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……

Read more

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.

…..

Read more

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…..

Read more

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…..

Read more

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…..

Read more