Do You Think There Is Such a Thing as a Successful Prayer Life?

Before asking myself whether prayer works, let me first define my terms. Is prayer a lever for moving the universe according to my whims, or is it a tool for molding my will to God’s?

The spring of 2019 showed up bleak and gray, but we barely noticed. The weight of waiting occupied every minute, with question marks bristling where daffodils had been delayed. An army of friends prayed for our family when we could not, waging war on our behalf, inquiring with kindness about obstacles that made no sense… Continue reading Do You Think There Is Such a Thing as a Successful Prayer Life?

Bring Your Real Words to the Welcoming Heart of God

The welcoming heart of God is at the center of a praying life.

I woke to the sound of my youngest son calling me.“Muuuum…”  His tone told me everything I needed to know. He was sick, likely nauseated, and he needed help. I sat up in bed, ready to rush to his aid. As my feet hit the floor, my head cleared, and two facts crowded into my… Continue reading Bring Your Real Words to the Welcoming Heart of God

How to Train Your Thinking When Life Throws You a Curve

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant.

My favorite way to do life involves a schedule. Always a planner, I map out the days in advance and often find myself studying my calendar as if I might be tested on it at some point. Oddly, the pop quiz usually comes in the form of a delay or some unforeseen curve that cancels… Continue reading How to Train Your Thinking When Life Throws You a Curve

A Praying Life

Prayer is about relationship with God. A Praying Life by Paul Miller

I shut off the mower's whirring blades, removed my hearing protection, and there it was:  the splash and whoosh of the Atlantic Ocean, always restless, continually wearing away the granite at the bottom of the embankment in the back yard where I had been mowing.  Clouds above were heavy with rain; therefore, sunset would come… Continue reading A Praying Life

Taming Anxiety Over the Unknown

Taming Anxiety over the Unknown

Knocking twenty-two years’ worth of dust off a resume stretches the definition of “creative writing” to its limit. After giving my time away for two decades, could I convince even myself that my skills are marketable? Was I still capable of holding my own in the workforce? The questions hung in the air like a challenge. At… Continue reading Taming Anxiety Over the Unknown