I’ve been thinking about why we pray in Jesus’ name and the difference it makes in our prayer. The why of praying in Jesus’ name is straightforward: Jesus tells us to. “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” This also speaks to the difference...
It is said that how you addresses God is a reflection of your conception of God. Scripture models a number of ways to address God, but Jesus encouraged us to address God as “Our Father in Heaven.” Doing so highlights three things worth remembering when talking to God....
I hit this year running and am already tired, so I’ve been thinking about how to refresh and recharge. Ideas like time on a trout stream come to mind, but I’m learning to distrust my thinking and to lean into God’s word instead. And God’s word offers a surprising...
For Christmas, one of you very thoughtfully gifted me a collection of prayers from the early church, and I’ve chosen to work through it as one of my daily spiritual disciplines in 2023. It is already proving to be a rich experience, but also a convicting one. You see,...
If you were to guess, what is the all-time most popular Christmas song in the world? The one that has been translated into more languages than any other? It is a song called the “Magnificat” and it is sung by Mary as recorded in Luke 1:46-55. Now I’ve done multiple...
The Advent season is a “can’t wait” season. People can’t wait to start listening to Christmas music or to decorate. Some can’t wait to open presents and others can’t wait see presents opened. The “can’t wait” nature of the season is seen in lots of ways, including...
I’ve learned that “tone” matters in talking to people, and I think the same is true when we talk to God. Jesus makes this point in Luke 18:9-14 when He tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee’s tone is arrogant and entitled as he...
In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus tells his disciples both then and now the parable of the persistent widow. If you are not familiar with the parable, basically a widow gets justice because she won’t leave an unjust judge alone. Luke 18:1 tells us the point of the parable is “to...
The Psalms are called the prayer book of the Bible, and 70% of the Psalms are classified as “lament.” Even beyond the Psalms, the Bible is chock full of lament. There is even a whole book of Lamentations. So clearly lament should be part of our prayer life, but if you...
I’m struck every year around this time by the word “sincere” because Linus, in “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” is convinced that the Great Pumpkin will come only to “the most sincere” pumpkin patch. The word “sincere” is defined as “free of deceit, hypocrisy...