With Mother’s Day coming up, I thought it would be good to blog about moms – in particular, my mom. I’m indebted to her for many, many things and I thank God for her influence and support in my life, as well as my siblings, our spouses and our children. We are blessed to have … Continue reading Thanking God for Mommies

  Some time ago our worship team led the congregation in a very powerful song called “Your Grace Still Amazes Me”. It was one of those songs that stays in your mind long after you sing it. That’s what happened to my wife, Letty. She just couldn’t get the song out of her mind. On … Continue reading Seeing God-led Conspiracies

There are days when I know I’m “off-center.” Something seems to be amiss. My attitude is unstable; ranging from moody to ultra-happy. My speech is more inarticulate than normal. Everything I say seems to be just a little off from what I want to express. I find myself repeating tasks, forgetting things, making extra trips. … Continue reading Off-Center

There was a jerk in our home the other day. He came out of nowhere. He started making snide comments to members of my family. Sarcasm dripped from his attitude of superiority. He then followed us to church. Although I kept him from making a scene, I could tell that all he had in his … Continue reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lee

One of the great things I love about praying the Morning Office as part of my Personal Worship Time, is that it gives me a helpful reminder: There is a God. And I’m not Him. The “Call to Prayer,” “Request for Presence,” and “Greeting” always gets me realigned with this basic, but very profound truth … Continue reading Memo to Self

Have you ever wondered what Paul meant when he said, “Pray without ceasing” (Ephesians 6:18)? If you're like me, it's hard enough time being focused for 5 minutes, much less a ceaseless prayer that is mentioned here! But I think what Paul meant is for us to have a prayerful attitude throughout our day. The … Continue reading Stayed on Jesus

Undoubtedly, the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most powerful ways we can pray. In it, Jesus brilliantly covers the gamut of those essential aspects of relationship, worship, alignment, confession, and intercession through this short, but profound, prayer. I’ve always looked at the Lord’s Prayer more as a “prayer principle” than something that has value … Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer “Double-Take”

As we seek to worship God with our everyday ordinary lives, one of the biggest hurdles to meaningful connection is when we encounter those situations that overwhelm us: trials, conflicts, roadblocks, setbacks and the like. Usually, there are strong emotions that accompany these events, like fear, anger, anxiety, sorrow or discouragement. If you’re like me … Continue reading The Secret Power of Welcoming the “Un-welcomable”

No, I didn’t get a ticket and, no, I didn’t go to Traffic School – although I have in the past and I would not want to wish either of those experiences on anyone! God is teaching me some deep stuff through how I handle myself behind the wheel in traffic. And a lot of … Continue reading Traffic School

Last night I woke up at 3am in a panic. Something just gripped my mind and heart as I was filled with anxiety. A small, still Voice told me, “Just breathe … and pray.” So I took deep breaths. I tried praying the Jesus prayer, but it was too long. All that could come out … Continue reading Breath Prayer