A surprising number of people are afraid to pray. They love God, but when it comes to talking to him, they freeze. They worry about praying “wrong,” stepping outside his will, or somehow offending him—as though God is scoring their performance. Out of fear, they offer him something he never asked for: prayerlessness. But prayerlessness is its own kind of silent treatment...
When a miracle touches one spouse, it touches the other. Though I was the one who nearly died, God performed miracles for both Bill and me...
A handful of songs on my stand-up bass for the Christmas Eve service. And our family of twenty for a week of food and fun. But as the calendar turned, my stress levels escalated as I tried to make each event perfect and memorable. In the years since then I have found that the greatest gift I can give others— prayer—is also one that keeps on giving . . . not only to them but also to me. As we surround the days ahead in prayer, we will find this spiritual gift has a lasting impact.
By Linda Evans Shepherd Linda Evans Shepherd As I write to you, my Christmas tree is glowing softly in the corner— each light a tiny reminder of the miracle we…
Our world feels topsy-turvy and our culture often makes little sense, but history shows us that individual actions can create powerful ripple effects, even in the darkest moments.
As a ministry leader I feel the weight of being an ambassador for my Jesus— especially in regard to the words I share online. And I feel the weight of knowing I’m not worthy to represent Him—by myself. But God never sends us out into the world, alone, to accomplish what He has planned for us. NEVER.
When you’re wading through muddy waters, longing for clarity, it can feel like there’s nothing firm to stand on—only murky answers and shifting ground.
“What is your biggest struggle with prayer?” I did not expect the flood of replies from my readers. “I really want to learn … how to hear and know His voice.” “I struggle with unanswered prayer.” “Why bother [praying] if God is going to do whatever He wants anyway?” Prayer can be difficult to master; we know that from the abundance of books on the subject. Prayer is simple yet puzzling. Prayer can be taught, yet there is more to it than knowledge.
Sometimes when I pray, the Lord shows me these lovely pictures. I used to think these were mere daydreams interrupting my prayer focus. I’d try to refocus, but the images continued to break my concentration. One day, in a small prayer circle, the woman who prayed before me shared the pictures she saw as she prayed. I’d never heard anyone share in this way before, but her courage inspired me to share the pictures I saw.
I’m always absolutely sure I can shove one more thing in there. It doesn’t matter that it’s already overflowing or that I have to quick-catch some flyaway plastic wrap and wrangle an escaping tea bag resting on some soggy junk mail. I win if I can squeeze in one more thing.