Susanna Wesley lived a few hundred years ago. She gave birth to 19 children. 10 survived infancy. To say she was busy is an understatement. Plus, she had a difficult life—marital troubles, financial hardship, and illness were frequent visitors. And that’s not to mention the pain and difficulty of coping with the death of 9 … Continue reading Giving troubles over
prayer
At the start, not the end
Many Christians end their prayers something like this: “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” The origins of that practice trace back to a few different Bible passages, but one of them is Jesus’ own words in John 14:14 where he said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” But just … Continue reading At the start, not the end
Out loud
The more you study prayer—and the more you pray—the more you realize there's a lot to know. It can actually be intimidating. So I came up with a saying to help keep my brain on the right track: Pray consistently, whole-heartedly, and expectantly in Jesus’ name. [I walk through this statement step-by-step in my podcast … Continue reading Out loud
Get consistent
This week I’m sharing some thoughts about prayer. Like oxygen, prayer is a life-giving necessity for a vibrant spiritual life. Yesterday, I talked about how motives matter. Today, let’s talk about CONSISTENCY. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul says to “pray without ceasing.” But if you’re like a lot of people, there’s more ceasing than there … Continue reading Get consistent
Motives matter
You know a lot about your own body—probably more than anyone else (except God). But you probably don’t know this: -That there is an average of 7 octillion atoms in an adult’s body -That half the population has eyelash mites (yikes) -That every tongue print is unique In other words, you know your body well—but … Continue reading Motives matter
Open me
There are certain moments in life when time seems to stand still. It’s when something really significant is happening and the usual routine of daily life is disrupted. One of these times is the birth of a child. Another is the death of someone we deeply care about. And I think that Christmas is one of those times … Continue reading Open me
Turn holidays into holy days with this prayer
The word “holiday” comes from the phrase “holy day.” The idea with holy days is that they're set apart from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life to help us celebrate, focus on, and learn from something godly and exceptional. Christmas is a holy day. But when we treat it as a “holiday” it doesn’t … Continue reading Turn holidays into holy days with this prayer
But you shouldn’t get more cranky
In a prophecy about the Messiah’s birth, Isaiah said that Jesus would not only be called “Prince of Peace,” but “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6). But rarely do we think of Jesus as a counselor. Maybe that’s because we (a) don’t pay him to listen to us, and (b) can’t picture him with a leather couch. … Continue reading But you shouldn’t get more cranky
A step backward to move forward
Recently I was playing catch with my 6-year-old son. He’s been getting better and better. So we’ve gotten into the habit of backing up further and further away from each other so that it’s more of a challenge. But we hadn’t played catch in a while. So when we resumed our usual far-away positions, he … Continue reading A step backward to move forward
Like you’re actually talking to the King of kings
The famous Billy Graham says that prayer is the “sweetest work of the soul.” If that’s true, why do so many people struggle with it? One of the continual refrains I hear is that prayer is hard work and that it’s easy to get distracted. So today I’d like to offer super-practical advice to those … Continue reading Like you’re actually talking to the King of kings
