If God knows all, why should we pray? What a question! I won’t pretend I have the answer to every angle of this topic. Many of us have wondered this to ourselves in the dark of the night, when God seems silent, or when prayers go unanswered. What is the point of prayer? How does it work? If God discerns when and how He will answer, what role does my prayer play, if any?
Junior year of high school, Sunday morning, standing in church. Singing the songs and going through the motions. We bowed our heads to pray.
I hear my pastor’s voice in the background, but I’m praying my own prayer: “God, please fix me.”
It had been another long week… another draining routine of putting on a show – taking on my usual role as the determined athlete, the good church girl, the dedicated student. All while a monster was hiding behind my grand façade.
“Just wait until you have two,” She laughed. “One is a vacation.” As a new mom, I was the object of much unnecessary, negative input regarding my solitary offspring. Once I had two – I was told – life would fall apart and all semblance of routine would go down with it.
Perhaps it’s my personality, but when someone tells me something is impossible, my first inclination is to prove them wrong. But really, it’s not even about them: I want to prove to myself that it’s possible to enjoy motherhood, enjoy my kids, and enjoy life – all at the same time.
Productivity by itself is not an end; it’s a means. As believers, we should strive for grace-based productivity in our work hours (whether in an actual workplace or in the home) so we can be completely present and at rest with the people who matter most. Everything I teach on productivity points to this end!
I’m often asked how I read so much. I’ve shared my tips for adding more reading to your life on the blog before (along with my book lists)! But I’m also asked how I retain what I’m reading – especially since I read four to five books at once. Today I’ll share all my favorite tips for reading more and retaining what you read so you can use it in daily life!
I remember holding her hand as she took her last breaths on this Earth. She lived to be over 90 years old but her life was one of sorrow and regret.
Leaving her little room in the assisted living center to the care of the nursing staff, I called in her death to the head nurse.
This was a normal day for me since I worked as a hospice chaplain. Another day, another death.
During my time as a chaplain, I’ve had the opportunity of attending over 300 funerals. I’ve witnessed the effect that certain lives have on individuals and communities.
I’m going out on a limb talking about this; a limb the mommy wars might saw off at any moment, and I’ll go tumbling to an untimely internet death.
But this message is worth the fall, if I take it. Because I’m really over the assumptions we’re making – these assumptions we women make about each other.
This is one of my favorite “favorites” list to date (can I say favorites twice?). The items listed here are either already in use or on their way to me soon. If you’re looking for some great birthday and baby shower gifts, this is the list for you! The following products and places really brightened my heart the last month. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
What does it mean for a man to be “head of the home”? Where does that even come from? Headship of husbands is a controversial issue. Headship is hotly debated in church and culture, often misunderstood, misinterpreted, and abused. But could headship be very different than what we’ve seen described thus far?