I’m no prayer expert. I don’t see myself as the warrior type. You won’t find me barging into the throne room and taking Heaven by storm. Certain gifts that are oftentimes connected with prayer don't seem to manifest in my life. Cynicism and unbelief haunt me. Many of my requests have been denied. ... read more
How to Pray for Other People
My husband and I trooped to three antique stores in one weekend looking for one thing: the perfect prayer bench to put in our bedroom closet. I confess, when it seemed as if we would never find the perfect narrow bench to fit in our small closet, I mentally began to plan what else I could do with ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
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 ... read more
“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 ... read more
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 ... read more
