For Mike & Ashley: May this long table be filled with friends, Maybe not all pirates, but both the righteous and the rogue. May they eat and party and be merry. May this dining room ring with the laughter of a feast to come. May this kitchen smell like coffee and bacon, Or Fruity Pebbles … Continue reading A Blessing for Home
May you wake to a cracked window and rain that started in the night. Before you get elbow-deep into your work, may you get ankle-deep in leaves. Poet or builder, pastor or mother—may you welcome the cooler air by being in it. May you take a walk and need a jacket, and hear the geese … Continue reading An October Blessing
Dear Lord, I am not the gardener I was in March, when the earth was thawing, and I stood on a blank slate, and the only green things were the points of the bulbs. I had springtime hopes, just as I always do. When I thought about August, I saw myself filling Wal-Mart bags with … Continue reading A Gardener’s Lament
I made a list of foods over the weekend (and made myself hungry doing it): Cucumbers and crackers and cheeses and grapes and tea and butter for scones. If I couldn’t remember something, I tried to imagine Bilbo’s pantry and the Dwarves’ feast as they ravaged it. After all, Hutchmoot is a place for eating … Continue reading A Taste of the Feast & A Prayer for Hutchmoot
March 15 The world is bleeding, your sin makes you groan, you’re restless for the Day when Jesus renews all things. Maybe “Your kingdom come” is a prayer you’ve adopted. I mentioned last week that I’ve been thinking more about the kingdom and praying for it to come soon. But my study of Psalm 119 … Continue reading Part Two: Why Do You Pray These Three Words?
March 8 The older I get, the more I think about the coming kingdom. Maybe it’s because my sin is uglier. Maybe it’s because my suffering stings. Maybe it’s because I’m more in love with Jesus and the thought of endless days with him captivates me. I think about Christ’s kingdom, yes. But do I … Continue reading Part One: Do You Pray These Three Words?
March 1 In Prayer O LORD, In prayer I launch far out into the eternal world, and on that broad ocean my soul triumphs over all evils on the shores of mortality. … In prayer I see myself as nothing; I find my heart going after thee with intensity, and long with vehement thirst to … Continue reading A Prayer for Prayer
January 12 Christopher Ash is a wise man and his commentary on Psalm 119 is opening my eyes to behold wondrous things out of God’s law. He writes: “We need to come to scripture on our knees, praying, ‘Lord, teach me, teach me, teach me.’”[i] Ash has introduced me to a weak yet Word-hungry psalmist: … Continue reading “Teach Me, Teach Me, Teach Me”
November 3 My friends and I know we need Jesus. We're broken people, seeking renewal in him. That’s why I love Wednesday night prayer meeting. It’s real, raw, sometimes painful. We share where God has us, why it hurts, and how deeply we need Jesus to refresh our hearts. Last Wednesday, my friends and I … Continue reading Pray for Renewal, Then Revival
May 5 May is by far the busiest month for our family. And this year, we’ve added some significant events to the calendar. I’m graduating high school, my sister (Leanna) is planning a wedding (!), and we’re headed West for a family trip. These are exciting times—busy times. My days are brimming with plans and … Continue reading A Prayer for the Busy Person
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