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Pray First
When my husband and I supervise our son’s piano practice sessions, we begin by asking God to help us. We pray first because neither my husband nor I know how to play the instrument. Together, all three of us are coming to understand musical mysteries such as the meaning of “staccato” and “legato” and when to use the piano’s black keys.
God Is Listening
The day before Billy Graham’s interview in 1982 on The Today Show, his director of public relations, Larry Ross, requested a private room for Graham to pray in before the interview. But when Mr. Graham arrived at the studio, his assistant informed Ross that Mr. Graham didn’t need the room. He said, “Mr. Graham started praying when he got up this morning, he prayed while eating breakfast, he prayed on the way over in the car, and he’ll probably be praying all the way through the interview.” Ross later said, “That was a great lesson for me to learn as…
Shocking Accessibility
When John F. Kennedy was president of the US, photographers sometimes captured a winsome scene. Seated around the president’s desk in the Oval Office, cabinet members are debating matters of world consequence. Meanwhile, a toddler, the 2-year-old John-John, crawls around and inside the huge presidential desk, oblivious to White House protocol and the weighty matters of state. He is simply visiting his daddy.
Why Doesn’t God Answer Me?
If you are struggling with feelings of doubt and disappointment with God, Psalm 77 reminds you who God is and how you can trust Him.
A Consistent Life
While studying the book of Daniel, I was struck by how easily he could have avoided being thrown into the den of lions. Daniel’s jealous rivals in the government of Babylon laid a trap based on his consistent practice of daily prayer to God (Dan. 6:1-9). Daniel was fully aware of their plot and could have decided to pray privately for a month until things settled down. But that was not the kind of person he was.
Psalm 71, the prayer of an old man
When you come to the end of your life, what final message would you like to leave your children, grandchildren, or the people you leave behind? Join us as we study an old man’s prayer and the legacy he wanted to leave behind.
Sledding And Praying
When the snow flies in Michigan, I like to get my grandkids, grab our plastic sleds, and go slipping and sliding down our backyard. We zoom down the hill for about 10 seconds, and then climb back up for more.
When God Is Quiet
I love to take pictures of sunsets at Lake Michigan. Some are subtle shades of pastel. Others are bold strokes of bright color. Sometimes the sun sinks quietly behind the lake. Other times it goes down in what looks like a fiery explosion.
Assembly Required
When our daughter and her fiancé began receiving wedding presents, it was a happy time. One gift they received was a bench cabinet that had to be assembled—and I volunteered for the task because they already had so much to do to prepare for the wedding. Although it took a couple of hours, it was much easier than expected. All of the wooden pieces were precut and predrilled, and all the hardware for assembly was included. The instructions were virtually foolproof.
In Jesus’ Name
One of my favorite collections of photos is of a family dinner. Preserved in an album are images of Dad, his sons and their wives, and his grandchildren in a time of thanks-giving and intercession.
How to gain wisdom when handling both victories and losses with grace
No matter how smart we are, we won’t win every argument. So how can we be humble when we win and gracious when we lose? Let’s study the book of Job.
When God Seems to Be Ignoring Our Prayers
It was 5:58 a.m. when I answered her call. “Hello?” I croaked, and my friend began bawling over the phone. She had just lost her sister to a battle with leukemia 38 minutes ago. When I got off the phone with my heartbroken friend after a very emotional 15 minutes, I […]
First Response
When my husband, Tom, was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, I began to call family members. My sister and her husband came right away to be with me, and we prayed as we waited. Tom’s sister listened to my anxious voice on the phone and immediately said, “Cindy, can I pray with you?” When my pastor and his wife arrived, he too prayed for us (James 5:13-16).
Uganda, where I have been called
My name is Georgina and I’m 21 years old. I have been to Uganda, East Africa numerous times for missions. The main issue that struck me was the sheer poverty within the country. I knew that there was no way that I could solve the problem by […]
