God of the true church, we acknowledge that we know these songs we sing too well, some of them even by heart.
Praying About the Things You Don’t Want to Talk About
May 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Prayer should never be an awkward conversation. No topic off limits. No taboos and no time limits. It shouldn’t require that I quote scripture to be heard or acknowledged.
Not Another Word
April 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Suffering in secret, it’s not what Jesus did—not that he had a choice in the matter, but it’s what his followers do religiously. Many of us believe talking about pain and subsequent grief somehow takes away from God’s glory.
Angry
March 10, 2021 by Leave a Comment
The chances that we will murder somebody are thankfully slim. The chances that we will get angry enough at someone to want them dead…
Good Talking to You
March 3, 2021 by Leave a Comment
My prayer life has had its ups and downs, its verbal love feasts, its spats and silent treatments. But this is the nature of prayer, a catch-all for everything said and unsaid.
Prayer Is a Good Talking To
February 3, 2021 by
I want someone to pray for me. Because I cannot pray for myself. My own words have turned against me.
Praying for a New Year… Literally
January 13, 2021 by
Is it over yet? Are we there yet? I didn’t want to open my eyes until it was safe. Is the year 2020 gone?
Faith, a Prayer for Epiphany
January 6, 2021 by
God of life,
God of all our becoming
winding
changing
hopeful
fearful years—
we praise you
for your faithfulness.
What Am I Saying?
December 9, 2020 by
There is no formula for prayer. There is no right or wrong way to talk to God. Sure, address God with reverence even when yelling at the Divine. “My God!”
Flame: Advent Wreath Craft
December 2, 2020 by
We’ve now entered Advent and I was thinking of how families could use the tradition of the Advent wreath at home in a craft and prayer activity. Of course it’s great to have the real candles to light, but here’s an alternative to make and do.
Just Keep Talking
November 3, 2020 by
What were we talking about? My sentences are running together like my days. I lose my train of thought midway, derailed by one thing or another that was going the other way.
What Can I Say?
October 7, 2020 by
I’m going down. Praying hands up, I am sinking into despair though you would never know. Hands up, I volunteer for this and that and this. “Sure.” “Of course.” “No problem.” “Absolutely.” “Got it!”
Unless You Come unto Me as These
September 23, 2020 by
This one is going to be a problem for us. You know that most adults have forgotten that they were children once upon a time. In fact, how long has it been since most adults have included “once upon a time” in any sentence?
Who Am I Talking To?
September 9, 2020 by
We are now six months into a global pandemic due to COVID-19. I won’t venture to mention the death toll. It will be higher by the time you read this. Someone is on their deathbed now, taking their last breath.
How Do We Pray from Here?
August 12, 2020 by
Nearly 160,000 people have died in America due to COVID-19. So many names. Too many to name or write down on my prayer list.
Blah, Blah, Blah
July 14, 2020 by
How do you pray when life looks like gibberish, when so many words are running together—pandemic, police brutality, protest, Confederate monuments, masks—and you can’t make sense of any of it?
Flame: God as our Anchor Craft and Prayer Activity
July 7, 2020 by
Here is a prayer activity that older children could do independently to help them think about trusting in God for their strength. It could be used especially if you were exploring stories that involve the sea or storms!
Connections 05.24.2020: Let Us Pray
May 17, 2020 by
Jesus’ followers had watched him ascend to heaven. Before he ascended, he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. As they gathered to wait, they “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer…” (v. 14a).
Praying During a Pandemic: Out of Our Hands
May 13, 2020 by
My hands are clean. I promise that I didn’t do this. I prayed for a slower pace, for the closing down of my private warehouse that manufactures speed.
Trying to Make the Unhappy Happy
May 6, 2020 by
Trying to make the unhappy happy. There probably isn’t much future in this, God. We like to be liked, and we love to be loved. At least some of us. Well intentioned psychology has partly vilified some among us as people pleasers. Take away any personal tendencies, and we are left with more practical concerns.
Prayer and Hand Sanitizer Go Together: Praying During a Pandemic
April 21, 2020 by
Rub your hands together with me. I don’t doubt the power of prayer or hand sanitizer. I use both and my health is better for it.
About Tomorrow
April 1, 2020 by
Tomorrow. The word alone is enough to give pause, for wrapped in its syllables are promise and hope. There is the grace of time, too, which we will surely need now and then. I like the fact, Lord, that we get to start over and make a new one each day.
Brokenness, a Prayer for Lent
March 31, 2020 by
God, it takes courage to be the creatures
you made us to be.
Year after year we add to our experiences of the world,
pushing against our limits
to find out what will budge and what will not.
Mystery, a Prayer for Lent
March 17, 2020 by
God, thank you for faithful signs
of spring that tell us you love the world.
Give us glimpses of your creation
that are sights for sore eyes…
Talking to God when God is a Part of the Problem
March 4, 2020 by
I know, I know. Gasp. “Blasphemy!” “I can’t believe you said that.” “And you call yourself a Christian?” Yes, I do. In fact, I am following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Assume the Position
February 5, 2020 by
Put your hands down. You are not under arrest. I am not a police officer and have no training in law enforcement. Perhaps, this wasn’t the best title but it does make my point: prayer is not a position.
