My husband and I trooped through three antique stores in one weekend looking for one thing: the perfect prayer bench to put in our narrow bedroom closet. The darling teal cabinet that we found looks nothing like a bench, but it drew both my husband and me from the corner of the last antique store we visited that Sunday afternoon. The pièce de résistance? The cabinet opens to reveal a wire rack which perfectly holds books and ... Read More about How to Pray for Other People
Prayer
Why God is On My Checklist (and I don’t feel bad about it)
I am a list-maker. I’m not a type-A perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m word-lover and I’m a scatterbrain and so lists are a must. My daily lists vary a lot. I live at home, so many times my list has “take boys to football practice” or “read to Jubilee” or “grocery shop.” I try to throw “exercise” on there a few times a week and “blog” and “put laundry away.” And you know what? I often write “Bible and prayer” on my list too, ... Read More about Why God is On My Checklist (and I don’t feel bad about it)
Four Weeks to a Stronger Prayer Life
I am not a prayer warrior. There, I said it. I'm not a prayer warrior. I avoid praying in public whenever possible. I don't say "I'll pray for you" because I know it's a lie. I tend to rely on prayers of desperation. I use prayer as a band-aid. I don't pray. Corrie ten Boom's question challenges me: I am loathe to admit it, but prayer has been my spare tire. Before you judge me, I think you should know that I am judging myself. I ... Read More about Four Weeks to a Stronger Prayer Life
Praying for Your Future Husband
It's not a big secret that I've been praying for my future husband for years. That's one reason why I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to review a book called Praying for Your Future Husband. It's a short, sweet book by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer. These two women have prayed for their future husbands and have written books for girls in which the heroines prayed for their future husbands. Both women have also prayed and are ... Read More about Praying for Your Future Husband
Do You Pray for Him?
“Once upon a time …” I love stories that start that way! And this is a true story: A hundred years or more ago there lived a preacher called Charles. He was a young man, but he was blessed by God with great spiritual wisdom and granted the pastorate of a large church in London. Among his congregation was a young lady called Susannah whom Charles encouraged in her faith and baptised. They became friends and they were both invited to attend a ... Read More about Do You Pray for Him?
Sowing Seeds of Prayer for Our Children
I first started praying for my son Aviel (and any brothers or sisters yet to come) when I was twenty, seven full years before he was born. (Aviel, pronounced ah-vee-EL, is a Hebrew name meaning "My father is God.") Honestly, I wish I had started sooner! In my early single days, it simply never occurred to me to pray for my children. After all, I didn't know if God would bless me with a husband. Praying for my children seemed totally ... Read More about Sowing Seeds of Prayer for Our Children
How to Trust God Even If He Says “No”
Oil glistened on her forehead as the elders prayed. Their requests rose to Heaven along with those of hundreds of saints, begging God to heal her physical body. For my precious, beloved Aunt Dee-Dee was dying. Spreading from her uterus, cancer viciously conquered her body. After months of treatment, her doctors discovered the cancer had metastasized to her brain. I was only eleven years old. Like other kids enjoying the long break from ... Read More about How to Trust God Even If He Says “No”
“You are loved with an everlasting love…”
“‘You are loved with an everlasting love,’ that’s what the Bible says, ‘and underneath are the everlasting arms.'” If you, like me, grew up listening to “Gateway to Joy” on the radio every morning, you knew the next line was going to be, “This is your friend Elisabeth Elliot.” That soft, deep voice would proceed to tell you what she would be talking about with you today. And it was always biblical, profound, and pertinent. My mom, grandma, ... Read More about “You are loved with an everlasting love…”
trading legalism for the disciplined life
Once upon a time, I was a pretty legalistic teenage girl. I had read the books and the blogs and I was ready to "make a defense" against anyone who disagreed with me. There was only one way to educate your children, only one type of church to attend, only one dress code for modesty, only one way to find a mate and marry, only one type of mate to find. You get the idea. Though I never would've admitted these things (I thought myself to be pretty ... Read More about trading legalism for the disciplined life
The Weeping Bench
I leave the conversation because my heart is breaking. My face is burning and pulsing, clear signals that my blood pressure is high. I am past the emotion of crying and have been catapulted into the screaming dimension. The hysterical screaming dimension. I turn away and climb sixteen steps. Enter the door on the right. Climb over the teetering stack of books and magazines. I have to turn sideways to fit by the dresser with the three out of five ... Read More about The Weeping Bench
