“I feel like my prayers don’t make it past the ceiling.” I’ve heard many people make that statement, including me. You, too, may be familiar with the feeling that your prayers are ineffective. We approach God repeatedly about an issue, but it seems as though He has turned a deaf ear. It feels He is … Read More
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” So Mark Twain quoted his friend, writer Charles Dudley Warner. With floods, hurricanes, and unseasonable heat, the weather has been the topic of conversation lately, but no one has offered any doable solutions. The weather remains in God’s hands (thankfully) and He continues to … Read More
Today is National Day of Prayer across the United States of America. Hopefully, millions of Americans will join in praying for our communities and nation during this day. I also plan to set aside more time than usual to pray alone. As part of my personal prayer time, I have developed a Prayer Chart of Concentric … Read More
My first Internet service provider was AOL. Dial Up. Slow. Unreliable. I can still remember the sound of the screeching modem and the voice that said, “Welcome.” I remember the anticipation of waiting for the announcement, “You’ve got mail!” I also remember surfing with the anticipation that I would suddenly lose my connection and be … Read More
Many churches call their Wednesday night gathering “prayer meeting.” I supposed the name described the evening’s activities at one time in history. We church folks talk a big talk about believing in the power of prayer. We make bold statements like, “Prayer changes things.” We promise to pray for others we know who face … Read More
Pop-up ads are the scourge of the internet. I have finally eliminated most pup-up ads, but now find myself a victim of pop-up autoplay videos. Some of the videos are ads; some are news stories. All of them startle me and distract me from the work I am trying to do when online. Recently, however, … Read More
Prayer is a good thing, right? Well, it can be. It should be. However, prayer is sometimes sabotaged by hidden prayer sins that keep us from the full its benefits. Hidden Prayer Sins Below you will find a few hidden sins that lurk in our prayer times. The list is certainly not exhaustive and you … Read More
Nobody likes to be told “no.” One of the most difficult things parents do is to say “no” to a child’s request. All of us want our children to be happy and we want to see them smile. We recognize, however, that sometimes they need to hear the word “no.” We can’t always expect a child … Read More
One of the perks of being a pastor is having people pray for you. Sometimes you even get to hear them pray for you. What a humbling experience. In every place where I have served as pastor I have enjoyed the blessing of prayer support. And I greatly appreciate it. I need the prayers, really, I do. If any pastor will be … Read More
Do you often feel like you are on the defensive against the devil? You pray from crisis to crisis, asking God to deliver you from the latest mess in which you find yourself. Or maybe you find yourself only praying for your family or others AFTER something happens to them. We react to these circumstances … Read More
