prayer
When Forgiving Seems Impossible: Part 1
“Lord, you want me to forgive them? But did you see what happened? Really?” If you’ve lived longer than, oh, say a week on planet Earth, forgiveness is likely something you’ve struggled with. Mean, manipulative people are everywhere. In all honesty, it’s not much of a struggle for me when nonbelievers tear me or my family apart with hastily flung barbs. Lost people are supposed to act lost. My greatest struggle in forgiving the lacerations of a too-sharp tongue or well-placed arrow have come from Read More
Game-Changing Prayers
What is the most under-utilized arsenal within the armor of God? The Breastplate of Righteousness? The Helmet of Salvation? Shoes of Peace? The Belt of Truth? The Sword of the Spirit or the Shield of Faith? All of these are critically important, and if you lack one you intrinsically hurt the effectiveness of the others. Hang with me, because this is a bit of Taraology here, but I tend to think the piece of equipment we most often dismiss is the one Paul tacks on Read More
Decision Making 101: Burning Bushes
What do you do when you have an important decision to make? Wring your hands? Make a list of pros and cons? Run all possible scenarios, both disaster and otherwise, through your head? Bite your nails? Play a rousing game of rock-paper-scissors? Call a friend for advice? Pray? Eat your weight in Fudge Ripple? Perhaps it’s all of the above. Decision-making would be so much easier if it were, well, easy. Clear and concise. Speaking for myself, I don’t usually have trouble with the clearly Read More
To Do or To Be…That Is The Question
by Tara Johnson This past week, I finished up a beautiful study on the book of Hosea by Jennifer Rothschild. She challenged her readers to do something I love: to make a to-be list instead of a to-do list. I’m prolific at creating master to-do lists. They give me a sense of control, a sense of accomplishment and keep my cluttered mind from letting crucial jobs slip through the cracks of my faulty memory. (Correction: these things give me illusion of control, accomplishment and clearer Read More