by: John W. Clark
Good and gracious God, as we come together today for the First Friday Club of Greater Akron, open our hearts to accept and follow the words set forth in the following prayer attributed to Mother Teresa:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
by: Paul Adamson
We thank you Lord for the good health and for this opportunity to gather here at Your First Friday Club. By works and activities such as this, the Christian Spiritual Tradition we celebrate today lives on.
We thank you Lord for sharing with us the wisdom, insights and encouragement of Dr. Spoerl to assist us in this journey, and we ask Your continued blessings upon her and upon those she touches with her work.
As we go forward this day to our workplaces, our communities, our homes, may we honor the example of Mother Teresa by willingly and cheerfully embracing the challenges and the opportunities of each new day.
Please strengthen us Lord for these labors, both by Your Grace and by the encouragement of our brothers and sisters gathered here. Like Mother Teresa, may we seek to build Your Kingdom here on earth, by our service and example, one life at a time, one day at a time.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen.