Holy Hydration
“Do you think you pray enough?” That was the question posed by a blogger on our church blog. I was stopped dead in my tracks. How in the world can you quantify prayer?! Measure it in minutes? Prayer is a living thing. It has no boundaries. Certainly none that humans can lay down. It’s beginnings […]
The Sensation of Prayer
I’ve learned a new word: synesthesia. By definition, it’s a “union of the senses.” Wikipedia calls it “a neurological condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” Synesthetes have a common brain pathway for more than one sensation. They see sounds, hear a movement or […]
Strengthened in Prayer: multi-tasking is Biblical
First Thessalonians (5:17) says it clearly: “Pray continually.” I assume that means 24-7, 365. So, if I understand that correctly, that means my life should be one continuous prayer. Praising. Confessing. Thanking. Asking. But, wait, God wants me to be going about His business here on earth, too. So, if God expects me to pray without […]
Godly Osmosis: golden melding
Isn’t osmosis amazing? Grapes swell. Roots absorb. Skin rehydrates. You know everything in the textbook that you slept with under your pillow last night…Well, all but the last one. Who thought up water? Something so simple. Two H’s and an O. Specialized bonds that share charges in a way that attracts or repels. It designs […]
Physical, mental, emotional – One Body
We have a stigma against mental illness in this country. Have you noticed? Oh, we like to joke about “emo” people and “he’s not right in the head” people. But those aren’t real issues. We’re kidding. Right? And kidding allows us to keep this issue at arm’s length. I’d like to do that, but I […]
Being still looks easy but I bet it is hard work
On my drive to church I pass a lovely small man-made lake. It offers a focal point for the backyard of just a few homes. There is a dock, perhaps 15 feet long, that juts out from the far shore. I couldn’t quite reach it with a thrown stone, but almost. Quite early on “spring ahead” morning, […]
Where was Jesus on Marathon Monday?
So, “where was your Jesus on Monday afternoon?” a critic might ask. And so might I. I mean the Bible records Jesus’ words, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (16 Bible references just from Google). And “I will be with you to the end of the age.” (4 or so more.) So, where […]
Communion Running
Let no one say that running is not worship. I went for a Communion Run this morning. Yep, right there, as the roadside gravel crunched under my feet, I sang … eat this bread, drink this wine, trust in me and you will not thirst. Works well if you have shortish strides and no place really […]
Who would turn away the bread of life?
“Oh no, I couldn’t,” my neighbor says to my offer of a fruit tart. “You’re SO disciplined,” my other neighbor comments, as she helps herself. I have invited them to my house to share the tarts. I have made them especially for the occasion. Prepared them lovingly, presented them carefully and attractively, included only healthy […]
Morning Has Broken ~ welcome Spring!
In 1931, celebrated English children’s author Eleanor Farjeon wrote a poem for children to celebrate the first day of Spring. Set to a Gaelic melody, it climbed the pop charts as a Cat Stevens recording in 1971, and it remains one of Christendom’s favorite hymns. What a power lyrics have when we read and speak them! MORNING HAS […]