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Lord Jesus Christ Thou wast poor

and in misery, a captive and forsaken as I am. 

Thou knowest all man's distress . . .

 

   

Books by Bonhoeffer

No Rusty Swords / The Cost of Discipleship / Letters and Papers from Prison  /  Sanctorum Communio

A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings  /  Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible Ethics  

No Difference in the Fare: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Problem of Racism

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PRAYERS FOR FELLOW PRISONERS

Christmas 1943

MORNING PRAYERS

0 God,

Early in the morning do I cry unto thee.

Help me to pray,

And to think only of thee.

I cannot pray alone.

In me there' is darkness,

But with thee there is light.

I am lonely, but thou leavest me not.

1 am feeble in heart, but thou leavest me not.

I am restless, but with thee there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with thee there is

patience;

The ways are past understanding, but

Thou knowest the way for me.

0 heavenly Father,

 I praise and thank thank thee  

For the peace of the night.

I praise and thank thee for this new day. 

1 praise and thank thee for all thy goodness

and faithfulness throughout my life. 

Thou hast granted me many blessings:

Now let me accept tribulation 

from thy hand.

Thou wilt not lay on me more than I can bear.

Thou makest all things work together for good 

for thy children.

Lord Jesus Christ Thou wast poor

and in misery, a captive and forsaken as I am. 

Thou knowest all man's distress;

Thou abidest with me 

when all others have deserted me;

Thou doest not forget me, but seekest me. 

Thou willest that I should know thee and

turn to thee.

Lord, I hear thy call and follow thee; 

Do thou help me.

0 Holy Spirit,

Grant me the faith that will protect me from 

despair: deliver me from the lusts of the flesh.

Pour into my heart such love for thee and for men, 

that all hatred and bitterness may be blotted out. 

Grant me the hope that will deliver me from fear 

and timidity.

O Holy, merciful God, 

my Creator and Redeemer, 

my Judge and my Saviour,

Thou knowest me and all that I do. 

Thou hatest and dost punish evil without respect of

persons in this world and the next. 

Thou forgivest the sins of them 

that heartily pray for forgiveness,

Thou lovest goodness and rewardest it on this earth 

with a clear conscience, and in the world to come

with the crown of righteousness.

Chiefly do I remember all my loved ones,

my fellow-prisoners, and all who

in this house perform their hard service.

Lord have mercy.

Restore me to liberty,

and enable me so to live now,

that I may answer before thee and before the world.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Thy Name be praised.

Amen.

*      *      *

In my sleep He watches yearning

and restores my soul

so that each recurring morning 

love and goodness make me whole.

Were God not there,

his face not near,

He had not led me out of fear.

All things have their time and sphere:

God's love lasts for ever.

                              (Paul Gerhardt)

 

EVENING PRAYERS

O Lord my God, I thank thee that thou 

hast brought this day to a close;

I thank thee that thou hast given me peace 

in body and in soul.

Thy hand has been over me and has protected 

and preserved me,

Forgive my puny faith, 

the ill that I this day have done, 

and help me to forgive all who

have wronged me.

Grant me a quiet night's sleep beneath 

thy tender care.

And defend me from all the temptations 

of darkness.

Into thy hands I commend my loved ones, 

and all who dwell in this house; 

I commend my body and soul.

O God, thy holy Name be praised.

Amen.

*     *     *

Each day tells the other 

my life is but a journey 

to great and endless life.

o sweetness of eternity 

may my heart grow to love thee:

my home is not in time's strife.

                        (Tersteegen)

PRAYERS IN TIME OF DISTR£S5

O Lord God,

Great is the misery that has come upon me;

My cares would overwhelm me,

I know not what to do.

0 God, be gracious unto me and help me.

Grant me strength to bear what thou dost send)

and let not fear rule over me.

As a loving Father, take care of my loved ones

My wife and children.

0 merciful God, forgive me all

the sins I have committed against thee,

and against my fellowmen.

I trust in thy grace, and commit my

life wholly into thy hands,

Do with me as seemeth best to thee, and as

is best for me.

Whether I live or die, I am with thee)

and thou art with me, my God.

Lord, I wait for thy salvation,

and for thy Kingdom.

Amen.

*      *     *

Every Christian in his place

should be brave and free,

with the world face to face,

Though death strikes, his spirit should

persevere, without fear

calm and good.

For death cannot destroy

but from grief brings relief and opens gates to joy.

Closed the door of bitter pain,

bright the way where we may all heaven gain.

                                      (Paul Gerhardt)

 

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Forged: Writing in the Name of God

Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are

By Bart D. Ehrman

The evocative title tells it all and hints at the tone of sensationalism that pervades this book. Those familiar with the earlier work of Ehrman, a distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of more than 20 books including Misquoting Jesus, will not be surprised at the content of this one. Written in a manner accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman argues that many books of the New Testament are not simply written by people other than the ones to whom they are attributed, but that they are deliberate forgeries. The word itself connotes scandal and crime, and it appears on nearly every page. Indeed, this book takes on an idea widely accepted by biblical scholars: that writing in someone else's name was common practice and perfectly okay in ancient times. Ehrman argues that it was not even then considered acceptable—hence, a forgery. While many readers may wish for more evidence of the charge, Ehrman's introduction to the arguments and debates among different religious communities during the first few centuries and among the early Christians themselves, though not the book's main point, is especially valuable.—Publishers Weekly  / Forged Bart Ehrman’s New Salvo (Witherington)

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Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals 

of a Growing Religion in America

By Miguel A. De La Torre

This book by Miguel De la Torre offers a fascinating guide to the history, beliefs, rituals, and culture of Santeria -- a religious tradition that, despite persecution, suppression, and its own secretive nature, has close to a million adherents in the United States alone. Santeria is a religion with Afro-Cuban roots, rising out of the cultural clash between the Yoruba people of West Africa and the Spanish Catholics who brought them to the Americas as slaves. As a faith of the marginalized and persecuted, it gave oppressed men and women strength and the will to survive. With the exile of thousands of Cubans in the wake of Castro's revolution in 1959, Santeria came to the United States, where it is gradually coming to be recognized as a legitimate faith tradition.

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The White Masters of the World

From The World and Africa, 1965

By W. E. B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois’ Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization (Fletcher)

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Ancient African Nations

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Negro Digest / Black World

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Enjoy!

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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan  The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll  Only a Pawn in Their Game

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for Slavery / George Jackson  / Hurricane Carter

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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg

The Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804  / January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of Haiti 

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update 3 October 2011

 

 

 

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