How to pray through
Recently I made a commitment to up my prayer life. It is easier said than done. I have realized afresh that to be effective in prayer one must be committed to doing what the saints of old called “praying through.”
June 2010
The power of reading prescribed texts
It never ceases to amaze me how God uses the simple practice of following a daily scripture or devotional reading plan to speak a timely word of encouragement. Yesterday was no exception. It was a big day for me as I had to report to the hospital at 5:30 AM for surgery to remove a cyst from my neck. Despite being in a time crunch Susan and I took a few minutes together to read to one another our respective appointed readings for June 28.
In search of the optimized life
Optimization refers to choosing the best element from a set of available alternatives. It is a popular internet term related to search engine optimization of websites. The byproduct of such optimization is improved performance. I found myself praying this morning for an optimization of my life.
What separates the ordinary from the extraordinary?
What separates an ordinary life from an extraordinary life? One word – extra. The “extra” added to”ordinary” makes something “extra”-ordinary. That is true in anything that we do, on the job, in relationships, and in life. And it is should be especially true in Christianity.
The surprising ways God loves us!
In reading through the book of Ruth this morning the character of the widow Naomi riveted my attention. What was it about her that caused her daughter-in-law Ruth to love her so? It is a love that is described as “better than that of seven sons.” (Ruth 5:15)