Flame: Pipe Cleaner Intercessions
January 29, 2020 by
I love the versatility of pipe cleaners and children seem to feel the same! They are great for playing with and they are also great for praying with.
Crossroads: God Hears Us
January 20, 2020 by
I had a tough year when I was in the sixth grade. One of the hardest parts, though, was not having any close friends at school. I prayed and I prayed for God to help me. And God heard my prayers.
Flame: Playdough World Map Prayers
January 8, 2020 by
This is a very hands on and tactile way of praying! Ask children to choose a country to pray for and give them some playdough.
A Prayer Resolution
January 7, 2020 by
This is not an aspiration. It is not something that you reach for and hope you achieve, not one of those cross-your-fingers-and-hope-it-works-out kind of things.
Formations 01.05.2020: Dangerous Prayers
December 29, 2019 by
I’ve led a fair number of prayer meetings in my time. We all know the drill: you remind those present of matters of concern to the fellowship. Maybe you ask for updates from folks who have more up-to-date information.
Your Kingdom Come
December 11, 2019 by
Founder of the Advent Project, William H. Peterson, wrote, “While there is scant hope of changing the culture around us, the Church need not be a fellow traveler.
Coming, a Prayer for Advent
December 3, 2019 by
Come to us, Lord Jesus,
in every purple-patterned life,
every wrap of loving arms
in shivering December.
Flame: Advent Prayer Bags
November 26, 2019 by
Lately, I’ve seen a variety of lovely ideas online for helping children and families to get involved with the Advent season. Drawing on some of the ideas I’ve seen, I’ve come up with a little bag of items that will take children through some of the main Advent themes.
Connections 11.24.2019: Prayerful Hopes
November 17, 2019 by
Since my daughters were very small, I have written them several letters per year in special journals that I bought for them. The earliest entries detail their milestones (“You crawled toward the remote control today” or “You slept in your big-girl bed all night without waking us up”).
Praying Room
November 6, 2019 by
Excuse me. I am going to need some wiggle room, a place to twist and turn, space to squirm under the hands of life’s circumstances. It is a tight squeeze.
Rediscovering Centering Prayer
November 5, 2019 by
I went on a run yesterday. I’ve always wanted to be a runner but have never been able to cultivate the strength and endurance and discipline to bring that dream to life.
Connections 10.20.2019: Prayed Up
October 13, 2019 by
Have you heard the one about the church member who prayed such long prayers that his fellow members cringed when the pastor called on him to pray? They dreaded hearing his prayers drag on for five minutes or longer, which they always did.
Prayer is the Conversation of a Lifetime
October 8, 2019 by
Prayer is a fact of life. Like birth and death, puberty, pimples, and periods, marriage and those mid-life crises, there is prayer. If we are to make it through these moments, then we will need to pray.
Flame: Psalm 23 – Overflowing Cup
October 2, 2019 by
Verse 5 of the twenty-third Psalm speaks about the overflowing cup that God gives and this craft is a way of exploring and thanking God for His many gifts. Each creation will be unique!
Crossroads: Pray for Everyone
September 23, 2019 by
When I was a kid, I wanted to pray for everyone. Every night as we said prayers at bedtime, I always added “God bless the whole world.” Every time we had prayer request time at GAs, one of my requests was for “the whole world.” Looking back, I realize that it may have been a little silly.
Flame: Boxes Prayer Game
September 17, 2019 by
Children love this game and may well be familiar with it, but here’s a twist that adds prayer to the mix. Draw some dots in lines and columns on the paper (see below). I used 10 rows of 7 dots.
Take a Step Back
September 10, 2019 by
Prayer is not a question and answer session, an exchange of whys for how this is all going to work out. Prayer is not God’s tell-all. It is not the time to corner God in our prayer closet and demand an explanation.
Say What?
August 7, 2019 by
When God knows it all and none of it makes sense to you, what do you pray? How do you respond when the posture of prayer doesn’t feel right?
Crossroads: Prayer
July 29, 2019 by
When I was ten, my father asked me where I wanted to go on vacation for my 13th birthday. Turning 13 was a big deal, and so I got to pick our vacation spot. So I thought of the craziest place I could think of, sure that we wouldn’t get to go.
What to Say When You Don’t Want to Open Your Mouth
July 9, 2019 by
At one time or another, I’ve said all of these things or some naïve but well-meaning version of them to family members and friends, church members and complete strangers. Forgive me.
The Spirituality of Fatherhood: Prayer
July 3, 2019 by
When I enter the hospital one cold January morning after a frantic drive up a North Dallas freeway, I found my dad unresponsive due to complications from surgery.
May I Have Your Attention, Please?
June 5, 2019 by
The late poet Mary Oliver in an essay titled Upstream wrote, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” She’s right. It begins, not on Sunday mornings, but before we get out of bed each day.