The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Pray Specifically
At Hezekiah’s request, Isaiah asked God to take the shadow backwards ten degrees as a sign of His healing. And God did it (2 Kings 20:8-11). While it is nothing for the Creator to bend time and reverse solar movement like that, it is a significant demonstration of God’s intent to honor Hezekiah’s request.
The Matthew 6:9-13 Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Give us this day, our daily bread.” It is not the specific request for the miraculous…..
Kingdom Business
I fell and broke my right wrist on Monday. I asked my left-handed daughter if we could trade “handedness” for a while. She doesn’t think it works that way.
When things like broken bones happen, most people bemoan the issue and complain about the crimp the temporary disability puts on their lifestyle. Yes, we are distracted by the pain. But for the Christian living in the culture of hope that is founded on faith, such an event should…..
Forgiveness
“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:9-13)
In last week’s blog, I talked about seeking forgiveness from God……
How to Pray
The first time I sang “The Lord’s Prayer” in a high school choir rehearsal, I fell in love with it. The soaring melody lines and close harmonies of the song by Albert Hay Mallotte seemed to capture the beauty and sacredness of Jesus’ words in a compelling way. Even though I had memorized the words as a child, the song gave me a new level of understanding of the prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.
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When you pray…
Picture this: you are driving in heavy traffic in an unfamiliar city. You see your destination but there is not an empty parking space anywhere. You drive farther along, then circle around each block in between. Still no vacant parking space. What do you do now? Get angry? Circle the blocks on the other side of your destination? Have you ever thought about praying for a parking space?
This may seem an event too small for God…..
Be Careful What You Pray For
The envelope arrives in your mailbox telling you that you have “definitely won” an enormous amount of money. Then you read the fine print, “if the number inside is the winning number.” Your interest is piqued and you follow all the directions, send the official entry form back, and pray that the Lord would make you the winner. In the weeks, months, and years to come, you receive a continuous flow of solicitations to…..
To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice
When I was eleven years old, I disobeyed my parents and my punishment was to write lines. That was not the only time, nor the last time, that I was disciplined for disobedience; but it was among the most memorable.
The lines Dad chose for me to write were from 1 Samuel 15:22, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” And as is typical for me, I did not get away with the shortcut of…..
Modeling the Magic Words
A few years ago I bought a really nice outdoor barbecue grill for my husband’s Christmas gift. It was the best gift I could ever have given myself. Since then he has voluntarily done most of the cooking for us. It’s been lovely for me and early on I learned to thank him each time, even when there was too much garlic or spice added to the dishes. As I was thanking him for the meal…..
Faith Looks Up
One of my favorite hymns as a child was “My Faith Looks up to Thee” by Lowell Mason. The third verse says
While Life’s dark maze I tread and grief around me spread, be thou my guide. Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, nor let me ever stray from thee aside.
As a child I did not truly understand sorrow and grief. Yes there were those I knew who had died and whose families…..
Spending Time with God
When I discovered that I had lost my cellphone yesterday, I experienced a similar feeling to what I experience when I do not spend quality time with my Lord.
Women carry big purses for a reason and mine is no exception. I carry emergency stuff in it that I would sorely miss when needed–like a nail file, anti-histamine cream and pills, cough drops, emergency inhaler, hand lotion, cellphone. My phone was in a pouch that hung…..