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A Wedding Prayer
Someone once told me that a big draw for people coming to the bible.org web site, which hosts this blog, is wedding resources. They come looking for wording. Whether seeking entire ceremonies or simply prayers and vows, they look to a site with the word “Bible” in it for help. So, today I’m sharing a prayer I crafted for one of my favorite couples, Lacie and Eric, at their beautiful wedding in the Air Force Academy Chapel near Colorado Springs. Some of the words I wrote myself, but I also borrowed phrases from songs like “Wonderful, Merciful Savior” and The Book of Common Prayer. Do you have a favorite wedding…
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Teaching Toddlers
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.” Seriously! Teach toddlers about God!
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Set Aside Your Mourning Clothes––A Prayer Exercise
The last two years have been a time of prolonged loss, anxiety, and uncertainty for many of us. And whether or not we remember when we put on our mourning clothes, many of us struggle with when we should take them off. How do we know?
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Pray or Play? Agendas Can Be Changed
“Grandma is praying and not playing.” A few weeks ago, those words were shared by our granddaughter to her parents. Being a grandma is so much fun, but sometimes playing is not on the agenda when prayer is necessary. Our granddaughter and her mom and dad had come to our house the evening before my husband’s reverse shoulder replacement surgery. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter wanted to spend some time with us before his surgery. We were enjoying the evening and spending time as a family, until my husband’s phone rang. Our good friends whom we had not talked to in a while learned about my husband’s surgery and called…
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Our Greatest Work
As we continue to emerge from a long season of uncertainty and isolation, we eagerly look ahead and begin envisioning new goals and even new dreams. How do we find re-energizing purpose in our everyday life, regardless of circumstances?
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Praying for and Supporting Those Who Struggle
With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18 One of my responsibilities is to pray, especially for some loved ones who are fighting personal battles and for global workers planting churches in unfriendly environments. After the last few difficult years, it is easy to give up. After all, prayer is hard work and doesn’t always garner visible results. I can’t do it alone. Thankfully, I have prayer partners who intercede with me and for me. Together, we follow the example of Moses, the leader of the Israelites. As Moses led the people out…
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Hiking Illuminates Mentoring Elements
During the year 2022, you may have a desire to be a mentor or mentee. Much can be learned in mentoring relationships as sharpening for the Lord occurs (Prov 27:17). Jesus mentored the twelve disciples. Paul had several young men he mentored as indicated in the books of Timothy and Titus. Mentoring takes on a variety of forms, but some common elements exist. As I hiked the Hundred-Mile Wilderness on the Appalachian Trail recently, I observed several parallels to elements regarding mentoring. God’s creation has a unique way of presenting truths in a way that facilitates understanding. Hopefully, your understanding of mentoring will be enhanced as you hike this blog. …
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Year-End: Plan to Do Good
It’s the last week of the year. And that means many people have the opportunity to make year-end contributions for maximum tax benefits. And we enjoyed more gingerbread cookies and pecan pie than our bodies needed, so it’s time to get serious about caring for our health. And we have more possessions than we need, maybe even new piles we got for Christmas, so we need to clean out some stuff. Does any of that describe you? If so, plan to take ten minutes with technology turned off to focus, making measurable good plans to benefit yourself and others. Start with prayer. Ask, “Lord, help me to steward well all…
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Thankfulness As Our Purpose
As the calendar winds down on another unprecedented year, we gladly enter this joyful season of giving and thanksgiving. Many of us feel a gentle nudge toward understanding God’s call to purposeful daily life. Have you ever asked God about His will for your life?
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Break A Leg: Practicing God’s Presence in Pain
On my very first birthday, I fell off the front porch of our home and broke my leg. Because I lived in a remote village in Papua New Guinea with my missionary parents, I was flown to the closest town with a western doctor. Upon admittance to the hospital, my leg was put in traction and my mother told to go home. The nurses loved me. Who wouldn’t adore a one-year-old baby cooing and doing acrobatics on the traction ropes? My dear mother, having five other children to care for, could only come to visit me after three weeks. Medical practice in the early 1960s also did not allow parents…
