

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Wesleyan Holiness Women’s Clergy Conference (Grace & Peace Magazine)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins
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Wesley’s Saturday Morning Prayer for Families

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins

Wesley’s written prayer for families for Saturday Morning. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class

We present ourselves before You, our Lord and our God, to give You our gift of gratitude and thanksgiving, desiring only that you lovingly accept us, and our service, under the direction of Jesus Christ. In his great name we come to ask Your pardon and peace. Please give your growing grace and your expressions of love even when we are not worthy of the least of Your love. But worthy is the Lamb that was slain to take away the sin of the world (Rev. 5:12, John 1:29). For his sake You will give us everything since Jesus fulfilled all the holy laws we broke and set right our offenses. In Christ we know You are gracious and merciful to people who deserve nothing but punishment.

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Great Overview of the Wesleyan Theological Society in Seattle

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins
Posted in Higher Education, Theological Education, Theology, Wesley | Leave a comment

Scottie May Lectures on Welcoming Children

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins


IMG_20130409_140124_919Children provided the focus of study at NTS with the Miriam Hall Lecture in Children’s Ministry. Scottie May provided a powerful opening lecture on “Why Welcoming Children Welcomes Jesus” and followed with an interactive session on “How Welcoming Children Welcomes Jesus.”

IMG_20130409_132741_682Attendees included the board of the Nazarene Children’s Leadership Network, the important front line for children’s ministry in the Church of the Nazarene, denominational leaders particularly from Nazarene Publishing House. The leaders interacted with students, IMG_20130409_132828_990local children’s pastors, and faculty all day which led to a rich interaction around children’s ministry.  The day included an brown bag lunch as well with attendees.

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Posted in Children, Discipleship, Family, Homes, Leadership, Pedagogy, Practical Theology, Religious Education, Spiritual Formation | 1 Comment

John Wesley’s Friday Evening Prayer for Families

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins

1200px-john_wesley_by_george_romneyWesley’s written prayer for families for Friday Evening. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class

Lord, you were before everything, above everything, and always unfailing. You search our hearts, knowing their inattention, hardness, vanity and deceitfulness. We were born sinners and have lived the same way. We have added more sins to our sin, abused Your great and marvelous grace, tempted Your patience, and despised Your goodness. You have every right to push us into the outer darkness, where there is wailing and gnashing teeth (Matt. 8:12)

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John Wesley’s Friday Morning Prayer

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Dean G. Blevins

Wesley’s written prayer for families for Friday Morning. John wrote morning and evening prayers for families, I am offering paraphrases to my Family Ministry class

God you are merciful, gracious, patient and abounding in both goodness and truth. Your love covers a multitude of sins. You pardon all our iniquity, transgressions, and sin. God, how excellent is Your love and kindness! All humanities’ children should put their trust under the “shadow of your wings” (Ps. 91:4). So we still look to Your bountiful hand, one which has given us every good thing. Lord, God, have favor on us, as You will for all that love Your holy name! Do not look upon our sinful desires, nor the sins of our hearts and lives, which are more than we can remember and greater than we can express. It is only due to the Lord’s love that we are not consumed by sin, because Your compassion does not fail. Instead You look upon the face of Your anointed Son, who came to this world to take away our sins. Through Jesus we have access to You and Your glorious majesty.

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