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The welcoming heart of God is at the center of the gospel, and it’s at the center of a praying life. When Jesus offered the invitation, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), it was not a want ad for the pulled-together and the omni-competent. In A Praying Life, his classic book on prayer, Paul Miller expounds upon the verse this way: “The criteria for coming to Jesus is weariness. Come overwhelmed with life. Come with your wandering mind. Come messy.”Read More →

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We live in an imperfect world and with prayers which are not always answered in the way we would like or how we think are best. So how should we react when God says “no” to our requests?Read More →

God's Got Your Back

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Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 (NIV) One of my twin boys is a picky eater. I used to blame myself for this. Now I realize because both twin boys have been brought up in the same way, they are just different. One is more adventurous with food than the other. I often encourage my son who turns up his nose at something he hasn’t eaten before. “Just try it,” I urge,“you might enjoy it.” In Psalm 34, David says putting our trust in God is like trying new food.“Find out forRead More →

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Sometimes God seems no closer than the Milky Way. What is it that makes God seem distant? Is it because he is holy and majestic and needs to be detached from a far from perfect mortal like myself? Are my day-to-day activities too insignificant to receive his undivided attention? Does he withdraw because, well frankly, I miss the mark—too often—and could do better? How do we pray when God feels far away? To begin, we must understand God’s purpose is to be near us and with us. Always. God does not deliberately separate himself from us. From day one, God intended to be intimate with peopleRead More →

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When I was a child, I looked forward to Valentine’s Day with great anticipation because I knew that Father Valentine would visit our house once it got dark. He would come bearing gifts not just for the children, but for the grown-ups, too. However, this was no ordinary gift-giving. The delivery was surrounded each year by mystery and intrigue. Adrenaline would pump though my veins as my siblings and I waited for the knock on the door that signaled Father Valentine’s arrival. Hearing that knock, we would charge to the door and fling it open. Speed was the essence of our response—because there would beRead More →

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I crawled out of bed and pulled on my clothes. Half-asleep. Another school morning starting way to early. About to walk out the door, my daughter yelled: “Hey, mom, your sweatpants are inside out.” We laughed. I would have looked such an idiot in public showing seams and M label. Showing others the insides of our clothes is nothing compared with them seeing what goes on inside of us. We do not want to display our thoughts or feelings for all to see. Some of them are ugly, others of them are mean and most of all they might be shocked. Yet, God is notRead More →