I’ve been neglecting the blog lately in my efforts toward the Creative Arts Lenten Retreat. We have 28 people doing the retreat this year!  I’m really enjoying leading the retreat experience–and now that it’s up and running I have a little more time for the blog.

Here is the prayer of confession and assurance of pardon we used at our Ash Wednesday service last night:

God of Compassion,
We turn toward you now. We rend our hearts.
Forgive our pride and forgive our insecurities.
Forgive our self-absorption and forgive our self-destruction.
Forgive our doubts and forgive our confidence.
Forgive our longing for attention and forgive our desire to hide.
Forgive each step we take away from you.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence. Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of my salvation, and grant a willing spirit to sustain me.”

Assurance of Pardon: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2