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How Do I Pray?

How Do I Pray?

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, former Augustinian monk, and is best known as an influential figure in the Protestant Reformation. Nearly 487 years ago, Martin Luther’s barber and old friend asked him for suggestions on how to pray. Luther responded with an open letter titled, “How One Should Pray, for Master Peter the Barber”. Luther gave his friend advice and instruction on how to take each petition of the Lord’s Prayer and expand them. He…

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Letting Go

Letting Go

I loved all the old-time playground equipment. The monkey bars, jungle gym, barrel of fun, log swing, chain swings, horizontal bars, large wooden seesaws, and even the giant stride—which my eyebrow has the scar courtesy of this steel monster. But the one that a lot of my childhood friends loved, yet I had the hardest time with, was the hanging rings. Not being a daredevil by nature, the rings would swing and sometimes you had to let go of the…

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Beloved

Beloved

This is my beloved, and this is my friend. – Song of Solomon 5:16 To my extraordinary husband: It made me so happy to be married to my best friend – the one I trusted with all my hopes, dreams, and everything in between. I thank God for your love and support – they meant more to me than you will ever know. I loved you and enjoyed sharing life with you – and hope you know just how special…

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Authority

Authority

There are many things that are beyond the scope of our responsibility and authority that we need to leave alone. We need to be true to our calling and only do what He has given us to do. Allow Him to mold us like clay in the hands of a potter to become the unique and precious vessel that He can use to accomplish His purposes. There are times we want to get involved in things where we think we…

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Stumbling Around

Stumbling Around

Lately, there has been a stumbling around. Not sure-footed, tripping over things, bumping into things that are there but not seen, grasping for something, and completely missing it: car keys, a door handle, a jacket in the closet that took three tries to reach for it and hold on. The world would call this bumbling, a dexterity problem, or even a neurological condition. It is not, but really, what is this? I asked the Lord. It’s a reflection. What is…

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This Experience Must Come

This Experience Must Come

In the Spiritual Journey, much time is spent being alone, reflecting on the alone, or feeling alone. In order to accomplish a rebirth, it is essential to be enclosed in a temporary cocoon-like environment. This separation and solitude may occur gradually, or quickly, and causes strong feelings of being isolated, alone, uprooted and often helpless, but is the necessary part of the redemptive and restorative process. The early-twentieth-century Scottish Baptist evangelist and teacher, Oswald Chambers, wrote much about solitude, alone,…

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Who Is Your Warrior?

Who Is Your Warrior?

As I walked alone, I went into the quiet that I didn’t know existed. After a brief moment, it was gone. On the next walk, a vision opened and I felt something or someone approaching from behind. I turned and saw a big white horse with a rider approaching. The rider and the horse passed through and exited out the front of me. The warrior held a sword in his right hand, swinging it overhead. He wasn’t big, but there…

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Choose Wisely, My Friend

Choose Wisely, My Friend

Choices. Every moment is a choice, and every choice has an outcome. In every moment there is a choice for what you follow. A choice for the path to take. A choice for how you want to live. A choice of the words you speak, and how to speak them. A choice of what kind of person to be. A choice for freedom or bondage. A choice to follow Jesus, or follow yourself (your emotions, your thoughts, your rights, your…

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What The Clouds Say

What The Clouds Say

Who doesn’t like clouds? To gaze into the endless blue and watch the clouds move, change, and drift through the sky. There are many verses in Bible, especially the Old Testament, where God’s presence and almighty power and glory were represented by a cloud. In some stories where the people could not see through the cloud, they had trust God and believe that He was there. At times, clouds are metaphoric for sorrows and sufferings. Oswald Chambers, the early-twentieth-century Scottish…

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Brushstroke

Brushstroke

The purpose of our lives may not be known because it is bigger than us. But it is known by God. He is the Painter of the largest and most beautiful mural, and we are one brush stroke in His Masterpiece. That lone brushstroke does not show what the picture is. The brush stroke that represents the life of the believer is not alone; there are many other brushstrokes orchestrated by God. Each stroke is different in color and texture…

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