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.
Brokenness, a Prayer for Lent
March 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment
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.
A Prayer for the Floor
January 17, 2023 by
On the floor is where so many things end up, God.
Toys dropped, crumbs scattered.
Shoes thrown, books smashed.
Crossroads: God Hears Us
January 16, 2023 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.
Seeking, a Prayer for Epiphany
January 4, 2023 by
God of all times and places, we move into this new year as travelers seeking the shelter of your presence in all our comings and goings. Like the magi we move from familiar surroundings, crossing borders to enter unknown times and places.
A Prayer Resolution
January 3, 2023 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.
Flame: Advent Prayer Bags
November 29, 2022 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.
Flame: Boxes Prayer Game
November 9, 2022 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.
A View from the Pew: Our Prayer Requests Speak Volumes
October 25, 2022 by
From my childhood to today, the churches to which I have belonged have all engaged in the ritual of voicing prayer concerns. This occurred most frequently and meaningfully on Wednesday nights in what we called “prayer meetings.”
A Prayer for Parents Waiting-to-Be
October 11, 2022 by
O Holy God,
It is the time of waiting.
We are waiting, Longing, Hoping, Praying, Promising.
Unless You Come unto Me as These
October 5, 2022 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?
Crossroads: Pray for Everyone
September 26, 2022 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: Pipe Cleaner Intercessions
August 16, 2022 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: Prayer
August 1, 2022 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.
Missional Prayer
June 29, 2022 by
Missional churches require missional praying. We do not inform God in our praying, nor do we instruct God in our intercession. But we do join God when out of love we pray for the mission of God in the world.
A Prayer for When Exhilaration Gives Way to Routine
May 11, 2022 by
We live on the highs, don’t we, Lord? At least you may have noticed that we try. Of course, this isn’t realistic. But that never keeps us from striving. We become accustomed to the thrill. Addicted to the high of achievement and feedback. We get used to accomplishment and growth.
Jesus’ Use of the Psalms
May 10, 2022 by
For ordinary Christians who experience opposition and negative feelings, we are invited to bring the full breadth of these experiences into the realm of God.
Formations 05.08.2022: Praying or Posturing?
May 1, 2022 by
Prayer is a funny thing. Ostensibly, prayer involves communication with God. We speak to God, expressing thanksgiving, praise, and of course petitions for God’s blessings.
When We Have to Choose: The Indecisiveness Roadblock
January 19, 2022 by
God’s word is packed with informative insights for Christians who want to move around the roadblock of indecisiveness. In addition, many characters introduced to us in Scripture flesh out these insights in their lives.
Crossroads: The Answer Is Prayer
October 4, 2021 by
I’m a worrier. It’s who I am. I worry about test results, about family members and close friends, about the future, etc. Sometimes my worry feels overwhelming. And so I pray.
Connections 08.15.2021: Pursuing Wisdom
August 8, 2021 by
In today’s passage, we have an earnest king. Solomon loves God and is trying hard to live like he should, “walking in the statues of his father David” (v. 3).
Prayer When in the Wilderness
July 14, 2021 by
The wilderness imparted some new insights about the practice of prayer. As the preceding chapters make clear, I prayed virtually every day. Some days I felt circumstances closing in, and as a result, my prayers glowed with a white-hot intensity.
Get Together
June 9, 2021 by
We check boxes to ensure that persons are just right for us, a good fit for our company, to ensure that they are who they claim to be. It’s a tight squeeze—most of who we are doesn’t make it in.
Crossroads: God Knows
June 7, 2021 by
Talk about a time in your life when you felt invisible, when you felt like no one else knew your pain and it seemed like you were on your own. Did you turn to God?
A Column Turned Prayer for Ascension Sunday
May 11, 2021 by
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
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
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
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
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!”
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.
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.
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: 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.